A Better Second Outing..."The Do-Over"

The Do-Over (2016)

Rated R

Starring Adam Sandler, David Spade, Paula Patton, Heather Hahn, Nick Swardson, Luis Guzman

Directed by Steven Brill

The Story:

Charlie (Spade) is not living the life he envisioned for himself. When he runs into Max (Sandler) his best friend from high school at their reunion, the two reconnect and spend a weekend catching up. That weekend ends with Max faking their deaths in a boating accident and assuming the identities of two recently deceased people that nobody knows are dead. Which is great, because they suddenly have a great house and a ton of money at their disposal. However, when assassins come calling to kill the duo, they begin to realize that maybe they are in over their heads!

Okay, that's much better.

Still, a lot of room for improvement and humor to the films, but this is a drastic upgrade from The Ridiculous 6.

For starters, there was actually more than one funny moment in the film, so like I said, much better.

This is a return to the crude, R-rated Sandler pictures, which he gravitates between these and the family-friendly version of himself, so keep the kids away.

He and Spade, and everyone else for that matter, seem to be having a pretty good time making this one, so that's a plus as well.

The framework of the story is actually a really good one and had they taken out some of the crude jokes and just gone for funny, or even tried to make it an action-comedy, I think the results would be even better.

I don't want to spoil why the 2 other individuals get killed, but if the same storyline were starring anyone else, it could be a drama or thriller.

I would say that Netflix is probably much happier with this film than the first one that brings Sandler directly to the streaming service, except Netflix proudly proclaimed that The Ridiculous 6 was the most watched movie... ever.

And people say they don't like Adam Sandler films.

Netflix knows better.

:)

Let's hope the improvements keep coming, by the 4th film, we could have a best of the year contender.

Final Grade: C

Not Quite The Bite Of The First One..."Hotel Transylvania 2"

Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015)

Rated PG

Starring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Selena Gomez, Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Keegan-Michael Key, Asher Blinkoff, Mel Brooks

Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky

The Story:

Now that Mavis (Gomez) and Johnathan (Samberg) are married and have a little boy (Blinkoff), Dracula (Sandler) is hoping that he will turn into a vampire before he's 5 so that they will continue to live at the castle with him. It's looking unlikely though, and Mavis is beginning to ponder a life outside of the castle walls.

If you saw the trailer where Dracula lets his grandson fall from the very tall tower, then you know exactly what you're getting from this movie. Dracula wants to make sure his grandson is partially vampire, though everyone else has written him off as just another human.

So part 2 is essentially two road trip movies rolled into one as Dracula and the gang take the boy out on adventures while the happy couple look to see if Mavis can handle life out among the normals.

I really enjoyed the first one.

I also enjoyed the second one, maybe just a little less.

The jokes and characterizations for the first film were all new, so it was all a great new sense of fun.

This time around, you already know roughly what's going to happen, and there isn't a whole lot of surprise.

But don't take that as a negative.  Most sequels don't live up to the original.

The best bits are The Invisible Man (Spade) finding true love, and the genius casting of Vlad (Brooks) for the finale.

If you enjoyed the first film with your family, then this will be a cozy family reunion for you.

Final Grade: B-

"Hollywood And Wine" Will Be A Pass For Just About Everyone Else

Hollywood And Wine (2011)

Rated R

Starring Chris Kattan, Nicky Whelan, Chazz Palminteri, Norm MacDonald, Horatio Sanz, Leslie Easterbrook, David Spade

Directed by Matt Berman and Kevin P. Farley

The Story:

Jack (Kattan) has a great girlfriend, Diane (Whelan) who is an aspiring actress who just happens to look an awful lot like a famous actress that everyone hates. When Jack becomes jealous due to an old friend returning to her life, he gets talked into getting a loan from Geno Scarpacci (Palminteri) so he can treat her to a better life. When he is unable to repay his debt, he convinces Geno that he can get him a date with the famous actress and all debts will be forgiven. Just how good of an actress can Diane be?

When your movie stars Chris Kattan, most people are going to pass.

As I've always said, I try and give SNL players, especially those that I've watched over the years, the benefit of the doubt with their movies.

And while not horrible...

It's an odd mish-mash of a tale that combines odd characters, MacDonald's porn director for starters, and throws them all into a blender to see what they can mix up.

There are a few laughs to be had, and Palminteri can play a mob guy in his sleep.

But, unlike some movies I've watched this year, I made it all the way through, so that's saying something, right?

Final Grade: C-

Gone Way Too Soon..."I Am Chris Farley"

I Am Chris Farley (2015)

Documentary

Directed by Brent Hodge, Derik Murray

The Story:

The life and times of Chris Farley, as related to us by his friends and family. Through the use of archived footage of his career, it's easy to see why Farley is so beloved by friends and fans to this day. It's hard to watch because it's so funny, yet you know how the story ends. Much like one of his idols, John Belushi, this talented Saturday Night Live veteran hastened his own demise and robbed us all of years of his work.

It's always revealing when the cast of Saturday Night Live pulls back the curtain on what they do each and every week. The majority of the cast were also writers, except for Farley. He simply hoped his friends would write him a great part, then he would go out and give it his all.

In turn, he stole the show, but they were willing to keep giving him the laughs because it was such a joy to be a part of. 

Of all the people they interview, I know they all take it hard, but it probably affects two of them even more than the rest:

The first, Dan Aykroyd. While not an immediate name you might think of, he's had to see this twice in his lifetime because once an SNL cast mate, always an SNL cast mate. He lost Belushi, then after co-starring with Farley in Tommy Boy, he lost Farley almost identically.

The other would be David Spade. If you're going to be Belushi, you need an Aykroyd, and that was Spade's job with Farley. Tommy Boy is a masterpiece of comedy, you can't fail to laugh any time you watch it.

Their second outing together was too rushed and nowhere near as funny.

Sadly, they never got the chance to give it one more shot.

Life can be cruel, but at least we got to enjoy Chris Farley for that brief moment in time.

Final Grade: B+

Sequel Week Continues: "Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser"

Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser

N/R

Starring David Spade, Brittany Daniel, Mark McGrath, Christopher Walken, Patrick Warburton, Dennis Miller

Directed by Fred Wolf

The Story:

Joe Dirt (Spade) returns! Picking up where the last film left off, Joe and Brandy (Daniel) are happily married and raising three adorable triplet girls. However, a twister sends Joe back in time to 1965, and he must attempt to get back to his life and meet Brandy before the timeline is ruined and Brandy winds up with Jimmy (McGrath) instead.

If ever there was a movie that I never thought I'd see a sequel for, Joe Dirt has got to be right up near the top.

I have unashamedly admitted that I find the original to be hilarious from start to finish, and one that I have no problem watching at anytime.

It's pretty funny, and has a lot of heart.

Well, in the 14 years since we last saw our mulleted friend, it seems like some of the heart was forgotten in the sequel.

There are a few amusing gags and scenes throughout the film, but the backstory narrative that worked so well as Joe described his life in the first one, is kind of overthought and skipped around quite a bit.

It seems like Spade and Wolf thought, hey, if we're taking Joe "Back to the Future", this would be a funny gag, and this would be awesome to do, and this, and this and this...

So it's a lot of ideas that try and tell a story with a weak bridge holding them together.

Almost like an "oh yeah, and Joe loves his kids and Brandy and wants to get back to them."

However, if you're going to borrow, you might as well go with gusto, so besides Back to the Future, It's a Wonderful Life gets a good chunk of plot used in this film as well.

If it sounds like I'm picking on Joe Dirt, well, I guess I am. However, that's what people do with Joe Dirt.

I love the original, it's a classic, cult comedy.

Any sequel has some big shoes to fill, and they don't quite pull it off with the same sincerity of the first film.

I did appreciate that almost the entire cast returns in some shape or form in the sequel. It was fun to see them all together again.

I must also give props for Mark McGrath stepping into Kid Rock's shoes to give us a villain to boo, and someone to never want to eat popcorn with.

Plus, I must give credit to Spade and everyone else who worked to make this film streamable exclusively on Crackle.com.

You get the movie, streamed to your device with just a few commercials randomly inserted along the way.

With the proliferation of shows going to Netflix, Yahoo, Amazon, Hulu, it's neat that movies are going to also be given another venue to be made and seen.

If you enjoyed the first Joe Dirt, this will give you a few glimmers of amusement that make you remember why you really enjoyed that film, and those characters so much.

Lightning like that rarely strikes twice, but I'll give them an A for effort.

The movie however, only a C.

Sorry Joe.

I'm Putting A Guarantee On This Box! "Tommy Boy"

Tommy Boy (1995)

Rated PG-13

Starring Chris Farley, David Spade, Rob Lowe, Brian Dennehy, Bo Derek, Julie Warner, Dan Aykroyd

Directed by Peter Segal

The Story:

Tommy Callahan (Farley) comes home after graduating to find that his dad (Dennehy) is set to remarry (Derek). However, when tragedy strikes, Tommy has to hit the road with Richard (Spade) in an attempt to save the family business, and a small Ohio town's way of life.

Will he succeed?

Naturally!

I could argue that, pound for pound, this is the funniest Saturday Night Live movie to ever hit the screen.

Not rooted in a pre-existing skit from the show, this simply paired the dynamic rapport between Farley and Spade that carries nearly the entire movie.

The two are hilarious, and this movie is an oft-quoted favorite in our house.

I defy anyone to not sing "fat guy in a little coat" and not cause everyone within earshot to smile and think of this movie.

This is also one of those movies that I still distinctly remember the first time I saw it.  The first gag with little Tommy Callahan running into the house (literally) caused me to burst out into laughter.

The trend continues throughout the movie, and now, going on almost 20 years...

Let that sink in for a minute.

It's still funny.

If you've never seen it, you're in for a treat.

If you haven't visited Tommy in some time, no time like the present.

I guarantee you will laugh.

Available to stream instantly on Netflix and Amazon Prime as of this writing.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I've lost count how many times we've watched this. At least once a  year, maybe more. :)

Whatever You Do, Don't Throw Off... "The Emperor's New Groove"

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

Rated G

Starring the voices of David Spade, John Goodman, Eartha Kitt, Patrick Warburton, Wendie Malick

Directed by Mark Dindal

The Story:

Emperor Kuzco (Spade) is ready to build himself a birthday present: Kuzco-Topia! The problem? It sits on the hilltop owned by Pacha (Goodman), so the Emperor breaks the news that Pacha's gotta go!  Meanwhile, Yzma (Kitt) is plotting to overthrow the Emperor so that she can rule the kingdom.  Her plan goes awry, and Kuzco winds up as a talking llama in the care of Pacha.

Based on a true story!

No, not really, but welcome to one of the best Disney films of the last generation.

It's funny, from start to finish.

Aside from a great opening number, it's not a musical.

You can think of it as a Buddy Picture... or a Road Picture.  Either works.

Pacha and Kuzco are polar opposites, but they grow to appreciate and care for each other before it's all said and done.

Spade is at the top of his sarcastic game, and turns in likely his best movie performance.

And remember, I like most of Spade's films.

Goodman is great as Pacha, a year before he killed it as Sulley for Pixar's Monster's Inc.

Wendie Malick is hilarious as Pacha's wife, and she comes in quite handy during the 2nd half of the film.

Finally, Kitt and Warburton make for a dynamic evil duo that will keep you in stitches throughout.

There's nothing that I don't love about this film.

Perfect.

No Touchy!

Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: A+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I own it and it's one of our favorite Disney's of all time.  The little one has discovered it and it's been playing almost daily.  No complaints. :)

Today On The Zander Kelly Show..."Joe Dirt" !!

Joe Dirt (2001)
Rated PG-13 for language

Starring David Spade, Brittany Daniel, Dennis Miller, Adam Beach, Christopher Walken

Directed by Dennie Gordon

The Story:

The story of Joe Dirt (Spade) as related across the airwaves when he becomes a guest on the Zander Kelly (Miller) show.  Joe relates how he was abandoned at the Grand Canyon as a kid, and has made his way in life, trying to find his family.  The obvious victim of ridicule on the show and in life, a strange thing happens as he tells the tale of his life, and the city becomes enamored with Joe and his search for family, and love, with Brandi (Daniel) the girl with a heart of gold.

How is it that I've never reviewed this movie before?

Okay, I imagine there are two types of people reactions when the movie Joe Dirt is mentioned.

Those that recoil in horror at the thought of this, or any movie, starring any former Saturday Night Live cast member, especially named David Spade or Adam Sandler.

And those that recognize this movie as the Citizen Kane of Trailer Trash movies.

:)

I feel bad for that first group, because they are blindly judging a movie the second group understands that start to finish, this movie is flat-out funny.

Infinitely quotable, I defy you to find a fan of this film that can't quote you at least one of the hilarious Dirt-isms of the film at a moment's notice.

The movie is peppered with wonderful supporting characters from the obvious (Walken) to the inspired (Kid Rock) that you might not expect in a movie like this.

So sit back, and just let the Joe Dirt-iness wash over you.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Own it. Love it.

There Are Worse Times To Be Had... "Grown Ups 2"

Grown Ups 2 (2013)

PG-13 for language

Starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, Salma Hayek, Maya Rudolph, Maria Bello

Directed by Dennis Dugan

The Story:

Lenny (Sandler) decided that he enjoyed visiting home so much a few years back, that's the place to move the wife (Hayek) and kids.  They can grow up around friends and family and maybe have a bit of normalcy.  However, with a small town full of friends and former rivals, how normal can things really be?

Okay, let's be fair.

The first Grown Ups was a pretty cute movie overall.  Nothing ground-breaking or earth-shattering, but it was funny enough and I had a good time watching it, and so did most of the family.

Picked it up when Blockbuster was going out of business, and I have no regrets.

I'm a fan of Adam Sandler, and for the most part, I enjoy more of his movies than I dislike.

Now, with Grown Ups 2, that family-friendly aspect, which was questionable at best before, gets pushed slightly beyond acceptable this time around.

Blame the inclusion of Nick Swardson.

Or Dan Patrick's skimpy shorts.

: /

Swardson has his moments...in other movies... but lately whatever I've seen him in, he's becoming more cringeworthy with every performance.

However this film does not deserve the label of "worst movie ever" or "worst" anything label.

It's simply another typical effort from Sandler that aims for the lowest common denominator for the jokes.

And yes, for every groan-inducing cringe, there are some justifiably funny moments throughout the film.

Why, there's even a bit of a heart-felt message in the final act as old rivalries are ended and some relationships are rekindled.

So again, while not great, it's also not an abomination of film.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I don't see this one joining the original in the library.

Stealing Dogs in the Name of Love... "Lost & Found"

The next best thing to a Neil Diamond concert...

The Story:

Dylan (David Spade) is a struggling restaurant owner who wants to expand the business by getting a loan from Mr. Millstone (Martin Sheen).  In the meantime, a beautiful cellist, Lila (Sophie Marceau) who lives near Dylan, has her dog keep escaping.  Dylan keeps returning the dog to the grateful owner, and then Dylan decides that maybe if he kept the dog in the house for an extra hour or two, he could spend a little more quality time with Lila.  Ah, but when the dog eats the engagement ring that he's holding for his best friend... things get a little complicated!

Ah yes, my love of former Saturday Night Live performers continues to this day.

Today, it's David Spade who finally achieved "star of the movie" status with this film.

Before, he had been part of the dynamic duo of David Spade and Chris Farley who struck gold with Tommy Boy and followed it up with the less successful Black Sheep. However, with Farley's untimely death, Spade had little choice but to go solo.  A few smaller parts and co-star movies followed before Lost and Found was released.

Is it a great movie?

Not great, but not bad.

Spade's acerbic wit and biting humor are on full display here, and I've always  found the man to be hilarious.

Couple that with Artie Lange as someone who wants to be just like Dylan, it makes for a great running gag through the movie.

Of course, some people will insist that Spade and Marceau could never be an item in real life, but that's why this is a movie.  He's the little guy that is sincere and charming to the girl of his dreams, and he wins her over.

It's always good to root for the underdog.

The trick will be, once she discovers that he lied to her (about the dog), will she be willing to take him back?

The storylines all culminate at a party where Spade must do his best Neil Diamond impression in order to earn his business loan.

And when the movie ends, the cast engages in a rousing dance/singalong to Groove is in the Heart.  I'm not sure when the credit cast scenes began, but this might have been one of the firsts.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could easily watch it again, harmless David Spade fun that always puts a smile on my face.

Welcome to the "Hotel Transylvania"

How far would you go to keep your child safe from harm?


The Story:

Count Dracula (Adam Sandler) is raising his baby girl all alone.  He wants to make sure that the humans can never harm his precious little girl.  He goes to great lengths to build the safest, most secure castle of all time to keep his sweetheart safe.  But on the eve of her 118th birthday, all of the monsters have come to the castle to attend the annual party that he throws.  The Invisible Man (David Spade) the Wolfman (Steve Buscemi) and his family as well as Frankenstein (Kevin James) and many others drop by to pay their best wishes to Mavis (Selena Gomez).  Her biggest wish is to go out and see the world and see what life is really like out there.  Can humans be as awful as her dad makes them out to be?  Her mom did fall in love with Dracula after all.  So when a human (Andy Samberg) stumbles onto the castle, his very existence threatens the very fabric of all that Dracula has held dear for the last century.


The fact that it's an animated film will scare off most people unless they have kids, then they will wonder, "is it safe for kids?"

The answer to that is: Yes, unless your kid is scared of cartoon monsters.

That Adam Sandler is in it will likely scare off the rest.

Fair enough, he's not everyone's cup of tea.

However, as my loyal audience of readers and my family know, I love Adam Sandler.  I will give just about every movie he does a fair chance, and more often than not, I've enjoyed the films in question.

This one is one of the more enjoyable ones.


Remember the review for "That's My Boy" where I said that Sandler was trying to prove that he could still do R Rated material with the best of them, but that he really tried to hard?

This is the opposite.  He confines himself to PG family humor, and the effect is a heart-warming crowd-pleaser that works.

Why?

It's a love story.

Forget that, it's actually several love stories, rolled into one.

You have the love of a father for his daughter.
You have the love of a husband for his wife.
You have the love of a daughter for her father, yet wanting to grow up and be seen as an adult.
Then you have a love story of boy meeting girl...

And finding out the girl of your dreams is a vampire.

But it works.  It's fun, filled with sight gags and verbal puns galore.

Enjoyed the film, and combine this one with ParaNorman, and I've got a good Halloween double feature of kids films to enjoy this upcoming Halloween season.


Final Grade: B+
Worth Adding to the DVD Collection: Absolutely

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 14 ~ The Emperor's New Groove

Yes, you read it correctly. 

Disney's greatest cartoon is none other than The Emperor's New Groove.

I would say it's their most underrated cartoon ever, but in nearly ever circle I've traveled in, everyone LOVES this movie.

For those of you that haven't, here's what you've missed so far:

Emperor Kuzco wants to build himself a birthday present: another home for himself.  Unfortunately, the location is on the property of local peasant, Pacha and his family.  Meanwhile, his trusted advisor, Yzma, is plotting his death so she can take over the kingdom.

The plan backfires and turns Kuzco into a llama...

Oh sure, it sounds silly... and if it were a live-action film, it  just might be.  But as an animated feature, it works in spades!

Speaking of spades, let's get on with the characters...

Emperor Kuzco is voiced by David Spade.  He is at his hilarious best as the spoiled, cynical emperor who is suddenly transformed into a llama.  His only hope lies with the peasant Pacha, who he just tried to take his home away from moments earlier.  John Goodman returns to the countdown in a voice-over role, playing Pacha, the man with the heart of gold who helps the emperor, despite his misgivings that it will probably be in his best interest to let the llama fend for himself against those who might see him harm.

Which leads us to Yzma, voiced by the wickedly delightful Eartha Kitt.  I would stack her right at the top of Disney villains, as she is certainly over-the-top in pure evil-ness.  As with most Disney villains, she requires a comedic sidekick to make the audience snicker instead of cower when they are on screen together.  We receive Kronk this time, and he is absolutely hilarious.  Voiced by the distinctly obvious Patrick Warburton, it's a joy to watch and hear Kronk throughout the movie.

Disney attempted to recreate the magic a few years later with Kronk's New Groove, but it just didn't have the same ooph that this one has.

I would guess the movie has played at least 100 times in our house over the years.  Sure, it seems like a lot of viewings, but that is spread out over 6 kids and 12 years.

That it's also my wife's favorite Disney, if not outright movie, movie...

Yeah, this was going pretty high up the list.

: )

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 19 ~ Tommy Boy

Holy Schneikes!

I still remember the first time I saw this movie on DVD.  When Tommy, as a kid, went face first into the glass?!

I lost it.

Yeah, silly gag, but it set the tone, and I was hooked.

Picking a quote for the Facebook intro would have proved harder than anything, but I went with one of my favorite lines from the movie.

And I know everyone has at least one favorite line from this movie.

Chris Farley, much like John Candy, left us way too soon.  He's hysterically funny and a gifted physical comic.  This represents his only appearance, and the best movie that he ever worked on.

His timing with David Spade was lightning in a bottle with this movie.  For those that saw Black Sheep, you know it wasn't able to be duplicated as well.

Speaking of David Spade, he almost hit the countdown with Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star.

Yeah, I know.  But that movie is awesome.  I opted to keep it off the list.  Figure that it's definitely on a list of 100 Movies that You Love That Everyone Else Probably Hates, or something like that.

However, this won't be David Spade's only appearance on the countdown.  His finest hour is STILL to come!

Now, just in case you've never seen it.....

Tommy Callahan comes home to Ohio to join the family automotive parts business.  Tommy's not the brightest bulb in the lamp, and when his father dies, he has to attempt to save the company or lose it, and basically decimate this small town beset by economic woes.

Help us Tommy Boy, you're our only hope.

This sets up a road trip that has to be seen to be believed.

The scene, as pictured above, has actually happened to me (and the wifey) before we were married. 

We handled our dilemma in a much calmer manner.

But that scene, it cracks me up every time.

Who am I kidding, aside from the funeral, EVERY scene cracks me up, every time!

So if you haven't enjoyed a nice rendition of "Fat Guy in a Little Coat" in awhile, perhaps it's time to refresh your memory.

If you don't already own it, if you've got Netflix, it is available to stream as of this writing.