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Reviews
Funny People (2009)
There is a tumor keeping this somewhat funny movie from being...funny.
For a film that decides to call itself, "Funny People," there really wasn't THAT much laughing happening in the theater I saw the film. Maybe it was the running length, a bloated 2 1/2 hours, maybe it was the seriousness of the illness (and potential death) of one of the main characters, but mainly it was just characters that were one dimensional and just not funny.
Now I don't think it's fair to qualify a negative review of a film by apologizing how much better the director, actors or other collaborators' works compare, but in this case, I feel it almost necessary to say this was a fairly large misstep from everyone involved except Jonah Hill and Jason Schwartzman. They are the only two consistently funny parts to the film. Eric Bana had a few funny moments, but overall he just seemed like a broad characterture that seemed wildly out of place. In a film that seemed to be striving for realism, Bana seemed unbelievable, but at least he was laughable.
On the other hand, Seth Rogen's love interest Aubrey Plaza seemed to suck what little momentum the film would get going to deliver bland lines...pause...blandly. She really padded the running length without added anything worthy. Leslie Mann and her children seemed like they knew the casting director to get the part as they did not offer much. Which brings me to Seth Rogen and Adam Sandler, while these two bounce off each other for a couple laughs here and there; for the most part there is a solemn air between them due to Sandler's illness. As a result a lot of the jokes did not convert to laughs (Maybe this is a movie you must see multiple times to get it, but good luck getting people to see it more than once, especially in theaters.).
If this was Judd Apatow's attempt at maturing I much prefer his perceptions on high school (Freaks and Geeks), college (Undeclared) and recent graduates (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up). Those were about Funny People.
Recount (2008)
"Sir, would like a bulletproof vest?"
This is an emotional roller-coaster that will keep you watching despite knowing how it is going to end. There are very few films which have the ability to suck in an audience so deeply even though they know what is going to happen.
It raises questions about the 2000 election and does a fair job of cramming several weeks into two hours. The performances are pitch perfect and but Laura Dern in particular should win an Emmy for her portrayal of Katherine Harris. Your party affiliation should not prevent you from watching this film as it bounces back and forth between both campaigns without too overtly taking a side.
I don't know how Jay Roach got involved in directing this project, but he redeemed himself for the horrific "Austin Powers in Goldmember".
Watch it.
The Hottie & the Nottie (2008)
This Is So Not Hot
The Hottie and the Nottie is somewhat of a conundrum; it is a romantic comedy that is neither moving nor funny. It attempts moments of gross-out humor, but holds back from going for an R rating. And for having a target audience of teenage girls, it lacks characters that most girls that age will be able to identify with.
The last two films that Paris Hilton has appeared in have received some of the lowest ratings in the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). Pledge This! received a user rating of 1.6, ranking it at #7 in IMDb's Bottom 100, while Bottoms Up was rated 1.9 and rang in at #22 in the Bottom 100. It appears as though Hilton is lined up for a hat trick with The Hottie and the Nottie, having managed to hammer out three terrible films in a row.
This is not to say all the blame should be placed on Hilton. She does a decent job with what she had to work with. But scriptwriter Heidi Ferrer manages to cram more teen movie clichés and unfunny moments into ninety minutes than any reasonable person could.
The film begins with Nate Cooper (Joel David Moore) remembering first grade and his first experience of love, with Cristabelle Abbott (Hilton). Then the film flashes forward twenty years to an older, sadder version of Nate, accompanied by unnecessary character narration a sure red flag for a bad movie.
After his girlfriend leaves him, Nate decides to move from Maine to California to find his first-grade crush. Somehow he is in touch with Arno Blout (The Greg Wilson), from first grade, a disgusting mess who lives with his mom. In less than 20 seconds, Arno quickly fills Nate in on all that he's missed in the past twenty years; Cristabelle is hot and single, but that is only because she lives with her ugly friend, June Phigg (Christine Lakin), also from first grade! OMG! So begins Nate's quest to conquer Cristabelle, aided by Arno's stalker file, which tracks her every move. After their lives literally collide, it doesn't take long for Nate to find out what a nice girl Cristabelle is and how she creepily remembers him, too. Of course they cannot be together because that would be a fifteen-minute movie, so she confides that she will not go out with anyone until June gets a boyfriend. Nate vows to find June someone so he can cozy up to Cristabelle.
From here, the film devolves into a banal take on "The Taming of the Shrew" as Nate tries to find someone who will go out with the ugly duckling of a friend, only to find himself suddenly in love with her the instant she gets a makeover. Try not to count the number of loose ends or the implausible leaps of believability -- there are simply too many.
Probably the saddest piece in this Jenga game of absurdity is the director, Tom Putnam. Just five years ago he was named "One of the 25 New Faces of Independent Film" by Filmmaker Magazine. But "fresh" isn't a word that comes to mind when describing this film.
The Moguls (2005)
Just saw this at the Delray Beach Film Festival...
OK, so I have to say, any movie about porn, well, conjures up the idea that you're going to have nudity all over the place. Yet somehow this film about porn has next to none of it, and that's a good thing. In the place of bare asses, it has some great performances and funny sequences. Notably Jeff Bridges' character channels a Dude-like vibe while still feeling fresh and different. Joey Pants is bizarre and at the same time likable in his role whose name you just need to watch to see and laugh at. Finally Ted Danson is so completely cast against everything I have seen him in previously and it works. It's a sad state of affairs in Hollywood when you see a preview for a film like this and cringe, knowingly the almost inevitable result would be a lame script with called-in performances. Thankfully, the result is an unexpectedly good natured romp
about porn. I hope this film gets the attention and wide release it deserves.