Category: Dramedy

ROBOT & FRANK – The Review

Here’s a flick that opened with little fanfare. It may be tough to find, but it’s certainly worth the effort. I mentioned it to some friends, and I could almost hear their eyes roll when I told them the title over the phone, ” Yeah, that’s right. It’s called ROBOT & FRANK . No, really.”. I’m sure they imagined a zany, hi-tech buddy movie. Summing up the plot probably didn’t change their minds. But it’s a surprisingly moving, warm little character study with a top-notch performance at its center. Basically it’s perfect little film to watch on a rainy day. Or any kind of day, really. I just hope it gets a little love from the year-end best lists and award nominations.

As the film opens, we’re told it’s the near future ( not the far future like TV’s ” The Jetsons ” with their flying cars ). Frank ( Frank Langella ) is an ex-con ( did  a couple stretches for burglary ) living alone in his old two-story country house in the woods of New York state. His marriage ended long ago and his kids, Hunter ( James Marsden ) and Madison ( Liv Tyler ) have grown and left the nest. But Hunter is concerned because Frank is losing the battle against senility ( or perhaps Alzheimer’s ). Frank doesn’t keep the place clean or eat right. The only exercise he gets is from strolling into town to flirt with the pretty librarian Jennifer ( Susan Sarandon ). So, there’s no way that he’s gonna move out and live in one of those assisted care places. So, Hunter presents Frank with the gift of a service robot, a VGC-6OL ( performed by Rachael Ma, voiced by Peter Sarsgaard ). The little bot cleans, cooks, and nags Frank ( ” It is time to get up.” ” Let’s start a garden” ). Frank’s annoyed til he realizes that the bot is the perfect accomplice. He’ll convince the bot that it would be great therapy and exercise to do a ” job ” . Seems that Frank has some new yuppie neighbors with a taste for jewelry. At last, Frank is back in ” the game”!

Has it really been 35 years since Langella made the ladies swoon as the cape-twirling immortal Count on Broadway ( and then starring on the screen in 1979’s DRACULA ) ? At an age when most actors are eyeing retirement, he’s doing some of his best screen work ( FROST / NIXON ). Now add his addled, cat burglar to his list of recent triumphs. This guy is not going gently into that good night. He’s regretful, bored, but mostly angry at the hand fate has dealt him. You can see the confusion on his face as he realizes that his brain has failed him yet again. He longs for his outlaw days, even using phrases straight from a 1930’s Warner Brothers gangster flick ( ” Crackerjack! ” ” What a maroon! ” ). We can’t help but root for him as he decides to go for one last big score. He’s briefly lifted out of the fog by this mechanical Felix Ungar.  And Frank develops real affection for the squirt. Langella’s skill brings out the best in all the actors that share the screen with him. There’s a couple of TV stars that have great bits with the cantankerous con ( won’t name them, so you’ll also be delightfully surprised ). This is Marsden’s second film as Langella’s son ( 2006’s SUPERMAN RETURNS ) and the two have a great rapport. He’s frustrated with his old man, but still has a lot of affection for the stubborn cuss. Tyler also has a great time with Langella as Frank’s globe-trotting Daddy’s girl. And Sarandon is her usual charming self as the local gal enjoying ( and encouraging ) Frank’s flirtations. There’s no big flashy CGI effects that detract from this film’s simple laid-back charms ( a weird car, clear picture phones, etc. ). ROBOT & FRANK is a film that warms the heart and tickles the funny bone. If Frank can warm up to this household tech aid, then maybe the future ( or near future ) will be a pretty nice place.

4.5 Out of 5

CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER – The Review

Now, this is an interesting twist on a film genre. Seeing the poster, you might think that CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER is another frothy, lighthearted ” rom-com”. You’d be mistaken. This could be called an anti ” rom-com”. Well most of these flicks are about the two main characters meeting cute, having conflict, resolving said conflict and living happily ever after, CELESTE is about a couple who’ve been through all that and then fall out of love. It’s the ” ever after”.  The big romance is pretty much covered with a photo montage during the title and opening credits. Ah, but you think ” These two are so adorable, they must work things out”. I won’t say if they do, but I will say that this flick is full of surprises. Kind of like real life, as opposed to movie ” rom-com life.

As I said, by the time the opening credits are done, Celeste ( Rashida Jones ) and Jesse ( Andy Samberg ) are a married couple who have separated. You’d never guess as they tease each other in her car on the way to Dinner with their soon-to-be-married best pals Beth ( Ari Graynor ) and Tucker ( Eric Christian Olsen ). The friendly behavior of C & J freak out B & T. Soon-to-be-exes just shouldn’t behave like that! After their pals storm out of the restaurant, C & R return to her house. Celeste lives in the main house while Jesse lives in the garage/ art studio out back. The guy has little work ethic concerning his art career and can’t seem to get around to signing those divorce papers. But he does start dating which prompts Celeste to make him move out on his own. In the weeks leading up to the big wedding Celeste struggles with her job at a media consulting firm and dipping her toes back into the dating pool while trying to deal with the future ex-husband that’s still her best buddy in the whole-wide world.

I’ve enjoyed the TV work of both actors, so I went into this flick rooting for them. My enthusiasm was severely tested when C & R read aloud ( in exaggerated German accents ) from  a Mexican restaurant menu. Well, maybe even earlier as they simulated a sex act on a tube of lip balm in the car on the way there. But the film got back on track and was tougher than the bouncy trailers would let on. What they don’t tell you that even though two names are in the title, we spend most of the film’s running time with Celeste ( Jones did co-write the script, after all ). Jesse’s really short-changed. When they meet up after quite a bit of screen time apart, he’s changed radically. It’s a shame we don’t get to see more of that progress. Instead we get to see Celeste’s dating disasters ( she’s at fault for most of them ). When she does meet nice guy Paul ( Chris Meesina from RUBY SPARKS ), Celeste is such a flakey pill we question his determination. The gal’s got some issues including some frustration at the fact that Jesse’s life is not falling apart after leaving her. A subplot involving one of her work clients, pop-songstress teen temptress Riley ( Emma Roberts ) doesn’t seem to go anywhere and Elijah Wood is wasted as Celeste’s work boss/ gay supportive pal ( even his character mentions this hackneyed stereotype ). Luckily the two stars have enough chemistry and charm to make this story more engaging than it should be. Samberg’s done a lot of great work over the last few years on TV’s SNL, but his film work’s been spotty. This movie gives us a chance to see his dramatic skills. Jones has been stellar in supporting roles on TV ( ” The Office “, ” Parks and Recreations ” ) and films ( THE SOCIAL NETWORK, THE BIG YEAR ) and here, as a lead, she’s able to make the exasperating Celeste fairly endearing. It’s a long trek to the film’s big wedding finale’, but there are a few solid laughs along the way to make CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER a flawed, but enjoyable ” break-up- com “.

Overall Rating 3 Out of 5 Stars

COMPLIANCE – The Review

Time for another movie ” inspired by true events “, but this one sticks much closer to reality than recent flicks THE VOW and PEOPLE LIKE US. So much so, that it’s really thought-provoking. And ultimately disturbing. COMPLIANCE is based on a real incident that occurred in Kentucky during the 1990’s. A couple of lines of dialogue are taken verbatim from newspaper articles and network TV news magazine shows. This is one of those rare films that…well, if you go with some friends, expect to discuss it afterwards, from drinks, through dinner, perhaps past dessert. COMPLIANCE is not a film that will evaporate from your mind the minute you pass through the theatre doors.

The setting is a fast food place called ChickWich, home of breaded chicken patty sandwiches and chicken tenders, located in suburban Ohio during a wintry Friday. Frazzled manager Sandra ( Ann Dowd ) is doing the best she can on this busy day. She’s almost out of bacon ( OMG! ) and one of her cooks is sick with ” that thing that’s going around “. To further complicates matters, she gets a call from an Officer Daniels ( Pat Healy ). He tells her that a ChickWich customer claims that one of the cashiers, a petite doe-eyed 19 year-old named  Becky ( Dreama Walker ), reached into her purse and grabbed a handful of cash. Sandra brings Becky into the back office and puts her on the phone to Daniels. Becky denies the theft. Daniels tells her that he will come to the restaurant, arrest her, and keep her in jail overnight unless she consents to allow Sandra and her assistant manager Marti ( Ashlie Atkinson ) to search her. And so begins a long, long day of humiliations as the directions of the Daniels are conveyed over that office phone and followed through to aid him in his ” investigation “.

Helping anchor this almost impossible to believe true story are three impeccable actors who should ( and hopefully will ) become better known. I was only familiar with Dreama Walker from the TV sitcom ” Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 “, so I was surprised at her dramatic range in the role of the hapless Becky. At the film’s start, she’s a carefree gal in her late teens, who knows that the future will be much brighter once she’s past this wage slave job. That future seems in jeopardy as the nightmare begins. She’s stunned at first, then outraged at the accusation. But the caller amps up the fear and soon she’s careening from helplessness to hopelessness.  For the audience she becomes everybody’s kid sister. She has to be rescued from that cold, dank room. We don’t see Pat Healy as the caller until well after the interrogation has begun ( beside a brief scene as he buys his phone cards ), but once we see him at the other end of line , Healy becomes one of the great screen villains. We can see the wheels in his head turning as improvises his instructions and peppers the conversation with ” cop jargon ” ( thanks to a several police manuals ). This is the banality of evil as he goes about his daily routines ( taking out the garbage, fixing lunch ) always with the receiver almost attached to his ear. It’s a movie monster we’ve not seen before. A true control freak. Sandra is played expertly by character actress Ann Dowd. Usually regulated to mothers and professionals ( lawyers, doctors, etc. ), Dowd gets a chance to shine as the dithering overseer. She seems to be one of those plate-spinners from the old Ed Sullivan TV shows. She just can’t keep all those dishes moving.When we first meet her she’s berated by another company boss. Later she’s insulted not so subtly by her staff ( maybe she shouldn’t have told them that she and her beau exchange ” sex texts” in an ill-advised attempt to seem ” with it” ). Speaking of him, she struggles to keep her man on the straight and narrow, while believing that he’s going to pop the question any day now ( one last chance at longed for marital bliss ). She may be a more clueless, pitiful female spin on Steve Carell’s Michael Scott of the TV’s ” The Office”. Sandra’s so frazzled that she’s the perfect patsy for Daniels. Confusion turns to confidence as Sandra  convinces herself that she’s being a good citizen ( there may be a bit of resentment going on since Becky represents youthful promise that passed her by decades ago ). She’s an example of the dangers of gullibility, literally naive’ to a fault.

Director Craig Zobel gets everything right about the restaurant world. The customers at the drive-thru and counter have no idea of the drama going on in the back kitchens and offices ( kind of like backstage at a theatre ). You can almost smell the frozen chicken fillets cooking in the bubbling grease baskets. The film begins almost as a fast food take on OFFICE SPACE with a clueless boss, snarky, bored wage slaves, and cranky patrons. But once Daniels calls, Zobel ups the tension very slowly we’re in for a rough ride. It’s almost as if we’re being held hostage in that cold back room along with Becky. Many times I wished I could jump into the screen, grab a character by the shoulders, and try to scream some sense into them. And all the while you just can’t believe this really happened. My only complaint is a somewhat confusing time line. While night has fallen at the ChickWich, the sun shines brightly at Daniels’s home. That’s a minor quibble. COMPLIANCE is a film that may be difficult to watch, but it’ll be bouncing around your head for quite a while…much longer than a meal at your local ChickWich.

Overall Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

COMPLIANCE plays exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre

THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN – The Review

In creating his entertainment empire, Walt Disney knew that his company needed to branch out beyond animation. Those hand-drawn classics took a long time to craft, so he first produced adventure flicks out of England before his take on Jules Verne, 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA, which was a box office sensation in 1954. Establishing a live-action division, Walt released several family flicks over the next few decades ranging from adventures like SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON to the kids comedies featuring Herbie, the Love Bug and The Apple Dumpling Gang. Oops, almost forgot the tear-jerkers, those warm family flicks like FOLLOW ME BOYS and ( gulp! ) OLD YELLER ( I recall a stand-up comic saying that the flick was a test that parents could give their kids-if the kid cried at the end of YELLER, then he was normal ). Many of the movies would be chopped up and turned into multiple episodes of that Sunday night TV staple, ” Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color ” ( ah, TOBY TYLER ! ). In the last few decades Disney Studios have created brands such as Touchstone and Hollywood Pictures to release their more adult fare. But every once in a while a live action film while get the Walt Disney Pictures imprint ( like THE ROCKETEER ). Such is the case with the gentle family fantasy, THE ODD LIFE OF TIMOTHY GREEN. I can imagine it playing over a couple of Sundays on ” The Wonderful World of Disney” ( its last prime-time broadcast network incarnation ). So instead of gathering around the set, will families gather at the multiplex for this timeless tale?

In the openiong scenes, Jim and Cindy Green ( Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Garner ) get some bad news from a fertility specialist. They drive back to their picture-perfect town of Stanleyville USA, ” the pencil capital of the world ” ( probably right down the road from Bedford Falls ). Jim works quality control at the pencil factory while Cindy’s a tour guide at the Stanley Pencil Museum. That night, after many tears ( and a bottle of wine ) the two exchange ideas about what would make a perfect child ( ” He rocks!”  “He has a good heart”, etc. ). Jim jots them down in a small notebook, tears out the sheets, stuffs them in a small wood box, and buries it in the backyard garden. Later that night an intense storm wakes the couple. What’s that noise? Something’s scurrying through the house. Jim and Cindy discover the source : a ten year-old boy, covered in mud. And, around his ankles and feet, he’s sprouting bright green leaves. Jim dashes to the garden to check his recent planting. The hole’s been dug up and the wooden box is shattered. Have their dreams been fulfilled? What will become of this lad that sprung up from the soil?

The rest of the film pretty much concerns Timothy ( CJ Adams ) brightening the lives of friends and family in the town. The script doesn’t tackle any intense questions from others about the boy’s arrival ( kind of like the Kents and their foundling in Smallville, Kansas ) or the miracle itself ( must be the same generous movie gods that turned Henry Limpet into a fish ). Most of the supporting characters are standard kid lit types. Dianne Wiest  has little to do as the up-tight, hard-nosed curator of the museum ( her Timothy encounter seems a bit forced ). Her nephew, Jim’s factory boss ( Ron Livingston ) is a bullying weasel ( weird to see Mr. OFFICE SPACE in management ). M. Emmet Walsh and Lois Smith are jolly, nurturing grandparent types ( actually the aunt and uncle that raised Cindy ). The true grandpa’ here is the distant, surly father of Jim, ” Big ” Jim ( David Morse ) who becomes Jim’s sounding board for his ‘ good parenting’ raps. Rosemarie Dewitt ( fabulous in HER SISTER’S SISTER ) is wasted as Cindy’s condescending, over-achieving sister.  Common clocks in as a stern soccer coach of the Erasers. He’s tough and unbelievably tolerant of the hovering Greens. Timothy’s main pal is Joni ( Odeya Rush ), a scowling pre-teen who warms to the new kid. There’s some confusion about their relationship. Are they buddies or steadies? It’s left hovering ( she towers over him, seeming a bit too mature for the hero ). As for the Greens themselves, I was thankful that Adams made Timothy an engaging, pleasant protagonist. With the wrong actor this could’ve been a very difficult slog ( several recent films had young actors at their center that, to put it delicately, wore out their welcome quickly ). Edgerton, so great in last year’s WARRIOR, makes for a nice, gentle, encouraging sitcom dad. Garner bounces back nicely from the harpy she played in the remake of ARTHUR. Like one of the notes in the box ( ” He should be funny, but not making fun of others funny. Or belch and fart funny” ), the movie has a gentle whimsical air. Most of the set pieces will elicit a couple chuckles ( a music scene is cringe-worthy though ). This film is the  happy flip side of last year’s WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN. Here parenting is a constant joy, even when things don’t quite work out as you hoped. An economic subplot about saving the factory is far too simplistic, but this is one flick that’s going for your heart instead of your brain. And some of the time it hits the target.

Overall Rating: 3 Out of 5 stars

HOPE SPRINGS (2012) – The Review

Well those scamps in Sony’s movie marketing department are up to some hijinks again! They’re trying to sell HOPE SPRINGS as a zany comedy in the TV spots and theatre trailers. Oh boy, a middle-aged married couple are having bedroom problems ( I almost expected them to cue up ” You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ ‘ on the soundtrack ). Aren’t they cute when they’re all flustered?  And who do they meet with for advise? Why, it’s that wacky 40-year-old virgin! Let the hysterics begin! Now mind you, there’s plenty of very funny moments in HOPE, but there’s also many scenes of regret and longing that are brutally honest. And pretty sad. I’m not saying it’s a modern take on Ingmar Bergman, but it’s not the wall to wall laughfest that the ads would have you believe. It is a showcase for two terrific veteran actors working together for the first time ( let’s hope it is just the first pairing ).

HOPE SPRINGS is the story of Kay ( Meryl Streep ) and Arnold ( Tommy Lee Jones ), a couple married for 31 years. The kids are grown and have moved away, but the two still share the same modest suburban two-story house. Oh, and they have separate bedrooms now, which concerns Kay. They’ve also settled into a routine. His alarm clock gets Arnold up at 7 AM. Kay has his bacon and eggs ready when he heads down to the kitchen to eat his breakfast and read the paper ( no real conversation ), before he grabs his briefcase and trudges out the door to the accounting firm where he is a partner. She tidies up before going to work at a dress shop. He comes home about 6 PM. They eat silently. Then Arnold plops down in his big easy chair and nods off while watching the Golf Channel. She taps him awake, they head upstairs to their respective bedrooms, and the cycle begins once again. Not even their anniversary celebration can shake things up ( they gave each other a joint present : an expanded cable TV package. ” So many channels! ” ). Finally Kay decides to do something. On her lunch break she heads over to the Barnes and Noble and purchases a book on saving your marriage written by Dr. Bernard Feld ( Steve Carell ). She follows up by visiting his website. Seems the doc offers a couples consoling package at his offices in… Hope Springs, Maine ( a picture perfect seaside village ). She mentions it to Arnold, who dismisses the idea. Then Kay dips into her savings and buys the tickets. After some advise from a co-worker, Arnold relents and joins her on the flight. Can this marriage guru work wonders and rekindle the fire between these two and turn them from roommates to lovers once more?

So, this is basically the Meryl and Tommy Lee Show, and quite a show it is. Their characters jump from comedy to drama, sometimes in mid-sentence, and these screen vets are more than up to the challenge. Jones has been giving several strong supporting performances, recently in CAPTAIN AMERICA : THE FIRST AVENGER and in this Summer’s MEN IN BLACK III. Here he’s front and center expanding his ” grumpy old bear with a marshmallow center ” persona and giving us a real bruised and battered old school guy who has a tough time being tender. His comic timing is superb ( the grumbles, the rolling eyes ) as  is his clumsy, but endearing, attempts to please his partner. Speaking of, Streep more than holds her own against the entertaining Mr. Jones. Her Kay may seem a fluttery ditz at times, but she’s got a steely backbone as she fights for her own happiness. This is another great role in Streep’s career resurgence of the last few years. While most actresses of her…ah-hem…experience are circling TV for a steady series gig, she’s a force at the box office. Streep literally lights up the screen when Kay starts to get through to Arnold ( those frowsy outfits and eyeglasses can’t hide her beauty ). A surprise here is the strong support from Carrell. He’s really a straight man, as he questions ( and embarrasses ) the couple ( for the bulk of the film re remains seated in his cozy office ). After seeing him play so many dim bulbs ( miss you Michael Scott! ), it’s refreshing to see him as this eloquent, intelligent professional as he exasperates  Arnold with his homework assignments ( exercises and ” sexercises” ). There’s also some nice support from other familiar faces. Jean Smart ( TV’s ” Designing Women” ) is a great work buddy for Kay, and the lovely Elizabeth Shue ( more film work for her, Hollywood! ) as a sympathetic Maine bartender. One of Jones’s work pals, played by Brett Rice is very funny as he prods his bud to listen to the missus ( “…and that’s why I’m in a condo!” ). David Frankel directs the script from TV scribe Vanessa Taylor with a sure steady hand, getting the best reaction shots and line deliveries from the cast. And Connecticut is a quite lovely double for Maine. There’s laughs a plenty ( perhaps even more than the ads promise ), but there’s a solid dramatic story about how adults have to work at living ” happily ever after “. After the secret agents and super-heroes at the multiplex the last few weeks, it’s great to spend some time with some adults that may live right next door. If you’re really lucky.

Overall Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

YOUR SISTER’S SISTER – The Review

Here’s a flick that’s almost the definition of  ‘ indie’ film. It’s mostly improvised, shot in real locations, and concentrates on a very small cast. After the opening party scene, it’s just three actors, really. But what a terrific trio. They make this intimate, little character study more entertaining and interesting than many of this summer’s mega budget, 3D, CGI noise fests. YOUR SISTER’S SISTER is also the definition of ” a pleasant surprise “.

The film does open up with the previously mentioned party scene. To be specific, it’s kind of a wake. Several friends have gathered to remember their dear friend Tom, who left this world one year ago. Everyone is sharing pleasant memories of Tom…except his brother Jack ( Mark Duplass ). After Jack’s buzz killing tale, he’s taken aside by his best pal, Iris ( Emily Blunt ). She wants to get him out of his funk since Jack’s been out of work for a while. She suggests he stay at her family’s empty beach side home nestled on one of Washington state’s islands. He takes her up on the offer. He jumps on his old red bicycle and takes the ferry to the remote island. But it turns out that the home is not empty. Jack surprises Iris’s sister Hannah ( Rosemary DeWitt ), who’s getting away from it all after a breakup with her longtime girlfriend Pam. But, sure,  Jack can still stay. Over the next few days another unexpected visitor arrives, many home cooked meals are eaten, several potables are imbibed, deceptions are hatched, secrets are revealed. laughter is shared, and tears are shed. This is certainly not the getaway any of them were expecting.

And that’s pretty much the film in a nutshell. To say any more would spoil the sense of discovery. Director Lynn Shelton gives each of these fine actors a chance to really get inside these characters. We’re never aware of any camera stunts, it’s just capturing their gifts. I was only aware of DeWitt from her stint on TV’s ” Mad Men “, so I was delighted with her performance as this walking wounded soldier in the battlefield of love. She’s brittle, a bit sarcastic, but slowly gets out from under her dark cloud. Kudos to Blunt for joining this company. She chose to challenge herself artistically rather than jumping into a big studio flick, although she’s awfully in them . Her charm elevates movies like THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU and THE 5 YEAR ENGAGEMENT. Blunt’s Iris tries to shine some sun on her sister and her pal. Speaking of Jack, this is the fourth film I’ve seen Duplass in this year ( he’s like a male Jessica Chastain ), and this is nearly his best ( the eccentric wannabe time-traveler in SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED just edges this out ). After making a name for himself behind the camera, Duplass is one of the most interesting new actors. He brings much-needed warmth to this surly, exasperating nudge. Pair this trio with the gorgeous Pacific Northwest scenery, and you’ve got a little film that’s worth the search. Escape the sweltering temps and spend some time on that rainy little island with these three romantic misfits.

Overall Rating: 4.5 Out of 5 Stars

YOUR SISTER’S SISTER screens exclusively in St. Louis at Landmark Theatres’ Plaza Frontenac Cinema

WHERE DO WE GO NOW? – The Review

It’s always an added pleasure when a film throws you a curve ball and catches you be surprise. I went into WHERE DO WE GO NOW? only knowing that it was a foreign film. When it began, the  film makers dissolved in on a desolate, barren, rocky landscape. A group of black-clad women walked in unison toward the camera. Each were carrying a framed photo. Okay, here’s another movie about the troubles in the Middle East. I’d lost track off all the films I had seen last year concerning the conflicts and tragedies. And then the women began to bow and lean back, almost as one. Are they… dancing? A bit later two characters exchanged longing glances… and began singing! Well, how about that? This is a musical. A musical about religious conflict in Lebanon. As John Cleese used to say, “And now for something completely different…”

In many sequences, WHERE DO WE GO NOW? is indeed a musical comedy. It’s set in a very remote village, almost inaccessible because of a dangerous bridge over a steep gorge. Television reception is only available on the town’s highest point with endless yards of extension cords. The other link to the outside world is two teenage entrepreneurs who venture to nearby cities on a scooter with a small trailer hitch in order to get supplies via purchase and trade. Anytime the boys bring back a newspaper, the women read them quickly then burn them. Seems the village is almost a 50/50 split between Muslims and Christians. The ladies, headed by the young, widowed mother who owns the cafe (played by co-writer and director Nadine Labaki), want to keep the news about religious conflicts and battles hidden from the menfolk (they’re barely getting along as it is). With the help of the two church leaders, the women try to keep the peace, even arranging to have a  busload of Russian exotic dancers break down and have to stay in the town while their transport is fixed. Later when outside forces claim one of the villagers, the women take drastic steps to prevent a possible bloodbath.

Sounds like a pretty serious backdrop for music numbers. For the most part it is, although most of the problems boil down to one thing: the women can keep their cool and work together to prevent the violent, childish men from destroying everything. The guys are little balls of anger or human nitro and ancient dynamite sticks ready to explode at the slightest vibrations. Like those unstable items, they have too be kept in the dark. It’s reminiscent of classic cartoon shorts: the cat’s gotta’ keep quiet so the fearsome bulldog doesn’t wake up and bash him. In this way the film veers into sitcom territory. And the final solution the ladies cook up to avoid all-out work seems flippant and rings  completely false. Plus none of the tunes are real showstoppers (perhaps they work better in the native language). After an interesting set-up, WHERE DO WE GO NOW? reduces complex issues into a cliched battle of the sexes (woman smart and calm, men dumb and violent). Don’t hold your breath for the Broadway stage adaptation.

Overall Rating: 2 stars out of 5

I WISH – The Review

Every so often a film will open the door to a childhood memory or an almost forgotten film. Or sometimes both. Settling in to watch I WISH, the film’s two young leads took my mind back several decades as I watched the big family TV on a Saturday morning that was nearing the afternoon (Mom was probably deciding what to whip up for lunch). Space Ghost, Spider-Man, and all the other animated heroes had bid adieu and a new live-action show was making its debut: “The CBS Children’s Film Festival.” Hosted by kid show pioneers Kukla, Fran, and Ollie (Fran was the human, the other two were hand puppets), this program presented family flicks from around the globe. The premiere offering was a tale of friendship from Japan, 1958’s SKINNY AND FATTY. These two little guys were about my age, but they lived in this almost alien land. Despite the clunky English dubbing (even then I could see that the sound didn’t match their mouths), I was fascinated and quite moved by this sweet little story. I WISH is set in 2011 and deals with a much more mature story, but I hoped to be wrapped up in another story of Japanese schoolboys.

That more mature theme of I WISH is divorce, or more accurately, a family separated. Koichi, a  serious twelve year-old boy, lives with his mother and her parents in a small village beneath an active volcano (part of his morning ritual is cleaning the ash off his bedroom floor and furniture). His younger brother, the carefree Ryue, lives with his father in a town many miles away. The two boys haven’t seen each other in several months but exchange frequent cell phone calls. Koichi’s village is a buzz with news that one of the super-fast bullet trains will  make one of its stops there. The boy also hears a rumor that when two of the trains pass each other so much energy is generated that anyone within close proximity will get their wishes granted. Koichi is so desperate to re-unite his family that he grabs some railway maps, makes some calculations, and hatches a plan. He and his brother will journey to this passing point and make this wish (that way they’ll double their chances). The boys confer over the phone, and with the assistance of some classmates (and a couple of adults), travel to a magical (they hope) rendezvous.

A pretty simple story, right? Unfortunately the film makers have clogged the film with too many unnecessary subplots. The boys’ Grandpa wants to open a bakery at the train station. One classmate wants to be an actress.  Another wants to marry his teacher crush. The father is making music at clubs again. These diversions help make I WISH at least 30 minutes too long. I really wanted it to stay focused on these brothers who share a special bond in those preteen years, although their personalities are quite different. Koichi is very determined and serious, while happy-go-lucky Ryue seems to always have a smile on his face and a bounce in his step (he grins so much I sometimes wondered if the young actor understood his dialogue in some of the more dramatic scenes). Also, their friends seem to be much more engaging than most of the adult characters. The cinematography is terrific especially the shots of that looming volcano. It’s also interesting to note the differences in the Japanese school systems, so it’s a fairly interesting, educational travelogue. But if only the film makers had taken a cue from those two best buddies I discovered on that long ago Saturday and focused on the film’s emotional core, then I WISH would have zipped along faster than any ole’ bullet train

Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD – The Review

” It’s the end of the world as we know it”…shortly. Or maybe it’s ” Apocalypse Very Soon “. I’m trying to sum up the premise of SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD, but then the actual title works pretty well. Many mega-budget blockbusters work the CGI crews overtime to show the end of days in flicks like 2012 and INDEPENDENCE DAY, but just last year MELANCHOLIA took a quieter, more personal look at the big finale. Now that film is a real downer ( but very well done ) while SEEKING has many of the same elements but with a big dollup of humor. It’s also a love story about two people who find each other just as time ran out.

As the film starts a DJ fills us in on the bad, bad news. A fire has broken out on the space shuttle Deliverance ending its mission to destroy the several miles wide asteroid Matilda ( Hmm, so Deliverance fails to deliver ). No options are left. The big rock will crash into Earth within weeks. And that’s all folks!  Dodge ( Steve Carell ) and his wife are listening to this broadcast while parked. When the DJ goes back to music ( ” Oldies to the very end” ), the missus bolts from the car, and dashes into the darkness, never to be seen by her befuddled hubby again. Dodge goes into his office drone job the next day and returns  to his apartment where it’s business as usual with his older, Hispanic cleaning lady ( ” Next Tuesday, Nr. Dodge? More window!” ). Reluctantly he attends a big ” End of Us” party at the home of two married pals ( Rob Cordry and Connie Britton ), but nothing gets him out of his funk. Back home Dodge hears a noise outside his living room window. It’s a young woman, sitting on the fire escape, sobbing. Turns out it’s his down the hall neighbor ( they’ve never really met ), Penny ( Keira Knightly ). Seems she’s missed the last flight to England ( the airlines have ceased service ), so she won’t get to spend her last days with her family. Later, as mob violence nears the apartment building, Dodge convinces Penny to escape the city in her car. He knows somebody with an airplane. Along the way Penny hopes to help Dodge re-unite with the lost love of his youth ( turns out the letter from her to him got put in Penny’s mail slot ). As the two travel the  backroads they meet up with people handing the last days in very different ways. Will they get to their destinations before Matilda pays a visit?

So, there’s no big ” cast of thousands ” crowd scenes filling the screen. This is a much more intimate story. It’s interesting how peoplewe meet in the film handle the catastrophe in different ways. At the party Dodge attends everyone seems to be indulging in every possible vice ( comic Patton Oswalt has a great scene as a schlub who’s happy because Matilda’s leveled the sexual playing field ). While on the road they meet a trucker with a plan for his own end, also Penny’s survivalist ex-beau who believes he and his pals can start society over, a cop intent on keeping up his ticket quota, and ( maybe the funniest ) a chain bar/restaurant ( ala OFFICE SPACE, the wait staff is proud of their ‘flair’ ) that’s turned into its own nonstop orgy/haven. These vignettes are populated with terrific actors known mostly for TV ( nearly all of the Thursday night comedies are represented ). I won’t spoil the delightful surprises.  But the film is really the journey of Dodge and Penny. It’s good to see Knightly out of period costume although she’s playing a variation of the magical, free-spirited pixie that revives a stuck-in-a-rut, stodgy dude ( think GARDEN STATE and SWEET NOVEMBER ). Still with her lop-sided shaggy ‘do and thrift shop chic, she’s darned adorable and endearing. For most of the trip Carell’s her straight man ( along with the assorted eccentrics on the road ), and he’s a pretty gloomy gus, a close relative of his LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE guy. Fortunately he’s got great rapport with a veteran actor playing a man from Dodge’s past in the film’s final act. Carell’s just not allowed to show his gifts as this character as he did for so many years as Michael Scott of TV’s “The Office” ( now that fella’ ran the emotional gamut ). But somehow his unlikely bond with Knightly really works as we wait for the big curtain. This is quite an impressive first feature from writer/ director Lorene Scafaria. If you’re in the mood to escape the big explosions and crashes and spend some time laughing ( and perhaps tearing up ) with a top-notch group of actors then you need to seek out SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD.

Overall Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

PEACE, LOVE, & MISUNDERSTANDING – The Review

How can people living ( and growing up ) in the same household turn out so differently? That’s a question pop culture has explored many times with films such as JOE and TV shows like ” Family Ties “. The new film PEACE, LOVE,  & MISUNDERSTANDING is ” Family Ties ” stretched out over three generations. In this dramedy, Granny’s a liberal ( a throwback to the 60’s ), Mom’s conservative ( a lawyer too ), and her kids are lean more towards modern liberalism ( with more than a touch of political correctness ). So once the fireworks finish and they quit butting heads, will they begin to understand each other and maybe learn a little something ?

Here’s the set-up. Out of the blue, upscale Manhattan attorney Diane ( Catherine Keener ) is told by her husband ( also an attorney ) Mark ( Kyle MacLachlan ) that he wants a divorce. The stunned Diane loads up their college age vegan poet daughter Zoe ( Elizabeth Olsen ) and obsessive videographer high schooler son Jake ( Nat Wolff )  and drives to Woodstock NY ( uh, yup! ) to visit her estranged hippie mom Grace ( Jane Fonda ), who’s never met her grandkids! While the cultures clash, Grace introduces them to her aging flower children pals and plays cupid.   With her encouragement, Jake engages in a  faltering, sweet first romance with another filmfan teen Tara ( Marrisa O’ Donnell ) and Zoe has an opposites attract dalliance with a dreamy local butcher ( horrors! ) at the local organic meat shop, Cole ( Chase Crawford ). Even Diane dips her toe into the local dating pool with Grace’s scruffy, hunky musician bud Jude ( Jeffrey Dean Morgan ). Can this fractured family find happiness in this 1969 version of Brigadoon?

The comparison to ” Family Ties ” seems apt as much the film plays out like the first season of a TV sitcom with a title like ” Our Hippie Grandma “. Director Bruce Beresford ( DRIVING MISS DAISY ) tries to kep things moving, but he gets sidetracked often by shots of the oh-so-cute middle-aged ( and senior citizen ) flower children ( although it’s great to see the always gorgeous Rosanna Arquette as part of the gang ). The cast is game for some of the wild antics at this town out of time. Keener seems a bit too prickly as the uptight lawyer, so we sometimes wonder about laid-back Jude’s pursuit of her. Olsen is one of our most interesting young actors with her recent indie work. Here her clashes with Keener cause more sparks than her longing looks at the James Dean-channeling Crawford who sports hipster facial fuzz. Wolff seems to be lobbying to take on the Jesse Eisenberg/ Michael Cera mantle as the cute, stammering nerdy nice guy who, as many movie teens, seem to have a camcorder sewn into one hand. Perhaps the main reason for interest in this film is a rare appearance from screen icon Jane Fonda. She’s radiant in her long dresses, tie-dyed tops, and flowing grayed hair riffing on her public protesting past as the ultimate Earth-mother. She still sparkles on-screen even during a questionable scene introducing her grandkids to herbal delights. Although her many monologues about previous musician lovers get a tad tiresome and her role as the free spirit that instills life energy into the cold city dwellers is more than a little obvious, she’s still an engaging film personality. Fonda’s the element that makes this fluffy little family flick worth checking out. Or as her pals might say, ” She makes the scene, man ! ”

Overall Rating : 3 Out of 5 Stars