Category Archives: Comedy
Comedy
Flash Movie Review: To Rome with Love
There have been so many wonderful movies made in Italy. Having been there, I understand why a movie studio would want to film there, to use the beautiful country for a backdrop. Just with the title of this movie, I figured I could not lose; at the worst I would get to see gorgeous scenery. Well, that was all I really got out of this redundant movie. I think Woody Allen (Scoop, Annie Hall) over extended himself by doing the writing, directing and starring in this film. There were concurrent multiple stories and I felt none of them were solid enough to stand on their own. The humor was stale and to a degree cheap, as if Woody mined his previous movies and old monologues for jokes. There was an ensemble of actors such as Alec Baldwin (The Departed, It’s Complicated), Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network, Adventureland) and Greta Gerwig (Lola Versus, Arthur). I did not find any of their roles enjoyable; they were either looney or boring. This film was a let down for me since I loved Woody’s last film, Midnight in Paris. I assumed this comedy would be another winner with the cast and location; I was wrong. After the movie I came back home, opened up a carton of ice cream (imagining it was gelato) and went through my photos of Italy. I had a better time then I did at the movie theater.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Ted
If Kathy Griffin and Fozzie Bear had a child together, with Sarah Silverman and Andrew Dice Clay as the godparents, it would be Ted. Get ready to meet the most foul mouthed, funniest, furry teddy bear you have ever seen. The one liners came quickly and cut deeply; I could not help but laugh out loud. From a childhood wish that came true; John Bennett, played by Mark Wahlberg (Contraband, Date Night), and his talking teddy bear Ted were the best of friends. Even when John grew up, he and Ted were always there for each other. But as many of you know, when one of those two best friends falls in love, the dynamics of the friendship change. What would John do when his girlfriend Lori Collins, played by Mila Kunis (Black Swan, The Book of Eli), suggested it was time for Ted to move out? I won’t tell you, but what I will say is writer and director Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy-TV, American Dad-TV) created a gold mine of hilarious opportunities for laughter. In addition, he included a couple of themes for the viewers to mull over and possibly see if they could relate to them. Not only was Mila excellent in this movie; but Mark, who I have not been crazy about for some time, did a good job with his character. The goal of this comedy was to make the audience laugh and it succeeded. Just remember this bear is for adults only.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Lola Versus
Everyone has their own way of dealing with the heartache from a breakup. For me, I lose my appetite, fall into a depression and if you can believe it, watch more movies. It is a real challenge when I still need to be upbeat and motivate the members in my classes. Lola, played by Greta Gerwig (Greenberg, Damsels in Distress), was only a few days from being married when her fiance called off the wedding. The story followed Lola as she free fell into a chaotic life filled with eating, drinking and a whole lot of confusion. I have enjoyed Greta’s performances in the past and though I thought she was okay in this film, I felt she was directed poorly. Her character was not as sympathetic as it could have been; I lost interest within the first half of the movie. Interestingly, I thought her fiance Luke, played by Joel Kinnaman (Safe House, The Darkest Hour) did a sufficent job with his role. I am not comfortable with things that are extreme. With Lola, I felt she was acting out in such a drastic, negative way that it was not likable to me. By the end of the movie I felt ambivalent, just grateful I did not have friends like that around me.
1 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Safety Not Guaranteed
What would you do if you could travel back in time? Would you change anything from your past? I think I would have altered my eating habits at an earlier age. Or at least buy some Apple stock when it was only $10.00 a share. The question of time travel was quickly addressed in this charming, funny movie. At a local magazine’s staff meeting, one of the writers read a classified ad that was seeking an individual to be a companion in time traveling. Curious to find the writer of the ad, three staff members were sent out on an assignment to get to the bottom of this mysterious story. In a brilliant deadpan performance, Aubrey Plaza (Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, Damsels in Distress) played Darius, the reporter who was to make 1st contact with the author of the classified ad, aka the time traveler. A total surprise for me was seeing Mark Duplass (Your Sister’s Sister, Hannah Takes the Stairs) as the secretive Kenneth, inventor of the time machine. The reason for my surprise was seeing Mark again after just reviewing his other new picture this week, My Sister’s Sister. I have never seen the same actor debut in two movies that came out on the same day. As in my previous review of his other movie, Mark was just as excellent in this role. There was more to this engaging movie than just the possibility of time traveling. The interesting characters were also dealing with loss, longing, hope and the challenges associated with taking a leap of faith.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: High School
I thought I had seen everything one could at a movie theater. From the first time where we were being told “don’t go into the water,” to a father in the audience tossing his infant baby in the air during the movie; there was very little left to surprise me. Walking into the showing of this so called comedy, I was stunned to see the theater totally empty. This did not bode well as I was the only one who sat and watched what was to become an abysmal film. Matt Bush (Piranha 3DD, Halloween II) played valedictorian Matt Bush who schemed to get the whole student body stoned before a drug test was to be administered. He wanted to invalidate the results, since he had just gotten stoned for the very first time and did not want to jeopardize his school ranking and face expulsion. I found the story dopey, void of anything humorous. A bigger shock to me than being the only one in the theater was seeing Adrien Brody (The Pianist, Midnight in Paris) and Michael Chiklis ( The Shield-TV, Fantastic Four franchise) in this crappy film. Either they are being blackmailed for some career ruining dastardly deed or their managers wanted to get out with an early retirement. I think a petition should be started to revoke Adrien’s Oscar, shame on him. Not that I am promoting drinking or drugs, but maybe that was the target audience the producers were going after. I nominate this stink bomb of a movie for worst movie of the year at the Razzie awards.
1 1/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Hysteria
Women, for all these years how have you been able to put up with us men? Inspired by true events, this romantic comedy’s main story was about the development of a device that would be used to cure women from the medical condition called hysteria. Set in Victorian England, the young physician Mortimer Granville, played by Hugh Dancy (Our Idiot Brother, Adam), came upon the idea by chance. While holding his friend, played by Rupert Everett (My Best Friend’s Wedding, Stardust), Edmund St. John-Smythe’s motorized feather duster; Mortimer came up with the device which was to become the forefather of the modern vibrator. With Dr. Robert Dalrymple, played by Jonathan Pryce (Tomorrow Never Dies, Pirates of the Caribbean franchise); the two men formed a successful partnership. However, one of Dr. Dalrymple’s daughters, Charlotte played by Maggie Gyllennaal (Crazy Heart, The Dark Knight), was skeptical of the whole concept. I thoroughly enjoyed Maggie’s character as she was a strong advocate for women’s rights. All the actors looked like they were enjoying themselves and came across the screen in a likable way. The majority of the audience was female who were hooting and laughing throughout the film. Make sure you stay for the credits, to see a timeline on the evolution of the vibrator. You may not walk out of the movie theater with the urge to light up a cigarette, but you easily will have a smile on your face.
2 3/4 stars
Flash Movie Review: Bernie
After his movies Year One and Gulliver’s Travels, I went to see this Jack Black (Be Kind Rewind, Tropic Thunder) comedy with some trepidation. I cannot tell you how shocked I was at his performance in this movie; it was one of his best. Portraying Bermie Tiede, a mortician; Jack had the perfect blend of comedic timing and fastidious attitude in this mockumentary based on a true story. Living in a small Texas town Bernie stood out from the other residents. It did not matter since he was loved for all the good work he did around the community. Even when he struck up a relationship with the town’s bitterest, wealthiest, elderly Marjorie Nugent played by Shirley MacLaine (Valentine’s Day, In Her Shoes); the town folk thought Bernie was a saint. It was a real stitch watching this humorous film. I especially enjoyed how scenes were spaced apart by various resident interviews, commenting on their thoughts about Bernie and Marjorie. The acting was excellent from everyone, including Matthew McConaughey (The Lincoln Lawyer, Two For the Money) in his role as Danny Buck. Since I did not know anything about the story, I was completely surprised to discover this wild story was really true. As the credits began, we saw pictures of the real characters. Jack Black certainly redeemed himself in this funny film.
3 stars
Flash Movie Review: The Five-Year Engagement
A relationship cannot survive without communication. Already aware of this, the point was enforced further as I watched this film. There has to be a willingness to compromise with the person you love. I would also add: being able to handle the things that test you. For example, if you cannot stand seeing dirty dishes left out by your partner, can you find peace of mind; instead of picking a fight with them? These were some of the issues Violet and Tom needed to deal with in this romantic comedy. Played by Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria, The Adjustment Bureau) and Jason Segel (Jeff, Who Lives at Home; The Muppets), Tom Solomon proposed to Violet Barnes on their one year anniversary. Their planned short engagement had to be extended when Violet was accepted into a doctoral program at the University of Michigan. Tom would have to quit his job and move with Violet from San Francisco to Ann Arbor. There were parts of the film that dealt with the couple’s transitions with honesty along with touches of humor and sadness. The story needed some editing, for it dragged in parts. Also, I did not find Jason’s performance convincing, especially his outdoorsman phase. There were several bright spots to what was otherwise a long movie about a long engagement.
2 1/3 stars
Flash Movie Review: Damsels in Distress
When it was time for me to go to college, I had to go to a weekend orientation prior to the start of school. During that time I had my first contact with fraternity guys. It took only 2 days to realize I was not cut out to be part of a fraternity. Not that I had anything bad to say; it just was not my thing. I am more comfortable with individuality instead of trying to be part of a group mentality. I wondered if this would be a hindrance for me to review this movie about college life. It was not, for this film had a strong quirky style to it with offbeat characters. A group of girls ran a suicide prevention center to help their fellow students with depression and suicide. The leader of the group was Violet, played by Greta Gerwig (Greenberg, No Strings Attached), who believed tap dancing and musical numbers would be the cure. Transfer student Lily, played by Analeigh Tipton (The Green Hornet; Crazy, Stupid Love) was taken under the girls’ wings as they navigated their way through campus life. There was a darkness to this movie, that was kept in check with some great lines. I found the humor off the wall; not to a laugh out loud level, but certainly chuckles and smirks. However, the inconsistent script was all over the place. At times clear and focused, other times muddled and slow. Though there was an independent flair to this comedy, I don’t think you would get a detention for cutting this showing.
2 1/4 stars
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