Some Time Capsules Should Remain Buried..."Everybody Wants Some!!"

Everybody Wants Some!!

Rated R

Starring Blake Jenner, Juston Street, Ryan Guzman, Tyler Hoechlin, Wyatt Russell, Glen Powell, Temple Baker, J. Quinton Johnson, Will Brittain

Written and Directed by Richard Linklater

The Story:

Jake (Jenner) arrives at college and heads to the house where his baseball team (Everyone else) lives. It's the weekend before the semester starts, what hijinks will ensue?

I'd love to write more, but this is a difficult movie to review, because that's basically it.

It's a bunch of college guys enjoying their last weekend before school starts, so while things happen...

That's not much of a plot to work with.

From the guy that brought you Dazed and Confused in the early 90s, a film I still haven't seen, apparently he strikes again with an homage to 1980.

So unknown (mostly? relatively?) cast and a great soundtrack.

If lightning strikes again, he'll have found the next Matthew McCounaghy for us.
Alright, alright, alright.

But seriously, other than that...

I've got nothing.

This movie didn't leave much of an impression on me.

I even have to rack my brain to remember... did I actually watch the whole thing? Did I fast forward hoping something interesting happened?

And, I've got nothing.

Now, that said, the cast of actors did a great job with what they were given.

And yes, I hope to see them again in something else.

With a plot.

: )

Final Grade: C

Smarter Than You Give It Credit For... "Legally Blonde"

Legally Blonde (2001)

Rated PG-13

Starring Reese Witherspoon, Luke Wilson, Selma Blair, Matthew Davis, Victor Garber, Jennifer Coolidge, Ali Larter

Directed by Robert Luketic

The Story:

Elle (Witherspoon) has been dumped by her boyfriend (Davis) as the two plan on their college future.  He needs to get into Harvard and become a lawyer, and he just can't be with her anymore.  Elle doesn't take rejection lightly, so she pulls out all the stops and applies to Harvard...

And is accepted!

In over her head, Elle is ready to quit, but when the chance to intern under Professor Callahan (Garber) to defend fitness guru Brooke Windham (Larter) from murder charges, she discovers that she's kind of a natural at the whole lawyer thing.

:)

Legally Blonde is one of those movies that is a perfect storm of a great cast, some inspired writing, and just plain fun that you're not certain what you were expecting going into it, but will walk out glad that you saw it.

At least, that's how I see it.

Take your choice of genre:

Fish out of water.
Romantic Comedy.
New Kid in Town.
Legal Comedy.
Boy meets girl meets boy.

Shake lightly, and out comes Legally Blonde.

It's easy to think that Elle is just going to be beaten down by the system at the beginning of the movie.  She's out-matched, and everyone (faculty/other students) are against her.

But Witherspoon simply wins you over with her performance. 

If you had to circle a movie to explain why Witherspoon is a great actress, or why people like her, I would pick this one.

Luke Wilson is also given the chance to shine as the potential suitor for Elle's charms.  Not sure why he never did more romantic comedies, they all seem to fall to his brother, but Luke is always a great choice and does a nice job here at both challenging and supporting Elle to do her best.

Good stuff.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I hadn't seen this one in a few years and had forgotten how fun(ny) it really is.  I'll try and get it back into rotation every few years now.

Your Life Could Change "At Middleton"

At Middleton (2013)

Rated R for language and drug use

Starring Andy Garcia, Vera Farmiga, Taissa Farmiga, Spencer Lofranco

Written and Directed by Adam Rogers

The Story:

George (Garcia) is bringing his son, Spencer (Hartman) to Middleton for the day tour.  Spencer has no desire to attend Middleton.  Edith (Farmiga) is bringing her daughter, Audrey (Farmiga) to Middleton.  She's super-stoked, it's the only college she's been dreaming of for years.  All four are going to experience Middleton, and it is going to change their lives.

Forever.

Here's an unusual little film.  I had no idea what to expect when I rented it, but hoped for the best.

It was interesting.

Not great. Not earth-shattering.

But for the most part, engaging.

I'll leave that mostly to Garcia and Farmiga who played their roles as ordinary parents with a little bit of fun, and much less drama than they usually have to bear in their chosen profession.

It's the closest to comedy you might see from either!

That's not to say there's not some dramatic tension.

Naturally the oil and water first meeting disappears over the course of the day and the two bond in the most remarkable way.

When they finally are forced to "act" onstage, it is some pretty good dialogue, and you can feel the years of anger and pain coming from them.

Good stuff.

Meanwhile, the kids storyline which brought them to the college sort of gets the short end of the stick, but in a way, it's for the best.

They end up having their ideas of adult life changed and shaped forever after a simple day in the life of a college.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I wouldn't go out of my way to buy it, but I wouldn't be opposed to watching it again.  Garcia really made this one work for me.  Good job.

Call Me Some Time When You Have No Class... "Back To School"

Back to School (1986)

PG-13 for language and brief nudity

Starring Rodney Dangerfield, Sally Kellerman, Burt Young, Keith Gordon, Robert Downey Jr., William Zabka

Directed by Alan Metter

The Story:

Thornton Melon (Dangerfield) a successful businessman decides to head back to school to try and get some bonding time with his son, Keith (Gordon).  Hilarity ensues.

I mean really, it's Rodney Dangerfield's best starring role, so to explain it misses the whole point of seeing Rodney at the top of his game.

Naturally, in this film, several scenarios are going to unfold:

Thornton's relationship with his son.
Thornton's adversarial relationship with one professor (Paxton Whitehead).
Thornton's romantic interest in another professor (Kellerman).
Keith's feelings of inadequacy and wanting to quit college altogether.

This is how you balance all of those little stories into one larger overarching storyline.  A quick 5-minute bit, then move on.

String those bits together with a bit of connectivity, and 90 minutes later, you had a great viewing experience.

Add to that, the first real silver-screen time for Robert Downey Jr. in the best friend role.

Plus, the always menacing William Zabka picking right up where he left off in the Karate Kid.

Or, the best use of Kurt Vonnegut, ever.

Then there is the brief, yet hilarious, Sam Kinison moment.

Yeah, you can't go wrong with this one.

Final Grade: A ~ Showing some respect for Mr. Dangerfield!

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: One of my favorites from the 80s, still holds up well today and is filled with laughs from beginning to end.

90 Minutes of Your Life is Not a Bad Price for "Admission"

What's the secret to getting in?

The Story:

Portia (Tina Fey) is a Princeton admissions officer.  At Princeton, they pride themselves on rejecting 99% of all applications they receive.  As they head into the applications of the upcoming class, she is contacted by John (Paul Rudd) a teacher at a new school about Jeremiah (Nat Wolff), his prodigy who would be perfect for Princeton, but maybe not necessarily the type of candidate that Princeton would otherwise pursue.  Can he convince her otherwise?  Maybe...

So this is one of those movies that was savaged by critics and ignored at the box office.

Beats me, it wasn't that bad.  I'm curious what folks were expecting?

It's hardly a romantic comedy.  Which is probably the undoing of the film.  That's what people probably thought they were going to get with the movie.  Is there a romance in here?  Yes, but it's almost tacked on as an afterthought.

I suppose in the end, you almost need to blame the film's lack of box office on the marketing department.  Looking for a picture of the film, they are all cutesy pics of Rudd and Fey making it indeed look like a romantic comedy.

I think they should have spun the marketing to focus on Princeton's rejection of most candidates, and left it at that.  Then everything else would play out on its own merits.

Instead, the twist from this movie comes fairly early, and Portia spends the rest of the movie dealing with the ramifications of that revelation.

The movie is not laugh out loud funny either.  Starring Fey and Rudd, you would think that impossible, but I'm here to tell you that it's the truth!  Instead of guffaws, the movie spends most of its time in a constant state of amusement.  Some laughs will come, others will just elicit a smile or a chuckle.

That said, there are plenty of worse comedies out there.

Believe me, I've seen many of them.

:)

This one was worth a viewing.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: No purchase, but I'd have no problems seeing it again down the road in the future...