hitchcockkelly

The first half of the film is funny albeit silly and light, a reversal of "Liar, Liar". (Instead of one person being unable to lie, everyone but the main character is unable to lie.) I was beginning to believe the film was going to be a one-joke premise, but right in the middle it tackles some edgy theological issues and gets some heft. I wish it had gone there earlier, or even been the whole film. That would've been some gutsy comedy. Still, the romance between Gervais and Garner is sweet. She's surprisingly funny. It would've been an easy role to phone in, but I never once doubted her sincerity or her naiveté. Rob Lowe also shines playing the good-looking jerk. (Can anyone play that role better?) The film would've been five stars if it had been 100% religious satire and not just a romantic comedy, but I still enjoyed it enough to recommend it. Keep a sharp eye out for Edward Norton and Phillip Seymour Hoffman in cameo roles.

Although it's as well made as the other PBS reality shows, this one was disturbing. Many of the hardships imposed on the Hymers are by design, not circumstance. A committee of seven or eight experts privately judges them in a star chamber and decides how strict rationing will be and how much they will be fined for infractions. Watching the children go hungry while the experts debated how much to cut the food budget bothered me. The Hymers live more like lab rats than adventurers. It's also hard to get worked up about how much wartime Brits suffered from rationing since it was nothing compared to the hardships undergone by eastern Europeans, Asians and even their own soldiers. The show was simply too narrow in scope and sinister.

"Forget Paris" is on Richard Roeper's list of the 40 worst movies he has ever seen (p. 64 of "10 Sure Signs That a Movie Character is Doomed"). He must not have been able to take Billy Crystal as a romantic lead, because I thought the film delivered everything it promised. Crystal is funny. His friendships are genuine. It was fun seeing all of the big-name basketball stars playing themselves. Having the whole story told in flashback by his friends worked. And most of all, Crystal and Winger had chemistry. I thought the film dealt with modern relationship problems smartly and truthfully, and despite what Richard Roeper thinks, I thought the pigeon scene was funny. I'm not sure why Roeper was so down on this film, but what can you expect from a guy who makes a list called "5 Reasons why George Bailey isn't such a wonderful guy in 'It's a Wonderful Life'", then lists all of the things he does when he's having his breakdown! Sheesh.