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+

Much Ado About Nothing... "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels"

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

Rated PG

Starring Steve Martin, Michael Caine

Directed by Frank Oz

The Story:

 Lawrence (Caine) is a big-time con man who lives on the Riviera, preying on the rich women who fall for his cons and shower him with riches. Into his life, and town, comes Freddy (Martin) a small-timer who has big dreams of conning his way across the Riviera. He tries learning from Lawrence, but the two just cannot get along, so they instead attempt one last con, and the loser must leave the beautiful town they are in.

Meh.

Surprisingly, I had never seen this film.

Released in the 80s, Steve Martin as star, you'd have thought I would own this one and watch it repeatedly.

However, you would be wrong.

Never got around to it.

Couldn't really tell you why, something about this movie never clicked with me.

So I see it available to stream this weekend, and think, now's the time!

Then boredom set in.

There's no denying Caine or Martin's presence in the film, but really, there just isn't anything that grabs me and makes me want to keep watching.

By the time they get ready to star the competition, nearly an hour has drug out, and there's still an hour to go.

I'm guessing that if you loved it then, you still love it.

As I have no affection for it, it strikes me as indifferent.

Ah well, c'est la vie.
 
Now streaming on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I waited a quarter of a century to watch it. It will be much longer before I do so again.

"Roxanne"... You Don't Have To Be A Police Song...

Roxanne (1987)

Rated PG for language

Starring Steve Martin, Darryl Hannah, Rick Rossovich

Directed by Fred Schepisi

The Story:

C.D. Bales (Martin) is a fire chief in a small town.  Roxanne (Hannah) an astronomer comes to town and Bales is smitten. He hires Chris (Rossovich) as a fireman, and Roxanne thinks he's hot.  No pun intended.  She hopes that C.D. can help hook them up.  But Chris is a clod when it comes to the ladies, so through some elaborate ruses, Bales tries to woo Roxanne by proxy.

Steve Martin's masterpiece.  Taking the play Cyrano de Bergerac and rewriting it as an updated romantic comedy was a stroke of genius.

Theoretically this story would work, even without Bales' ginormous nose, but that offers the fun, and insecurity in Bales character.

Take away the nose, and there is no way Bales lets Chris anywhere near Roxanne.

So Martin leaves the main character vulnerable, yet so much stronger in every sense of the word.

The comedy is light, breezy, but smart all the way through.

The supporting cast is wonderful comic fodder for the situations within the town when the story isn't concentrating on the romance.

Closing in on the 30th anniversary, it's still as funny as when it was first released.

Final Grade: A

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I do own it, and I would say it gets played every other year or so.

Bet You Haven't Seen This One In Some Time..."A Simple Twist Of Fate"

A Simple Twist of Fate (1994)

Rated PG-13 for language

Starring Steve Martin, Gabriel Byrne, Laura Linney, Catherine O'Hara

Directed by Gillies MacKinnon

The Story:

Michael McCann (Martin) lives alone making furniture for a living.  Into his life toddles a little one, and Michael adopts the child and names her Mathilda.  He uses an unconventional parenting style, but Michael and Mathilda form a loving bond over the years.  However, local politician John Newland (Byrne) is the girl's real father, and since he cannot have children with his own wife (Linney), they decide to sue for custody of the girl.

That's a simplistic narrative for a story with much more complex layers than that.  Based on the novel Silas Marner by George Eliot, Steve Martin adapted the story for himself to bring to the screen.

What he brings is a heartwarming dramedy where he plays a role unlike any he'd ever played before.

He's not wild and crazy. He's not tossing jokes left and right.

There are a few fun situations he falls into along the way, so it's not without humor.

However, it's a story of love and redemption that is worth a viewing.

Instead, the meat of the story takes place after Mathilda has grown and the court case to decide if she should stay with Michael, or go live with her real father who can provide for her in ways that Michael could never dream.

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the film, it had been about 15 years since I last saw it.

It still holds up very well in my eyes.

Final Grade: B+

Rewatchability/Purchase Factor: I already own it, I simply must not let so much time pass between viewings next time.

100 Greatest Movies of All Time...That I Own. # 21 ~ Parenthood

Today's entry is a movie that we have watched so often, we actually wore out the VHS copy that we had.

It marks director Ron Howard's only movie on the countdown.  He's done lots of great films over the years, but for me, this was his finest moment.  He takes an ensemble cast and presents... a family.  All of their ups, downs, sideways, quirks, flaws and love...

And the whole thing works.  This isn't an ensemble comedy that feels dated like some of the madcap 60s or 70s comedies.  There is strong actor after strong actor anchoring this film so that while it may be a product of the 80s, it truly feels timeless.

For those that have never watched this film... shame on you... it is the story of the Buckman family.  Patriarch Frank (Jason Robards) and his 4 children: Gil (Steve Martin), Susan (Harley Jane Kozak), Helen (Dianne Wiest) and Larry (Tom Hulce).  All 4 of those children are grown and having families of their own.

Their spouses, kids and significant others include Mary Steenburgen, Rick Moranis, Martha Plimpton, Keanu Reeves (Whoa!) and Joaquin Phoenix.

Steve Martin would be considered the main character in the cast of thousands.  His only foray on the charts, though Roxanne was a tough one to leave off, is my favorite role that he's done.  He proves that he can reign in the zany, and just be a fun, lovable dad.  Truly, every actor in the film hits the mark and is pitch perfect in making you care for them and their issues.


It's a must-see for anyone that has kids, wants to have kids, was a kid, knows a kid, or was ever born.  Yes, it's a comedy. Yes, it's a drama.

You'll laugh. You'll cry.  You'll enjoy what you saw.

Always living 3000 miles from home, we have to rely on ourselves as family.  There are no get-togethers, so we miss out on a lot of the craziness that ensues when generations get together.  Of course, you take the good and bad that comes with that. : )





Watching the events unfold in the Buckman clan, you should be able to see similar relationships within your own family, whether it's parent/child, sibling/sibling or married spouse.

The movie itself is infinitely quotable, and yes, much like many other movies on the list, many a Parenthood gets broken out as applicable.

Lucky for us, our 4th one wasn't Larry... but we've simply changed the number each time we've had another child.

So far, so good. : )


Tomorrow: Is it time for the Top 20 already??!!