THE KIDS ARE ALL RIGHT (2010)

August 5, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Laurel Canyon and High Art are two of director Lisa Cholodenko’s previous best films. She seems to have a knack for exploring interpersonal relationships and observing human emotions. Here she co-wrote a very good and insightful script with Stuart Blumberg.

The story centers around a married lesbian couple played by Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. They play the moms’ to Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland) and Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabitha). Turns out, each of the ladies gave birth to these kids with help of the same sperm donor. The kids decide they want to meet the donor dad and it turns out he is uber-cool Mark Ruffalo: owner of an organic garden and restaurant, rider of awesome motorcycle, wearer of stylistic leather jacket, and master of hippie-type language that connects with teenagers. In other words, he is a parents’ worst nightmare.

The story examines real life issues such as marriage, family life, mid-life crisis and self-fulfillment. It wraps those things brilliantly around an unconventional family, each with recognizable personality types.

The weakness in the film is two-fold. An important storyline develops between Ruffalo and one of the moms that just seemed out of place to me. The point was made, but could have been made in a much more realistic way. Worse though is the performances of two wonderful actresses – Annette Bening and Julianne Moore. With a couple of exceptions, I thought they were both over-the-top in just about every scene. They were almost caricatures of their character types. My gut feeling is that one or both will receive Oscar nods because of the “risky” roles, but the histrionics should not be rewarded.

Interesting tidbit: daughters of Steven Spielberg, David Mamet and Michael Eisner all have roles in the film. Wow … that’s some parental firepower in Hollywood! This one is worth seeing for the script and for Ruffalo’s best performance, but it’s really not as funny as it tries to be. Probably would have worked better as a straight drama.

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Posted by David Ferguson

DATE NIGHT (2010)

April 12, 2010

 Greetings again from the darkness. Most married couples can probably relate to the grind of a life absorbed with work and parenting. Sometimes the fantasy turns into having a quiet moment of solitude. Heck, even “date night” can devolve into just another responsibility tacked on at the end of a long week. This is the premise for director Shawn Levy’s film. The best part? It doesn’t matter at all.

The reason this film works is not the plot or script, but rather the talents of the two funniest people in showbiz today: Steve Carell and Tina Fey. The two seem to have an exceptional comedic connection that brings out a timing that reminds of the best comedy teams of all time.

Sometimes what makes for the funniest comedy is putting “normal” people into exceptional situations and let them react. Here, Carell and Fey are just a typical suburban couple trying to re-ignite the luster of an all too comfortable marriage. The motivation comes when their friends (Mark Ruffalo and Kristen Wiig) announce they are splitting. This starts Carell and Fey off on a series of skits that would make Seinfeld proud.

The nightmare begins when the couple “steals” a reservation in a hot new restaurant and assume the identity of, what turns out to be a couple of low level thieves. The multitude of skits that follow include supporting work from dirty cops (Common and Jimmi Simpson), the real reservation holders (funny James Franco and Mila Kunis), a mob boss (Ray Liotta), a corrupt city official (William Fichtner) and a “security expert” in the eternally shirtless Mark Wahlberg.

The approach of the film reminds me of After Hours, Adventures in Babysitting and The Out of Towners. Some of the best comedy occurs when the main players aren’t tossing out incessant one-liners. Think back to Cary Grant’s screwball comedies. He was not a bumbling idiot or a stand-up comedian walking through life. His characters were reactionary to the odd-ball situations in which he was placed. That is the approach of Carell and Fey, and I hope they pursue future projects together.

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Posted by David Ferguson

SHUTTER ISLAND (2010)

February 20, 2010

(2-19-10)

 Greetings again from the darkness. Ahh yes, the psychological thriller is my favorite movie genre. Not sure what that says about me. There are so few good ones, at least since Alfred Hitchcock passed on. Director Martin Scorsese often includes some psychological warfare in his films, but with Shutter Island, he leaps feet first into the world of the criminally insane.

This is a very difficult film to comment on because it is crucial that the viewer watch with a clean slate … in other words, don’t let someone toss out some spoilers if you plan to see the film. All I will say regarding the story is that it’s fun to watch and my brain was working non-stop the whole time (that’s a good thing!).  Scorcese uses many different camera angles, close-ups and bright red to go with they island storm.  The film has some of the style of his Cape Fear, but even more darkness to the story, as here, EVERY character is a bit off center.

Scorsese has, as usual, assembled an excellent cast. Leonardo DiCaprio takes the lead as Teddy. His partner is played by Mark Ruffalo and they “investigate” the disappearance of a patient from Shutter Island – a treatment center for the criminally insane. This is no vacation island and at the center is a civil war fort that houses the worst of the worst. The creepy place is run by Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow, who could both make afternoon English Tea seem downright ominous.

The cast is so strong that Emily Mortimer and Patricia Clarkson are basically limited to one scene each and Jackie Earle Haley continues his resurgence with a wicked one on one scene with Leo. Michelle Williams makes her appearances via flashbacks, visions and sweaty, late night dreams. By the end of the film, her ugly yellow dress was itself a frightening prop.

To cap off the mental and emotional turmoil, Scorsese adds an unusual score that at first seems overbearing at odd times, but later reveals itself to have been “right” all along. My favorite shot of the film is at the very beginning when the ferry first breaks through the fog. Funny enough, it was ME in a fog for the next 2 hours!

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Posted by David Ferguson

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