Film Review: CRAZY, STUPID, LOVE (2011)

Directors: Glenn Ficarra & John Requa
Writer: Dan Fogelman
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
UK Release date: 23^rd September 2011

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 11^th November 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Every now and then you have to let a little romance into your life; I know this can be hard for some, but believe me, it’s really worth getting in touch with your mushy side every now and then. As a bit of an old romantic at heart I have no problem with the occasional rom-com; so long as it’s a good one (not overly schmaltzy, that kind of thing). Having heard some good reports on this one I decided to give it a look when it came up in the TV listings recently… Here are my thoughts.

I actually found it quite engaging eventually; it was a little hard to get into at first but when the narrative began to settle down I could see a structure there that had potential. Brief summary: When Emily Weaver (Julianne Moore) announces to her husband Cal (Steve Carell) that she wants a divorce, his world collapses around him. She had slept with another man, David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon) and Cal finds that hard to take since they had been together since high school. He takes to going to bars to drown his sorrows and is taken under the wing of Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) who shows him how to dress, behave and (most importantly) how to pick up women. At this he is quite successful (eventually) but he feels there is still something missing. Meanwhile there are a couple of other sub-plots going on. One involves Cal’s son, Robbie (Jonah Bobo), who has become infatuated with his babysitter, Jessica (Analeigh Tipton). She, meanwhile is holding a torch for Cal… With me so far?... Also, there is law student, Hannah (Emma Stone) who Jacob had been unsuccessful in picking up when we first meet him (I can’t really say any more about her without giving too much away, so here I’ll stop). All these threads eventually tie together in what (at times) appears like a French farce, but which does ultimately have a very valid point.

All the performances were very good with Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Julianne Moore taking centre stage. I thought Kevin Bacon was slightly underused, and more could have been made of Emma Stone’s character. Over all, it’s pretty well made but the narrative does tend to wander in places. An endearing film that does have quite a strong message about love and about soul mates. I freely admit this old romantic found it quite relatable.

SteelMonster’s verdict: RECOMMENDED

My score: 7.5/10

IMDb Score: 7.5/10 (based on 158,600 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1570728/

MetaScore: 68/100: (Based on 40 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 78/100 (based on 199 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 80/100 ‘Liked it’ (based on 76,762 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/771203531/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Jacob: I'm going to help you rediscover your manhood. Do you have any idea where you could have lost it?

Jacob: The skin under your eyes is starting to look like Hugh Hefner's ball sack.
Cal: [Carefully looks at himself on mirror and sighs... ] Yes, it is.

Jacob: I'm wildly unhappy, and I'm trying to buy it, and it's not working.

Robbie: You wanna talk about The Scarlet Letter, Ms. Tafferty? All right. Well, the A they're both wearing - I think it stands for "asshole." Wanna know why? Because they fell in love and love is for stupid assholes. And this book is just about a bunch of assholes who fell in love, like assholes, then had to die, like assholes. I'm sorry about all the "assholes."

Liz: Your life is so PG-13.

Hannah: Will you take off your shirt... fuck! Seriously? It's like you're Photoshopped!

Cal: Are you pointing at me?
Robbie: You're pointing at him?
Emily: She's pointing at him? OH!

Cal: I have loved her even when I hated her... only married couples'll understand that one...

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Official Site: http://crazystupidlove.warnerbros.com/dvd/
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crazystupidlove
Trailer:

Film Review: OVER THE HEDGE (2006)

Directors: Tim Johnson, Karey Kirkpatrick
Writers (screenplay): Len Blum, Lorne Cameron, David Hoselton, Karey Kirkpatrick
Writers (comic strip characters): Michael Fry, T. Lewis
Writer (additional dialogue): Chris Poche
Running time: 83 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Animation/Adventure/Comedy
UK Release date: 30^th June 2006

Watched on Sky+ Tuesday 8^th May 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I first saw this film a few years ago and I remember I quite liked it on first viewing. With is popping up in the TV schedules again recently I thought I’d give it another look to see if it was as Good as I remembered. Unfortunately it hasn’t kept its sparkle from that first viewing, maybe I’ve seen too many better films in between. Having said that there are still a few redeeming features which I’ll tell you about after this brief summary.

Its spring and the animals are waking up all across the forest. Amongst them is Vincent, an evil bear who wakes to find his stash of food being stolen by a street-wise racoon called RJ. An accident leaves the stash destroyed and RJ with an ultimatum; either replace it within a week or be killed. He looks around the area and finds a new suburban estate has been built over the winter. A small patch of the forest remains and here lives a small group of animals; a turtle, Verne, a squirrel, Hammy, A Skunk, Stella, an opossum, Ozzie and his daughter, Heather, and a family of Porcupines, Penny, Lou and their three kids. Can RJ show these woodland creatures the ways of modern life and get them to gather the food he needs in time? Well, there’s a little more to it than that, but I’ll leave it here or the Spoiler Police will be exterminating me (again).

A well made film which is what we’ve come to expect from DreamWorks over the years. One thing that let it down (for me) though was the look chosen for the character RJ… He didn’t look much like a racoon; in fact he looked like a really annoying kid I once knew who I just wanted to punch every time I saw him. All the performances were pretty good, although I must admit I did particularly enjoy the voice talents of William Shatner as Ozzie. Honourable mentions also go to the voice talents of; Bruce Willis as RJ, Garry Shandling as Verne, Steve Carell as Hammy, Wanda Sykes as Stella, Nick Nolte as Vincent, Allison Janney as Gladys and Avril Lavigne as Heather.

There were some decent jokes but I couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t all that original. There were a lot of writers involved in this project and I’m sorry to say it shows. By the end it looked very much like they were running out of ideas. It’s not all bad though, the film does move along a quite a nice pace although it does get a little baggy in the middle. There are some fun characters and even some funny gags here and there… also the traditional ‘homage’s’ to classic films that filmmakers always seem to put in these days. Over all, not great but worth a look.

My score: 5.9/10

IMDb Score: 6.9/10 (based on 60,051 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0327084/

MetaScore: 67: (Based on 31 critic reviews provided by Metacritic.com at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 74/100 (based on 163 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 73/100 (based on 507,343 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/over_the_hedge/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Ozzie: O great and powerful Steve! What do you want?
Verne: I-I don't think it can speak.
Debbie: [From other side of hedge] I heard that, young man!
[Others are shocked; Ozzie plays dead]
Debbie: You get over here right now!
Hammy the Squirrel: Okay.
Verne: Hammy, get back here.
Hammy the Squirrel: But Steve is angry.
Verne: I think it came from the other side of Steve - I mean, the bush. I mean... Geez!

Ozzie: Mother, is that you? Beckoning me into the light? Must... move... toward... the light!

Gladys: [after installing a lot of traps] What about this one, this Depelter Turbo?
Dwayne: That's a contraband item, ma'am, as it is illegal in every state,
[with his hand over his heart]
Dwayne: except Texas.
Gladys: I don't care if this violates the Geneva Conventions, I want it.
Dwayne: I thought you might, so I took the liberty of installing it for you.
[as he tosses a stuffed bear in it]
Dwayne: Adios, animal infenstation.
RJ: [it traps it] AHHHHH!
Gladys: [we see it in a cage, with outside burned off] Ohhh, very nice.

Hammy the Squirrel: [Slipping on kitchen floor] No grip! No grip! No grip!...
RJ: Hammy, less claw, more pad.
Hammy the Squirrel: Oh, okay.
[Hammy zips across the room, crashes into wall]
Hammy the Squirrel: That hurt.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006)

Directors: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Writer: Michael Arndt
Running time: 101 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Adventure/Comedy/Drama
UK Release date: 8^th September 2006

Watched on DVD Monday 9^th April 2012.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I bought this DVD several years ago by mistake and it has lurked at the back of my collection ever since. Having heard several good things about it I decided to take the plunge and give it a look. I was pleasantly surprised; it wasn’t the usual ‘dysfunctional family’ cliché ridden rubbish I was expecting. No, it was so much better than that and I must say I even enjoyed it! I will give you my thoughts after this brief summary.

There are six main characters; first there’s seven year old Olive Hoover who has won a place in the finals of the ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ beauty contest. Then we have the mother, Sheryl, harassed as all mothers are in these films and Richard, the father, he has business problems that are causing friction with Sheryl. The fifteen year old son, Dwayne, hasn’t spoken for nine months; he has decided that until he achieves he ultimate goal of becoming a fighter pilot, we will not speak. The grandpa, Edwin, who swears, takes drugs and really doesn’t much care what the others think of him, apart from Olive (of course). Finally, there’s Sheryl’s brother, Frank, who has just attempted suicide and cannot be left alone. This unlikely collection has to get Olive the 700 miles to the beauty contest in a broken VW Camper van in just two days. What could possibly go wrong?... Well, I’ll leave it there or the Spoiler Police will be having me towed (again).

Now I’m not usually a fan of comedies, but the humour in this one is so dark that I actually enjoyed it! Very well made with some great dialogue and some characters that I could actually relate to (makes a change!). All the performances were great; the young Abigail Breslin did a great job as Olive Hoover and I really loved Alan Arkin as Grandpa Edwin Hoover, he really nailed it! Greg Kinnear as Richard Hoover and Toni Collette as Sheryl Hoover both did a good job. I thought Paul Dano as Dwayne also did a good job and Steve Carell showed what a good actor he can be as Frank Ginsberg.

As road trip movies go, I must say that this is the best one I’ve seen in quite a long time. The mix of characters and the way they interact works pretty well and I found the film quite engaging (I even laughed a few times!). Yes, some of the situations they got themselves into were a tad far-fetched, but I can forgive that (this time) because the characters actually had some substance. Would I watch it again? Yes I would and so I have no problem in deeming this one… Recommended.

My score: 8.2/10.

IMDb Score: 7.9/10 (based on 194,846 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0449059/

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Tomatometer’ Score: 91/100 (based on 205 reviews counted at the time of going to press).

Rotten Tomatoes ‘Audience’ Score: 90/100 (based on 379,546 user ratings counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/little_miss_sunshine/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Sheryl: [after Frank tried to commit suicide] I'm so glad you're still here.
Frank: Well, that makes one of us.

Richard: There's two kinds of people in this world, there's winners and there's losers. Okay, you know what the difference is? Winners don't give up.

Grandpa: Are you gettin' any?
Richard: Dad!
Grandpa: You can tell me, Dwayne. Are you gettin' any?
Richard: Come on, please.
Grandpa: [Dwayne shakes his head] No? Jesus. You're what? Fifteen? My God, man!
Richard: Dad!
Grandpa: You should be gettin' that young stuff.
Richard: Dad!
Grandpa: That young stuff is the best stuff in the whole world.
Richard: Hey! Hey! Dad! That's enough! Stop it!
Grandpa: Will you kindly not interrupt me, Richard! See, right now you're jailbait, they're jailbait. It's perfect. I mean, you hit 18, man! You're talkin' about three to five.

[Dwayne looks around van; writes frantically on notepad... ]
Frank: [reading notepad] "Where's Olive?"...
Sheryl: Oh!

Olive: What are you guys talking about?
Grandpa: [thinks for a moment] Politics.
Olive: Oh.

LINKS:
(Note: All were working at the time of going to press)
Trailer:

Film Review: DESPICABLE ME (2010)

Directors: Pierre Coffin & Chris Renaud
Running time: 91 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Genre: Animation/Comedy/Adventure
UK Release date: 15^th October 2010

Watched on Sky+ Tuesday 18^th October 2011.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I seem to remember this getting a fairly patchy response from the critics when it came out… probably all that 3D nonsense. Fortunately I managed to avoid all that by waiting for it to appear on TV in the correct number of dimensions for the screen. As for the film, well I really enjoyed it! Likable characters, a nice plot and some great comic moments… who could ask for more!? I’ll give you further thoughts after this brief summary.

Gru is a villain, he’s been a villain for a long time, but now his evil deeds are being superseded by much younger up-and-coming villains. He’s not happy, even his mother finds him a bit of a disappointment, but he has a plan. It’s a very cunning and dastardly plan, but he’ll need to steal a shrink ray gun and borrow some money from the bank first. He steals the ray, but it’s stolen from him by a young upstart villain called Vector. Gru tries to retrieve it but cannot gain entry to his compound. Seeing three orphan girls get in by selling cookies, Gru forms another plan. He goes to Miss Hattie’s Orphanage and adopts the three girls; Margo, Edith and Agnes. His plan: to get them into the compound so he can plant something there that will allow him to gain access to the ray gun. His many minions and Dr. Nefario help him with this clever scheme and it is a success… but the girls have other ideas about Gru and, it seems, they just might be turning him away from his ultimate goal… To steal the ****! Oops, hope I didn’t say too much there… Sorry Spoiler Police… I, I’ll come quietly.

As I’ve already said, I enjoyed this film very much, it must me my kind of humour or something, but there were far more ‘laugh out loud’ moments (for me) than usual. The animation was very well done, I’d go so far as to say it was almost up to Pixar standard. I loved Steve Carell as the voice of Gru, his Russian accent was hilarious. Also worthy of note were the voice talents of; Jason Segel as Vector, Russell Brand as Dr. Nefario, Julie Andrews as Gru’s Mom, Will Arnett as Mr, Perkins, Kristen Wiig as Miss Hattie, Miranda Cosgrove as Margo, Dana Gaier as Edith and Elsie Fisher as Agnes.

One of the things I like to write about when reviewing a film is how it makes me feel. Well, this film did pull at the heartstrings a little, but much more than that it made me laugh. It’s definitely one I will re-visit at some point because I’m sure there are many subtle little jokes I missed first time around. Whether you’re young or slightly older (like me), I’m sure you’ll get some laughs out of this one… It’s not perfect, but I very much enjoyed it nonetheless… Recommended.

My Score: 8.4/10.

IMDb Score: 7.5/10 (based on 68,835 votes at the time of going to press).
http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1323594/

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81/100 (based on 187 reviews counted at the time of going to press).
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1214097-despicable_me/

If you’re crazy enough… You can find me on Facebook at:
http://facebook.com/andy.steel3

FAVOURITE QUOTES:
Gru: We stole the Statue of Liberty...!
[the minions cheer]
Gru: ...the small one, from Las Vegas!
[the cheers stop]
Gru: I won't even mention the Eiffel Tower... also Vegas.

Gru: Do you speak Spanish?
Miss Hattie: Do I look like someone who speaks Spanish?
Gru: It's just that your face is so... Como un burro.
Miss Hattie: Oh! Why, thank you!

Agnes: I like him. He's nice.
Edith: He's scary.
Agnes: Like Santa.

LINKS:
Official Site: http://www.despicableme.com/
Trailer:

Film Review: DATE NIGHT (2010)

Director: Shawn Levy
Running Time: 85 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 15

Genre: Comedy/Crime/Romance
UK Release Date: 21st April 2010

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 17th April 2010.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

To be honest, I wasn’t going to watch this one as I’m not really a fan of comedies. They are generally stupid and labour the point they are trying to make so much that I can find them quite tedious. Fortunately this one wasn’t too bad, yes, there are parts you can see coming from about 50 miles away, but it’s saved by the performances of the two main characters. I’ll tell you more about that after this brief summary (summary haters, and those that don’t wish to know about the plot, please hide the evidence while I write the next paragraph).

Phil and Claire Foster are an average New Jersey couple and they are stuck in a bit of a rut. They have two kids, boring jobs and everything seems to be routine. Even date night has become a routine; they go to the same restaurant, eat the same food, talk about the same people, it’s all getting a bit predictable. One day they hear that their friends, another couple in a similar situation are about to separate. Desperate to not end up in the same situation, they decide to go into Manhattan to a posh restaurant for a nice meal. They arrive late and the place is fully booked, but they wait at the bar hoping for a cancellation. A waitress is looking for the Tripplehorn’s and can’t find them and so Phil and Claire claim to be them, just so they can get their dream date night. This proves to be a big mistake, the next thing they know two guys take them to the alley  and ask them for a stolen flash drive. When they pull out guns the couple believe it’s serious. This is where the fun begins and this is where I’ll leave my summary. I don’t want the Spoiler Police after my flash drive.

Pretty decent performances all round, particularly from Steve Carell as Phil Foster and Tina Fey as Claire Foster. In the moments where they are just being a regular couple they are really good. The comedy stuff… well, I’ll leave that up to you. Mark Wahlberg does a nice job of acting without a shirt as Holbrooke Grant and Taraji P. Henson was also pretty good (with shirt) as Detective Arroyo. Honourable mentions go to; William Fichtner as DA Frank Crenshaw, Kristen Wiig as Haley Sullivan, Mark Ruffalo as Brad Sullivan, James Franco as Taste, Mila Kunis as Whippit and, last but not least, a great little cameo from Ray Liotta (uncredited) as mob boss Joe Miletto.

It’s a pretty well made film with some nice stunt work and a pretty good soundtrack. Again, The Ramones get an airing of their song ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. A pretty enjoyable film that, although very predictable in places, I wasn’t too offended by. It won’t feature very high on my re-watch list, but it was OK… Recommended, if only for the rapport between Carell and Fey when they’re just being a couple.

My Score: 5.6/10

LINKS:
(RT = Rotten Tomatoes)
IMDb Page: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1279935/
RT Page: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/date_night/
Trailer: