The Smashing Machine

Director: Benny Safdie
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Emily Blunt, Ryan Bader, Bas Rutten, Oleksandr Usyk, Olga Dzyurak, Lyndsey Gavin, Satoshi Ishii, James Moontasri, Yoko Hamamura, Stephen Quadros, Whitney Moore
Running Time: 123 min.
Rating: R

★★★ (out of ★★★★)    

It seems odd that the biggest question going into The Smashing Machine was whether Dwayne Johnson could capably play the role of former amateur wrestler turned MMA fighter Mark Kerr. But that we still  ask given the actor's history on the mat speaks to just how far removed he's been since becoming a major movie star. It's less whether he can do it than if audiences would bite after an endless string of action vehicles had us thinking he gave up being taken seriously as a dramatic actor. Johnson came out of the gate with such undeniable charisma and early promise we knew he'd eventually jump into more challenging roles in different genres. It's only when the big paydays came and his movies kept dominating the box office that he resisted straying from his familiar formula. 

Now after stumbling with Black Adam and the PR mess that followed, Johnson's asking fans to accept this sudden shift that can best be called a calculated gamble. But while that and a depressing subject matter are potential reasons for why audiences stayed away, it isn't a reflection of the film's quality. Everything that can go right does, even as writer/director Benny Safdie crafts a somewhat familiar sports underdog story laced with tragedy. Unfolding with almost documentary-like truthfulness, how it's told and Johnson's performance help lift it, making for an emotionally raw character study.  

It's 1999 and we see grainy, VHS fight footage of UFC competitor Mark Kerr (Johnson), being interviewed about his impressive winning streak as he heads to Japan for his next fight, accompanied by trainer, best friend and fellow competitor Mark Coleman (Ryan Bader). But it's Kerr's volatile relationship with girlfriend Dawn Staples (Emily Blunt) that causes problems, especially as he becomes increasingly dependent on drugs, injecting opioids around the clock to numb the pain and continue fighting. 

Between arguing with Japanese officials about his pay and getting into locker room screaming matches with Dawn, a glassy eyed Kerr reaches the end of his rope after a devastating loss sends him home and eventually to rehab following an overdose. While he diligently commits to staying clean, rehab and recovery is a change Dawn can't deal with, especially once he begins training for his comeback under the tutelage of MMA legend Bas Rutten (playing himself). With one last shot at redemption, Kerr attempts to maintain his sobriety and career, as he and Dawn continue to lock horns, headed for a nasty collision course.  

There's this moment early on when Kerr's asked by an interviewer what he'd do if he lost and his reaction speaks volumes. It's almost as if he can't wrap his head around such an idea, much less the actual possibility, despite it being a prerequisite for every great champion. Watching, you're reminded of Ronda Rousey, a fighter so driven by her hunger to win that she couldn't psychologically process the alternative. When it came, she unraveled, just as Kerr does, going into immediate denial and frantically grasping at straws to search for a loophole that might overturn his worst nightmare. 

Of course, Kerr being high all the time doesn't help, transforming him into someone far different from the polite, mild mannered giant who befriends grandmas and kids in doctor's offices at the film's start. On the mat he's a maniac, but the loss marks a turning point in his personal life, causing him to direct much of that rage at a frustrated Dawn, who gives it right back. Nearly from the jump, Safdie plant the seed that she's an outsider in her boyfriend's world, always taking a back seat to his love of competition. 

Accustomed to being the center of attention, Dawn tries to connect with him, only pushing his buttons instead, leaving a patient, levelheaded Coleman to act as intermediary while facing media criticism his own MMA career is winding down. Ironically, it's when Kerr gets clean that things get far worse, prompting us to realize his toxic relationship with Dawn can't exclusively be chalked up to the drugs. At times it's more a symptom than a cause since there's more than enough blame to go around for both. Only when he starts making real strides in his recovery do they drift even further apart, causing an isolated Dawn to spiral.

Buried under facial prosthetics, a bigger, more jacked than usual Johnson sort of resembles a cross between Lou Ferrigno and Kurt Angle, with a little of The Rock peeking through. Claims that he's completely unrecognizable or totally disappears aren't exactly accurate, but that's a good thing, since this portrayal wouldn't be nearly as effective without the actor's real persona enhancing it. And though his skills are stretched beyond anything we've recently seen from him, it still incorporates a showmanship and intensity similar to that he displayed between the ropes. We glimpse it in scenes where he's demolishing doors and walls, but it's actually the quieter, emotional moments where he's most impressive, breaking down like a small, helpless child as his character crumbles. 

Eyes rolled when it appeared Blunt would be saddled with another suffering wife role, but Dawn has a meatier arc than that, particularly in the film's second half, mostly due to the actress and a certain level of awareness in Safdie's script. And while Kerr's pairing with her is marred by addiction and mental instability, it strays from the usual template of a abusive relationship, creating a murkier than usual dynamic. MMA fighter Ryan Bader is also excellent in his acting debut, bringing a grounded believability to pal and cornerman Mark Coleman while Bas Rutten's brief but memorable appearance is as crazy as you'd want. 

The ending notably diverges from the "final fight" sports biopic trope in that there's no victory, at least in a traditional cinematic sense. What Kerr achieves is subtler, less tangible and only achievable through continued progress. The very last scene is a keeper, delightfully showing us the real Kerr out and about in the present day. But for those blaming the film's perceived failure on no one knowing who this guy is, it's best to remember all characters are strangers before the credits roll, whether we've heard of them or not. An actor's job is to fill in the blanks, which Johnson compellingly does from its opening minutes.  

I'll gladly take ten Smashing Machines over the projects Johnson's recently chosen, while hoping its muted reception doesn't cause him to swear off riskier parts and head straight back to the action realm. Ideally, he should do a variety of both, which would have already gotten fans used to the idea of him tackling heavier material. But he's on the right track, even if it didn't pull viewers who flocked to Johnson's other movies. Unflinchingly honest, it rarely pulls its punches, dropping us into a grittier era to tell the story of the fighter who helped put UFC on the map.                                         

Happy Gilmore 2

Director: Kyle Newacheck
Starring: Adam Sandler, Julie Bowen, Christopher McDonald, Benny Safdie, Bad Bunny, John Daly, Ben Stiller, Jackie Sandler, Sadie Sandler, Sunny Sandler, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Ethan Cutkosky, Philip Fine Schneider, Conor Sherry, Dennis Dugan, Kevin Nealon, Haley Joel Osment, Lavell Crawford, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka, Rory Mcllroy, Scottie Scheffler, Will Zalatoris, Eminem, Steve Buscemi, Eric André, Martin Herlihy, Margaret Qualley, Travis Kelce
Running Time: 118 min.
Rating: PG-13

**The Following Review Contains Plot Spoilers** 

★★ (out of ★★★★)  

Netflix's heavily anticipated Happy Gilmore 2 answers the question of whether it's really possible for a comedy classic to go home again, responding with a mixed bag full of more misses than hits. But the real concern was whether it would feel like a reunion and little else, made with the presumption fans would simply rejoice at the whole gang returning after thirty years. 

Now after actually seeing what Adam Sandler director Kyle Newacheck cooked up, we're again reminded of the original's greatness, though not for the reasons they likely intended. Their biggest challenge is following a film that was never about positive vibes or giving us a likable protagonist. It was mean, nasty and hilarious, each scene dripping with an attitude suggesting audiences who rejected it could trouble themselves to a warm glass of shut the hell up. 

While the original aligned perfectly with Happy's rebellious, anti-establishment spirit, this sequel represents something else. Given how decades have passed and characters age and evolve with its fan base, there's clearly a conscious attempt to pull on the heartstrings by taking a sentimentally inoffensive trip down nostalgia lane. But no matter how you frame it, that's just not who Happy Gilmore is. And this results in a middling effort more interested in paying tribute to the original's popularity than staying true to the character's arc.  

Having won multiple tour championships in the 90's, golfer Happy Gilmore (Sandler) went on to have five kids with wife Virginia Venit (Julie Bowen) before retiring from the sport when personal tragedy struck. After losing all his money in a lawsuit, depressed alcoholic Happy now works at a supermarket while his four sons Gordie (Maxwell Jacob Friedman), Wayne (Ethan Cutkosky), Bobby (Philip Fine Schneider), and Terry (Conor Sherry) support him and their sister Vienna (Sunny Sandler), a gifted dancer aspiring to enroll in a Paris ballet school. But after rejecting an offer to join energy drink CEO Frank Manatee's (Benny Safdie) new Maxi Golf league, Happy gets the itch to make a tour comeback in hopes of earning enough to fund his daughter's dream. 

As old friends help motivate Happy to pick up the clubs and improve his game, he's attending a court ordered alcoholic treatment program led by his late grandma's abusive nursing home orderly Hal L. (Ben Stiller). He also contends with returning arch nemesis Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald), who's unexpectedly been released from the psychiatric hospital he was committed to after his 1996 Tour Championship loss to Gilmore. But with the non-traditional Maxi Golf threatening the sport's sanctity, Happy will have to defeat Frank's squad and redeem himself in the eyes of his family.

Though we find out about Virginia's death via flashback within the first few minutes, the circumstances surrounding it indicate this film's tone will wildly differ from its predecessor's, at least to start. And while it's a bold choice having Happy accidentally kill his wife with a golf drive, it does provide a justifiable, if overly extreme, explanation for his personal troubles. Uncomfortably teetering between dark humor and tragedy, it's almost as if the writers thought that Happy losing Virginia wasn't enough unless he was solely responsible. 

If much of the first hour finds Happy in dire straits, there is a clever visual gag involving his hiding of alcohol in various household receptacles and funny antics from Steve Buscemi and former golf pro John Daly, who plays "Uncle John," a fictionalized version of himself living in Happy's garage. And despite a failed attempt to convince us Happy having five kids is somehow hilarious, the overall plot of him reigniting his career to help his daughter does make for a solid launching point. 

For all the flak Sandler gets for casting friends and family, both Sunny and Sadie's performances (the latter as a member of Happy's support group) are effective. It's really a reminder that no one would care who Sandler put in his projects they just delivered. Unfortunately, his recent output has been underwhelming enough for complaints like these to keep flaring up.  

After an overlong sequence involving Happy's unsuccessful return to the green alongside a trio of recreational golfers (played by Eric André, Martin Herlihy and Margaret Qualley), the movie sort of turns a corner. Much of that has to do with the great Christopher McDonald's work as Shooter and some spirited appearances from PGA pros Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, Brooks Koepka and Rory Mcllory. Of those, Scheffler fares the best in a meta sub-plot parodying his recent arrest.

This wouldn't be a sequel without Happy again coming face-to-face with Shooter, but the real enemies are Safdi's obnoxious, scene stealing Maxi golf founder Frank and Stiller's Hal, whose brief, uncredited role in the original stole that movie. While his presence here as Happy's treatment counselor is noticeably expanded, the novelty of a seemingly accommodating character revealing himself as an unhinged lunatic is gone.With his mask already off, we're left with this weird guy who's just a run-of-the-mill jerk. 

Ironically enough, Travis Kelce actually comes closer to capturing Hal's phony, disingenuous attitude as a restaurant boss who fires waiter (and Happy's future caddy) Oscar (Bad Bunny). Both of them are highlights, proving how this fares better when incorporating newer faces rather than leaning entirely on callbacks. After a while, so many relatives of deceased characters start showing up that it almost plays like The Naked Gun reboot trailer if it wasn't in on the joke. Newacheck also has an annoying propensity for awkwardly inserting clips from the original, which seems equally pointless for hardcore fans and the uninitiated.                   

Sandler is Sandler in this, but has his moments, even if at times he's going through the motions and the Happy we're watching seems entirely different from the protagonist we remember. But that's probably the point. Aligning him on the side of tradition against this upstart league is a decent idea, but it's mainly to send up the ridiculousness of "extreme" sports and spoof LIV Golf with an insane finale featuring celebrities like Eminem, Guy Fieri, Stephen A. Smith, Post Malone, Becky Lynch and countless others. There must be close to a hundred cameos in this and it's overkill, making you appreciate Bob Barker's iconic appearance in the original that much more.    

We also see the return of those "Happy Place" dream sequences, but with an updated twist that's almost as humorous as anything involving McDonald's Shooter and Haley Joel Osment's tour prodigy turned rival. But perhaps realizing nothing Shooter does could possibly top his bombastic villainy in the previous film, they forego repeating that, opting to take the character in another direction, at least until he vanishes in the second half.

There's a temptation to cut Happy Gilmore 2 some slack since we get what was generally expected under the circumstances. But while many have rightly ranked this at the higher end of Sandler's Netflix titles, a legacy sequel to his all-time best comedy should probably be held to higher standards. Whether this comes down to Sandler waiting too long or just a general lack of quality control, the finished product feels like a misguided attempt at paying homage to the original while abandoning the edgy humor that defined it. That's not to say it isn't still good for some laughs, but they're fewer, even for those approaching this with lowered expectations.                             

Oppenheimer

Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Josh Hartnett, Casey Affleck, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Benny Safdie, Jason Clarke, Dylan Arnold, Tom Conti, James D'Arcy, Dane DeHaan, Alden Ehrenreich, David Krumholtz, Matthew Modine, Scott Grimes, Alex Wolff, Michael Angarano, Macon Blair, Jack Quaid, Josh Peck, Olivia Thirbly, James Remar, Gary Oldman
Running Time: 181 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)     

With Oppenheimer, writer/director Christopher Nolan takes what many might consider an unusual route in examining the "father of the atomic bomb." Jumping between timelines, framing the narrative around two significant court hearings and shifting from black and white to color, this isn't your standard historical biopic. And yet it is, surreally using its subject's life to explore deeper, further reaching consequences that linger to this day. Adapted from the 2005 biography "American Prometheus" and clocking in at a gargantuan three hours, Nolan doesn't hold back in examining the string of events surrounding disgraced American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer's eventual loss of national security clearance in 1954.

While a fair amount of the story's energy is poured into the actual development of Oppenheimer's weapon of mass destruction, it's primarily gripping prologue, preparing us for the controversy to come. It isn't until his idea becomes a reality that he discovers the moral complications and lack of control he'll have over its use. You can chalk this up to hubris or naivety as his concerns aren't merely dismissed, but savagely ripped apart, leaving the renowned physicist's reputation smeared. History may have partially corrected that, but the most unsettling aspect is how it happened to begin with.

It's 1926 when American-born 22 year-old theoretical physics student J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) studies at Cambridge before completing his PhD in Germany and returns to the states to teach quantum physics in California. While on the West Coast he befriends a group of U.S. Communist Party members, getting entangled in romantic relationships with troubled psychiatrist Jean Tatlock (Florence Pugh) and his eventual wife, biologist Kitty Puening (Emily Blunt). But everything changes once he's approached by General Leslie Groves (Matt Damon) in the midst of World War II.

With the Nazis and Russia suspected of working on a nuclear arms program, Oppenheimer is recruited by Groves in 1942 to lead the Manhattan Project dedicated to developing an atomic bomb. Joined by a team of scientists including good friend Isidor Isaac Rabbi (David Krumholtz) and the brilliant but disagreeable Edward Teller (Benny Safdie), Oppenheimer and his crew work around the clock in Los Alamos, New Mexico to prepare for a dangerous test detonation. As Oppenheimer's consumed with guilt over President Truman's (Gary Oldman) decision to bomb Japan into surrender, longtime rival and Energy Commission chairman Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) schemes, pulling political strings to sideline the scientist.  

Non-linear as the film's structure appears, it actually follows a strict chronology that begins with Oppenheimer's academic years and continues through Los Alamos and beyond. There's a lengthy emphasis on his education, marveling under the learning tree of intellectual idols like Kenneth Branagh's Nobel winning physicist Niels Bohr. These early scenes, along with his personal troubles with wife Kitty and unhinged mistress Jean seem off-putting at first, but it adds up, as does his affiliation with communists. Nolan's pretty even handed with this, neither downplaying Oppenheimer's tangential involvement or how that association will be weaponized to later take him down. 

All roads lead to the 1945 Trinity A-bomb test, building up a huge amount of suspense and intrigue for the blast that clears the path for Truman's bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. While the catastrophic event itself isn't depicted, the script doesn't shy away from questioning whether Japan would have  surrendered without such extreme measures. And no one's more ambivalent than the tortured Oppenheimer, who becomes painfully aware of the door he just opened and its horrifying ramifications. 

The film's most powerful scene comes when Oppenheimer delivers a speech to an audience full of scientists and military wildly cheering their hero for ending the war. But what he sees instead are bright, blinding lights and faces of burning flesh in the crowd that will haunt him long after the celebratory magazine profiles fade. Jennifer Lame's editing and Ludwig Göransson's score provide constant, palpable tension throughout, but never more than during this sequence, which signals the psychological battle he'll now be fighting within himself.

Supposedly, the feud between Mozart and Salieri in Amadeus served as Nolan's inspiration for Lewis Strauss's hate and jealousy fueled vendetta against Oppenheimer, which is mostly one-sided. By orchestrating a predetermined sham of a hearing for his opponent, Strauss ends up revealing more about the integrity of those testifying than the accused. But between Oppenheimer's womanizing and communist links, it's not hard to discredit him, even if a worse humiliation comes while meeting with Truman, who mocks his concerns. When given the choice of falling in line or getting out of the way, he picks neither, losing his country instead. 

Cillian Murphy has played his fair share of villains and creeps, but Oppenheimer, while eccentrically flawed and narcissistic, isn't exactly that, if only because his intense regret is enough to qualify him as having a conscience. But he still did what he did and spends the rest of his days grappling with it, leaving the gravest risk to humanity in the hands of a potentially irresponsible government.

Through that lens, it's easy to view Oppenheimer as a hopelessly reckless, but the pull of Murphy's performance is that he plays him as nearly impenetrable and impossible to read right up until the enormity of what's happened sinks in. And with his sunken, hollowed face and darting eyes, the eeriest aspect to his casting is how an actor with such an unusually unmistakable look manages to be a physical dead ringer for the man himself. 

Strauss' 1959 Senate confirmation hearing for Eisenhower's Secretary of Commerce position proves to be a referendum on the former shoe salesman's shady dealings and Oppenheimer's last shot at any kind of redemption. Downey's brilliance peaks here, revealing he was actually this good at being bad the entire time, only now allowing us to catch on. The rest of this loaded cast is packed with big names filling what would otherwise be considered small, throwaway roles under the guidance of a lesser director. Some are seamlessly interwoven into the plot's fabric while others are briefly written off until reappearing later to make massive contributions. 

Matt Damon steals a portion of the film with his gravitas as the hard-nosed, practical Gen. Groves while brief, strong turns also come from Josh Hartnett and Rami Malek as physicists Ernest Lawrence and David Hill, Jason Clarke as hearing attorney Roger Robb, Casey Affleck as military intelligence officer Boris Pash, and most notably, Alden Eidenreich as Strauss' unnamed fictional aide who becomes increasingly disillusioned with his boss. Blunt isn't given tons to do as Kitty, but she nails the heavily factual interpretation, right down to her pivotal testimony ripped directly from the transcripts. Pugh makes an even larger impression with far less screen time, bringing a desperate instability and magnetic seductiveness to Jean, who's constantly a step away from falling off the deep end.

With a fairly restrained use of CGI and an emphasis on more practical effects, the only small complaint is some questionable old age makeup in the last act that's still less distracting than any digitized approach, especially in a period piece. But the film deserves major credit for what's probably the best use of Albert Einstein (magnificently played by Scottish actor Tom Conti) we've seen in a historical drama. There's this clever mystery surrounding the professional bond he shares with Oppenheimer that requires both more and less unpacking than you'd initially assume. And that's especially true of their unforgettable final scene.  

Cold and detached, this is still surprisingly accessible, with everything locking into place for Nolan in ways it hasn't before. Plagued by anxiety and impending doom, we watch the scientist simmer from the inside, realizing his greatest innovation could very well destroy the world. And that enormous weight is thrust onto viewers, making Oppenheimer a challenge to fully absorb in just a single watch, where you can only begin to unravel its numerous implications.

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.

Director: Kelly Fremon Craig
Starring: Abby Ryder Forster, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Benny Safdie, Elle Graham, Amari Alexis Price, Katherine Kupferer, Kate MacCluggage, Aidan Wojtak-Hissong, Landon S. Baxter, Echo Kellum, Zackary Brooks, Isol Young, Mia Dillon, Gary Houston
Running Time: 106 min.
Rating: PG-13

★★★ (out of ★★★★)  

After rejecting offers for nearly half a century to adapt her most widely known novel, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. into a feature film, celebrated children's author Judy Blume finally gave in. But considering the extent of that book's impact on middle-school aged girls of a certain era, it's hard to fault her for waiting. And with only one of her many works having hit the big screen thus far, she's the rare seminal writer who's been spared the indignity of her stories being butchered by a Hollywood system inept at tackling this kind of material. That Blume founded "YA" well before the label even existed earns her a credibility few others have, deserving tons of credit for holding out until all the cards fell into place.

It's easy to see why Blume thought she found the ideal filmmaker for the job in writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig, whose 2016's The Edge of Seventeen sensitively covered somewhat similar terrain. And while Margaret isn't quite as strong an effort, it's still one of the few instances where we're not left worrying what an author might think about the result. There's little chance she'd be unhappy with this, aside from the disappointment more didn't go out of their way to see it. But if a coming-of-age dramedy centered around a tween girl set fifty years ago is already an impossible sell for audiences, just think how hard it must have been to get this right.

It's 1970 and after returning from summer camp in New Hampshire, eleven-year-old Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Forster) is informed by her parents Barbara (Rachel McAdams) and Herb (Benny Safdie) that they're moving from New York City to the New Jersey suburbs due to her dad's job promotion. None too happy about leaving her friends and grandmother Sylvia (Kathy Bates) behind, Margaret tries adjusting, as she's befriended by new neighbor and classmate Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham). Margaret soon joins Nancy's clique, which consists of two other girls, Gretchen (Katherine Kupferer) and Janie (Amari Alexis Price), and a strict set of membership rules that involve wearing bras and revealing the boys they like. 

When Margaret's sixth grade teacher Mr. Benedict (Echo Kellum) discovers her dislike of religious holidays, she begins questioning her mom about the family's history, which saw Barbara's devoutly Christian parents Paul (Gary Houston) and Mary (Mia Dillon) disown her after marrying a Jewish man. Now, as Barbara drifts further away from her love of painting and teaching by volunteering for various PTA committees, she'll have to unexpectedly confront that issue again. And despite talking to God about her problems on a regular basis, an anxious Margaret is not only confused about her own religious identity, but that other girls are already getting their periods. 

If a move over the bridge from NYC to Jersey doesn't seem like such a big deal, Craig's screenplay already captures the essence of Blume's prose in reminding us how everything that happens at this age feels life altering. It's especially true for the kind, world weary Margaret, who's tuned in enough to be greatly affected, her nerves often accompanied by a deer-in-headlights look recognizable to anyone who's experienced the pangs of adolescence. 

Young actress Abby Ryder Forster is terrific, conveying a likable sincerity while taking the title character on an emotionally rocky journey that ranges from crushing disappointment to inspiring optimism. We're invested in her, but the film's calling card are the cringe worthy interactions she shares with her friends, which are humorously awkward in their frankness, rarely evading the embarrassment of firsts these girls are experiencing. Struggling with her physical maturity and religion, Margaret also questions whether the pushy, overconfident Nancy is a real friend or has some other agenda. As the group's leader, she talks a strong game, but may prove to be just as insecure and scared as the rest. 

A subplot involving Margaret's secret crush on local neighborhood boy Moose (Aidan Wojtak-Hissong) is carefully handled, as is an even smaller arc revolving around shy, physically mature classmate Laura (Isol Young), who's picked on for her appearance. The latter effectively reinforces the theme that sometimes there's just no winning for a girl that age, as there will always be bullies ready to pounce on any perceived imperfections. How Craig navigates these waters to end on the note she does is impressive, as are the more humorous moments, such as an adventure in the drugstore buying sanitary pads. 

Kathy Bates runs away with her scenes as Sylvia, sarcastically joking around the pain she'll soon be alone when the family moves. And after initially not making much of an impression, Benny Safdie subtly humanizes Herb when he's confronted with the daunting challenge of again facing the in-laws who rejected him. But it's Rachel McAdams' performance as Barbara that holds all of this together, delivering a seemingly effortless, believable supporting performance worthy of serious awards consideration.

Quietly carrying the baggage of a mom's fractured relationship with her own parents, McAdams plays  Barbara as overprotective but supportive of Margaret, realizing she needs to give this girl enough room to discover, succeed, and fail on her own. She's so natural that this seems less like a role, but a glimpse into how parents sometimes wear masks to meet the challenges of raising a child, even one as good as Margaret. Inhabiting this free-spirited personality, the actress even turns Barbara's obsessive people pleasing into something sadder and more selfless, almost as a means to disappear. McAdams may have been flying under the radar of late, but this is some of her strongest work yet, reminding us just how much she's capable of.

There are two concurrent stories running at once with Margaret, and while they don't seamlessly congeal, both are well handled. More importantly, Craig's script has a voice that not only harkens back to the decade it's set with costuming and music, but also coming-of-age movies from the 80's and 90's, carving out a nice little niche that should still carry appeal for those outside the target demographic. A smart, authentically performed effort that gets a lot of small details right, it's a worthy accompaniment to the source material, deftly handling all the uncomfortable aspects of growing up that made Blume's book a generational touchstone.                                                

Licorice Pizza

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Starring: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, Benny Safdie, Skyler Gisondo, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, John Michael Higgins, Christine Ebersole, Harriet Sansom Harris, Joseph Cross, Maya Rudolph
Running Time: 134 min.
Rating: R  

★★★★ (out of ★★★★) 

What's always been distinctive about Paul Thomas Anderson films is his ability to make a story that in anyone else's hands would seem slight feel more important, regardless of whether it actually is. The coming-of-age comedy-drama Licorice Pizza is probably the most accessible mainstream picture he's made, which isn't to imply it any way lacks the rebellious spirit found in his most acclaimed work. It's like a less volatile Punch-Drunk Love, with portions that will remind some of Almost Famous, Magnolia and even some Boogie Nights in terms of tone and setting, while strangely sharing little in common with any of them. You could even consider it PTA's answer to Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood in how we're transported to such a semi-autobiographical time and place that clearly means a lot to the filmmaker, populated it with weird details, complex characters and a distinctive style that makes a superficially insignificant tale resonate far deeper.

It's hard not to love this no matter which crazy direction it takes us in because the devil's in the details and there are so many welcome distractions and asides that prove as rewarding as the main plot. That it's anchored by two perfectly cast, astonishingly talented actors making their big screen debuts only enhances the feeling we've been dropped into something special and may as well just enjoy the ride. If the knock against PTA has been that he's a superior director to writer, this film won't serve as the strongest counterargument with its unorthodox narrative structure, but that's splitting hairs considering how few equal him in either department. Containing certain elements that carry widespread appeal, it'll connect most with fans who couldn't wait to see what he had up his sleeve. And it doesn't disappoint. 

It's 1973 in the San Fernando Valley and 15-year-old actor Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman) spots 25-year-old photographer's assistant Alan Kane (Alana Haim) at his high school's picture day and immediately falls for her. After he strikes up a flirtatious conversation and invites her to dinner, she kind of shoots him down, while not entirely dismissing the offer. Much to his surprise, she actually shows up and they embark on a friendship Alana insists is completely platonic. But when Gary needs a chaperone to go to New York for a press tour for a comedy film he's appearing in with actress Lucy Doolittle (Christine Ebersole), Alana agrees to accompany him.

When Alana starts dating Gary's castmate Lance (Skyler Gisondo), a jealous Gary focuses on launching a waterbed company, which she soon joins in on as his assistant. Struggling to balance running the business with whatever their relationship has become, Alana tries to get into acting, earning a coveted audition opposite self-absorbed screen legend Jack Holden (Sean Penn). Meanwhile, Gary must deliver a waterbed to psychotic, mercurial film producer Jon Peters (Bradley Cooper). But even amidst this ongoing craziness and their lives moving in seemingly divergent directions, Gary and Alana always seem to circle back to each other. 

Loosely inspired by the life of Anderson's friend, child actor and producer Gary Goetzman, who really did start a waterbed company and pinball arcade and appeared in Yours, Mine and Ours with Lucille Ball, the rest is filled in with various stories and recollections from growing up in the Valley during the early 70's. While the most obvious influence on Anderson would seem to be something along the lines of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the story itself seems almost too offbeat and intimately contained to invite such a broad comparison. It's actually closer in spirit and execution to Richard Linklater's underrated Everybody Wants Some!!, which was set a little later but has a very similar hangout feel that rarely depends on plot.

The script takes many detours, but they're entertaining ones that further the relationship between the two main characters, which is a whole conversation in itself. For all the controversy, it's safe to say that a 25 year-old woman dating a 15 year old boy in a fictional film set in the early 70's probably wouldn't have attracted as much attention and criticism even just five years ago unless the genders were reversed. Viewed in context, there's barely a sexual component to it, the issue's acknowledged, and the relationship itself is so unusually presented throughout, it's easy to forget what we're supposed to be offended by. In other words, you'll probably be too busy laughing with and at their awkwardness to really care. Also, it's 1973, so if you're going to make a film set in that era, accuracy counts, and this plays how it would then, now matter how differently it may look through 2022 glasses.

A similar, though slightly less strong defense can be extended to John Michael Higgins' restaurant owner character, Jerry Frick, who talks in a demeaning Asian accent to his Japanese wives. Is it offensive? Of course, because he is, and that stupidity is pretty much the point of the entire exchange, as we're supposed to notice it because these characters sure won't. And in showing what everyone was once willing to overlook, it becomes a little more culturally accurate and shameful than we were counting on. Of course, all of this is just a reaction to a reaction, as we're too caught up in what's happening with Gary and Alana to worry how about how badly people behaved in the early seventies.

The two leads not only create magic together onscreen, but individually convey a quirkiness and relatability that's just right for whom they're playing. While Cooper Hoffman is the late Philip Seymour Hoffman's son and while there's definitely a physical resemblance, he conveys an entirely different vibe in this role, playing a protagonist that'll remind many of William Miller from Almost Famous if he was infused with the nerdy bravado of Rushmore's Max Fischer. Outgoing and even a little devious in trying to accomplish his goals, he's an old 15 and knows it, as Hoffman's so good at playing this kid whose ambitious bluster hides the fact that he's not quite experienced enough for whatever comes next. He fakes it until he makes it, before faking it some more.  

Like Gary, Alana's an endearing mess spinning in different directions, only lacking the drive and questioning why she's hanging out with him and his teenage friends. As this walking quarter-life crisis, Haim pretty much owns the film and her casting's a masterstroke in the sense that the indie singer looks as if she could have stepped out of a time machine from the 1970's while radiating a natural, effortless charisma that promises a very bright acting future. Blurring the lines even further, Alana Kane's family is played by Haim's real life one, with sisters and HAIM bandmates, Danielle and Este making appearances alongside their parents. Even if Haim did this once and went back to her day job, her work opposite Hoffman would still be hilariously unforgettable, as are the scenes she shares with Sean Penn as this a William Holden-inspired actor who takes an interest in Alana. We're not quite sure what to make of that, until we are, and then the whole thing flies off the rails when Tom Waits enters the picture as an unhinged director indulging his friend's worst and wildest impulses.

An intriguing sub-plot in which Alana works for Los Angeles mayoral candidate Joel Wachs (Benny Safdie) doesn't go where you'd expect, proving to be one of many examples of Anderson fictionalizing historical facts to better fit the picture he's painting. But the real scene stealer is Bradley Cooper, who's take on real-life producer Jon Peters is an amalgamation of every insane, hyper aggressive 70's studio exec with the volume cranked to eleven. Gary and Alana's adventure in delivering his waterbed comprises the film's most electric and hysterical sequence of events, as we hold our breathe waiting for this lunatic to completely snap.

As would be expected for a film titled after an L.A. record store chain, the soundtrack is loaded with era-specific hits and even some obscure but no less inspired musical choices that compliment Jonny Greenwood's score and are perfectly incorporated the narrative. Songs from Todd Rundgren, David Bowie, Donovan, The Doors, Sonny and Cher, Paul McCartney and Wings and others might make it the most musically packed film of PTA's career, nearly doubling as the ultimate "Best of" seventies compilation.  

Anderson's willingness to take the characters on these comedic tangents is what sets this apart from most in its realm. You can practically hear the accusations that the film's about nothing, with the machinations of the plot taking a backseat to a mood and sense of nostalgia that's evoked, even for those who may not have come of age during the specific period. There's just so much to enjoy and take in here, even if viewers may be scratching their heads at all of its delightful eccentricities. Where Licorice Pizza ranks on the PTA scale will vary across the board, but love it or not, the longer this sits the more oddly memorable it becomes, proving in the end to deliver exactly what we came for.

Uncut Gems

Directors: Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie
Starring: Adam Sandler, Lakeith Stanfield, Julia Fox, Kevin Garnett, Idina Menzel, Eric Bogosian, Judd Hirsch, Keith Williams Richards, Jonathan Aranbayev, Noa Fisher, Abel Tesfaye, Mike Francesa
Running Time: 135 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

In the Safdie brothers' crime thriller Uncut Gems, a new bar is set for unlikable, self-destructive protagonists, as Adam Sandler's jeweler and gambling addict Howard Ratner proves incapable of encountering any situation he can't make worse by lying, cheating, screaming, swearing or scamming. Whether it's his own family, celebrities or employees, they're all forced to just look on with annoyed exasperation at his antics, which demonstrate the lowest levels of self-control and human decency. It's nearly impossible to turn away from the wildly entertaining train wreck that is Howard's life, with its awfulness and unpredictability escalating with each passing scene, culminating an almost unbearably tense finale.

Heralded as the return of Sandler to what's increasingly become one of his rare "serious" roles, this dramatic departure really can't be listed alongside other his other excursions like Punch-Drunk Love and Reign Over Me, even as it surely will. The draw in those was seeing the actor dialed way down, while this feels more in line with his recognizable lunacy. But the huge exception this time is the unusually high quality of the Safdies' darkly comic material, which channels those qualities into dramatic strengths rather than exploiting them for cheap gags or toilet humor.

Reconciling the two Sandlers has always been a tricky proposition, both for fans, and possibly for him, as the disappointing box office receipts for his more challenging efforts have frequently found him crawling back to the familiar safety of mainstream low-brow comedies. You could say it's for the money, or maybe even the emotional exhaustion of putting himself out there only to find audiences just want the hits. That's why this feels like the ultimate compromise that should please both camps while successfully litigating the many facets of Sandler's onscreen persona. And yet, the picture remains extremely polarizing, so far out there in its delivery that it's as much an ordeal as an experience.

After a brief flashback to 2010 where a group of Ethiopian miners retrive a rare black opal stone in an African mine, we jump forward two years later to the KMH jewelry store in New York City's Diamond District, as owner Howard is struggling to pay off his gambling debts. Still owing $100,000 to loan shark brother-in-law Arno (Eric Bogosian), his relationship with estranged wife Dinah (Idina Menzel) has crumbled in the midst of his ongoing affair with jewelry store employee, Julia (Julia Fox). But when Howard's associate Demany (Lakeith Stanfield) brings Boston Celtics superstar Kevin Garnett (playing himself) into the store to shop, that rare African black opal arrives.

As Howard makes plans to put the special stone up for auction, Garnett becomes almost hypnotically captivated by the gem, insisting to hold on to it for good luck in his game before giving a reluctant Howard his 2008 Championship ring as collateral. But after pawning it to place a six-way parlay bet on Garnett's game performance, Howard's troubles really start, as Arno and his hired bodyguards are coming to collect. Discovering it may be more complicated than he thought to get the opal back from Garnett, Howard makes plans to place another huge bet that would turn his fortunes around. But with the clock rapidly ticking on his chaotic personal and professional life, it won't be easy.

While it isn't completely inaccurate to label to label this a dramatic crime thriller, there are plenty of laughs stemming from Howard's inability to read people and situations, almost obnoxiously bulldozing forward toward what he always believes will be certain success. He basically digs this huge hole for himself, inexplicably keeps digging in hopes of a turnaround, and ends up in a far worse position than he started in. The pattern repeats more than a few times, which is unsurprising given his gambling addiction, but Sandler keeps finding new ways to make it compulsively watchable with an unhinged performance that grips you right from the start and doesn't let go until the credits roll.

The jewelry store itself, with all its cramped chaos and malfunctioning security doors, feels like a powder keg primed to explode from all the nervous tension within, providing the perfect visual and atmospheric metaphor for the wheeling, dealing life of its owner. But fast-talking "Howie," with his schmoozing and empty promises, meets his match in Garnett, who's used to getting what he wants when he wants it. That's par the course for his celebrity clients, but the exception here being the value of this rare stone and Howard's obsession with leveraging it into a huge gambling opportunity destined to end badly just based on the number of people he's screwing over.

Seemingly everyone but Howard can sense his toxicity and uncontrollable temper, which sabotages every potential transaction, business or otherwise. You haven't seen anything until witnessing Howard attack a pre-fame The Weeknd in a club bathroom, trying to bribe his bookie, Gary (Mike Francesa) with a watch or manipulating his father (Judd Hirsch) to bid for him at an auction. If it's easy to believe that just the chance to appear alongside Garnett, The Weeknd and Francesa in a sports-related project was one of Sandler's main motivations for taking the part, we can at least take solace in the fact this is one of the more successful examples of outside celebrities being seamlessly incorporated into a film.

And in the case of Garnett, it's even better than that, with him adding a legitimacy that couldn't have come if they used a fictitious player or had another actor step in.  It just makes the proceedings feel real, especially when he goes toe-to-toe with Sandler in a handful of intense scenes. But the tragedy in Howard's story comes not from his interactions with sports figures and business associates like Lakeith Stanfield's wildly mercurial Demany, but his mistreatment of his estranged wife and kids and a stone-faced brother-in-law who's been burned by his relative so many times he's essentially had to resort to hiring hitmen to scare him into paying.

But what emotionally lands the hardest is his relationship with Julia, since it's the only aspect of his life where he doesn't appear to playing some kind of short con game. Julia Fox really gives a break-out performance as the feisty girlfriend who stands by him unconditionally, at points making us wonder if there really is more to this guy than weasely bluster, since their quieter moments is when he acts and appears most human, approaching something that almost nearly resembles likability. Of course, he manages to somehow mess that up too, leading to a scene where everything hits Howard at once, bloody and collapsing in ball of tears in his office chair being consoled by the only person left who cares. After all this guy's done, that Sandler can wring out empathy for this guy and have us rooting for his victory is a testament to how many gears he truly has as an actor, and a reminder how infrequently we've seen him display it.

That Sandler has the Safdies as directors sure helps, with them taking an unusually frenetic approach to this kind of material, with oddly effective choices that elevate both Sandler and the script. Between the breakneck editing pace and Daniel Lopatin's ambient, electronic score that seems to jarringly contrast with the picture's unnerving tone, there's really nothing quite like it. And it's capped with a literal and figurative buzzer beater of a finale that has Howard doubling down on his very worst tendencies, so optimistically smitten by his own hype that he can't see the many horrible ways his big bet can go wrong, this time with a participatory audience gathered for his self-destruction. That it bookends a film bizarre enough to open with the main character's colonoscopy should have been clue enough as to what we were getting into. But Sandler's unique take on this exhausting conman proves why each new dramatic role he tackles remains so highly anticipated. This is one of his best, even if it might be too stressful to watch again.