teddyryan

EVERYBODY WANTS SOME feels much less a companion piece to BOYHOOD (as Richard Linklater has stated) than a reshaping of the iconic DAZED AND CONFUSED. Shots, events and character types of both movies show us the antics of unsupervised young adults run wild, although now the setting is college - not high school (I would liken it to the Goodfellas/Casino relationship). As a result, it's impossible to watch or rate Everybody Wants Some without comparing to its 1993 predecessor.

The different characters from Everybody Wants Some (and the actors they play them), however, aren't as vibrant as the ones from Dazed And Confused, making it a far from a masterpiece. Not to mention, Linklater (who is known for his impeccable authenticity in casting) cast the oldest-looking group of 25/30 year old actors you could find, making it hard to buy them as college kids.

Furthermore, the lead - a confident baseball player arriving for his first year on campus - played by Blake Jenner - falls disappointingly short of the typical Linklater hero. The whole script, which follows Jenner and an overabundant number of his college baseball teammates, does have a few moments to grab laughs but it keeps being dragged down by its lack of personalities. That being said, Linklater has the remarkable ability to find the truth in young adult life and verbalize it unlike most fictional storytellers and he delivers here. Unfortunately, in contrast to his high calibre of work, he's fallen a little off the base with this one.

Ted's Grade: A disappointing B minus for an A student.

ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD is blah. It is not Ridley Scott's best work. Hampered by CGI and a visually mundane approach, the movie felt like it could be directed by anyone - a disappointment from the boldly innovative Scott. Minus a few somewhat interesting visual sequences, Ridley's decision to replace Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer (as JP Getty) forced the seasoned filmmaker to frantically fulfill 9 days of reshoots (although the scenes with Spacey appeared to be overdone with prosthetics.

The screenplay has its moments - but Chase (Mark Wahlberg's character) is one note - the worst member of the cast. Wahlberg doesn't bring anything to the table - probably angry he missed his Thanksgiving due to the panicked reshoots. Michelle Williams is the highlight of the film, bringing a nuanced portrayal of Abigail Harris (the kidnapped boy's mother). Unfortunately, due to the hallow screenplay, she her chops are lost within a vacuum of mediocre written scenes. The story of the kidnapping of Paul Getty has potential. Scott was the right pick for the job - although he certainly didn't show up for this one.

Chance you'll start looking at your I-phone during home viewing: 88%

Ted's Overall Concept: B+ Directing: C+ Writing: C+ Acting: B- Editing: B *for all reviews, I never claim I could make a better movie than the above team.