He's Baaaaaaack..."The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale"

The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale (2018)

Starring Joel McHale

The Story:

Joel's back, doing what made him famous the first time around: poking fun at the best, worst clips you can find on television today!

Seriously, that's it.

For those with a long enough memory and cable subscription, you may remember back in the day there was a little show called Talk Soup. It was hosted by Greg Kinnear, and they mocked some of the outrageous clips that were found on the daytime talk shows.

This ran for years, with Kinnear ultimately heading off to become a leading man in Hollywood, and subsequent hosts came and went, each springboarding to further fame after their hosting gig.

Then the show was rebranded as "The Soup" as television was not only inundated with crazy talk shows, but reality tv was going gangbusters and deserved a special place in the sun to enjoy the absurdity of it all.

The ringleader in all of this? Some guy named Joel McHale.

Following its predecessor's lead, Joel stood in front of a green screen and made quips about the clips until E! decided to pull the plug.

Joel headed to Hollywood and the rest is history.

Until 2018, when Netflix decided wouldn't it be great if we brought back something old as something new again?

And here we have the perfectly titled The Joel McHale Show With Joel McHale.

It's wordy. It's a bit conceited. It's the perfect title for Joel's comeback.

There are guests aplenty in each episode, usually from another Netflix series or special, but otherwise you get Joel being Joel and mocking everything from the clips to his own show to Netflix ... dun dun ... itself.

All is right with the world again.

New episodes stream every Sunday, but we're getting close to the end of the first 13 episodes.

Hopefully he'll be renewed for a Season 2 later this year.

Final Grade: A-

A Little Quirky...A Little Cool... "Murder Of A Cat"

Murder of a Cat (2014)

Unrated

Starring Fran Kranz, Nikki Reed, J.K. Simmons, Blythe Danner, Greg Kinnear,

Directed by Gillian Greene

The Story:

Clinton (Kranz) investigates the murder of his beloved cat. This leads him to suspect Greta (Reed) and bring in the Sheriff (Simmons) to arrest her. However, it turns out the cat led a double life and hung out with both of them when he would wander from home to home. But someone murdered the poor feline, and these two want revenge! However, the death could be a cover-up for something even more sinister!

To be fair, this one started off a little slow, and a lot of odd.

Clinton is a kid in an adult body, so I don't know if they were trying to tackle a special needs case, or just that of a slacker.

:)

But I sat back and gave this one the full 20 minutes, and then I continued to stick around until the end.

They actually start the movie at the end of the movie, and then backtrack.

For a crime/suspense/comedy, they should have used a different camera angle and not revealed much of the suspense at first, but what can you do?

Just saw that it is streaming for Amazon Prime members as well.

Final Grade: B- / C+ range

Time For The First Review Of The Year. Sorry, That's "As Good As It Gets"

As Good As It Gets (1997)

PG-13

Starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear

Directed by James L. Brooks

The Story:

Melvin Udall (Nicholson) is a cranky, bigoted writer who suffers from OCD. He enjoys picking on his gay neighbor, Simon (Kinnear) and gives the local waitress, Carol (Hunt) constant grief at work. However, when tragedy strikes Simon, Melvin's world turns upside-down and he is thrust into a situation where he winds up going on on a road trip together.  Will he be civil to Simon? And will his true feelings for Carol bubble to the surface?

This is one of those deceptively enjoyable films.

There isn't a whole lot to it, just a lot of character interaction between the three main actors.

Kinnear holds his own against Nicholson, and the two sparkle in their debates and encounters with each other throughout the movie.

The love story between Melvin and Carol is a bit more troubling. Perhaps it is the age difference?

At nearly 30 years her senior, it seems odd that Carol would fall for Melvin, no matter how kind he is to her and her son.

Just a minor quibble, and not enough to derail the movie.

Just something that always seemed a bit off when I've watched it.

Final Grade: A-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, and this was the first time I've watched it in about a decade. Holds up pretty decently after all these years.

Double The Fun... "Stuck On You"

Stuck On You (2003)

PG-13

Starring Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, Cher, Eva Mendes, Cher

Directed by Bobby and Peter Farrelly

The Story:

Conjoined twins Bob (Damon) and Walt (Kinnear) share a liver and a connection of skin that makes them the closest of friends and best brothers. They have adapted and function really well as a unit and that makes them pretty happy in life. Ah, but Walt dreams of being an actor. So they head West, and fate happens when they catch Cher's eye for her tv show that she wants to sabotage, so she hires Walt. Naturally, the public loves Walt and he becomes a success. Meanwhile, Bob is trying to find a way to tell a girl he's smitten with the truth of his condition.

There's no way that this movie should work, on just about any level.

Yet it finds a way, on nearly every level, to succeed.

It's a great comedy.

There's some sweet romance.

There is the feel-good message that differently-abled doesn't mean you can't do anything.

It's a fun behind-the-scenes look at what goes on in the entertainment industry.

The effort that Bob and Walt go through to make life work for them is impressive, and say what you will, that is an impressive acting job by both Damon (who never does enough comedy)and Kinnear in working as a cohesive unit.

Their stunt work and teamwork that they display is nothing short of impressive.

A lot of good natured fun, and worth a look if you've never seen it, or haven't seen it since it was released over a decade ago.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: One that I haven't seen in some times, but it reminds me that I need to dust it off more often than once every decade to see.

Something Many Already Believe..."Heaven Is For Real"

Heaven Is For Real (2014)

Rated PG

Starring Greg Kinnear,  Kelly Reilly, Thomas Haden Church, Connor Corum, Lane Styles, Margo Martindale

Written and Directed by Randall Wallace

The Story:

Todd Burpo (Kinnear) is a pastor whose local church is growing and loving his lessons.  Life of course is strange, and one day his son Colton (Corum) falls ill and has to be rushed to the hospital.  It turns out his appendix has burst and he is probably going to die.  The community prays for little Colton, and miraculously, he survives.  When he gets home though, he begins to share with his family exactly what he saw and did while he was under the knife, and these revelations shake the foundations of everything his family and the local congregation believes.

This is indeed based on a true story, with the book going into far more detail than they can do in a 90 minute movie, so naturally some things are going to be condensed.

I anticipate this movie will naturally divide audiences.

Those that believe will likely quite enjoy it.  Those who do not, will not.

But putting aside religious or philosophical differences, know that there are 3 fundamentally cool things that happen to little Colton in this movie that should not be discounted from his trip to Heaven:

1) He hugs his big sister.

No, not Cassie (Styles).  Instead, Colton meets a little girl who looks similar to Cassie but has no name.  We, and Colton, learn that Todd and Sonja (Reilly) had a miscarriage after they had Cassie and before Colton came along.  They never told anyone, and as they never knew what the baby was going to be, they never named her. 

Bring a tissue.

2) He meets his grandpa.

When he tells his dad about his meeting with Pop, Todd shows him a picture of his dad.  Colton says no, that's not him.  Todd then unearths a long-buried picture from a trunk of his dad as a young man and shows hit to Colton.  That's him.

Cool.

3) When shown pictures of Jesus from the Bible, Colton says no, that's not what he looks like.  Time passes and it is forgotten.

Then, while watching a news program highlighting a little girl from Lithuania who has been painting pictures of her visit to Heaven...

Colton walks by, looks and his mouth drops.  "That's him".

Nice!

Cue the goosebumps and tears of joy.

There's more than just that, but hopefully that makes you interested in seeing the film.

I think you'll be glad you did.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again in a few years. :)

Is "Movie 43" the Worst Movie of the Year? Not So Fast...

Get ready for the worst movie of all time...

No.

Not really.

The Story:

Charlie Wessler (Dennis Quaid) is pitching a movie idea to studio exec Griffin Schraeder (Greg Kinnear).  Each story pushes the envelope of sense and good taste.

What in the name of Kentucky Fried Movie is going on here?

First, this movie isn't that bad as people make it sound.  It's not the worst movie ever made.  It's not the unfunniest comedy ever filmed.

This movie won't even make my final list of Turkeys of the Year.

Strange, but true.

Is this movie a laugh riot from start to finish?  Nope, not even close.

What you have instead are a bunch of short skits or commercial parodies stretched over 90 minutes.  Yes, an episode of Saturday Night Live without censors.

Some jokes are hysterical, many fall flat.  The actors and actresses give a straightforward performance, ignoring the silliness of their particular scene and playing it as if they were in a drama.  That naturally makes the movie all the more absurd.

I did vow to watch the entire movie, ignoring my own 20 minute rule, just to see if there were any redeeming skits within the movie.  From start to finish, not really any that you must see, the best overall skit was probably the end of the movie with Terence Howard as the basketball coach, and you already know how that plays out if you saw the trailer. 

Honorable mention goes to the waterproof tampon commercial.  Genius.

The worst skit to make the film starts after the credits begin rolling, and is directed and stars Elizabeth Banks.  They would have been wiser to leave that out completely.

Final Grade: C-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Thanks, but no thanks.  Again, not a great movie, but not the stinker people make it out to be. 

"I Don't Know How She Does It"... Well, I Know, But I'm Not Telling!

Hectic doesn't begin to describe it.

The Story:

Kate (Sarah Jessica Parker) works in a financial firm.  She has two kids and a wonderful husband (Greg Kinnear) who has been trying to get his business off the ground.  A pitch that Kate made to the execs is approved, and she pitches it to Jack Abelhammer (Pierce Brosnan) and it is approved, but it's going to require lots of extra travel and more hours than she's already putting in.  Couple this with the fact that her husband finally lands his dream gig at the same time...

Something's going to have to give.


Here is a nice, mostly likeable comedy about the perils of the working mother.

Naturally, as with any film, they will play up the exaggerations to the hilt, almost to the point of ridiculousness, which takes some of the charm out, and puts in some of the sting.

For example, any movie family with lots of kids, lots being often more than one, always makes me cringe because they make big families look bad.  Or stupid.  Or both.

So in this film, the mother is harried and hurried, often portrayed as disheveled and unorganized, but boy is she spunky and has a can-do attitude!

This again does a disservice to moms, whether they work outside of the home or not, because it is a difficult job to manage, and here the ability to get it done seems almost by accident more than design, and that just doesn't sit well with me.

I do try and give these movies the benefit of the doubt.  They aren't the real world, it's entertainment...  But sometimes it seems like the people in charge just can't conceive that people would want to have a few kids, and that their kids aren't evil.

Your mileage, of course, may vary.

:)

Going in, you know there will be some sort of romantic entanglement between Kate and Abelhammer, but thankfully they decide not to wreck the family and Kate remains strong!   It could easily be a Lifetime movie, except for the star-studded cast.

The cast of course does a great job, they are all old pros who know how to make the movie work.  That includes bit players like Seth Meyers and Kelsey Grammar who make the most out of their minimal screen time.

Like I said, it's breezy and fun enough, and aside from the issues I had, there are worse chick flicks to endure...though I'm not sure this fully qualifies as a chick flick.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again, but I won't be rushing out to purchase it.

Back Then, Stamps Only Cost $ .32 ... "Dear God", What Happened?

Never tamper with the mail...

The Story:

Tom Turner (Greg Kinnear) is a con man.  When he's arrested one time too many, he gets the option of getting a real job, or going to jail.  He opts of course for the real job.  He winds up working for the Postal Service in the dead letter office.  He realizes that people send letters to God all the time...and some people even include money.  Tom sets out for the ultimate scam, and then accidentally helps some people along the way.  Inspired by their new co-worker, his team want to help Tom perform more miracles.  Soon, the God Squad is on the job, and lives and spirits are getting sunnier in California...  much to the chagrin of the Postmaster General.

But can a con man con himself into going straight?

I've been about as big of a fan of Greg Kinnear as can be, without joining an official fan club, since I saw him hosting Talk Soup back in the early 90s.

Yep, and as it has been a transitional job for the hosts ever since, I watched Greg fly from the nest and head to Hollywood to be a star. 

Following up the remake of Sabrina, Dear God was Kinnear's first foray as the leading man of the film, and he does an admirable job.

He's bright, funny, and plays the perfect conman.  It was basically Kinnear doing what he did best for years on Talk Soup.

Garry Marshall surrounded him with a stellar cast of other character actors for support including Hector Elizondo and the amazing Tim Conway.

However, don't let the title fool you, this is not a movie that is going to preach the gospel and make atheists avoid it like the plague. 

It's a simple plot device to get from point A to B, and show the triumph of humanity that when we put our minds and hearts to doing good deeds, amazing things can happen.

Laurie Metcalf is almost too over-the-top in her role, and kind of derails the third act, but Kinnear is able to save it with a speech filled with earnestness that wins you over.

Final Grade: B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do indeed own this one, and it gets a spin every few years or so, and it's been enjoyable each time.