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Eat, Pray, Love

Elizabeth Gilbert’s best selling tome has been dumbed down and glossed up. Fans of the introspective will be disappointed: those looking for decent, escapist entertainment will not.

Julia Roberts takes on her largest role in years, playing the newly divorced Liz. Miserable and disappointed she plunged into a recovery affair (as he’s played by a grinning James Franco, I mean, why not?), the writer takes off, allegedly leaving lots of friends (we only see two) and family (who we never see) behind. She’s going to “find herself”. While gorging on Italian pasta, ashraming in India  and balancing it out  in Bali. Sounds nice.

Ah, but even the best of plans ne’er run smooth. There’s not much wrong with Italy, of course, but things get a little tougher when our girl is supposed to meditate. Facing her real self is frustrating. Enter the wonderful Richard Jenkins, who steals the show as Liz’s straight talking mentor. Once he leaves, she’s off to her next destination: the beaches where she also, as a bonus, will meet up with a wisened seer who she’d interviewed in her “previous life”. He’s very cute, by the way, but hunky Javier Bardem is even better.

Those who worried Roberts was a questionable choice for this role are proven dead wrong. She’s game, glorious and full of the same mega wattage star power she’s always had. You can’t take your eyes off her, which is pretty good, considering most of the scenery she’s got to compete with. Franco, Bardem and Billy Crudup (as the heartbroken husband) aren’t bad, either, although the beauty of all these people reminded me of those Microsoft commercials, where perfectly normal looking people imagine themselves as not only smart enough to come up with the idea of Windows 7, but they’re gorgeous, too.

As written and directed by Glee’s Ryan Murphy, Eat, Pray, Love is nowhere near as navel gazing as it could be, but it also suffers from its lack of real depth. Messages are delivered as Insights. One line of dialogue even refers to advice being served up like bumper stickers. At least bumper stickers stick around for a while, making their point, whether you like it or not.

The Other Guys

How can a movie that can be so very funny also be so very boring?

An odd-couple cop buddy comic action picture (did we leave anything out here?...well, there is a little hint at romance, too; not to worry), pairs Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg as the less-than-stellar New York cops. Overshadowed by the dream team of arrogant driven crime fighters (Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson), these guys are stuck in the back of the room, doing paperwork and playing computer solitaire. Will’s perfectly happy with that; Mark, not so much. They both have their reasons as we are all to find out as the movie meanders along.

I did laugh out loud a few times at this sporadic goof ball. While the much sneaked Derek Jeter joke does play out as pretty funny, there is a slapped in voice over right afterwards that is even funnier. Ferrell gets to do some very random bits, some of which work and some of which (I’m talking to you, vomit) don’t. I’ve always thought Mark Wahlberg had a hint of funny, even in his most impressive dramatic turns. What he’s asked to do here is basically a spin on his deserved Oscar nominated work in The Departed which, you’ll remember, was often pretty outrageous. No mistake, though, this performance is definitely the “other” one….

Still, it’s nice to see Michael Keaton back, as directly funny as he’s ever been. And the beautiful Eva Mendes does her best with a pretty ridiculous role as Ferrell’s unappreciated wife. And New York City, where this movie was actually shot, looks wonderful.

All that being said, it is especially disappointing to see the whole thing fizzle out in the second half. There’s a segue from comedy to action, along with a foggily written story line. The anger the filmmakers obviously feel toward rich scummy guys is told far more directly and even more entertainingly during the final credits, which, in bold graphics, note some of the more outrageous wrongs behind our current financial crisis.

Dinner for Schmucks

What was once a sharp French satire is now a goofball comedy with a heart of gold.

Francis Veber’s 1998 The Dinner Game has been given the Hollywood polish. As adapted by screenwriters David Guion and Michael Handelman, and directed by Jay Roach ( of the Austin Powers movies, as well as Ben Stiller’s “Focker” series), this Dinner is now a more accessible and easier film to digest and, at times, even laugh out loud at.

The always appealing Paul Rudd stars as Tim, a decent enough guy who’s on the verge of losing his soul as he sees the potential of becoming a master of the universe banker. Told, in order to secure the promotion,  he must bring a “schmuck” to a dinner designed to entertain the rich nasties, Tim fatefully crashes into Barry, an IRS worker who’s also a passionate part time taxidermist. The fact that Barry is played by the dandy Steve Carell makes all of us have mixed feelings about this BFF from hell. Barry is kind of a schmuck, but, then again, he’s got his reasons.

Even though the initial premise is pretty “messed up” (all probable swear words have been avoided in this carefully produced film), the road we all take isn’t. Silliness and a few sexual spoofs ensue. Interesting that the producers here found it necessary to have the dialogue reflect expressions like “messed up”, which stands out as a shockingly G rated expression, when there is still a pretty randy sex stuff happening, but I digress. It’s all presented as safe, not-so-bad after all stuff and is sure to have you rooting for the schmucks by the predictable end.

What makes this all work are the actors at play here. Rudd and Carell are a wonderful comic pairing. The supporting cast is fine, too, particularly Zach Galifianakis and Jemaine Clement, who takes his plum role as a successful schmuck and rolls with it.

Inception

It is not that I don’t understand (well, pretty much, anyway) or appreciate the intense ambition of Christopher Nolan’s trip into the world of dreams. But why did a movie designed to blow your mind, leave mine, while originally tickled, ultimately unmoved?

The always terrific Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom, a thief with a twist. This is a guy who’s learned to steal into your mind while you are sleeping.  After exploring this brave new world just a tad too deeply, and with his wife dead, Dom’s been forced out of America, leaving his two young children behind. He’s aching to go home and when he’s offered one last job, involving dense corporate espionage but also the chance to get his old life back, Dom just can’t say no. As we’ve discovered in real life, men who say they just want their life back don’t seem to get there easy these days and so it goes for Dom.

Nolan has written layer upon layer of story in this sci-fi fantasy, bringing the film to a high plane as it plunges into the depth of the dream life. As someone who cares about film, you can’t help but cheer for his intentions and initial success at achieving them. My particular favorite of the wild concepts cooly mounted is the visual of Paris, the town literally folding in on itself, like the pages of a book. Any movie that can pull that off can’t be all bad, but the steam seems to seep out of this balloon just as we pass the halfway mark.

One of the things that made the original Matrix, for example, so much fun was that Keanu Reeves’s character seemed as perplexed by what he was seeing as we were. That doesn’t happen here. Dom’s been there, done that. He gets no joy from what he’s experiencing and, even if we are supposed to feel his terror, pain or regret, those emotions don’t reach off the screen as easily as do the eye popping effects.

A fine collection of actors, including Ken Wantanabe, Joseph Gordon Levitt (who gets to float around a lot), Marion Cotillard and the outstanding Tom Hardy hang in there in support. An oddly cast, or at least underused Ellen Page mostly gets to ask questions, allowing for a whole lot of explanation to go on. At one point, while all the men are furiously plotting and planning all around her, Page, who’s been sitting quietly watching, interrupts, asking (on our behalf?) for a slow down. “Wait!” she demands. “Who’s dreams are we incepting?” A loud laugh of appreciation broke out in the screening I attended.

The Kids Are All Right

All right, but not great: that phrase not only describes the kids (of all ages) in this likeable family drama, but the film, as a whole, too.

Lisa Cholodenko’s highly anticipated third major release (her High Art and Laurel Canyon drew critical acclaim as well as a cozy legion of fans) is, once again, personal and of the moment. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star as a married lesbian couple, raising two kids in their lovely suburban California home. As the eldest is about to leave the nest for college, she, at the encouragement of her younger brother, seeks out the man who donated the sperm inseminated in the “moms”: in other words, the kids want to meet their Dad. In walks bio-father Mark Ruffalo and none of these kids are all right anymore.

I’ve really appreciated Cholodenko’s savvy understanding and interpretation of characters who are all over the place in the real world, but seldom seen lovingly on screen. Too often, those whose lifestyles aren’t so-called mainstream are written in as jokes or quirky diversions. The interesting, complex men and women Cholodenko and her screenwriting partner here, Stuart Blumberg, have created are cause for celebration on its own. Occasionally, though, I found a few of the sub-narratives too far fetched; things pop up that didn’t seem as true as the rest of this intentionally honest movie. And that, for me, was a problem I couldn’t just ignore.

There’s no arguing the uniformly excellent performances from all involved. While we may have seen Julianne Moore and even Mark Ruffalo play similar roles before, they still bring a spontaneity to the parts that makes them fresh. Young Josh Hutcherson nails a boy’s push-pull relationships with his mothers and Mia Wasikowska (most recently seen in Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) is wonderful. The work that knocked my socks off, though, was from Bening, who is simply spectacular as Nic, the tougher breadwinner of the family. What she does in this film makes something all right into something so very much more.

Knight and Day

This fusion of action romance and comedy leaves out one very key element: fun.

I get it: this is supposed to be a breezy, improbable summer splash. Tom Cruise plays Roy Miller, a savvy secret agent whose irresistible charm keeps Cameron Diaz’s June Havens hanging in there, in spite of her self. We’re told it’s because she’s so sexually drawn to him. So, off these two go, into an international frenzy of murder, mayhem and drug induced episodes which lead to a series of fantastic wardrobe changes.

It says a lot that both Cruise and Diaz keep us watching this not particularly well drawn nonsense. I’ve always thought Cruise is a better actor than most people give him credit for and Diaz somehow manages to make us like her, despite the fact that, for most of the film, all June really does is scream. Like a girl. Because as a restorer of antique cars, she’s used to getting dirty and hearing an engine backfire, but those big scary gun things are another matter all together, aren’t they?

Once I, frankly, gave up trying to make sense of the plot here (co-stars Peter Sarsgaard and Viola Davis look as bored as I felt), I found myself trying to figure out how this movie could have been better. Perhaps it’s the overblown budget, which may boost the product into a possible big box office contender, but also glosses over any kind of subtlety or small moment that might have pulled the audience in a little bit. Should this concept have been re-worked, in the style of a  smaller, more old school European type picture? Both Cruise and Diaz have put their salaries where their hearts are before: they could have still played the leads. And if director James Mangold had reached back into his own roots, channeling the same kind of quirky energy he brought to the nifty Cop Land, then, we might have had a more interesting, more memorable movie experience. As it is, I can’t even remember why they titled this one Knight and Day.

Toy Story 3

The toys are back: a grateful nation rejoices.

Yes, Toy Story 3 is a dandy addition to landmark series, and, frankly, the timing of its release couldn’t be better. A perfect antidote to the news of the “real world”, this worthy entertainment will also certainly boost what has been a sagging box office. In simple terms, Toy Story 3 is the first real must see movie of the year.

Maintaining the Pixar tradition of top level graphics and full bodied scripting, director Lee Unkrich has delivered a movie not just worthy of its predecessors, but also terrific all on its own. The set up? Andy is going off to college. Mom wants his room cleaned out and now, what’s going to happen to all the toys?  Will they be stored cozily together in the attic, be tossed out in the trash or wind up in the local day care center, where life can be a bit on the rough side?

The wonderful Tom Hanks brings his warm sense of leadership to the key voice role of Woody, Andy’s favorite, who also serves as the head guy in this toy world. But the vast team of animators isn’t just resting on previous (or Hanks’) laurels here, either. Woody is given a pretty long scene involving an aerobatic escape that is choreographed (and enacted) so beautifully, it will take your breath away. Tim Allen’s Buzz Lightyear gets his moment to shine, too: both with a hilarious and savvy bit that involves a few subtitles and some mighty fine dancing. Ned Beatty is a perfect addition as the initially cuddly teddy bear, reminding me of Tennessee Williams’ Big Daddy. When was the last time we could make that kind of reference in a kid’s movie? The rest of the gang is back, too, but my fave is Michael Keaton’s Ken. Yes, Ken, of Ken and Barbie fame, who not only woos Barbie, but also creates a perfectly hysterical send up of all those things we’ve maybe not so secretly thought about Ken all these years.

What is a hoot for we adults may fly over the little heads of the smallest in the audience. What may not is  a particularly scary scene where our beloved friends are facing a fiery demise. Maybe kids are a lot tougher than I am, but I gotta tell you, even I was scared. The final moments of this emotion filled ride also left me moved to tears. I can just about promise you, you’ll never throw out another toy after watching this movie.  Donating them to a good and happy place? That’s another story. Hopefully, the Toy Story team will live on to show us very soon.

Winter’s Bone

Bleak as hell yet stubbornly optimistic, this low budget knockout is the best picture of the year so far.

Based on Daniel Woodrell’s novel, director and co-writer Debra Granik has already reaped both the jury and screenwriting awards from the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. With care, its theatrical distribution should earn this gem-like marvel even more fans and, hopefully, consideration for awards at year’s end, too. Because, especially as an antidote to all the blockbuster bombs out there, this slim, tough film does its job beautifully: it nails a picture of a slice of American life, draws us into an area where most of us probably never thought we’d want to go, and makes us emotionally invested in what happens there.

Ree is a 17 year old with an awful lot on her plate. Her mother too ill to raise the two youngest kids in the house, Ree has had to drop out of high school and, somehow, make a go of things. Then, a bond bailsman shows up. Seems Dad has put up their house up for collateral and then gone missing. She’d better find him or else she and her family will be put out into the not so friendly Ozark woodlands.

The picture of Ree’s struggle is compelling enough: the journey she makes, trying to get beleaguered friends and family to help her, is even more so. As we all go through the twisted discovery of just what happened, we are reminded things may not be what they seem on first glance. Tough lookers may or may not take care of their own, perfectly nice people may be buried under their own terrible fates. And sometimes we are much stronger than we ever thought we could or would be.

A pitch perfect cast is led by young Jennifer Lawrence, who is simply remarkable as Ree. While this actress does have a few fine credits on her resume, based purely on this performance alone, hers is a rosy future.  John Hawkes and Dale Dickey, primarily character actors, are given a chance to shine here and an unrecognizable Sheryl Lee makes the most of her small role, too.

Commercially,  this is not an easy film to recommend.  Artistically, it’s a no-brainer. Anyone who cares about the future of fine, serious filmmaking will be flat out exhilarated.

Solitary Man

Early on in this nifty little film, a young man calls Michael Douglas’ character a “dickwad”. Guy’s got a point.

Ben, a fifty something car dealer, is the kind of guy who cheats on his wife, won’t let his adult daughter call him “Dad” in public and beds the 18 year old daughter of the woman he’s now dating. And, oh yeah, let’s not forget the scam that banished him from the BMW franchise family forever. Not exactly your standup citizen, but, considering what we’ve been hearing about some real life business people lately, Ben is also a creation that’s been ripped from the headlines.

With the dearth of smart films for adults in theaters, Solitary Man serves up a much needed option. Ben may be a very unlikeable man, but, as written by co-director Brian Koppleman and played by a superb Michael Douglas, he’s still pretty darn compelling. Channeling the kind of characters he played in Wall Street and the under appreciated Wonder Boys, Douglas has a knack for finding the inner souls of the  initially soul-less. He taps the same magic this time around: reeling us in and repelling us just the way he does with the people who fall for him in the script.

And what people they are: half the fun of watching this movie is getting to see Douglas play with his top flight group of supporting actors. Susan Sarandon may not have too many scenes (too bad, by the way), but she is vividly wonderful as Ben’s ex-wife. Same goes for Mary-Louise Parker, who brings her signature quirky take to the role of Ben’s used and abused lady friend. Your heart goes out to the long suffering daughter Susan, a sympathetically sturdy  Jenna Fischer and you’ll be fascinated, too, by the English actress Imogen Poots, whose adolescent fury unravels the shaky house of cards Ben thinks is so cool.

Date Night

The toughest movies to review are the ones that fall somewhere, safely, in the mid-range of success. They’re neither brilliant or bad, just bland. Date Night is a perfect example of bland.

The usually winning Tina Fey and Steve Carrell play Phil and Claire Foster, a “normal” married couple, living with their rather obnoxious two kids in safe, suburban New Jersey. Threatened after their friends announce an impending separation, Phil decides to ramp up their weekly “date night”, daring to go into New York City and try for a table at the city’s hottest new restaurant. Of course they’re too square to even get into the place  (allowing for the oft-repeated scene of the too cool for school desk person treating the bridge and tunnel types with chic distain), they, living dangerously, snap up someone else’s reservation. When they are handily escorted out, mid-risotto, a seemingly unstoppable night of wildness begins.

Most of the spiraling silliness of the script plows along, thanks to director Shawn Levy’s snappy timing and the lead actors’ willingness to try anything, including the obligatory painful sex dance at an after hours club. (Happy we didn’t have to spend too much time with everybody there!) And a handful of name actors show up and jazz up some cameos scenes. Mark Wahlberg plays a pumped up super-spy, who interrupts his sex session with a hot Israeli girl to help the floundering (i.e. boring old) married couple. James Franco taps into his funny side to steal a second or two as a drug dealer with plans. The supporting star who adds the most sparkle is Taraji P. Henson, who, as a pooped but smart cop, might be giving an audition for the newly available role as Captain on Law and Order.

Still, with all the talent involved, it is surprising this date isn’t more fun. A couple of nice moments aside, this surface-y action comedy feels all to desperate. If you were to see it on an airplane, for free (do they give anything for free on airplanes these days?), it would serve as a middling diversion. Pay for it and you’re going to wish you’d spent your date night doing something else.

City Island

Especially as an antidote to all the awnery big budget blasters out there, City Island is a real sweetheart of a movie.

Andy Garcia stars as a working class New Yorker, still living in the small island off the Bronx where he grew up. Sure, he’s pretty happily married, got two good kids and a decent job as a prison officer. But he just can’t ignore his inner yearnings. So, off to acting classes he goes. Down in Manhattan, where the world, and his mysterious scene partner, are just so much more interesting. Or, are they? Seems like our boy’s not the only one with a secret or two brewing.

Written and directed by Raymond DeFelitta, City Island bears the irresistible charm of the neighborhood in which it is set. A small low key place with great seafood restaurants, this is as close as you can get to a New England fishing village in New York City. But, as I’ve been told by some of the endearingly colorful locals, you don’t want to mess with its people. And that, shall we say strength of character, is the heart of what City Island is all about. While the patriarch may have fantasies of a more glamorous life, we know his dedication to his family. He loves his awkward teenage son, worries about his all too beautiful college co-ed of a daughter (played with obvious chemistry by Garcia’s real life daughter, Dominik Garcia-Lorido), opens his heart to the son he never knew and even is kind of crazy, after all these years, about his screaming mimi of a wife, the absolutely divine Juliana Margulies. He’d better be, or we all know she’ll kick his butt. (Or threaten to: no physical violence here, thank you!)

Emily Moritmer has a nice turn as an acting class friend, but it’s Margulies who takes her role and runs with it. She’s sexy, smart, hot tempered and hysterically funny. While the movie around her is an undeniable charmer, Juliana gives it a dimension that’s really memorable.

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