"I Want You Back" Review: This Ones A Keeper!
I Want You Back is a great choice for a good laugh on Amazon Prime! It’s a good spirited, romantic comedy that’s just in time for Valentine’s Day weekend. While it is a little long for the conventional film of its kind, the plot development is hysterical enough to keep you engaged from scene to scene. It hits all the right notes of a modern rom-com and dare I say could be a classic!
The film gets straight into the action with a break up between two couples: Emma (Jenny Slate) and Noah (Scott Eastwood), and Anne (Gina Rodriguez) and Peter (Charlie Day). Feeling emotional from their breakup, Emma and Peter retreat to the office building’s stairwell one day to have a good cry and meet each other in their grief. This chance meeting turns into a friendship in which the two lament about their exes and eventually hatch a plan to get them back. Peter will befriend Noah and remind him of the one who got away. Emma will try to seduce Logan (Manny Jacinto), Anne’s new boyfriend, and cause Anne to run back to Peter. At least, that’s the plan!
Slate and Day are laugh-out-loud funny with spitball comedy chemistry! Emma and Peter are fully realized characters on screen. You can almost write in their histories yourself based on the way they move through life, the decisions they make, and their dialogue. Emma suffers from a bit of arrested development (her roommates are young college students because she can’t afford the rent on her own) and she’s a hopeless romantic. Peter has a heart for the elderly but lacks confidence in chasing his dreams. The banter between the two is a game of tennis that is exciting to watch.
Director Jason Orley pays particular attention to the frame within this film. Leading lines point to his characters in the stairwell, sitting at a cafe, standing in a crowd or changing in a changing room. The mise-en-scene (stage design and arrangement of actors) in the film is noteworthy for a comedy in this genre, which isn’t something I would usually say. No, this isn’t high art, but there is care and intention in the frame. So what does it do for the film? It helps with the character and scene development. For instance, in a scene where Emma and Peter hash out their plan, they are sitting in a courtyard in front of a giant building. The building dwarfs them in scope while emphasizing the big plan they’re putting together. In another scene, Anne and Logan face each other in the foreground while Emma stands in between them in the background. The framing of shots mean something in many scenes which is refreshing to see.
Editing doesn’t get enough love in well executed rom-coms. Editor Jonathan Schwartz has as much to do with the comedic timing as Day and Slate. The film gives us what we need to know about a particular moment and cuts to the next event. It’s the choice of cuts- whether jumps, crosscuts, fades or smash cuts- that work to further the film’s laughs. A cut from an emotionally sweet moment during a children’s musical to men spraying champagne in a club is a part of the beautiful, unexpected mashup of thought this film is at times.
In short, I Want You Back fires on all cylinders from top to bottom. At its core, writers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger have shaped a story that understands tropes of the past and looks to circumvent them. When it does fall into cliché it earns the moment. The film has a long-running time just under two hours, but the sketches of comedy built-in getting there is worth the ride. This film is a keeper!
Rating: A-
"Dear Evan Hansen": When Adaptations Go Wrong
Dear Evan Hansen is Netflix’s You the musical! If you’re a fan of You, you understand how the main character seems like a nice person, has an interesting internal dialogue that no-one else hears, but at the end of the day is a stalker/killer. While Evan Hansen (Ben Platt) isn’t a stalker or killer in this film, he certainly has the same underlying creep factor. So this may be enjoyable for some, but I’m flabbergasted as to how anyone would believe this film is a drama/musical when it should be labeled a psychological thriller.
Evan Hansen has a social anxiety disorder that makes it hard for him to make friends. As much as he’d love to, it’s extremely difficult. He’s on medication and writes letters to himself as instructed by his therapist. After Connor Murphy (Colton Ryan) intercepts one of these letters and then commits suicide with the note on him, his parents believe Connor’s only friend was Evan. Evan runs with the lie because Cynthia (Amy Adams), Connor’s mom, is absolutely distraught over Connor’s death while his father, Larry Mora (Danny Pino), is numb. Seeing it as an opportunity to bring healing and maybe get closer to his crush, Zoey (Kaitlyn Dever), Connor’s sister, Evan goes full method acting.
The film is guaranteed to make you as anxiety ridden as its main character, but maybe not for the reasons intended by director Stephen Chbosky. That’s because you have to get over the fact that high school senior, Evan Hansen, is played by 28 year old Ben Platt. That’s if you can go along with the film’s premise, which all of the characters in the film do, leaving its audience befuddled as to why they go with the rouse. The mixture of serious dramatic acting with giant musical numbers feels so out of touch for cinematic adaption from the Tony and Grammy winning play.
The film has its moments in shining a light on how we treat death. The same jocks that ridicule Connor one day, take a solemn selfie in front of his locker the next. Students create The Connor Project in honor of the boy no one seems to have really known, but it brings the entire town together. There are plenty of moments where you think the film is going to make an important statement on suicide, grief, and loss but it never commits to bringing that to light.
I give Dear Evan Hansen credit that it takes itself seriously as a film adaptation. Unfortunately, this is an uneven film. Themes of having empathy for others, understanding we all have something to contribute to the world and recognizing we all have insecurities are lost in the sauce of the uncomfortable, awkwardness of the melodrama of it all. I mean, bursting out into song is expected in musicals, but singing in the midst of a serious conversation doesn’t feel right here. Maybe this worked on stage, but it doesn’t on screen.
Rating: D
"On The Rocks" Review: Sofia Coppola's Small But Profound Tale!
If you don’t consistently and intentionally work on your marriage, it can fall apart. Insecurities that come out in marriage after a couple of kids, body changes, and growing careers or lack thereof is what Sofia Coppola explores in her latest “On The Rocks”. This is an intimate film with big stars but grounded performances that result in a simple yet profound statement on aspects of our adult lives.
Laura (Rashida Jones) and Dean (Marlon Wayans) start their marriage like any couple in love. They ditch their wedding reception to skinny dip in the hotel pool. Fast forward a few years and a couple kids later and Laura is a struggling in her work while Dean is successfully traveling the world building his business. After feeling like Dean may be cheating, Laura confides in her devil-may-care father, Felix (Bill Murray). Due to his playboy lifestyle, he automatically assumes Dean is doing the worst and stokes the flames of Laura’s suspicion. The result is a father/daughter adventure through New York to find the truth.
The main characters in this film are Laura and Felix. Coppola purposefully brings you into the world of the father/daughter team by making the exterior world a form of set design in their stage play of life. Getting to know Laura’s daughters outside of the fact that they are kids is unnecessary. Getting to know Dean outside of the fact that he seems like a good guy but could be cheating helps us stay suspicious. Not getting to know the people that Laura interacts with in her daily life, outside of Vanessa (a funny for her bit role Jenny Slate), helps keep us focused on Laura’s thoughts about the situation.
This singular focus on Laura and Felix’s opinions and conversations about what’s happening with Dean is what helps make the film grounded in a familiar reality. What’s perhaps more profound is how Coppola’s screenwriting addresses the emotional impact of Felix’s infidelity and philandering on Laura’s life. She’s accepted him for who he is but as the story moves forward, they address those issues as well.
The film is reminiscent of a French New Wave buddy film. Coppola jump cuts through slices of everyday mundane moments that remind you of what you did this week. She gives Murray his time to shine in finely aged Murray monologues that are a joy to behold. Jones’s performance is stripped down and bare in a way that gives room for Murray to shine but not overpower her. Their relationship feels very authentic to the characters and that chemistry shines.
“On The Rocks” is a film that might go under the radar this year, but it shouldn’t be off yours! It’s entertaining, funny and poignant. Whether it hits a nerve in your current stage of life or not, it’s certainly an hour and a half well spent!
Rating: A-
"Soul" Review: The Reflection We Need In 2020
Pixar has a way with giving us films that speak to children, the inner child in adults, and adults. Their latest film, “Soul”, hits all three. While it has its moments of bloat and overly-complex narrative, there’s no doubt that it will leave you thinking about your life and the journey we all walk in finding our purpose.
Jamie Foxx voices Joe Gardner, a band teacher who has been waiting for his big break as a musician. He spends his time like most people do who aren’t working their dream job. He works at school, tutors after school to make ends meet, and plays gigs in his off time. So when he finally gets the opportunity to play piano for Dorothea Williams (Angela Bassett) he’s beyond ecstatic! Blinded by enthusiasm he misses the open man hole he walks into while talking on the phone.
Fresh out of his body, Joe is in a long line full of people going to The Great Beyond, but feeling that he was just about to finally make it, he fights to get out of impending doom. His actions land him in The Great Before, a place where souls are trained before diving to Earth to get a body and pursue their purpose in life. As Joe tries to find a loophole to get back to Earth himself, he’s paired up as a mentor for 22 (Tina Fey), a soul who does everything she can to not go to Earth. Amazingly, everything mentioned above is in the trailer.
If you can get past what feels like a seriously hard attempt to create a beautiful, bright new world that still addresses large issues like Pixar did previously with “Inside Out”, the bones of finding out our purpose in life are solid. Foxx’s Joe Gardner is a kind man with enough of a chip on his shoulder to make him oblivious to the truth that he matters to his community and has a good life. The film analyzes what makes a life “good” and worth living through the eyes of 22. Simultaneously, we see a refresher for Joe as he is able to see the world as 22 sees it.
“Soul” gives us Pixar’s first movie centered around a black character. Like “The Princess Frog”, Joe spends a considerable amount of time outside of his body, but fortunately at least half of the time we see an animated black lead. In fact, Pixar nails a lot of black culture in this film. From the jazz players (notably Angela Bassett as Dorothea) to Joe’s mother’s (Phylicia Rashad) seamstress shop, screenwriters Pete Docter, Mike Jones, and Kemp Jones hit the nuances that are uniquely black vernacular while still universal themes of connection and love. A beautifully captured scene where Joe gets his haircut in the barbershop is equal parts funny and true to life. The barbershop represents a space of education, humor, and camaraderie for black boys and men where conversations can go from the basketball game to how to be a better father in an instant. It’s so fluid with the rest of the film you could miss it, but I appreciated being able to ask my son if it looked familiar and he give a resounding “Yes!”.
We’ve come to have high expectations of Pixar Animation Studios and “Soul” won’t let you down. While it may not be as moving and profound as “Inside Out”, the film still poses big questions in an animated movie. While it doesn’t answer where we come from or where we go after life in our body ends, it does make you think about what you do while you’re living. In a tumultuous year like 2020, “Soul” is right on time to help us focus on what’s most important!
Rating: B+
"Frozen II" Review: Disney, Let It Go!
Perhaps much like the theme of the movie, the Frozen franchise is in its autumn. Frozen II offers up a change in its characters, settings and gives a form of growth to all. Suffering from the sophomore slump, while this film offers big numbers and beautiful scenery, it doesn’t quite capture the magic of its predecessor because it’s too busy trying to stand in the shadow of it.
Picking up shortly after the original, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) are leading the kingdom of Arendelle with Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and a newly permafrosted Olaf (Josh Gad) by their sides. Still trying to find herself, Elsa can’t ignore the voice she hears calling out to her. The voice may hold answers to the past as the kingdom tries to find answers to its future after the spirits of Earth, Fire, Wind and Water remove everyone from their homes.
Following the voice takes the group to an enchanted forest, which previously could not be entered by anyone. Inside they meet two factions that have been stuck inside for years and search for answers to the past to secure their future. Equipped with solo songs for each character throughout the film, like its songs, it’s forgettable. In fact, most of the songs help to move the struggling story along rather than being an extension of each characters’ inner feelings bursting out of them as musicals should do.
Another reason this outing isn’t as great as the last is because it’s missing heart and a true villain. The heart of the first film was the love between two sisters and the power that exists and can be cultivated from that love. Here, each character follows their own storyline and thus, as a whole, the movie suffers from meandering at times due to a seemingly forced narrative instead of the organic story in the first film. Without a true villain to physically go up against, these characters aren’t written well enough to display the true struggle of (wo)man vs. self that it whiffs at. There’s an opportunity for the film to explore what happens when a loved one smothers you with good intentions, but doesn’t realize they’re holding you back. There are decisions that some characters make that seem to be, well, out of character. It’s as though going from the beat sheet that five writers created for the story wasn’t quite filled in by Jennifer Lee’s screenplay.
On a positive note, Olaf steals the show as the lovable snowman who seems to be graduating from kindergarten to first grade metaphorically. He’s inquisitive about the world around him and his curiosity and zest for life is endearing. Olaf certainly provided most of the laughs that the children in the audience I saw the film with had.
Frozen II is an example of Disney’s machine over-cranking. While the film will undoubtedly be a money maker, lightning hasn’t struck twice. You won’t be able to name a single tune you heard upon exiting the theater. With glimpses of what could have been a solid, universal story, the writing is half baked and thus this film falls short. Your kids will love it though!
Rating: C
"Dolemite is My Name" Review
First, I want to take the time to welcome Eddie Murphy back to cinema. It's been a long time coming and now he's hit the Netflix small screen with a star studded cast to give us Dolemite is My Name. If you know anything about comedy and Blaxploitation from the 70's then you've heard of the man known as Dolemite. Director Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow) gives us a look at Rudy Ray Moore's story in how he brought his first movie to the big screen and his tenacity to become the "Baddest Motherf*@#*& alive."
The film starts off with Rudy (Murphy) trying to find his niche in the entertainment industry doing odd jobs from singing, hosting clubs and working at a record store in order to find his claim to fame. After receiving inspiration from a local homeless man, Rudy creates the character Dolemite (a provocative pimp character with legendary stories). With the help of this persona, he finds his calling in the industry as a successful comedian. Subverting the norm, Rudy continues to find ways to push the envelope and turn his comedy albums into must have records around the US. It’s during a moment on the road that he gets the idea to make a motion picture of his character and bring it to the big screen with the thought process that movie distribution will put him everywhere at once. The only problem is he has no idea what he's doing. As he takes on the task, he quickly finds out he may have bitten off more than he could chew.
In the words of Dolemite, "its a movie that's made for the people and has funny, titties and kung fu." And this movie has all that and more! This movie also gives an inside scoop on what it took for black entertainers to breakthrough and have a voice in the entertainment industry in Hollywood by building from rock bottom in the 70s. The movie has a star studded cast featuring Snoop Dogg, Wesley Snipes, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Keegan Michael Key, Bob Odenkirk, Luenell and Tituss Burgess as well as appearances from other A listers. Seeing all these great actors in a cohesive film felt like a relatable episode of SNL.
Each actor embodied their roles. Ms. Lady Reed (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) did an outstanding job as Dolemite's first lady. I was surprised to see the chemistry of Da'Vine and Eddie work well together. Eddie Murphy is the and delivered with a capital D. Also seeing Wesley Snipes (D'Urville Martin) in a comedic role was another hidden gem in the movie. He gave the zeal and tenacity and has me looking forward to Coming to America 2 (still on the fence about this sequel).
Overall, this might go down as a cult classic about a cult classic. Funny, witty and did I mention funny? It made me want to go watch some Dolemite (not the greatest films by far) films over again with my new appreciation for what it took to make them. This film has great production value and a big screen film feel to it, which isn’t always typical of a Netflix movie. This is guaranteed to be a film you watch a few times with your family, friends and your pimp friends over the coming holidays.
Rating: B
"Booksmart" Review
We’ve seen Booksmart before. We haven’t seen a female fronted version of highschoolers trying to have one night of fun before graduation like this though. So while it’s great to see the female version of this film, the deja vu of it all doesn’t necessarily make it a winner.
On the eve of their high school graduation, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are ready to shed their good student images and live a little. It’s obvious they didn’t have a bunch of close friends throughout their four years because they don’t know where the biggest party in town is, but who needs close friends when you have a sisterhood like theirs? Their relationship is beautiful and tight-knit. So together they’ll figure out a way to get to the party, and much of the movie centers around them in transit and on the hunt for it.
They start out at a boat party for Jared (Skyler Gisondo), a lonely rich kid who expects that he can buy friends like his parents bought his affection. His one friend, Gigi (Billie Lourd), serves as a magical marker who pops up at each stop of Amy and Molly’s adventure. The boat is made for dinner cruises, and with four people on it outside of the crew, it makes for a pretty lame party and a moment for viewers to scratch their head. They eventually make there way to the party of the year with a couple more stops and a drug induced trip along the way.
While Booksmart’s ancillary characters feel fully realized, and there’s really not anyone you won’t like in this film, the emotional connection and investment is missing upfront. The gags and jokes within the film are hit and miss at times and the soundtrack serves as a hard cut between each transition. One could say the film builds its characters over time, but it’s hard to enjoy the early part of the ride where the girls get into situations that feel grounded more in fantasy than reality. It’s not until Amy and Molly get to the big party that the film takes a tonal shift that is true to life.
Feldstein’s Molly is the livewire with control issues in the duo. Dever’s Amy is the straight woman of the two (humor-wise I should say), but her sensibility makes her journey noteworthy. She’s been an out lesbian since the tenth grade, but hasn’t pursued a romantic relationship. She hopes that will change over the course of the night. It’s her pursuit and experimenting that gives an authentic look at the universal issues that teenagers deal with in finding love. At the end of the day, during that time in our lives, we’re just trying to discover ourselves while deciding whether to follow the crowd or step out on our own.
This film certainly has an audience, but it’s going to be a limited one. You either enjoy over the top sequences and saturated F bombs in a movie or you don’t. Director Olivia Wilde’s feature debut proves that she can tell a story and this won’t be the last we hear from her. However, when you paint a world where teens act like adults and adults act like teens, the universal lessons become harder to receive. Booksmart definitely has laugh out loud and heartfelt moments, but if this is life for Generation Z teens, it’s a strange Utopia.
Rating: C+
"Little" Review: The Laughs Make Up For The Story
There is certainly an attrition in regard to the person we were as a child versus who we are as an adult. Why that happens and if we can continue to be ourselves from adolescence to adulthood is what Little takes aim at. While the movie has some pacing and story issues, the calories you’ll burn laughing evens things out!
Jordan Sanders (Regina Hall) is the type of boss you don’t want to have. She’s mean, self-centered, condescending, and has enough money and power to get away with it all. Her assistant, April Williams (Issa Rae), is her talented but overlooked and overworked doormat. Jordan’s latest technological invention, Homegirl (voiced by Tracee Ellis Ross- think Alexa but a cool black version) is in beta testing. When her biggest client, Connor (Mikey Day) gives her 48 hours to give a new innovation before he leaves her firm, Jordan goes Hulk on her employees. She just happens to be mean to a little girl who casts a spell on her in the process.
The next morning, Jordan wakes up as the middle school version of herself (Marsai Martin). She quickly pulls in April to help her figure out what’s going on, while using her to continue the day to day activities in the company. Shenanigans ensue as Jordan learns more about herself, friendship, and what it means to be yourself.
Both a blessing and a curse, the screenplay fires off jokes like a TV sitcom. It seems like the jokes come at least once per minute of screen time. Many of the jokes hit, but others noticeably don’t. When you have power players like Issa Rae, Marsai Martin, and Regina Hall (while she’s in less of the film in comparison) the funny moments of this film are not just in the dialogue but also in their expressions. All three nail their character’s persona. It is a pleasure to watch Martin outside of her role on Black-ish as she commands the screen acting as a 38 year old in a 13 year old’s body. The rapport between her and Rae is so authentic and infuses life into some of the scenes that in other hands would be hackneyed.
While the laughs come consistently and the film taps into some emotional moments, many of the scenes within the film feel common in a bad way. Inspired by the movie Big, Little doesn’t do much innovating in the body switching, Freaky Friday, type of genre. Due to that, some of the storytelling and transitions force you to forgive it for following the leader rather than lead you down a refreshingly original path.
Regardless, this film is packed with the right kind of girl power. Co-writer/director Tina Gordon takes us on a funny ride. Both Hall and Martin serve as executive producers on the film, making Marsai Martin one of the youngest executive producers in Hollywood. This movie finds itself lending to crowds somewhere in between date night and an outing with the girls, but it’s an overall entertaining time at the movies.
Rating: B-
"Night School" Review: A Lesson in Bad Comedy
Let’s start with an alliteration. Night School begs for comedy charity chuckles. Let’s do the math. Kevin Hart plus Tiffany Hadish doesn’t make comedy gold. Now, let me take you to school.
Directed by Malcolm D. Lee, Night School follows the story of Teddy Walker (Kevin Hart), a high school drop out who has used his quick wit and charm to get ahead in life. He has it all. His girlfriend Lisa (Megalyn Echikunwoke) is a beautiful businesswoman, and the porsche he drives is equally elegant. The only problem is he’s maxing out on his credit cards to keep her impressed and in his life. After a freak accident following his proposal to Lisa, Teddy finds himself unemployed and unable to keep up the facade. So he decides to go to night school in an effort to become a financial analyst.
From there we’re introduced to the ragtag bunch of night school students in Teddy’s class. There’s the stressed and under-appreciated stay at home mom Theresa (Mary Lynn Rajskub), woke brother Jaylen (Romany Malco), former jock Mackenzie (Rob Riggle), high school teen queen Mila (Anne Winters), wanna be pop star Luis (Al Madrigal), and in confinement convict Bobby (Fat Joe). They’re all led by an underpaid teacher named Carrie (Tiffany Haddish).
The problem with the film is that at the script level its thinner than a sheet of paper. With six names on the writing credits you would think that someone would say, “hey, let’s make sure the stakes are more than our main character has to hide educating himself from his fiance.” There is no major emotional investment for the viewer to take the ride on this unlikely story. Yet, the six writing credits may explain why the story goes into so many different directions. It’s a caper comedy, teen comedy (equipped with choreographed dance moves from a group of students during a prom scene), buddy comedy, and more. So we’re forced to hope that the banter amongst the characters will be worth the entry. It’s not.
You start out wanting to see more of Haddish, but quickly realize she’s underused in her role. Hart works too much and brings nothing new to this character. So the lesser names in the ensemble wind up bringing more creativity to the mix. Romany Malco is almost unrecognizable as Jaylen and he brings a full character to the screen and some good moments of humor. Even though Fat Joe can’t act, you can tell he was being himself as the Skyped in convict, and it makes for some good bits. In fact, the small details in the film are worth paying attention to. I’ve compiled my top five things to look for if you dare to go:
1) Fat Joe’s graduation jewelry.
2) The names of the sodas at Christian Chicken where Teddy works. Names like Ruth’s Beer and Coconut Christ Water were pretty funny.
3) How (Jaylen) Romany Malco brushes his hair. If you pay attention to what he’s doing, you’ll see it’s pretty funny.
4) Poor editing during the film. There are more than a few times when an action takes place from one angle and then the same thing happens again in the very next cut. (Haddish hitting Hart in the Christian Chicken parking lot for one.)
5) The terrible dub-overs in the film. There were plenty of times where you wonder if the audio is out of synch. My theory is that to keep the rating PG-13, certain dialogue had to be changed. There is a specific moment where heffer is used instead of the clear f-bomb Haddish actually said.
Overall, this film is a great pitch concept and nothing more. Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish are talented comedians at the top of their game, but this experiment didn’t produce a great outcome. I stayed awake through the end in order to write this review, but the man snoring extremely loud in the last ten minutes of this twenty-minutes-too-long movie provided more laughs and conversation amongst the audience than the movie itself. Save your money on this one!
Rating: D
"Teen Titans Go! To the Movies" Review
I’ll be up front with you, I’ve never watched an episode of Teen Titans Go!. I’m aware of the Cartoon Network animated series that began airing in 2013, and that people have different opinions about the show itself. I’ve only seen clips here and there, so watching the film adaptation of the series was my first time experiencing this property. Other than the clips I’ve seen and the trailers, this film piqued my interest when it was announced that they got Nicolas Cage to voice Superman, since he was slated to be Superman in Tim Burton’s planned Superman Lives movie twenty years ago before it collapsed. Not knowing what to expect, it certainly won me over with this: Teen Titans Go! To the Movies is a much more enjoyable experience than last fall’s Justice League, and some parts in this film had me howling in laughter.
Every superhero left and right has his or her movie. In this world, you’re not considered a real superhero until you get a movie made about you. Robin (Scott Menville) dreams of having his own film, but none of the superheroes take him or the Teen Titans, which consist of Beast Boy (Greg Cipes), Cyborg (Khary Payton), Raven (Tara Strong), and Starfire (Hynden Walch) seriously. Popular film director Jade Wilson (Kristen Bell) tells the team that in order to get a film made about their exploits, they need to find an arch nemesis. The Titans might find one in Slade (Will Arnett, who also produced the film), who has nefarious plans of his own.
One of the things that I enjoyed about this film is how they sendup all the comic book films that have populated the multiplexes lately. In a sense, whereas the Deadpool films are aimed at an adult crowd, this caters to the kids. Like with last year’s The LEGO Batman Movie, directors Peter Rida Michail and co-creator Aaron Horvath (who also wrote this with co-creator Michael Jelenic) incorporated references of past DC films, TV shows, and comics. No characters are safe, from Batman (there’s a killer joke that WB will basically make any film that’s remotely related to him), Superman, and Wonder Woman, to the most obscured, like the Challengers of the Unknown. While the jokes are mostly catered to the younger demographic, the filmmakers get away with some extremely funny dark humor that adults can appreciate.
Unlike the tone that’s on display with some of the past DC films, this film knows exactly what type of film it’s trying to be. It’s self aware, and it embraces its roots as a film geared towards children, which is to entertain us for 88 minutes. There is an interesting dynamic in which the directors and animators switch up the animation style whenever it drifts away from the reality of the film universe which helps enhance the story. It feels a bit like a cross between Looney Tunes with a dash of anime. Voice wise, the dynamic between the Titans is good, and you can hear the years of teamwork and how they care for one another in their vocal acting. Arnett once again nails the over masculine type character as Slade, and how over the top he portrays it. The cameos did there part, and Cage as Superman was perfection in my eyes. It makes you wish that he would get another opportunity to voice Superman down the road. Also, the songs are catchy enough that you might have a hard time getting them out of your head.
As for any drawbacks, there’s not enough meat to the bones, and it basically feels like a feature length episode of the series. Even though it runs at 88 minutes, at times, it was as if the filmmakers were trying to figure out ways to pad out the runtime by stretching a comedy bit out or throwing things against the wall until something sticks. As the old saying goes, they had style over substance. There isn’t enough plot, and the film doesn’t go any deeper than you may anticipate going into it. Maybe it was because of the PG rating, but I was a little surprised that the name Deathstroke never gets mentioned once (since that’s Slade’s name in the comics). Finally, the DC animated short that precedes the film, involving the DC Super Hero Girls, felt a little off and choppy.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the show, chances are you will have a lot of fun with this film. Even if you haven’t watched the show at all, give it a shot. I know I’m not the target audience for this film, but I’ll admit that it has its charm to it, and I was laughing more than I should have. The real question is whether watching this film will lead to me and others to watching the series? There’s a strong likelihood that newbies like myself, may check out at least a few episodes. Be sure to stay around until the mid-credits, because some of the audience members around me lost their minds when it occurred. In terms of DC Animated Movies, I think The LEGO Batman Movie is better, but hey, it seems like Warner Animation may have a better grasp on the DC characters than the live action division. If you were looking something fun to watch this weekend with your family, or just a fan in general, I would recommend checking this out.
Rating: B
"Trolls" Review: A Hairful of Happiness
I was expecting Trolls to be a snooze fest. After all, it’s been quite some time since we’ve heard about trolls. Those of us of a certain age remember playing with or seeing friends play with the long-haired dolls, and the 1992 cartoon. Dreamworks has reignited a franchise in a film that’s filled with humor and a touch of the feels.
Twenty years after her father, King Peppy (Jeffrey Tambor), saved the trolls from being eaten by ogre-like creatures called Bergens, Princess Poppy (Anna Kendrick) throws a commemorative party. It’s the loudest, happiest party ever, but unfortunately it’s also a calling card for Chef (Christine Baranski), a Bergen who has been searching for them since that date twenty years ago, to receive loud and clear. The Bergens are unhappy creatures, who are convinced the only way to experience happiness is by eating a troll.
With a fanny pack full of trolls, Chef sets off to reclaim her place of respect amongst the Bergens. Poppy, with the help of a surly troll named Branch (Justin Timberlake), pursues Chef in order to free her friends. Along the way they meet a Bergen scullery maid named Bridget (Zooey Deschanel), who they are able to help find happiness in the form of her love for King Gristle (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) through song and dance numbers that you can’t help but tap your feet to.
While the set up for Trolls is pretty unoriginal (an overly happy character teams up with an overwhelmingly unhappy character to accomplish a task), Kendrick and Timberlake make for a great duo. Their chemistry makes for an enjoyable ride. Writers Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger draw up a world that is over the top infused with color and glitter, light hearted, and yet somehow grounded in a reality that’s emotionally tangible even for it’s youngest viewers.
Trolls has a clear message that anyone can be happy. Between its soundtrack and jokes, the film is guaranteed to make you leave the theater with a little bit of happiness in your pocket. So parents, don’t be surprised if trolls make an appearance in your home pretty soon. In fact, your old trolls stored away from long ago may make you cool this weekend!
Rating: B
"War Dogs" Review
I wasn’t expecting much from War Dogs. The trailer suggested it was about two frat boys who made their way to the top of the arms dealer chain to live an American dream that’s one for the record books. Director Todd Phillips has helmed films like Road Trip, Due Date, and Hangover 1 & 2, so that also put me in a frame of mind as to what the film would be like. While the film certainly is light-hearted and has its comedic moments, I was surprised to see a line of serious social commentary weaved throughout it.
Based on a true story, War Dogs focuses on David Packouz (Miles Teller) and Efraim Diveroli (Jonah Hill). After being a massage therapist in the Miami area for the rich, and trying to step out into a failed entrepreneurial endeavor selling bed sheets, David is down on his luck. Enter his childhood friend Efraim, who tells him he has a million dollars in his bank account, not to brag, just because they’re boys. David is quickly sucked into Efraim’s world. He learns that the US government has a website that is opened to the public for bidding on selling weapons, uniforms, vehicles, and other bulk war needs.
This movie is slick as Efraim, the mastermind behind it all. It pulls some of its crime genre aesthetics straight from Goodfellas with the main character narrating over a freeze frame as he explains why Albanian gangsters are punching him. Weapons and uniforms have animated prices on them to stress the central theme of war being about money. The gimmicks work for the story though, as it helps us start to view dealing weapons as they do. You see the dollars and cents behind war, and thus you can see how so many profit off of it.
As David and Efraim start to go higher up the chain, David tries to keep things from his devoted girlfriend Iz (an underused Ana De Armas). Iz is strictly in the film as a beautiful one-note girlfriend, who gives conflict back on the home front as David goes into high-risk situations in Iraq and Albania. It’s the ride to the top and adventures along the way that are entertaining to watch and certainly humorous.
Jonah Hill is a scene-stealer as Efraim. From the moment he steps into the frame you can see he’s a slick talking con artist who will be whoever he needs to be for the person he’s talking with as David says in the film. Hill’s signature laugh, created for this character, tops it all off. Teller is our eyes-in character, and is solid in his role but nothing more, nothing less. We get two well done character performances from Kevin Pollack and Bradley Cooper to round out the cast.
As long as you know what you’re getting into this weekend, War Dogs is surprisingly entertaining. The reason it works, is because the comedy breaks up the insane, unbelievably dangerous situations we see these two twenty-somethings get involved in on screen. Yet, it’s sobering to realize that this is all based on reality. Right down to the amount of time (or lack there of) they are supposed to serve for their crimes, it really makes you think about our justice system, or lack there of.
Rating: C+
"Central Intelligence" Review
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart team up to save the world in Central Intelligence. It’s a shoot ‘em up, buddy comedy that seems far too familiar with decent laughs sprinkled in. In fact, if Twins, 48 Hours, and Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion met up at the bar to discuss making a film, Central Intelligence would be the outcome!
In high school, Bob Stone (Johnson) was picked on and bullied, while Calvin Joyner (Hart) was the man on campus. (It should be noted the CGI work on the two stars to make them look younger is pretty dog on good.) Twenty years later, Calvin is an accountant, married to his high school sweetheart Maggie (Danielle Nicolet), but that may be the only accomplishment he’s had in life post high school that he is proud of. After getting a Facebook friend request by Bob Stone, Calvin decides to meet with him on a whim.
The meeting reveals Bob to be a handsome, muscle bound man with a few lethal fighting skills under his belt. No longer a nerd, Bob seems to have a low key infatuation with Calvin for sticking up for him in high school. As the film moves forward, Calvin quickly gets wrapped into the mysterious world of Bob, the CIA, and his forensic accounting skills are needed to save the world. All of these revelations are made by the time of their high school reunion the next night.
The film has its laugh out loud moments, with hilarious cameos from some of the best in the business. While The Rock is a great actor and he commits to his role in this film, the man child in a giant’s body (especially compared to Hart) feels a little forced at times, thus making Bob seem more like a caricature. At the same time, the film's underlying spy duality keeps the audience guessing as to what's what and who is who as the Rock flips between moments of the nerd in a stud's body to CIA action hero star we're accustomed to seeing. Hart playing the straight man in this buddy comedy is a change that works to let him show his acting chops while still hitting his unique, spastic physical comedy.
Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, Central Intelligence is a popcorn flick probably best served for Netflix and chill. You’ll laugh while you’re watching, but forget that you saw it by the end of the year. While saving the world takes a little Hart and a big Johnson in this film, me saving you some money this weekend just took you reading this review!
Rating: C+
"Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" Review
Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer, and Jorma Taccone are known for their comedy sketches and parody videos as a part of The Lonely Island. They came to prominence with their Saturday Night Live digital short “Lazy Sunday”. Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is simply them coming together and fleshing out a feature length version of one of their videos. It’s a rock mockumentary for the popular culture of the 21st century, that’s actually funny.
Conner4real (Samberg) is a young singer/rapper at the top of his game. He started out in the hip hop group called The Style Boyz with his childhood friends, Owen (Taccone) and Lawrence (Schaffer). Stepping out from the group he catapulted himself to the top of the charts and hearts of his fans. After the huge success of his first album, we find Conner preparing for his latest, Connquest. To ensure the albums success, Conner wrote all of the songs and used 100 producers to create all of the beats.
With songs like “Equal Rights”, about marriage equality but stitched together with homophobic lines, and “Finest Girl” which makes references to killing Osama Bin Laden, Connquest tanks. The rest of the film is about Conner realizing he has a bunch of “yes men” around him and getting back to his roots.
While the set up is typical of a VH1 Behind the Music episode, that’s a part of what makes it wonderful. The film mocks pop culture, pop music, and hip hop in a way that’s right on the money by marrying the documentary style filmmaking with comedy. Popstar is written by Samberg, Schaffer, and Taccone and there is a palpable sense that they wanted to mock the culture while hitting dramatic beats and actually telling a story rather than stringing together numerous sketches.
As the film unfolds, numerous celebrity cameos of popular artists and comedians are woven into the film. Some are brief, and other’s continue to come back, but most of them add to the humor of the film because of the irony of making fun of the business they helped create or are still a part of. There are a few TMZ or CMZ as it’s called in the film, scenes that are hilarious! They nail Harvey Levin and crew’s office sessions.
This film is a little funnier than the trailer, and I cracked up watching the trailer. So if you don’t find the trailer funny, than you probably won’t find the film funny either. But there’s no escaping the fact that this is clever satire that encapsulates this social media/reality TV/need to be liked generation in an affectionate, genuine, comedic film.
Rating: B
"The Nice Guys" review
Co-writer/director Shane Black is back at it again with a buddy action-comedy film. Known for penning hits like Lethal Weapon, modern noir Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, and mixed genred Iron Man 3, this time around he’s cooked up a 70’s retro-noir starring Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling. The duo come together to solve the case of an alleged suicide of a female porn star in The Nice Guys.
The film asks you to set aside your brain and understand that coincidences are going to happen from the opening sequence. A young boy is checking out his father’s adult magazine, when a car crashes into the house. The car happens to be driven by adult-film actress, Misty Mountains (Murielle Telio), the same woman the boy was just looking at in the magazine. From there, you can expect the rest of the story to follow suit.
Enter muscle-for-hire Jackson Healy (Crowe) and alcoholic/private eye Holland March (Gosling). Although they first meet when Healy breaks March’s arm for a seemingly separate case, they combine forces to search for a missing girl named Amelia (Margaret Qualley), who seems to be connected to the dead adult film star. As the two begin down the rabbit hole, they eventually run into plenty of dead bodies from the porn industry and uncover a large conspiracy.
Did I mention they allow March’s tween-age daughter, Holly (Angourie Rice) to tag along for a lot of the ride? While her character is a "girl who has had to grow up quickly by looking after her to-drunk-to-drive father" at times throughout the movie (and we can assume in the past), the humor that she’s supposed to infuse doesn’t always work. Should a little girl really be watching pornography at an adult industry party? Drunk or not, should March and Healy really allow her to tag along? (Although at times they do try to send her away.) Holly is a major part in the film who works and doesn’t work throughout the movie in such a way as to act as a speed bump rather than acceleration pad.
Crowe and Gosling give performances worth most of the buzz the film has been getting. Crowe’s straight man compliments Gosling’s entertaining physical humor. They play off each other well and own the dialogue.
Black has fully developed characters in The Nice Guys. He has nice touches of mystery and restraint with issues like Healy’s aversion to alcohol versus March’s indulgence. He hits many of the twists and turns that you expect from a film noir. Yet it’s the plot that is too convoluted, asking you to just go with it as the detectives make random connections through happenstance. I just wish the plot was as thorough as it’s likable characters.
Rating: C+
"The Night Before" Review
Deck the halls with weed and mushrooms, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la cocaine.
That’s pretty much the mindset that this film occupies. Combine a Christmas movie with a stoner movie and you’ll get The Night Before, the latest comedy starring Seth Rogen. Those who have seen Rogen’s past efforts (This is the End, Neighbors, The Interview) are well aware of what to expect by this point: vulgar humor, pop culture references, and a laid-back, improvisational approach to storytelling. The Night Before is no exception, and whether that’s a good or bad thing is entirely dependent upon the viewer’s tolerance for that sort of thing.
Me? I laughed when I saw it, in spite of myself. The Night Before is equal parts naughty and nice, relishing its raunchiness while pausing for sobering, heartfelt moments as well. This is a film about friendship, forgiveness, growing up, and the spirit of Christmas… that also features a scene in which Rogen, wearing a sweater bearing the Star of David, vomits in the middle of a church during Christmas Eve service.
The film concerns three childhood friends—Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Chris (Anthony Mackie), and Isaac (Rogen)—who are on the cusp of some big changes in their lives. Before adulthood claims their freedom to party forever, they gather on Christmas Eve for one last night of bacchanalian shenanigans. On a quest to find the Christmas party to end all Christmas parties, they traverse from one outrageous set piece to the next. This is not so much a story as it is a collection of things that happen.
Like with all Rogen comedies, the sheer level of talent assembled is impressive. In addition to the believable chemistry and snappy banter of the three leads, there are also hysterical supporting turns from actresses Jillian Bell (22 Jump Street) and Mindy Kaling (The Office), who often overshadow their male costars with their radiant comedic timing. But the most brilliant—and surprising—comic performance of the film comes from Michael Shannon (yes, General Zod from Man of Steel) as the mysterious marijuana dealer Mr. Green. He runs away with the film.
But too often the humor relies on lazy pop culture references and random celebrity cameos that will date the movie instantly. Miley Cyrus appears in one scene. What’s the joke? I guess it’s meant to be funny because she’s there. Or is there irony in the way the characters lay the praise on thick by saying things like “Miley Cyrus is so amazing! Isn’t her song ‘Wrecking Ball’ timeless?”
It’s unnecessary detours like these that take precious screen time away from our heroes and grind the film’s momentum to a halt. Had the script stayed focused a bit more on its central characters, I would have found myself caring if Ethan gets the girl or if Isaac learns to be a responsible father or if Chris becomes less of an egotistical jerk.
But perhaps I’m being a bit of a Scrooge. People don’t go to a film like The Night Before looking for well-developed characters or a polished script. They go to laugh. And when Christmas brings us such lumps of coal as Jingle All the Way, Deck the Halls, and Christmas with the Kranks, we can be thankful that The Night Before is as funny and warmhearted as it is. After all, isn’t being thankful what the holidays are all about?
Grade: B-
"Our Brand Is Crisis" Review
Political satire is an art form. From Veep to SNL’s approach to the presidential candidates each year — the formula that generates great political commentary involves a delicate balance of humor, tact, intelligence and a willingness to take everything to the next level. “Our Brand is Crisis”, directed by David Gordon Green (“Pineapple Express”), mixes politics and humor, creating a film with genuine insight and a laugh-out-loud approach to the world of political campaigns.
Jane Bodine (Sandra Bullock), or Calamity Jane as she is known in the political world, has retired from politics. For years she rolled with the top-dogs, working on some of the biggest campaigns, but her dedication to the craft took a toll on her personal life — resulting in several stints in rehab. Seemingly content with her cabin in the mountains and pottery-making, bad news comes knocking in the form of Nell (Ann Dowd), a former colleague. Nell is currently working for a Bolivian candidate, Castillo (Joaquim de Almeida), and she wants Jane on the campaign. Castillo is 28 points behind in the polls and in desperate need of Jane’s expertise. Jane isn’t convinced to join the team until one name is brought up: Pat Candy (Billy Bob Thornton), her political campaign nemesis. At the mere mention of his name Jane is on a flight to Bolivia, off to save Castillo’s campaign.
“Our Brand is Crisis” is Sandra Bullock at her finest. As Jane, she delivers a bull-headed personality, perfectly countered by an off-kilter charm and sense of humor. There is something classically physical and consistently effortless about Bullock’s comedic chops and this role allowed her to bring what she does best to the table. Her performance turns what could’ve been a deeply-flawed, stoic woman into a riveting, can’t-wait-to-see-what-she-does-next character. An added bonus to Bullock’s performance: Billy Bob Thornton as Pat and Zoe Kazan as political ingenue, LeBlanc. The relationship between Jane and Pat is dark and twisted and to watch this play out onscreen is a pure delight. Time slows down as Pat and Jane come together in a series of biting and witty conversations and Billy Bob Thornton plays his character to a twisted tee. Zoe Kazan’s LeBlanc is mysterious, but Kazan stands as the perfect partner to Bullock’s comedy.
As a lazy, but always intrigued, political junkie what I found so fascinating about this film is its ability to touch on the truth of political campaigns while also managing to have a lot of fun. As Jane and her team work to bring their candidate up in the polls, you really get to see the art of political communication — how it is not about honesty or doing what it is right, but it is about telling the right story at the right time and convincing the people to believe in that story. It’s as simple as that. “Our Brand is Crisis” tells the story of the type of people it takes to get the political job done, and its humor comes from the eccentricities of their different personalities. The writing is fantastic, and if you’ve ever wondered what might lead Sandra Bullock to flash her bare bottom at a passing bus of political enemies, this movie is definitely for you!
Grade: B+
"The Final Girls" Review:
I remember watching “Friday the 13th” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” marathons on the occasional Friday the 13th back in the day. Even though I would watch from underneath a blanket in fear, it was something about the slasher flicks that I enjoyed. “The Final Girls” is a celebration of the 1980s style slasher flicks. It knows what it is and what it’s doing. It’s a movie on the timeline of a cinematic history full of movies and it uses tropes from over the years to make its point. There is so much going on in the film that highlights the past through a contemporary lens, but in the best way possible!
Max (Taissa Farmiga) was always playing the role of the grown up with her mother, Amanda (Malin Akerman), a one time star of “Camp Bloodbath” 1 and 2. Three years after losing her mother in a car accident, Max is invited to a movie marathon of her mother’s biggest role by the franchise’s biggest fan, Duncan (Thomas Middleditch). Max drags her best friend Gertie (Alia Shawkat) to the theater. They run into Max’s possible new flame Chris (Alexander Ludwig) and his ex/mean girl, Vicki (Nina Dobrev). The teens double for the stereotypical characters that can be seen in “Camp Bloodbath”.
After a fire breaks out in the theater, the group try to escape through the theater screen to the back exit but are transported into the “Camp Bloodbath” movie, “Last Action Hero”-style. They soon discover they are stuck in a continuous 92-minute loop of the film and the only way to get out is to get involved in it. As the film moves forward, each cast member steps into their position. Duncan is the genius who knows the Camp Bloodbath movies in and out. While you may assume that you know how everyone else fills their roles, it’s their interaction with their counterparts that makes the film so interesting!
As Chris interacts with Kurt (Adam DeVine), the jock of Camp Bloodbath, viewers can see the 80’s definition of the athletic male stereotype versus the 2015 version. Yet, where the movie finds a lot of it’s emotional depth is in the interaction with Max and her mom’s character, Nancy. The chance for Max to speak to her mom again turns “The Final Girls” into a fun movie with wit and heart.
For the film geeks, the movie is technically proficient and brilliantly executed. All the elements of slasher films are there for dissecting through humorous scenes thatserve the story: slow motion running, backstory flashbacks, stepping over titles, jump screams from the killer appearing in the window, swelling scores, and so much more that this review could turn into a paper. There are plenty of spoof horror films out that you probably can roll your eyes thinking about right now, but this I assure you is not one of those.
“The Final Girls” is an absolutely brilliant film that celebrates the process of filmmaking, the history of slasher films, and the emotions we feel as viewers when we go to the movies. You can’t reinvent the wheel that Wes Craven created in “Scream”. However, you can create your own brand. “The Final Girls” does that and some! Go see it now!
Rating: A+
"American Ultra" Review
The psychedelic posters for American Ultra make the film’s purpose clear: it’s a bold, stoner comedy. The film’s tagline — “Everyone’s getting smoked” — further drives the point home. Unfortunately, like most potheads, American Ultra fails to deliver on its promise.
Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg) is a stoner with an ambition problem. He wants something beyond the life he has created in the small West Virginian town he lives in. Unfortunately, he’s all too content working at the local convenient store, getting high while doing so, and coming home to his all too understanding girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart). Things begin to shift for Mike when a federal agent (played by Connie Britton) comes to visit him at the convenient store one night. Through a string of nonsensical words, the agent activates a deadly night of gun-slinging, bomb-blasting debauchery for Mike and Phoebe — just your normal stoner comedy, right?
Comedy is by far one of the hardest genres when it comes to telling a good story. When the main purpose of a film is to get a good laugh, major details like structure and plot can get lost in the name of going for the joke. For American Ultra, the comedy seems to have been prioritized and the all important question of “What is at stake?” is simply forgotten. Between the rushed introduction of the “romantic” leads and the disjointed CIA storyline, there is no space for the audience to get to know these characters or give us a reason to care about them. This set-up worked in the sense that the film is just bizarre enough to be funny, but the humor is one-note, rarely going beyond a well-written line or two. The surface level humor of American Ultra is further compounded by the sheer violence of the film. Guns were a plenty, as were other cringe-worthy kills brought about by dust pans and spoons. Yes, spoons.
A case could be made that this was simply a wrong person, wrong film situation, but as a big believer in comedy, this reviewer stands by the sour taste left in her mouth by American Ultra. There is also the chance that maybe, just like it’s main characters, American Ultra is best watched while stoned. Maybe then this peculiar film would make a little more sense.
Grade: D+
"Mistress America" Review
There is something very necessary about portraying the female experience in all its varying forms. It is a story often left behind — or at least out of focus. Mistress America — directed by Noah Baumbach and cowritten with Greta Gerwig — is a unique approach to the complicated relationships that enrich and detract from being a girl in this world. And no, this isn’t about a boy.
Tracy (Lola Kirke) is the Barnard babe we all wish we were when we started our freshman year at college. She is intelligent, knows how to rock a blazer and her literary aspirations are classically indie. There is one tiny problem though: she does not fit in, or at least her peers seem to have little interest in letting her join in on the freshmen fun. Tracy laments to her mother about her lonely days and nights on campus and her mother reminds her to get in touch with Brooke (Greta Gerwig), her soon-to-be step sister.
Brooke is the thirty-flirty-and-thriving NYC woman, hitting all of the benchmarks of a fabulous New York City lifestyle. At first glance, she does not seem to be the answer to Tracy’s dashed college dreams, but in girl world, the solution to the problem is not about finding the perfect solution — it’s about finding the best solution for right now. Fans of Gerwig’s character from Frances Ha may find Brooke a little grating. She’s manic and blissfully unaware of her shallowness. For Tracy though, Brooke offers up the fun and sophistication that has been lacking from her college experience. They are an immediate pair, informed by Gerwig and Kirke’s obvious chemistry.
Mistress America could’ve easily turned into a self-aware commentary on this generation and the plight of the aimless twenty-something. Instead, the film becomes a situational comedy featuring quick-witted characters who offer a plethora of depth depending on the life experience of the audience member. By stepping away from the will-the-girl-get-the-boy formula, Baumbach and Gerwig have created a film about the other, if not more important, relationships that come in and out of a girl’s life. This film is about the positive and negative experiences we all go through as we chose who to align ourselves with — how you find yourself through the good and the bad.
Baumbach and Gerwig clearly know how to get things done. Speaking after the screening I saw, Gerwig noted that Mistress was shot in only 60 days — an extended vacation compared to the 50 days the pair used to shoot Francis Ha. Baumbach and Gerwig also know how to use their time to tell a story that is often not told. Combining an 80s touch and feel (especially apparent in the soundtrack) with quick dialogue, Mistress America offers up the charm, quirk and depth of your favorite short story.
Rating: B
Mistress America releases this weekend in select theaters!