jonnymoviesbr

Really wasn't expecting this movie to be so much fun! Darren has always been an interesting director, i look forward to every movie he puts out, but recently his filmography has been more of a mix bag, his last movie, The Whale, was kinda of a chord to go through, it was a harsh movie that didn't exactly put me in a great mood. That being said, my expectations for Caught Stealing were mixed, the main cast and the trailer got me a bit exited, but i still feared disappointment.

Fortunately, i was blown away by how solid this movie turned out to be, this is a shockingly light-hearted, slick, and smart change of course for Darren, i loved how the plot didn't go where i expected it to go, and how much him, along with the cast, seemed to have fun making this movie. This is a love letter to a by gone era of cinema, a fun throwback to simpler times, when you think of how rare this type of movie is today, your appreciation for it increases considerably, i was longing for a mid-budget, star powered, dark comedy/action movie that was so popular in the late 90s, early 2000s. It takes place in 1998(coincidentally the year i was born), and it really felt like a movie made in that time period, from the production design, to the cinematography, dialogues, and narrative structure, it all remained me of the movies i grew up watching.

Austin Butler is fantastic, this guy is a certified movie star, he has the looks, the charisma, and the swagger, but most importantly, the acting range. He completely sold me on his character all throughout, i felt so bad for him, and by the end, i was very invested in his arc. Matt Smith and Zoe Kravtiz weren't in the movie that much, however they still delivered solid performances and contributed to the main character's growth. The rest of the cast was also pretty good, with Regina King doing her usual thing, and Vincent D'Onofrio almost unrecognisable as the main villain, delivering his classic dead pan, intense performance.

In short, Caught Stealing might not be the most polished or groundbreaking movie, but it managed to entertain me on a level i didn't thought it was possible for a 2025 movie. If you're a late 90s, early 2000s nostalgia driven cinephile like me, you'll probably have a blast with this movie!

I've always been a huge Nick Cage fan, i know he's made some questionable career choices over the years, and he can get a bit too over-the-top, but i think he's just great. He brings a charm and intensity to his roles that we rarely see in any Hollywood leading men today, he can make basically any role and any story compelling, his acting style works well for drama, comedy, etc... The Family Man is yet another example of how he often manages to elevate an otherwise clichéd and corny movie into a surprisingly earnest and heartfelt experience.

The plot is essentially a knock-off of "It's a Wonderful Life", mixed with some elements of "A Christmas Carol" sprinkled in. It tells the story of Jack Campbell, a greedy, confident NYC businessman who's life revolves around getting deals done and enjoying his bachelorhood. Jack's lavish, fast-paced lifestyle changes one Christmas night when he stumbles into a grocery store holdup and tries to stop the robbery attempt. The next morning he wakes up in bed next to Kate, his college sweetheart he left to pursue his career, and to the discovery that his former life no longer exists. As he stumbles through this alternate universe, Jack finds himself at a crossroad, having to choose between his high-power career and the woman he loves.

The premise, despite being clichéd, is charming and relatable, and it always makes for an entertaining watch. The concept of having the opportunity to live an alternative version of your life is very compelling, and makes you reflect on your own decisions, the paths we choose, etc... However, you can only go till a certain point with this concept, before it gets old. Sometimes the script tries to do something actually new and interesting with the premise, but a lot of other times it devolves into simplistic romcom.

Téa Leoni was also pretty good, she and Cage had a fantastic chemistry, it was really nice to see how they played off of eachother, she portrayed Kate in such a genuine, sweet way that you can't help but falling in love for her. The performances by the pair of leads was what really sold the movie, they made me truly care for their relationship and i was unapologetically rooting for them at the end. The other aspects of the movie were just kinda meh... It doesn't have a particularly good direction, or a particularly good cinematography, and so on.

The strength of The Family Man is in its heartfelt premise and moving performances. If you watch ignoring all the plot holes and other flaws, and just focus on how good Cage and Leoni are, you can have a great time.

Challengers obviously has a very clear target audience (women and gays/bisexuals), and i'm not part of either of this groups. If i was a "macho man", gym bro, super blackpilled type dude i would've probably be furious for wasting my time watching this movie, because it's super gay and female orientated. But i don't mind watching from time to time something different, outside of my demographic, i think it's nice to keep an open mind and see other perspectives, so i went to see this movie knowing it wasn't made for me, and i was willing to watch it without judgement. That being said, i found Challengers to be a deeply frustrating watch, it's a movie that never quite lives up to its initial potential, the premise is very interesting and would make for a very compelling watch, if only the direction was less pretentious and heavy handed. It gets to a point where the movie becomes yet another case of style over substance, i felt like they were trying to make a very cool video clip instead of an actual movie. At least some production values, such as the cinematography and the costume design were very good, also the three main actors delivered very competent performances, especially Josh O'Connor, this dude is one of the best actors around today, he got me rooting for his character from start to finish, his swagger and determination was awesome, to bad they kinda screwed up his character arc towards the end...The non-linear narrative is exiting and clever at first, however it gets quite tiring after the first 35-40 minutes, when its started to feel like more of a quirky gimmick than a proper storytelling mechanism. In short, this was a movie that had a lot of potential, but unfortunately it suffered from a annoyingly pretentious direction, a chaotic editing, and a confusing narrative structure. It has its charm, but it's ultimately disappointing. 6/10.