gwynmoses

Saw this on the big screen and it was enjoyable as a Keanu Reeves film, but I wasn't aware of Aziz Ansari before so had no expectations. Seth Rogan was excellent in his role especially his interactions with Keanu, but Ansari was a bit wooden and over acting. Maybe a bit of a rewrite could have injected some better humour into it as there were a few chortles but no real laugh out loud moments.

I think the story attempted to be a new It's a Wonderful Life, but ended up being a poor copy of Trading Places. Depictions of real poverty and the meaningless nature of life at the bottom of the pile were good, but the message that you really need to keep trying to be successful was moralistic and far from realistic.

If you like Keanu Reeves or Seth Rogan it's worth a watch but I can't see it becoming a classic.

This is well worth a watch as a limited series for the humour, hard hitting issues and very good acting. It is essentially a police / detective programme but the format gives time for the characters to develop from a bunch of very problematic people with far too many personal issues into more acceptance of their baggage. The format over multiple episodes allows sub plots to develop, some of which are resolved but others left hanging.

Of particular note is the part of Akram who is quietly sardonic and unassuming, but with an underlying ruthless streak and a penchant for violence, probably gained from his years in the Syrian secret police (although not explicitly stated).

This is an entertaining film with a modern take on the Canterville Ghost, with a bit of a mystery / murder investigation thrown in and obvious callbacks to Ghost Busters and ET. The casting was modern and refreshing and is notable for being centred on a black family instead of the typical white suburban middle class families usually shown in these films.

There are obvious plot points which raise questions such as the Tardis like nature of the house, why they didn't call Ernest by his proper name once they discovered it, why they didn't show any aftermath of discovering the murder and finally why they were moving out of the house at the end on the film.

However, overall it was a good film to watch once but is not a classic to be rewatched again and again. Acting was good enough to sustain the film and the action and plot moved along nicely with definite chapters, despite the plot holes.