Some Women Always Need"The Last Word"

The Last Word (2017)

Rated R

Starring Shirley MacLaine, Amanda Seyfried, AnnJewel Lee Dixon, Tom Everett Scott,

Directed by Mark Pellington

The Story:

Harriet (MacLaine) is a retired businesswoman who is used to controlling everything in her life. Everything. As a result, she decides to let the local obituary writer, Anne (Seyfried) write her obituary now, while she's still alive, so she can approve it. However when Anne interviews everyone on Harriet's list, let's just say it's not the most flattering final thoughts on someone's life. Not content with that, Harriet tries to make some changes before it's too late, with Anne along for much of the ride. It won't just be Harriet's life that will change along the way.

If there's any doubt that MacLaine's still got it as an actress, those should be put to rest by now. She's still able to give a dramatic or comedic performance at the drop of a hat, and she seems to relish the role as Harriet.

Seyfried returns to the screen in what seems like the first time in ages. Still able to play the wide eyed girl, but now with a touch of maturity on her side so that she can seem both naive and tough as the case requires.

The two make a great duo, and then they are given the responsibility of Brenda (Dixon) a precocious troubled youth who makes Harriet feel like the grandma she always wanted to be.

There's laughs, there's tears, there's a good solid movie to be had.

Insert my usual rant about the language keeping this one from being a) a better film and b) finding a wider audience, and there you go.

Still, I'd say definitely worth a look.

Final Grade: B-

You'll Feel Yourself Aging Watching "While We're Young"

While We're Young (2014)

Rated R

Starring Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver, Amanda Seyfried, Charles Grodin

Written and Directed by Noah Baumbach

The Story:

Josh and Cornelia (Stiller & Watts) are in their mid-40s, they've got no kids and they are just going through the motions in their relationship while all of their friends are having kids. Josh has been working on his documentary for nearly a decade but is struggling to finish. Into their lives breeze Jamie and Darby (Driver & Seyfried) and Jamie is also an aspiring documentarian and they get to know each other and begin hanging out. Life starts to change as the 40s and the 20s begin to mesh and mold with one another.

Meh.

It's not funny enough to be a comedy.

It's not dramatic or engaging enough to be a full on drama.

You can also see where the movie is going as Jamie may not be as honest as Josh thinks he is, but that's a realization that he has to come to on his own.

The movie also takes a rather gross turn midway through the movie as vomiting becomes an extended long scene that is neither amusing nor engaging.

I even debate as I write this as to whether the movie gets a passing grade or winds up on the worst of the year list, and quite honestly, I still don't know.

There was one really great line about the documentary that Josh was working on, delivered impeccably by Charles Grodin:

You just showed me a 6 1/2 hour movie that was 7 hours too long.

Thankfully this one was just a bit over 90 minutes, but there were several times, especially like the puking scene, where I was wondering why I was still even watching this film.

After I finished watching the movie, I see that it was streaming on Amazon Prime. Streaming, I would have definitely clicked this one off and found something else to watch.

I guess that decides it...

Final Grade: D+ it is!

April Showers Bring Christmas Movies! "Love The Coopers"

 

Love The Coopers (2015)

Rated PG-13

Starring John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, Steve Martin, Amanda Seyfried, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde, Anthony Mackie, Jake Lacy,

Directed by Jessie Nelson

The Story:

The Coopers are all coming home for the holidays. Along the way they are going to confront some uncomfortable truths about themselves and their family. After all, that's what the holidays are for.

While stacked with a lot of comedic actors, this movie isn't so much funny as it is amusing.

It's a dramedy about family dynamics and life choices that don't always turn out the way people want or expect them to.

You've got the parents (Goodman & Keaton) who are going through the motions for the benefit of their children. This will apparently be their last Christmas together and the reasons why are not immediately recognizable but will be slowly unearthed as the movie progresses.

The oldest daughter (Tomei) who runs into a bit of problem with the law (Mackie) trying to decide what to get her sister for Christmas.

The youngest daughter (Wilde) is not ready for another year of being looked down upon, so she grabs a stranger (Lacy) and convinces him to be her fiancée for the holidays.

Then the son (Helms) whose marriage has tanked and he's having issues of his own being a good dad.

Finally grandpa (Arkin) who has the sweetest story of the bunch about his relationship with a young waitress (Seyfried) at the local diner.

Marriages on the rocks. Feelings that have been hurt for years, it will all culminate in the happiest ending possible for this family.

All tied loosely, and rather strangely by narrative from the family dog (Martin) which is rather annoying because he's the dog, and sometimes they use his narration, sometimes they don't. An omniscient narrator would have been just fine, and slightly less annoying.

Worth a viewing, but doubtful to become a beloved holiday tradition in many families.

Final Grade:  C+

Watching This Is One Of "A Million Ways To Die In The West"

A Million Ways To Die In The West (2014)

Rated R

Starring  Seth MacFarlane, Charlize Theron, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Neil Patrick Harris, Giovanni Ribisi, Sarah Silverman

Written and Directed by Seth MacFarlane

The Story:

Albert (MacFarlane) is living the dream in the Old West until his girl (Seyfried) dumps him. Alone and sad, he bounces back when he runs into Anna (Theron) and becomes smitten. Ah, but Anna has a secret, and he's about to ride into town and show Albert that death by gunfight is at least one of a million ways to die in the west.

MacFarlane loves unleashing himself in R rated movies where he doesn't have to abide by any rating restrictions.

Which is a shame really.

I've seen a few episodes of Family Guy and I've laughed at parts, but otherwise, not a show I can bear watching repeatedly.

Much the same for his movies.

There are a few parts that are genuinely funny, but they get bogged down in the incessant "hey, let's push the boundaries, we have an R rating!"

Not to get on a soapbox, but I'm already up here...

If the joke has to work within the confines of an R rating, then it's likely not funny.

If you can remove the offending language/prop or whatever, and it's still funny, then the joke is a good one.

Case in point, the giant ice block that kills the guy in the street.

We all saw that scene in the trailer.

It's funny.  Morbid, but funny.

Amping the joke up with a ton of blood almost distracts from the humor of the situation.

A big SQUISH sound, and the horrified reactions are the joke.

And therein lies my main problem with the majority of this movie.

The setup is there, but it gets mangled in the delivery.

Which is a shame, because he's assembled a great cast that pretty much has very little to do.

Unlike Fury, where I gave the film a C and realized I should have put it in the D range, I will not make the same mistake again.

Final Grade: C-   D+

Congratulations, you're in the running for Turkey of the Year.

:)

I Should Have "Gone" For A Different Movie. :)

Gone (2012)

Rated PG-13 for language and peril

Starring Amanda Seyfried, Daniel Sunjata, Jennifer Carpenter, Sebastian Stan

Directed by Heitor Dhalia

The Story:

Jill (Seyfried) was abducted and escaped her would-be killer.  The police (Sunjata) really don't believe her fantastical tale, and the medications she is taking are because everyone thinks she's crazy.  However, when her sister is abducted, Jill knows it was the same killer, and she sets out to find him, without the help of the police.

Meh.

It's your average thriller that's less than thrilling than it should be.

Boy meets girl.
Boy abducts girl.
Girl escapes boy.
Boy pursues girl.
Boy kidnaps different girl.
Girl seeks revenge on boy.
Happy ending, except for boy.

You'll see every twist.
Anticipate every turn.

Stifle every yawn.

I used to expect more from Amanda Seyfried, but lately, I'm not so sure anymore.

Ah well...there's always Mean Girls. ;)

Totally your call if you want to take the ride.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: None for me, thanks.

A Daughter Finds The Father She Never Knew..."Come Dance At My Wedding"

Come Dance At My Wedding (2009)

TV Movie

Starring John Schneider, Brooke Nevin, Christopher Jacot, Roma Downey

Directed by Mark Jean

The Story:

Cyd (Nevin) is a dance instructor in a small town.  She is getting married to Zach (Jacot) in 2 weeks.  She's ready to leave the small town, and do big things with her life, so she needs to sell the dance studio that her grandparents started and her late mother left to her.  When her lawyer (Downey) gives her the deed to the studio, Cyd learns that she has a father (Schneider) that she thought was dead, and she needs his signature to sell the studio.  Can she get his permission to sell, or will finding the father she never knew she had, change her entire perspective on what she really wants in life?

Thank you Hallmark Channel, for putting out TV movies that are worth the time to watch, and give a lot of great actors some screen time that they may not otherwise enjoy.

Take for example John Schneider.

As the ladies in the movie gush, he looks great.  And really, he does.  Around 50 when he filmed this, aside from a few wrinkles, he looks like he could still slide across the General Lee's hood and squeeze through the window with little problem.

That's a Dukes of Hazzard reference for any youngin's reading this review.

:)

Nevin is also a very competent actress with whom I was unfamiliar with.  She seems to be like a smarter version of Amanda Seyfried.

As for Roma Downey...I think she went to Meg Ryan's plastic surgeon, and that's too bad.  It's okay to age gracefully, it looks more natural.

The storyline overall is very sweet.  There were several forced bits of drama that had to be injected into the story just to keep it from being too good to be true.  That includes making Zack the bad guy, at least for about 5 minutes in the story.  Thankfully the story didn't involve some sneaky attempt on his part to simply be after the money of selling the studio, or behind the desire to sell off the downtown businesses.

No complaints on this end, an enjoyable movie to sit through.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No rush to own it, but if it was playing on tv, a great background film during game/craft/sewing night.

An All-Star Cast is Usually An All-Out Flop..."The Big Wedding"

Til death do they part.  Or Divorce.  Whichever comes first.

The Story:

Don (Robert DeNiro) and Ellie (Diane Keaton) were married once.  They had 2 children: Jared (Topher Grace) and Lyla (Katherine Heigl).  They adopted Alejandro (Ben Barnes) a few years later, but it was too little, too late to save their marriage.  Don has moved on, and in, with Bebe (Susan Sarandon), Ellie's best friend.  However everyone is coming back home to see Alejandro tie the knot with Missy (Amanda Seyfried).  However, Alejandro needs a favor from his parents:  could they please pretend to still be married this weekend?  His real mom is coming to America, and a strict Catholic would simply not approve of the divorce. 

What could possibly go wrong?

This is another all-star comedy that mostly works.

It's more amusing than flat-out comedy, and one that embraces it's "R" rating.

Which again, sometimes I lament that screenplays feel the need to throw that around in a movie that could otherwise easily grabbed a PG-13 rating and appealed to a wider audience.

Otherwise, no real complaints with the movie.

The performances are all enjoyable, as we have a consummate group of actors on display in this movie.

It was a treat to see Susan Sarandon again, as she seems to have mostly disappeared from movies as the years go by, which is a shame.  She's a natural at comedy, and has a great time with her role.

Robin Williams is also included in a minor role as the priest who will perform the ceremony.  He is restrained, and possibly the only sane member of the cast. ;)

The only real casting misfire comes at the end when Lyla's boyfriend is revealed.  When you have a "beautiful cast" of great actors... you couldn't spring for one more to play the boyfriend, if even for a moment?  I suppose they want to give hope that real life works that way, but rarely do you see someone like Heigl dating a caveman...

: )

Final Grade: B-/C+ range

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor:  No need to own it, but I could watch it again if it was on.  No big hurry though.

High School is Full of "Mean Girls"

Sharpen your claws...

The Story:

Cady (Lindsay Lohan) is the new girl in school.  Here she meets the clique, "The Plastics": Regina (Rachel McAdams), Gretchen (Lacey Chabert) and Karen (Amanda Seyfried) the prettiest and most popular girls in school.  Also the bitchiest.  Hatching a plan with outsiders Janis (Lizzy Caplan) and Damian (Daniel Franzese) Cady is to infiltrate the Plastics and spy on them from within.  However, once Cady gets involved with the Plastics, how long can she maintain her innocence before she goes to the dark side?

Yep, another teen chick flick.

Thank heavens for little girls, otherwise I would miss out on a ton of funny movies.  But as a dad, it's my job to dutifully watch the animated movies with them when they are young, and then endure the genres with them as they grow older.

Luckily, I've seen much better films by their sides than I've seen terrible flicks.  Oh, and the kids have a cross between my movie taste and their mom's, so that means we usually see only the best of the bunch.

And this is  a great one!

Adapted for the screen, and also starring Tina Fey, the movie is a probably more accurate look at high school life for girls than people want to admit.

The cast is exceptional, from top to bottom.  It was Amanda Seyfried's first movie role, though she wouldn't become a superstar until Mamma Mia a few years later.

Rachel McAdams is in top form as the bad girl in her 2nd big screen role.  Naturally, she would go supernova with the release of the Notebook the same year.

Then there was Tina Fey who exploded upon a national audience with this film, where fans of her work on Saturday Night Live were already familiar with her skills, now the world was aware, and things have been looking up for her ever since.

Conversely... there is Lindsay Lohan, the star of the film.  Well... this was the last good movie she made, to be quite honest.  She was actually on a bit of a role with this capping off the terrific remake of Freaky Friday, the okay Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and she capped off the trifecta with this film.

And then life happened, she lost her mind, and has been a complete train wreck during the intervening decade.

Sad.

Thankfully, we've got this gem to remember the good times before she lost her mind.

: )

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Already own... watched it quite a bit... hilarious every time.  A special shout out to the underrated abilities of Tim Meadows who kills as the principal in his few scenes. : )