DeNiro Tries To Be "The Comedian" To Mixed Results

The Comedian (2017)

Rated R

Starring Robert DeNiro, Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito, Patti LuPone, Edie Falco, Charles Grodin,

Directed by Taylor Hackford

The Story:

Jack Burke (DeNiro) is an aging insult comic who is relegated to playing small clubs because that's all his manager (Falco) can get him booked for. However, when he's booked for assault, his community service leads him to new opportunities, both personally and professionally.

I guess the biggest question from this film would be "what went wrong"?

The cast, including those named above and those that I didn't list are a phenomenal group of actors and real life comedians.

Yet the biggest complaint of this movie is that it isn't funny.

I don't think it was supposed to be.

It's a dramedy.

There is humor in it, but the proceedings aren't slapstick fall down funny.

Perhaps it wasn't dramatic enough, or funny enough, as it tries to tow the line and be the best of both worlds.

Or perhaps it's the romantic subplot between Jack and Harmony (Mann) who meet during community service?

Not sure.

It wasn't a must-see movie, but it held my attention throughout.

I laughed at the actually funny parts, and it held my interest through the dramatic.

Hey, I didn't turn the movie off, and since I consider that a sign of a really bad movie, it can't be all bad.

So it's not exactly what went wrong, more of what could they have done better?

I think the biggest thing, as an insult comic, the world has to love the man doing the insults.

See Don Rickles.

In this movie, nobody liked Jack, except his old fans, and they only liked the old sitcom Jack, a character he was desperately trying to forget.

So if you start with an unlikable character, you're already facing an uphill battle to earn the love from the audience.

It's a hard balance to achieve, and I think that all things considered, they did the best job possible.

Final Grade: C+

Ironic Film TItle... "Joy"

Joy (2015)

Rated R

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro, Bradley Cooper, Diane Ladd, Edgar Ramirez, Virginia Madsen, Elisabeth Rohm,

Directed by David O. Russell

The Story:

Joy (Lawrence) is a divorced mother who has allowed her ex-husband (Ramirez) to stay in the basement while dealing with a mom (Madsen) who won't leave her room, a dad (DeNiro) who tends to drive her crazy when he's not chasing after his next girlfriend. She's broke, she hates her job, and she has an idea for a mop...

I'm sorry, was I boring you?

I was totally boring myself.

This engaging true story of a woman who pulled herself up by her bootstraps could be riveting and engaging.

For me, it wasn't.

While I liked the last time that DeNiro, Lawrence, Cooper and Director David O. Russell teamed together (Silver Linings Playbook) they were interesting characters that I was invested in from just about the first time I saw them onscreen.

I wanted to see more.

Lightning did not strike twice.

Aside from DeNiro, I actually wanted to see less of just about everyone else in the first 25 minutes of watching this film.

Life is already depressing enough, and crazy family is crazy family, I really don't need to see it in all of the mundane glory.

Indeed, by the 25 minute mark (I was trying to like it, I really was) I realized I didn't want to spend the next 2 hours with this family just to get to the inevitable happy ending.

Final Grade:  D   

The Odd Couple... "Dirty Grandpa"

Dirty Grandpa (2016)

Rated R

Starring Zac Efron, Robert DeNiro, Zoey Deutch, Aubrey Plaza, Jason Mantzoukas, Julianne Hough,

Directed by Dan Mazer

The Story:

Dick (DeNiro) is in mourning after his wife has passed. He guilts his favorite grandson, Jason (Efron) into taking him on a road trip to Florida to spread the ashes. Ah, but what Jason will soon come to realize, is that Grandpa is itching to use his newfound freedom to get busy with the ladies in Florida. Lenore (Plaza) is willing, and her best friend Shadia (Deutch) just happens to be an ex-classmate of Jason's. The biggest problem, Jason has life-plans that don't include helping his grandpa get laid.

So, going with that explanation and the title of the film, you know what to expect going into this one.

If you dare to enter!

What you'll find is people moaning and lamenting the decline of DeNiro as a serious actor.

Bah.

What you'll find is DeNiro doing his job as an actor in a part that was probably made for him. The man has got to work, and unless they're lining up GoodFellas, Raging Bulls or the like demanding that DeNiro be in their films, well, sorry, clearly he enjoys working and his legacy on film is secure enough that he can pretty much do whatever he wants to do at this point in his career.

Sure, we can always hope the film will be worthy of more artistic merit, but don't begrudge DeNiro a living.

Whatever work he does now, whether in comedies or direct to DVD fare, doesn't diminish what he's done before.

So too with Efron, as he continues to stay as far away from his Disney Channel roots as possible. As the uptight grandson, he doesn't get to be the party-boy like his character in Neighbors, but like DeNiro, he's willing to put his all into the project, even if it means being the butt of most of the jokes.

That said, as the title implies it's filthy, with language and situations flying a mile a minute for the "shock and awe" factor but there's enough actual comedy to make this one worth a viewing.

If for no other reason than Jason Mantzoukas who is quickly becoming one of my favorite supporting actors. Whenever he shows up in a film, the scenes he appears in are of such manic energy, they begin to support the entire film and make everything just a little bit better.

If you're going to go for raunchy humor, while you can do better, you can almost definitely do a lot worse than this one.

Final Grade: C+

A Good Career Choice..."The Intern"

The Intern  (2015)

Rated PG

Starring Robert DeNiro, Anne Hathaway, Rene Russo, Adam DeVine, Zack Pearlman

Written and Directed by Nancy Meyers

The Story:

Ben Whittaker (DeNiro) is a retired widower who misses his wife, and also misses working. When he sees an advertisement for a Senior Intern at a local online fashion company run by Jules Ostin (Hathaway) he decides to plunge back in with both feet. Initially resistant to the intern, can Ben prove to Jules that he still has what it takes to succeed in business.

This is a sweet movie with its heart firmly in the right place.

Nancy Meyers' latest hits all the right notes and clocks in at right about 2 hours, which is a little long for a comedy.

Thankfully, you don't really feel it drag anywhere, and that's a good thing.

While not a gut-busting, laugh a minute comedy, The Intern works as a slice of life with humor, heart, and a touch of sadness.

That said, there is a very funny scene concerning an email in the middle of the film that is hysterical.

The supporting cast is well developed and if anything, possibly underutilized in the film.

However, at the end of the day, the movie is about Ben and Jules, and that relationship shines through from start to finish.

It's a great standalone film, but if the cast were to reunite for a sequel, while unexpected, would definitely be worth a look.

Very glad to have seen this one, and would happily watch it again down the road.

Final Grade: Solid B / B+

I'm Always Up For A "Heist" Film

Heist (2015)

Rated R

Starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Gina Carano, Dave Bautista, Robert DeNiro, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Morris Chestnut, Kate Bosworth, D.B. Sweeney, Stephen Sepher

Directed by Scott Mann

The Story:

Vaughn (Morgan) needs a ton of money to save his little girl. So he goes to see his old boss, The Pope (DeNiro) who feels bad, but not bad enough to compromise on his principles to never give money to charity. Vaughn then turns to Cox (Bautista) who works at the casino and they hatch a plan to rob the casino. When the driver bails on them, the criminals end up hijacking a bus and taking the passengers hostage. Now it's a high stakes game of cat and mouse as they must elude the authorities and The Pope's men for a clean getaway.

Okay, so if you're going to make a heist film and call it Heist, it better be good.

From my point of view, it was.

: )

Your mileage may vary of course, but I quite liked this one from start to finish.

It starts with a strong cast, and there isn't much of a problem with that in this film. DeNiro can do the tough mob boss in his sleep, but he puts just enough heart and remorse to his character that you can understand why he makes the decisions that he does as the film moves forward.

Morgan is the emotional anchor and focal point of the film. Faced with the prospect of losing his daughter, he is determined to do whatever it takes, by any means necessary. Bautista doesn't get to do much acting like he did in Guardians of the Galaxy, here he mostly yells and spits a lot.

While this would be typecasting or typical of most WWE wrestlers turned actors, Dave has already shown much potential and heart as an actor and it will be interesting to see where he goes from here.

That said, he will grate on your nerves in this film, and that is both intentional, and necessary, to the overall narrative.

As you'll notice by the cast listed above, they all have numerous parts which all play pivotal roles in the film.

But remember, this is a heist film, so any plot twists and turns that you're expecting, or not expecting, are best enjoyed as spoiler-free as possible.

A few tweaks here and there, this movie could have been in contention for best of the year honors.

That said, it's a solid movie and I'd be willing to own it or watch it again in the future.

Final Grade: B

It's A John Cusack Kind Of Weekend: "The Bag Man"

The Bag Man (2014)

Rated R for language and violence

Starring John Cusack, Recbecca Da Costa, Robert DeNiro

Directed by David Grovic

The Story:

A hit man (Cusack) is sent to retrieve a bag for his boss (DeNiro) with specific instructions: Don't look inside the bag.  Then more and more people show up trying to kill the hit man and keep the bag for themselves.  What kind of set-up is this??

Oh how the mighty have fallen.

And I'm not sure which one I'm referring to more, Cusack or DeNiro.

Both do a fine job, but any good actor can just go through the motions and still give a decent performance.

Direct to DVD is one thing...

Direct to boredom is quite something else.

I think I dozed off a few times during the film, but I still don't think I missed anything of real importance.

Needless to say, he doesn't look in the bag, but you can probably guess what is in the bag if you've seen any thriller, ever.

You can probably guess who sent the people to kill our hero, including the "hooker" (Da Costa).

It's a waste of talent, and your time.

Final Grade: D+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Don't look in the DVD sleeve!

Let's Get Ready To Rumble Down To The AARP... "Grudge Match"

Grudge Match (2013)

Rated PG-13 for language and violence

Starring Robert DeNiro, Sylvester Stallone, Kim Basinger, Kevin Hart,

Directed by Peter Segal

The Story:

In the 1980s, there were two boxers from Pennsylvania who were rivals for the belt: Billy "The Kid" McDonnen (DeNiro) and Henry "Razor" Sharp (Stallone).  They had two epic encounters, splitting both, however before they could have the third, deciding match, Razor retired from the ring.  Now, 30 years later, promoter Dante Slate Jr. (Hart) is trying to put the two back in the ring to settle the score and enjoy a huge payday for everyone.  Will it happen, or will the old guys die trying?

I was quite surprised by how much I enjoyed this film.

I wasn't expecting too terribly much, but it was engaging and it seemed like Stallone and DeNiro were having a blast playing off their 80s successes as two stubborn mules who are on a collision course with one another.

I mean, how often do you get to see Rocky vs Raging Bull?

Naturally, part of the reason that Sharp retired was because of a lady (Basinger) who enjoys a complicated relationship between both of the boxers.

However there is more to the retirement than meets the eye...

Alas, I've already said too much!

Rounding out the cast is Kevin Hart as the intentional comic relief as the promoter who is trying to get paid, and to get this bout off the ground.

It's an uphill battle, but he's determined to make it work.

And make it rich!

Give it a shot, I think you'll enjoy it.

Final Grade: Solid B

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: While this won't make the Top 10 list of the year, I would have no problem owning or watching it again in the future.

R.I.P. Harold Ramis 1944-2014

The world became a much less amusing place Monday with the passing of Harold Ramis.

He was a triple threat in Hollywood: Writer. Director. Actor.

Of the 3, he was probably most famous, and will be remembered for his acting role(s), most notably as Dr. Egon Spengler from Ghostbusters.

However, it was likely his writing that won over most of us as fans in the first place.

Animal House, 1978

  "Ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief. The issue here is not whether we broke a few rules, or took a few liberties with our female party guests - we did.

But you can't hold a whole fraternity responsible for the behavior of a few, sick twisted individuals. For if you do, then shouldn't we blame the whole fraternity system?

And if the whole fraternity system is guilty, then isn't this an indictment of our educational institutions in general?

I put it to you, Greg - isn't this an indictment of our entire American society?

Well, you can do whatever you want to us, but we're not going to sit here and listen to you badmouth the United States of America.

Gentlemen!"

Harold Ramis' first writing assignment for the big screen: Animal House.

If he had done nothing further with his writing career, that would be pretty impressive.

But Ramis wasn't done yet...

Meatballs, 1979

 "And even if we win, if we win, HAH! Even if we win! Even if we play so far above our heads that our noses bleed for a week to ten days; even if God in Heaven above comes down and points his hand at our side of the field; even if every man woman and child held hands together and prayed for us to win, it just wouldn't matter because all the really good looking girls would still go out with the guys from Mohawk because they've got all the money! It just doesn't matter if we win or we lose. IT JUST DOESN'T MATTER"

In 1979, Meatballs was released.  Again, Ramis was one of the writers, and he worked with Bill Murray and director Ivan Reitman for the first time.

This is an underrated classic in my opinion, and I watched this movie countless times on tv growing up.

However, sandwiched between Animal House and his next film, Meatballs often gets overlooked.

Caddyshack, 1980

  "License to kill gophers by the government of the United Nations. Man, free to kill gophers at will. To kill, you must know your enemy, and in this case my enemy is a varmint. And a varmint will never quit - ever. They're like the Viet Cong - Varmint Cong. So you have to fall back on superior intelligence and superior firepower. And that's all she wrote."

Once again, a film written by Harold Ramis, but also for the first time, he sits behind the director's chair.

How did he do?

It's in the hole!

This is the undeniable sports classic when it comes to golf, Caddyshack will live forever.

It was 1981 when I became aware of Harold Ramis, the actor...

Stripes, 1981

 "Army Training, Sir!"

10 years old, and I went to the movies with my parents and we saw Stripes.

Yes, I have awesome parents.

While much of the movie may have soared over my head at the time, the premise of the story was straightforward enough, and the acting and writing were, and still are, hilarious.

This was the 2nd time that Ramis, Murray and Reitman worked together.

Even more successful than their first outing, but nothing would prepare them for what came next when they all worked together.

However, it was time for Ramis to direct his 2nd feature film before that happened...

National Lampoon's Vacation, 1983

No Bill Murray this time, but he did call upon a Caddyshack alumni to lead as Clark Griswold.  This movie still holds up well after all these years, and is only overshadowed by Christmas Vacation thanks to the annual replayability during the holidays.


Then, the phenomenon happened, and thanks to the title song, lives to this day thanks to 80s radio airplay...

Ghostbusters, 1984

"We're ready to believe you!"

Once again, Ramis writes for Murray and directed by Reitman.

Easily the biggest hit of their careers, and a movie that is still great, 30 years later.

Sadly, the much rumored Part 3 won't happen now.

Fast forward to 1993, and Ramis and Murray teamed together one last time, and created a masterpiece...

Groundhog Day, 1993

"This is pitiful. A thousand people freezing their butts off waiting to worship a rat. What a hype. Groundhog Day used to mean something in this town. They used to pull the hog out, and they used to eat it. You're hypocrites, all of you!"

Written and directed by Ramis, and starring Bill Murray, this was their last collaboration together.

The movie is cinematic genius, partly due to Murray's delivery, but Ramis' direction is effortless and his writing is as crisp and sharp as it ever was.

I will cap off Ramis' career with one last film (even though it had a sequel...)

Analyze This, 1999

"I wasn't really gonna whack you."

"Paul..."

"Okay, I was gonna whack you. But I was real conflicted about it."

Harold Ramis wrote and directed Analyze This starring Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro.

It's brave enough to write a comedy and have it star Billy Crystal, who is already hilarious.

But they took DeNiro and gave him a sense of humor.

And it worked!


The low points to Harold Ramis' career are really inconsequential.

He left us with a legacy of work that, at least for me, makes him one of unquestioned great cinematic comic minds of the late 20th Century.

I will miss his further contributions to film.

I will cherish those memories he gave us.


R.I.P.

At Least You Know There Will Be No Sequel... "Last Vegas"

Last Vegas (2013)
Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Michael Douglas, Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman, Kevin Kline, Mary Steenburgen
Directed by Jon Turtletaub

The Story:

Billy (Douglas), Paddy (DeNiro), Archie (Freeman) and Sam (Kline) are lifelong best friends.  When Billy calls Archie and Sam to let them know he is finally tying the knot and saying goodbye to nearly 60 years of bachelorhood, the guys plan a road trip to Vegas to celebrate.  However all four have to be there, and Paddy and Billy had a bit of a falling out.  Archie and Sam will work on getting Paddy to the party, but when all four friends are together, some differences between friends simply have to be resolved.

This is another one of those films that should have been much, much better than it was.

As it is, it's okay.

Nothing great.
But with these four actors on the screen, you're getting quality performances by them all.

It's just that many of the situations of dialogue that they are given don't live up to the moment.

Even the Morgan Freeman factor can't propel this one to greater heights.

That said, the final act helps bring the overall feeling of the movie up a bit.

Good, but not great.

Final Grade: C+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I could watch it again, but have no need to buy it.

A Movie Review You May Or May Not Refuse..."The Family"

The Family (2013)
Rated R for Language and Violence

Starring Robert DeNiro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianna Agron, John D'Leo, Tommy Lee Jones

Directed and written by Luc Besson

The Story:

Fred Blake (DeNiro) and his family (Pfeiffer, Agron and D'Leo) are a Mafia family in witness protection who keep getting relocated by Agent Stansfield (Jones) because the Mafia is gunning (literally!) for them.  But while you can take the family out of New York and into a sleepy French town, they don't exactly leave their instincts behind with how they deal with problems.  As Fred begins penning his memoirs, the family he snitched on is closing in on finding their location.

Another little gem from Besson, but it starts off a little slower than many of his films.

However, it remains infinitely watchable throughout, and DeNiro plays a mob guy better than pretty much anyone at this point in his career.

Don't get me started on how surreal it becomes late in the film when he attends a screening of Goodfellas to comment on how realistic that movie is.

Am I Talking About Me?

:)

Stroke of genius.

As I've mentioned previously, it's great to see Pfeiffer back on the screen.  It seems like years went by with nothing from her, and suddenly she's popping up all over the place.  She's a great actress, and it's great to have her back.

Tommy Lee Jones is great, as always, if a bit underused in the film.

However, I am thankful that they didn't use the tried and true Agent is a snitch angle and kept him on the straight and narrow trying to protect his assignment.

While I cannot condone the methods that Frank and his family use for solving problems, many of them would actually cause stress levels to drop and customer satisfaction to rise if they were practices used by everyday consumers.

:)

Final Grade: C+/B- area

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Not a purchase, but I could watch it again in the future with no problem.

Vigilante Justice...or "Righteous Kill"?

It's gotta be a cop!

The Story:

Veteran New York detectives Turk (Robert De Niro) and Rooster (Al Pacino) are on the trail of a serial  killer who is offing scumbags.  Now, while killing scumbags wouldn't seem like such a bad thing, when several of the other detectives, including Corelli (Carla Gugino), Perez (John Leguizamo) and Riley (Donnie Wahlberg) all begin to think it's a cop, naturally tensions start to rise.  But when they accuse Turk of being the killer...

Well things are going to get ugly.

Remember back when the movie "Heat" came out, and it was the first time that DeNiro and Pacino had ever worked together onscreen?  People were wild for that film...

Meh, I didn't much care for that one either.

: )

I mean, there's nothing inherently wrong with this movie, it just never kicks it up to that next level of thriller/drama/cop movie that a cast like this deserves.

First you have the serial killer, and the cops are hot on the trail.  He leaves poems explaining that these victims are bad people that somehow escaped justice, so now they face vengeance.

Cool.  I get it, and I'm with you.

Then all signs seem to point to one suspect, and so you know it can't be that guy... right?

So yes, it almost becomes a paint-by-numbers exercise in who-really-dunnit?

However, you probably figured that all out about 10 minutes after the movie started and know who the killer really is...and isn't.

But coming nearly 13 years after Heat, well, Pacino and DeNiro aren't exactly at the top of their games anymore.  Don't get me wrong, they're still good, but maybe no longer great.

So now it isn't about how great it is to have these 2 actors together, it's a nostalgia trip down memory lane because these two can play hard-nosed cops in their sleep.

Don't believe me, watch the movie.

; )

Final Grade:  C+... maybe a B- if I'm being generous.

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Nope, I'll be passing.

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.

When Life Gives You Dark Clouds, Get a "Silver Linings Playbook"

Excelsior!

The Story:

Pat, a former teacher (Bradley Cooper) is released from a mental hospital after completing his 8 month court-mandated stay.  He comes back to Philly to live with his parents (Robert DeNiro and Jacki Weaver) and hopes to reconcile with his wife who cheated on him...causing him to snap and be institutionalized in  the first place.  Of course, pesky things like restraining orders stand in his way, but when a chance encounter with Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence) allows him access back into his wife's life, he takes the chance.  Tiffany however is not going to be used without getting something in return.

This is an interesting film.  It got huge rave reviews from critics around the globe.

It was good... don't get me wrong...

But...

Was it award-worthy?  Meh... Not to my way of thinking.

I'm thinking for a lot of people they came to the realization that Bradley Cooper can act.

Well, for me, that's just patently unfair criticism, really.  It simply means that you didn't care for the other movies that Bradley Cooper has been in.  The guy can act.  Don't let his other acting credits in less than stellar movies sway you.

So it's an interesting character study, or at least relationship study throughout the movie.  You have Pat's interactions with his parents, his friends, his therapist, his family, and Tiffany.  Each pulls him in different directions.  All Pat does know is that he feels clearer in his head when he is not being medicated than when he is on the drugs.  A nice subtle dig at the pharmaceutical industry. :)

Tiffany comes on strong at first, and Pat is uncomfortable and not interested.  He definitely wants to get back together with his wife, but come on, it's Hollywood and we all know how it's going to end up long before we get there.

The sweetness factor is watching Pat and Tiffany realize what they have with each other, and them willing to fight, or walk away from it as challenges confront them both.

Final Grade: B-

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: Dramas don't get a lot of love from me, because they are often just an emotional drag to sit through.  I could watch this again, some great performances all around, but I doubt I will buy the movie for the library.