Showing posts with label Comedy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comedy. Show all posts
June 16, 2013
THIS IS THE END (2013)
* * * 1/2
(Comedy)
D: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen (James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson)
R (brief nudity, comic gore) / C-107m / USA
While attending a party at James Franco's house, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel and many other celebrities are faced with the apocalypse. When most of them get sucked into a giant hell hole, the survivors (namely the six guys on the movie poster) are trapped in Franco's house, fighting over rations and warding off monsters and Emma Watson.
Great premise and dark humour -- I was all over it like peanut butter and syrup on pancakes. I love James Franco and Seth Rogen in just about anything, and Craig Robinson (NBC's The Office) is so lovable I think he should star in his own movie. He's got the charisma to carry it off.
Basically, it's Clerks crossed with Army of Darkness with a good dose of Ghostbusters. Seth Rogen adapted this from a short film he co-wrote with Jason Stone (Jay and Seth vs. The Apocalypse). It's a high-budget home movie where Seth invites all his buddies in the business to play at James Franco's house. I kind of wish Bruce Campbell was invited to this shindig. Maybe they're afraid he'll take over?
There are a lot of laughs, especially at the expense of Michael Cera, (which has a great payoff), but the viewer's enjoyment will largely rely upon main actors' films and their public personas. Those who enjoy shows like Army of Darkness, Superbad, Pineapple Express, South Park, or any Judd Apatow comedy will have a good time. It delivers the goods, but only a certain core group will appreciate this. Never truly mean-spirited and a fun "party" movie that goes with beer and pizza, This is the End is good-naturedly crude and comically gory, being set in Hollywood during the apocalypse, after all.
This is a tough one. I can recommend this to some people, but warn others to stay away (or rent the DVD). I'm glad I saw it, but I'd rather see it on the Movie Channel in the comfort of my own home. It just didn't have enough of what I'd hope to see, namely movie stars from different genres outside the Rogen comedy universe. I would mix it up a bit. How cool would it be if Judy Dench or Helen Mirren decided to crash the party? They could get ignored by the younger crowd because nobody saw Shakespeare in Love or The Queen. Look, there's Harrison Ford sulking in a corner, growling at everyone to leave him alone. Meryl Street and Daniel Day Lewis have a fist-fight over who can do the most accents. Next-door neighbour Justin Bieber calls the cops to complain about the noise.
But, unfortunately, Seth Rogen won't take my calls. Darn restraining order.
January 07, 2012
THE BRADY BUNCH MOVIE (1995)
* * *
D: Betty Thomas. Gary Cole, Shelley Long, Christine Taylor, Jean Smart, Michael McKean, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jennifer Elise Cox, Paul Sutera, Olivia Hack, Jesse Lee Soffer, Harriette Mantel
PG-13 for racy innuendoes; 90 min. USA
Tagline: They're back to save America from the '90s
A better tagline would be, Put on your Sunday best, kids, we’re going to Sears! As an appreciative viewer, one definitely needs to have grown up watching the popular sit-com that ran from 1969 to 1974 and its awful sequels about a blended family to appreciate this gem. It also helps to have a healthy contempt/affection for anything from the 1970s. I have both, so I loved it. I remember those horrible tacky clothes from Sears and wanting long blonde hair like Marcia.
This time around, the Bradys are a 70s family completely unaware that they're living in the 1990's, and even less aware that they just aren't remotely cool. Gary Cole and Shelley Long (Cheers) are a riot as Mike and Carol Brady respectively, especially Cole, who steals every scene he's in as a pedantic, clueless 70s dad who practically holds everyone in the room hostage in order to drone today's 'lesson' as long as possible. We all know patriarchal windbags like this guy, and Cole just runs with it and scores a touchdown.
Also of note is Jennifer Elise Cox, who gives her Jan Brady a wicked, almost psychotic spin as the middle sister who tries so hard to be an upbeat Brady and smothers her rage over the blatant favouritism shown to vain airhead Marcia (Christine Taylor, a near dead ringer for Maureen McCormick).
Watch out for cameos of icons from the 70s - to reveal more would ruin the fun of discovering them for yourself.
D: Betty Thomas. Gary Cole, Shelley Long, Christine Taylor, Jean Smart, Michael McKean, Christopher Daniel Barnes, Jennifer Elise Cox, Paul Sutera, Olivia Hack, Jesse Lee Soffer, Harriette Mantel
PG-13 for racy innuendoes; 90 min. USA
Tagline: They're back to save America from the '90s
A better tagline would be, Put on your Sunday best, kids, we’re going to Sears! As an appreciative viewer, one definitely needs to have grown up watching the popular sit-com that ran from 1969 to 1974 and its awful sequels about a blended family to appreciate this gem. It also helps to have a healthy contempt/affection for anything from the 1970s. I have both, so I loved it. I remember those horrible tacky clothes from Sears and wanting long blonde hair like Marcia.
This time around, the Bradys are a 70s family completely unaware that they're living in the 1990's, and even less aware that they just aren't remotely cool. Gary Cole and Shelley Long (Cheers) are a riot as Mike and Carol Brady respectively, especially Cole, who steals every scene he's in as a pedantic, clueless 70s dad who practically holds everyone in the room hostage in order to drone today's 'lesson' as long as possible. We all know patriarchal windbags like this guy, and Cole just runs with it and scores a touchdown.
Also of note is Jennifer Elise Cox, who gives her Jan Brady a wicked, almost psychotic spin as the middle sister who tries so hard to be an upbeat Brady and smothers her rage over the blatant favouritism shown to vain airhead Marcia (Christine Taylor, a near dead ringer for Maureen McCormick).
Watch out for cameos of icons from the 70s - to reveal more would ruin the fun of discovering them for yourself.
January 02, 2012
BEACHES (1988)
* * 1/2
D: Garry Marshall (Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey, John Heard, Mayim Bialik)
PG, C-123m, USA
Tagline: The Friendship You'll Always Remember... In The Film You'll Never Forget
A thirty-year friendship begins at the beach, when rich kid Hillary Whitney meets child performer Cecilia Carol "CC" Bloom (by the excellent Mayim Bialick, who later became well-known for her role as the title character of the 1980s Blossom, and currently played the hilariously off-putting Amy Farrah Fowler in the comedy hit The Big Bang Theory). The girls live in different states, but faithfully write to each other well into their early twenties.
When they grow up and meet again, CC (Midler) is living in a dumpy apartment, delivering singing telegrams in a bunny suit between auditions. Hillary Whitney Essex (Hershey), now an uptight WASPy lawyer, has given up her pampered life to find her own path. Over the next decade, they bond, eat ice cream, have facials, and get to know each other even better, which may not have been the best idea. As life progresses, the girls grow and change. Hillary tries to be open-minded, but can't quite shake her snobbish upbringing. CC is to the point of obnoxiousness -- though her mother Leona (Lainie Kazan, who hilariously plays the interfering Jewish mother stereotype to the hilt) is far more abrasive. One scene stands out in my mind. Years later, Leona dials down the shrieking harpy routine in a scene where she tells her daughter her true feelings about her. It's painful to watch, and my heart broke a little.
Despite her rather oversized ego, CC is insecure about her looks, and constantly asks for reassurance about her talent. Her need for validation is exhausting for her family and friends, but understandable. There's a vulnerability under the tough showgirl exterior. It doesn't help when the more conventionally attractive Hillary is standing right next to her when she tries to flirt with a handsome stage director (blandly played by John Heard). They compete for the same man, but as soon as they talk it over, other problems arise, mostly stemming from class differences and jealousy of the other's qualities. CC is jealous of Hillary's beauty and intelligence, and even when she succeeds and earns her own fortune, she still has more money than class. Hillary is jealous of CC's talent and brash confidence, as it makes her extremely conscious of her own timidity of life. Through no fault of her own, she becomes a pretentious snob, thanks to her marriage to a humourless attorney who expects her to give up her practice to become a corporate wife. An argument in a Bloomingdale's department store takes an ugly turn, testing a friendship that was fragile to begin with.
To be honest, I have a problem believing in their friendship. They met once. They never grew up together -- so naturally reuniting in person as adults would be quite a shock. No shared school or camp experiences, which can bridge even the most different of backgrounds. Not even prison. They have nothing in common. Neither is particularly likable. The men in their lives are about as exciting as dry toast, so it is hard to care about their romances. Much of the viewer's enjoyment depends their tolerance of the CC Bloom character. Midler also co-produced the movie, and seemed to get the best lines and more screen time. She's a talented singer, but a little of her goes a long way. Both are terrific actresses, but I prefer them in other movies. They are both better than the material.
Beaches has a devoted fan base, but it's not for people who hate romantic comedies or "chick flicks". I don't generally enjoy this kind of film, but I'm glad I finally saw it. Lovers of Terms of Endearment (1983) and similar weepies will enjoy it. Personally, I thought it was too long and needed to edited - a half-hour trim would have helped a lot. There is a point in the third act when it would have been wise to end and roll credits, but it goes on for several more scenes. Director Garry Marshall likes to milk what are supposed to be emotional, heart-wrenching scenes, when it would be more effective to simply end as it began -- at the beach.
D: Garry Marshall (Bette Midler, Barbara Hershey, John Heard, Mayim Bialik)
PG, C-123m, USA
Tagline: The Friendship You'll Always Remember... In The Film You'll Never Forget
A thirty-year friendship begins at the beach, when rich kid Hillary Whitney meets child performer Cecilia Carol "CC" Bloom (by the excellent Mayim Bialick, who later became well-known for her role as the title character of the 1980s Blossom, and currently played the hilariously off-putting Amy Farrah Fowler in the comedy hit The Big Bang Theory). The girls live in different states, but faithfully write to each other well into their early twenties.
When they grow up and meet again, CC (Midler) is living in a dumpy apartment, delivering singing telegrams in a bunny suit between auditions. Hillary Whitney Essex (Hershey), now an uptight WASPy lawyer, has given up her pampered life to find her own path. Over the next decade, they bond, eat ice cream, have facials, and get to know each other even better, which may not have been the best idea. As life progresses, the girls grow and change. Hillary tries to be open-minded, but can't quite shake her snobbish upbringing. CC is to the point of obnoxiousness -- though her mother Leona (Lainie Kazan, who hilariously plays the interfering Jewish mother stereotype to the hilt) is far more abrasive. One scene stands out in my mind. Years later, Leona dials down the shrieking harpy routine in a scene where she tells her daughter her true feelings about her. It's painful to watch, and my heart broke a little.
Despite her rather oversized ego, CC is insecure about her looks, and constantly asks for reassurance about her talent. Her need for validation is exhausting for her family and friends, but understandable. There's a vulnerability under the tough showgirl exterior. It doesn't help when the more conventionally attractive Hillary is standing right next to her when she tries to flirt with a handsome stage director (blandly played by John Heard). They compete for the same man, but as soon as they talk it over, other problems arise, mostly stemming from class differences and jealousy of the other's qualities. CC is jealous of Hillary's beauty and intelligence, and even when she succeeds and earns her own fortune, she still has more money than class. Hillary is jealous of CC's talent and brash confidence, as it makes her extremely conscious of her own timidity of life. Through no fault of her own, she becomes a pretentious snob, thanks to her marriage to a humourless attorney who expects her to give up her practice to become a corporate wife. An argument in a Bloomingdale's department store takes an ugly turn, testing a friendship that was fragile to begin with.
To be honest, I have a problem believing in their friendship. They met once. They never grew up together -- so naturally reuniting in person as adults would be quite a shock. No shared school or camp experiences, which can bridge even the most different of backgrounds. Not even prison. They have nothing in common. Neither is particularly likable. The men in their lives are about as exciting as dry toast, so it is hard to care about their romances. Much of the viewer's enjoyment depends their tolerance of the CC Bloom character. Midler also co-produced the movie, and seemed to get the best lines and more screen time. She's a talented singer, but a little of her goes a long way. Both are terrific actresses, but I prefer them in other movies. They are both better than the material.
Beaches has a devoted fan base, but it's not for people who hate romantic comedies or "chick flicks". I don't generally enjoy this kind of film, but I'm glad I finally saw it. Lovers of Terms of Endearment (1983) and similar weepies will enjoy it. Personally, I thought it was too long and needed to edited - a half-hour trim would have helped a lot. There is a point in the third act when it would have been wise to end and roll credits, but it goes on for several more scenes. Director Garry Marshall likes to milk what are supposed to be emotional, heart-wrenching scenes, when it would be more effective to simply end as it began -- at the beach.
August 16, 2010
NANNY McPHEE (2005)
* * *
D: Kirk Jones: (Emma Thomson, Colin Firth, Kellie McDonald, Imelda Staunton, Derek Jacoby, and Angela Lansbury)
PG for mild thematic elements, some rude humor and brief language.97 m. US/UK/France
Tagline: You'll learn to love her. Warts and all.
Very charming fairy tale fantasy about a widower with seven rambunctuous children and a mysterious, magical nanny who comes into their lives. Strong elements of Mary Poppins, The Sound of Music, and Edward Scissorhands, yet completely original. A whimsical, gentle comedy and veddy, veddy British.
May 06, 2010
MY NAME IS BRUCE (2007)
* 1/2
D: Bruce Campbell (Bruce Campbell, Ted Campbell, Taylor Sharpe, Grace Thorsen
PG13, 86m, USA
Tagline: Fearless! Unstoppable! Ready For His Close-Up!Silly but fun little goofball of a film starring/directed by Bruce Campbell, king of the B movies. Campbell plays himself as a jerky has-been actor who finds himself in a crummy small town called Goldlick. The locals mistake him for Ash (the hero of the Evil Dead movies) and expect him to save their town from a monster who's eliminating them one by one. Starts out strong and kind of peters out. Special effects are okay, not great, and the monster is not scary at all - the costume could have come straight out of K-Mart. For die-hard Campbell fans only - lots of in-jokes and a few cameos from the old Evil Dead movies.
July 07, 2009
SCHOOL OF ROCK (2003)
* * * 1/2
PG-13 (rude humour and some drug references), C-108m. USA, Germany
D: Art Linklater. Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman.
Tagline: Mr. Black. Accept no substitute.
If you see just one Jack Black film in your entire life, make it School of Rock. He simply lets the beast loose and gives a blistering performance as Dewey Finn, an overweight musician who eats, drinks, and breathes rock-and-roll. He's a slacker who doesn't pay rent and allows his friend and room mate to pay his share, shows up late for rehearsals, hogs the spotlight, and cheerfully goes along his merry way without considering boring things like rent, bills, or responsibility. That's for drones, dude. He's a creature of the moment. It's not that he's a bad person - he just has better things to do... like rock out! He dreads the idea of a "real" job; to him, that's selling out, man. Giving up what he loves is like giving up oxygen.
Dewey's passion for rock is so all-consuming that when it's timidly suggested that he sell one of his guitars to pay the rent, he asks incredulously, "Would you tell Picasso to sell one of his guitars?"
After one drunken grandstanding stunt too many, he gets the old heave-ho from his own band. Room mate Ned Schneebly (Mike White, who wrote the screenplay especially for Black, who does vocals and guitar for the rock band Tenacious D), a milquetoast substitute teacher, is pressured by bossy girlfriend Patty Di Marco (bitchily played by Sarah Silverman) to give Dewey an ultimatum: Get a "real" job or move out. She's is an emotional vampire, sucking the life out of wussy Ned and licking her lips for more; she's sort of a less malignant version of Melissa, the girlfriend from hell who browbeats poor Ed Helms in The Hangover. If you’ve ever caught her offbeat The Comedy Network’s The Sarah Silverman Show, you'll find her shrewish performance here is quite a departure from her own slacker persona.
With eviction on the horizon, Dewey is on the brink of spiralling depression until opportunity knocks... or rather, rings. He receives a call intended for Ned and after learning that a few weeks of teaching will earn the money he owes, steals Ned's substitute teacher job by impersonating him.
At first, our scruffy scalawag has no respect for the teaching profession, dismissing it as easy money for babysitting a bunch of kids. But when he finds himself teaching fifth grade at a prep school run by the tightly-wound Principal Roz Mullins (the always excellent Joan Cusack), it's a rocky start, and he has to scramble fast to keep up the charade. He might be able to fool Principal Mullins, but these kids are no fools. Movie kids never are.
Awkward and unprepared, he tries to give his students nothing but free time, but as most of us recall, time in a classroom goes slower than spectator golf. It's only when he accidentally overhears their music class that Dewey realizes that some of his students actually have talent, and gets a brilliant idea, telling them that they're going to do a class project called "Rock Band". Not only does it sort of get him off the hook, but he sees an opportunity to create his own band to enter the Battle of the Bands Contest and avenge his ousting from his old band by winning the $20,000 prize. True to 'teacher movies' of this type, Dewey (or "Mr. S", as he calls himself after an unsuccessful attempt to write 'Mr. Schneebly' on the board), finds himself bonding with his students, and even remembering their names by the time the credits start to roll. Aw... nobody saw that coming, did they? Gosh, I sure didn't!
But it's the way he does it that's a joy to watch. Not everyone is musically gifted, so he assigns them real jobs: roadies, security, special effects, costumes, sound, etc. Even groupies (or "cheerleaders" as he describes them to an understandably unimpressed student) get to name the band, and design t-shirts. And just what do you do with a colossally unmusical Type A ten-year-old who threatens to blow the whistle on you for trying to make her a groupie? Why, make her the band manager, of course.
When Mr. S asks the 'musical' ones who their influences are, he's appalled by the answers. When he hears, "Christina Aguilera", you can just see his little rockin' heart breaking. Imagine his reaction to American Idol. That's when he gets serious and decides to expose them to what he considers to be real rock: The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, and especially Jimi Hendrix, Iggy Pop, and Kurt Cobain. He teaches them the joy of expressing their creativity and stickin' it to the Man. As you'd expect with a 'teacher movie', everyone changes in one way or another. The kids learn to loosen up and feel the joy of challenging themselves. They need him, or there's a chance they'll end up beaten down by convention and rules like poor Ned - especially one young boy who is constantly browbeaten by his humourless father. Boy, does he need a different father figure. Dewey changes too, without compromising who he is. More importantly, he learns when to lead and when to graciously step aside, to be an effective leader and guide their talents so that everyone can contribute to the band and feel a real sense of accomplishment.
Gee... do you think our boy Dewey has found his calling?
Joan Cusack more than holds her own with the more flamboyant Black as the uptight principal with a secret rocker-chick side. She has had a great career as a screen sidekick, and I really wish she would get her own movie. With her wonderfully expressive face and gangly Olive Oyl limbs, she may not be "Hollywood" beautiful, but she's every bit as talented as her brother John and easily steals every scene she's in, including those as Melanie Griffith's gal pal in 1988's Working Girl. She can certainly act better than baby-voiced Griffith, that's for sure. But that's another review... maybe.
It's to Mike White's credit and utter lack of vanity that he lets everyone else eat the scenery. As a writer of such character-based gems as Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl, and Year of the Dog, White is smart enough to let Jack Black do his thing, and then very timidly reminds us that he's there as the unappealing yin to Dewey's yang. Like Ed Helms’ hen-pecked character in The Hangover, Ned is completely cowed and unable to stand up to a female bully. But unlike the other guy, he is so contemptibly weak that you really don’t feel like saving him. It’s too much fun to watch.
“Dewey, maybe you should give up those dreams. I mean, I did..." Ned glances nervously at his fiercely approving fiancée and lamely finishes, "and things are going really great for me." He desperately believes that his path is the smarter, more sensible one, even though he's sure to die slowly from the inside. Patty's thirsty, and she's got that soul-suckin' straw ready.
Even his so-called ‘best friend’ has affectionate contempt for him. Note what Dewey wears on his first day of teaching; the tweedy 'teacher outfit', complete with cardigan, Orville Redenbacher bow tie, and hair neatly combed and parted to the side is ridiculously reminiscent of dorky Archie Andrews from the 1940s comics. It's so strange to see Jack Black with his hair combed, but perfect for the character. With his low opinion of Ned's profession, this is exactly what Dewey Finn would imagine a substitute teacher to look like. He probably dunked Ned's head in a few toilets before they became friends in school. I can just see grade-school Dewey offering 'protection' in exchange for the Anemic One to do his homework for him. It’s safe to assume that he likely recruited Ned as a band member earlier, which is why the photo of Rocker Ned-before-Patty looks hilariously pathetic. And how else could we possibly imagine Ned as a rocker before Patty got her hooks into him?
The Jack is wild here - he's a dervish and force of nature. He's like the illegitimate offspring of John Belushi, Meatloaf, Wolfman Jack, and the Tazmanian Devil. He's practically a cartoon character. Watch the way his eyes dart around as he's scheming, how those beetled eyebrows do a weird 'wave' from one end to the other, especially when he listens to the kids' music class. With a lesser actor, it would be cheap mugging but Black is too good for that, and never winks at the audience. He reminded me of Bill Murray's Tripper Harrison in 1979's Meatballs, another cheerfully anarchic character who inspires the sad sack youngsters in a crappy summer camp to thumb their noses at the Man.
Black shows chops as a serious actor and dials it way down when acting across from thespian heavyweights Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Margo at the Wedding (2007), as well as in King Kong (2005) with Naomi Watts. Like fellow madman Jim Carrey, he can do more than just mug and cavort for the camera. I remember watching an old X-Files episode (D.P.O. Season 3, Episode 3) and being completely taken by surprise when I recognized a young Jack Black as the villain's clueless best friend. I should have known then that this guy was lightning in a bottle - it was just a matter of time before someone let it out.
The kids are marvels. Despite being having no professional acting experience, they seem to enjoy working with Wild Jack, and though nobody is likely to pull an Anna Paquin, no one falls into the pit of dreadful kid-acting that seems to permeate Disney's Family Channel either. Best of all, there’s no air guitar or lip-syncing here. They play their own instruments and believably evolve from amateurish band standards to a bona fide rock performance.
In my opinion, the PG-13 rating is too strict. It’s a great family film, and everyone (maybe seven and older) can enjoy it. If anything, maybe your kid will stop bugging you for Guitar Hero™ and ask to learn to play a real instrument.
If not, well, just smile and let them find out the hard way when they throw themselves into a mosh pit and nobody bothers to catch them.
PG-13 (rude humour and some drug references), C-108m. USA, Germany
D: Art Linklater. Jack Black, Joan Cusack, Mike White, Sarah Silverman.
Tagline: Mr. Black. Accept no substitute.
If you see just one Jack Black film in your entire life, make it School of Rock. He simply lets the beast loose and gives a blistering performance as Dewey Finn, an overweight musician who eats, drinks, and breathes rock-and-roll. He's a slacker who doesn't pay rent and allows his friend and room mate to pay his share, shows up late for rehearsals, hogs the spotlight, and cheerfully goes along his merry way without considering boring things like rent, bills, or responsibility. That's for drones, dude. He's a creature of the moment. It's not that he's a bad person - he just has better things to do... like rock out! He dreads the idea of a "real" job; to him, that's selling out, man. Giving up what he loves is like giving up oxygen.
Dewey's passion for rock is so all-consuming that when it's timidly suggested that he sell one of his guitars to pay the rent, he asks incredulously, "Would you tell Picasso to sell one of his guitars?"
After one drunken grandstanding stunt too many, he gets the old heave-ho from his own band. Room mate Ned Schneebly (Mike White, who wrote the screenplay especially for Black, who does vocals and guitar for the rock band Tenacious D), a milquetoast substitute teacher, is pressured by bossy girlfriend Patty Di Marco (bitchily played by Sarah Silverman) to give Dewey an ultimatum: Get a "real" job or move out. She's is an emotional vampire, sucking the life out of wussy Ned and licking her lips for more; she's sort of a less malignant version of Melissa, the girlfriend from hell who browbeats poor Ed Helms in The Hangover. If you’ve ever caught her offbeat The Comedy Network’s The Sarah Silverman Show, you'll find her shrewish performance here is quite a departure from her own slacker persona.
With eviction on the horizon, Dewey is on the brink of spiralling depression until opportunity knocks... or rather, rings. He receives a call intended for Ned and after learning that a few weeks of teaching will earn the money he owes, steals Ned's substitute teacher job by impersonating him.
At first, our scruffy scalawag has no respect for the teaching profession, dismissing it as easy money for babysitting a bunch of kids. But when he finds himself teaching fifth grade at a prep school run by the tightly-wound Principal Roz Mullins (the always excellent Joan Cusack), it's a rocky start, and he has to scramble fast to keep up the charade. He might be able to fool Principal Mullins, but these kids are no fools. Movie kids never are.
Awkward and unprepared, he tries to give his students nothing but free time, but as most of us recall, time in a classroom goes slower than spectator golf. It's only when he accidentally overhears their music class that Dewey realizes that some of his students actually have talent, and gets a brilliant idea, telling them that they're going to do a class project called "Rock Band". Not only does it sort of get him off the hook, but he sees an opportunity to create his own band to enter the Battle of the Bands Contest and avenge his ousting from his old band by winning the $20,000 prize. True to 'teacher movies' of this type, Dewey (or "Mr. S", as he calls himself after an unsuccessful attempt to write 'Mr. Schneebly' on the board), finds himself bonding with his students, and even remembering their names by the time the credits start to roll. Aw... nobody saw that coming, did they? Gosh, I sure didn't!
But it's the way he does it that's a joy to watch. Not everyone is musically gifted, so he assigns them real jobs: roadies, security, special effects, costumes, sound, etc. Even groupies (or "cheerleaders" as he describes them to an understandably unimpressed student) get to name the band, and design t-shirts. And just what do you do with a colossally unmusical Type A ten-year-old who threatens to blow the whistle on you for trying to make her a groupie? Why, make her the band manager, of course.
When Mr. S asks the 'musical' ones who their influences are, he's appalled by the answers. When he hears, "Christina Aguilera", you can just see his little rockin' heart breaking. Imagine his reaction to American Idol. That's when he gets serious and decides to expose them to what he considers to be real rock: The Beatles, Janis Joplin, Pink Floyd, AC/DC, and especially Jimi Hendrix, Iggy Pop, and Kurt Cobain. He teaches them the joy of expressing their creativity and stickin' it to the Man. As you'd expect with a 'teacher movie', everyone changes in one way or another. The kids learn to loosen up and feel the joy of challenging themselves. They need him, or there's a chance they'll end up beaten down by convention and rules like poor Ned - especially one young boy who is constantly browbeaten by his humourless father. Boy, does he need a different father figure. Dewey changes too, without compromising who he is. More importantly, he learns when to lead and when to graciously step aside, to be an effective leader and guide their talents so that everyone can contribute to the band and feel a real sense of accomplishment.
Gee... do you think our boy Dewey has found his calling?
Joan Cusack more than holds her own with the more flamboyant Black as the uptight principal with a secret rocker-chick side. She has had a great career as a screen sidekick, and I really wish she would get her own movie. With her wonderfully expressive face and gangly Olive Oyl limbs, she may not be "Hollywood" beautiful, but she's every bit as talented as her brother John and easily steals every scene she's in, including those as Melanie Griffith's gal pal in 1988's Working Girl. She can certainly act better than baby-voiced Griffith, that's for sure. But that's another review... maybe.
It's to Mike White's credit and utter lack of vanity that he lets everyone else eat the scenery. As a writer of such character-based gems as Chuck and Buck, The Good Girl, and Year of the Dog, White is smart enough to let Jack Black do his thing, and then very timidly reminds us that he's there as the unappealing yin to Dewey's yang. Like Ed Helms’ hen-pecked character in The Hangover, Ned is completely cowed and unable to stand up to a female bully. But unlike the other guy, he is so contemptibly weak that you really don’t feel like saving him. It’s too much fun to watch.
“Dewey, maybe you should give up those dreams. I mean, I did..." Ned glances nervously at his fiercely approving fiancée and lamely finishes, "and things are going really great for me." He desperately believes that his path is the smarter, more sensible one, even though he's sure to die slowly from the inside. Patty's thirsty, and she's got that soul-suckin' straw ready.
Even his so-called ‘best friend’ has affectionate contempt for him. Note what Dewey wears on his first day of teaching; the tweedy 'teacher outfit', complete with cardigan, Orville Redenbacher bow tie, and hair neatly combed and parted to the side is ridiculously reminiscent of dorky Archie Andrews from the 1940s comics. It's so strange to see Jack Black with his hair combed, but perfect for the character. With his low opinion of Ned's profession, this is exactly what Dewey Finn would imagine a substitute teacher to look like. He probably dunked Ned's head in a few toilets before they became friends in school. I can just see grade-school Dewey offering 'protection' in exchange for the Anemic One to do his homework for him. It’s safe to assume that he likely recruited Ned as a band member earlier, which is why the photo of Rocker Ned-before-Patty looks hilariously pathetic. And how else could we possibly imagine Ned as a rocker before Patty got her hooks into him?
The Jack is wild here - he's a dervish and force of nature. He's like the illegitimate offspring of John Belushi, Meatloaf, Wolfman Jack, and the Tazmanian Devil. He's practically a cartoon character. Watch the way his eyes dart around as he's scheming, how those beetled eyebrows do a weird 'wave' from one end to the other, especially when he listens to the kids' music class. With a lesser actor, it would be cheap mugging but Black is too good for that, and never winks at the audience. He reminded me of Bill Murray's Tripper Harrison in 1979's Meatballs, another cheerfully anarchic character who inspires the sad sack youngsters in a crappy summer camp to thumb their noses at the Man.
Black shows chops as a serious actor and dials it way down when acting across from thespian heavyweights Nicole Kidman and Jennifer Jason Leigh in Margo at the Wedding (2007), as well as in King Kong (2005) with Naomi Watts. Like fellow madman Jim Carrey, he can do more than just mug and cavort for the camera. I remember watching an old X-Files episode (D.P.O. Season 3, Episode 3) and being completely taken by surprise when I recognized a young Jack Black as the villain's clueless best friend. I should have known then that this guy was lightning in a bottle - it was just a matter of time before someone let it out.
The kids are marvels. Despite being having no professional acting experience, they seem to enjoy working with Wild Jack, and though nobody is likely to pull an Anna Paquin, no one falls into the pit of dreadful kid-acting that seems to permeate Disney's Family Channel either. Best of all, there’s no air guitar or lip-syncing here. They play their own instruments and believably evolve from amateurish band standards to a bona fide rock performance.
In my opinion, the PG-13 rating is too strict. It’s a great family film, and everyone (maybe seven and older) can enjoy it. If anything, maybe your kid will stop bugging you for Guitar Hero™ and ask to learn to play a real instrument.
If not, well, just smile and let them find out the hard way when they throw themselves into a mosh pit and nobody bothers to catch them.
July 01, 2009
Comedy: Do you take it black?
Black comedy is not for everyone. It's not "nice", nor is it gentle or comforting. It pokes fun at subjects that aren't considered humourous at all, like violence, death, religion, politics, love, the power of the human spirit, etc. And on their own, these things are not funny. So why do some of us laugh at this stuff on the silver screen?
Don't get me wrong. I'm as horrified as anyone else about real-life evils such as war, abuse, terrorism, and death. I like to think I'm a good person. I don't really want to hurt anyone. Real-life violence is not acceptable, ever. But being human, I do get angry, and need an outlet so I can smile at people who piss me off and avoid prison.
But... if you're anything like me, you also want to be assured of love and decency in the world, that good people do exist and the exceptional ones will step up and be heroes, like Harriet Tubman, those who gave sanctuary to prosecuted Jews during WWII, firefighters who risk their lives to save others, etc. You know, the real heroes. You want to believe that the bad guys will be punished as they should be in real life. You want to be the New Sheriff in Town, and smite evil in the messiest, more satisfying way possible. Or maybe you want to play Bad Hat for a couple of hours, and rip into the dillholes who make miserable for others, or even boring characters who represent their real-life counterparts in your life and drag you down. Perhaps you watch horror movies and black comedies in order to calm your fears and cope with the real monsters. Whatever it is, you're not a bad person. It's your coping mechanism, that's all. At least, I hope so.
One of my favourite sayings is this: I know how to be evil... I just choose not to be.
Sooooo....
You will hate these films if:
... you just want to be diverted for a couple of hours, but dislike conflicts more complicated than cute misunderstandings and pratfalls.
... you prefer light, non-threatening stories with "America's Sweetheart"-type actresses like Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan or Sandra Bullock as a bland, generically pretty heroine who somehow finds Twu Wuv with an equally bland, generically handsome hero.
... you think movie violence in Bugs Bunny cartoons is just awful. They were right to cut the scenes of Daffy Duck blowing his beak in twenty different directions. And Tom and Jerry should learn to co-exist. And share. And discuss their differences until they alienate their bloodthirsty fans.
These might be too much for the timid or the staunchly virtuous. If you're like Barbara Bush and don't want to waste your beautiful mind, that's your right. I still love you. We just can't go to the movies together, that's all. But if you're willing to look in a dark mirror, you may find some kindred spirits here.
American Psycho (2000) * * * 1/2
Former child actor and future Dark Knight Christian Slater shot to stardom with this nihilistic stab at 80's consumerism. This is about as far into a psychopath's head as you want to go.
Bad Santa (2003) * * *
Billy Bob Thornton won't just give you coal, he'll make you eat it.
Barton Fink (1991) * * * 1/2
The Coen Brothers knock the smugness out of a conceited playwright and that''s just the beginning of this Faustian tale.
Fido (2006) * * *
In this bizarro universe, zombies are not killed, they're programmed to serve the living. Carrie-Anne Moss is adorable as a chipper 50's mom who takes a shine to "Fido", a mild-mannered zombie.
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) * * *
A hitman (John Cusack) decides to attend his 20th high school reunion.
The Hangover (2009) * * * 1/2
Crude but hilarious road movie about a quartet of guys who go to Las Vegas for their buddy's bachelor party. A few drinks later, they wake up in their hotel room in chaos (including a man-eating tiger in the bathroom!) and the groom-to-be missing.
Heathers (1989) * * * 1/2
Wynona Ryder and Christian Slater wreak havoc upon cliques and high school hierarchy. This is Mean Girls with a shot of Drano.
Hot Fuzz (2007) * * * *
Simon Pegg is a humourless by-the-book policeman who is reassigned to a seemingly peaceful hamlet as 'punishment' for making his colleagues look bad. Lots of fun cameos from character actors in classic horror films like The Omen and The Wicker Man.
Parents (1989) * * *
In the bland conformist 50's, Randy Quaid is Dad, a bland, sinister patriarch in a family who only wants to take care of his family and raise his little boy to be Just Like Him. And just what does Daddy do at the plant?
Raising Arizona (1987) * * * *
Another early hit from those wascally Coen Brothers: A chronic criminal (dumb but lovable Nicolas Cage) and the tough cop he marries (a fiercely baby-crazed Holly Hunter) are unable to have children - so they steal one. This is like Bonnie and Clyde crossed with a Warner Bros. cartoon.
Serial Mom (1994) * * *
Kathleen Turner is a sweet old-fashioned mom who's fiercely, murderously protective of her family and her warped sense of right and wrong.
Shaun of the Dead (2004) * * *
This British gem launched Simon Pegg into stardom. He's a guy with parent and girlfriend issues, plus he has to deal with a zombie uprising.
To Die For (1995) * * *
A vapid, narcissistic weather girl (Nicole Kidman) decides that her dull hubby is an obstacle to her career. So she enlists a trio of high school outcasts to get rid of him. Sharply skewers television, fame, and the media.
Very Bad Things (1998) * * *
A bachelor party goes horribly wrong when a stripper/hooker is accidentally killed and the guys have to scramble to hide the body.
The War of the Roses (1989) * * * 1/2
Danny DeVito, Michael Douglas, and Kathleen Turner join forces in this poisonous valentine about a divorcing couple who go to extreme measures to possess the house.
Young Adult (2011) * * * 1/2
Don't get me wrong. I'm as horrified as anyone else about real-life evils such as war, abuse, terrorism, and death. I like to think I'm a good person. I don't really want to hurt anyone. Real-life violence is not acceptable, ever. But being human, I do get angry, and need an outlet so I can smile at people who piss me off and avoid prison.
But... if you're anything like me, you also want to be assured of love and decency in the world, that good people do exist and the exceptional ones will step up and be heroes, like Harriet Tubman, those who gave sanctuary to prosecuted Jews during WWII, firefighters who risk their lives to save others, etc. You know, the real heroes. You want to believe that the bad guys will be punished as they should be in real life. You want to be the New Sheriff in Town, and smite evil in the messiest, more satisfying way possible. Or maybe you want to play Bad Hat for a couple of hours, and rip into the dillholes who make miserable for others, or even boring characters who represent their real-life counterparts in your life and drag you down. Perhaps you watch horror movies and black comedies in order to calm your fears and cope with the real monsters. Whatever it is, you're not a bad person. It's your coping mechanism, that's all. At least, I hope so.
One of my favourite sayings is this: I know how to be evil... I just choose not to be.
Sooooo....
You will hate these films if:
... you just want to be diverted for a couple of hours, but dislike conflicts more complicated than cute misunderstandings and pratfalls.
... you prefer light, non-threatening stories with "America's Sweetheart"-type actresses like Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan or Sandra Bullock as a bland, generically pretty heroine who somehow finds Twu Wuv with an equally bland, generically handsome hero.
... you think movie violence in Bugs Bunny cartoons is just awful. They were right to cut the scenes of Daffy Duck blowing his beak in twenty different directions. And Tom and Jerry should learn to co-exist. And share. And discuss their differences until they alienate their bloodthirsty fans.
These might be too much for the timid or the staunchly virtuous. If you're like Barbara Bush and don't want to waste your beautiful mind, that's your right. I still love you. We just can't go to the movies together, that's all. But if you're willing to look in a dark mirror, you may find some kindred spirits here.
American Psycho (2000) * * * 1/2
Former child actor and future Dark Knight Christian Slater shot to stardom with this nihilistic stab at 80's consumerism. This is about as far into a psychopath's head as you want to go.
Bad Santa (2003) * * *
Billy Bob Thornton won't just give you coal, he'll make you eat it.
Barton Fink (1991) * * * 1/2
The Coen Brothers knock the smugness out of a conceited playwright and that''s just the beginning of this Faustian tale.
Fido (2006) * * *
In this bizarro universe, zombies are not killed, they're programmed to serve the living. Carrie-Anne Moss is adorable as a chipper 50's mom who takes a shine to "Fido", a mild-mannered zombie.
Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) * * *
A hitman (John Cusack) decides to attend his 20th high school reunion.
The Hangover (2009) * * * 1/2
Crude but hilarious road movie about a quartet of guys who go to Las Vegas for their buddy's bachelor party. A few drinks later, they wake up in their hotel room in chaos (including a man-eating tiger in the bathroom!) and the groom-to-be missing.
Heathers (1989) * * * 1/2
Wynona Ryder and Christian Slater wreak havoc upon cliques and high school hierarchy. This is Mean Girls with a shot of Drano.
Hot Fuzz (2007) * * * *
Simon Pegg is a humourless by-the-book policeman who is reassigned to a seemingly peaceful hamlet as 'punishment' for making his colleagues look bad. Lots of fun cameos from character actors in classic horror films like The Omen and The Wicker Man.
Parents (1989) * * *
In the bland conformist 50's, Randy Quaid is Dad, a bland, sinister patriarch in a family who only wants to take care of his family and raise his little boy to be Just Like Him. And just what does Daddy do at the plant?
Raising Arizona (1987) * * * *
Another early hit from those wascally Coen Brothers: A chronic criminal (dumb but lovable Nicolas Cage) and the tough cop he marries (a fiercely baby-crazed Holly Hunter) are unable to have children - so they steal one. This is like Bonnie and Clyde crossed with a Warner Bros. cartoon.
Serial Mom (1994) * * *
Kathleen Turner is a sweet old-fashioned mom who's fiercely, murderously protective of her family and her warped sense of right and wrong.
Shaun of the Dead (2004) * * *
This British gem launched Simon Pegg into stardom. He's a guy with parent and girlfriend issues, plus he has to deal with a zombie uprising.
To Die For (1995) * * *
A vapid, narcissistic weather girl (Nicole Kidman) decides that her dull hubby is an obstacle to her career. So she enlists a trio of high school outcasts to get rid of him. Sharply skewers television, fame, and the media.
Very Bad Things (1998) * * *
A bachelor party goes horribly wrong when a stripper/hooker is accidentally killed and the guys have to scramble to hide the body.
The War of the Roses (1989) * * * 1/2
Danny DeVito, Michael Douglas, and Kathleen Turner join forces in this poisonous valentine about a divorcing couple who go to extreme measures to possess the house.
Young Adult (2011) * * * 1/2
June 22, 2009
THE HANGOVER (2009)
* * * 1/2
R. C-100m. USA.
D: Todd Phillips. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham
Tagline: Some guys just can't handle Vegas.
Two days before their buddy's wedding, four guys drive to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, check into an expensive hotel suite, and set out to go drinking and gambling. Several hours later, three of them wake up to find their room completely trashed with a wandering chicken, a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, a hospital bracelet, a diamond belly-button stud, a missing tooth, and absolutely no memory of how they got into this situation.
Doug (Justin Bartha), the groom is missing, forcing his best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis) to retrace their steps and find him before the wedding. Doug is more of a catalyst than a character, and is fairly nondescript. Actually, he's hardly in the movie; even the baby (who has a gnomish cuteness) gets more screen time than he does. Prospective father-in-law Sid (Jeffrey Tambor from It's Gary Shandling's Show!) lends him his prized silver Mercedes with a wink and a promise that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". He also makes Doug swear that he will be the only one to drive it, much to the others' chagrin.
Phil, good-looking and confident, is a teacher, married with a kid and itching for some excitement. He's so bored with his suburban existence that he thinks nothing of stealing funds for the students' field trip to fund the bachelor party, and constantly warns Doug that once he's married, all he'll look forward to is dying a little each day. But despite his cynicism, you sense that he is genuinely concerned, especially when Stu reverently takes his grandmother's ring out of his pocket (that she had worn in the Holocaust) and announces his plans to propose to his girlfriend after the wedding. Phil mutters, "I think you're making a big mistake." His hooded eyes and sudden silence afterward show that this warning isn't just another variation of teasing his buddy about losing his freedom to The Joys of Married Life.
Stu, a repressed dentist, is terrorized and dominated by his abusive girlfriend Melissa (Rachael Harris), and so cowed that he promises to answer his cellphone whenever she calls. He even lies that the bachelor party will take place in wine country, and that the guys will be staying in a quaint little bed-and-breakfast inn. We can’t blame Stu, whose conservatism threatens to snap along with him, because even if he was forthright, Melissa would have definitely forbade him to go to Vegas. She is a fingernail short of declaring, “You’ve lost all your Nevada privileges!”
It gets worse. Stu makes excuses for her cheating on him on a cruise with a bartender ("She was wasted."), and beating him ("To be fair, I was out of line."). She grimly plays on his insecurities in order to ensure her dominance, constantly keeping him off-balance, like coldly pulling away when he tries to kiss her cheek. I hated this woman - it's a credit to Harris's delivery that she makes Melissa such a toxic, verbally abusive bully, yet a caricature in sync with this comically vicious world. I couldn't figure out why these two were together, unless she'd clubbed and dragged his nerdy carcass to her lair. This witch is so vile that she could’ve sucked a guy's soul through a straw.
In contrast, Heather Graham brings a sweet sexiness and warmth to her role as Jade, a good-natured stripper/hooker who accidentally marries Stu. His rigid, fearful nature likely arrested his social development and attracted Melissa, who no doubt smelled chum in the water. He is initially unable to accept the possibility that he might actually be happy with Jade, despite her profession. I just wanted to say, "Dude, loosen up!" and feed him a few bottles of laxatives.
But compared to the other females in the movie, she's the embodiment of that impossible ideal: The Perfect Woman. You know, sweet, caring, uncomplicated, and hot. She does a topless scene, but it's hardly erotic. In fact, it will likely make a lot of people cringe.
The last member of the group is Alan, a tubby, socially backward schlub who is somehow very sympathetic. He's so desperate to belong and have 'a wolf pack' that he writes a speech about it in a toast. There's something off-putting, yet sweet about him. Understandably, the guys don't particularly want him around, though Doug tolerates him, since they'll be brothers-in-law soon. You just know this guy was bombarded with dodgeballs of one kind or another all his life. Thanks to Galifianakis' deft delivery, his potentially creepy man-child character becomes the heart of the gang... and the movie. He's so sincere that you just want to rip up that pesky ol' restraining order and invite him to join the fun.
Here is an example of his innate decency: When Stu wails, "I lost a tooth! I married a whore!", Alan is genuinely offended on her behalf. "How dare you! She's a nice lady!"
He has the best lines, which I won't reveal here because a) they're mostly tasteless and b) they're way funnier coming from Alan than me. Except this one:
Stu: She's wearing my grandmother's ring! The one that she had from the Holocaust!
Alan: I didn't know they gave out rings at the Holocaust.
When he says this, he is not being sarcastic or disrespectful; Stu had shown the other two the ring earlier, before Alan had joined them, so he doesn't know about it until after Stu spots the ring on Jade's finger when they stop by her motel room. This is the first time the ring was mentioned in his presence, and he is honestly surprised that Stu's grandma had gotten a "souvenir".
I predict a successful career for him. He's sort of a sweeter version of Seth Rogen, and like Rogen, steals every scene he's in.
I don't usually like low-brow comedies unless it's 2:30 am and I'm so tired I'll laugh at anything, but this is much better than the limitations of this genre usually allows. Ed Helms, a longtime character actor who gets secondary roles, shines in his first time carrying a comedy. He has also found a niche for his real missing tooth. If you liked Wedding Crashers, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall or The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Hangover is a good bet. Obviously, this is not for children or the easily offended. It's a crude comedy, but redeems itself by actually being funny. In less capable hands, this would have turned into a bad frat boy fiasco. Unlike comedies of this sort, it's not so much mean-spirited as cheerfully hedonistic. And the real love story is the one between the guys who learn to value each other, no matter how stupid or disgusting they are. It's about celebrating those crazy friendships that some people are lucky enough to have - the stuff of fond memories. The girls back home, however, just don’t wanna have fun.
As one character declares, "This is what guys do."
R. C-100m. USA.
D: Todd Phillips. Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifianakis, Justin Bartha, Heather Graham
Tagline: Some guys just can't handle Vegas.
Two days before their buddy's wedding, four guys drive to Las Vegas for a bachelor party, check into an expensive hotel suite, and set out to go drinking and gambling. Several hours later, three of them wake up to find their room completely trashed with a wandering chicken, a tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, a hospital bracelet, a diamond belly-button stud, a missing tooth, and absolutely no memory of how they got into this situation.
Doug (Justin Bartha), the groom is missing, forcing his best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), and future brother-in-law Alan (Zach Galifianakis) to retrace their steps and find him before the wedding. Doug is more of a catalyst than a character, and is fairly nondescript. Actually, he's hardly in the movie; even the baby (who has a gnomish cuteness) gets more screen time than he does. Prospective father-in-law Sid (Jeffrey Tambor from It's Gary Shandling's Show!) lends him his prized silver Mercedes with a wink and a promise that "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas". He also makes Doug swear that he will be the only one to drive it, much to the others' chagrin.
Phil, good-looking and confident, is a teacher, married with a kid and itching for some excitement. He's so bored with his suburban existence that he thinks nothing of stealing funds for the students' field trip to fund the bachelor party, and constantly warns Doug that once he's married, all he'll look forward to is dying a little each day. But despite his cynicism, you sense that he is genuinely concerned, especially when Stu reverently takes his grandmother's ring out of his pocket (that she had worn in the Holocaust) and announces his plans to propose to his girlfriend after the wedding. Phil mutters, "I think you're making a big mistake." His hooded eyes and sudden silence afterward show that this warning isn't just another variation of teasing his buddy about losing his freedom to The Joys of Married Life.
Stu, a repressed dentist, is terrorized and dominated by his abusive girlfriend Melissa (Rachael Harris), and so cowed that he promises to answer his cellphone whenever she calls. He even lies that the bachelor party will take place in wine country, and that the guys will be staying in a quaint little bed-and-breakfast inn. We can’t blame Stu, whose conservatism threatens to snap along with him, because even if he was forthright, Melissa would have definitely forbade him to go to Vegas. She is a fingernail short of declaring, “You’ve lost all your Nevada privileges!”
It gets worse. Stu makes excuses for her cheating on him on a cruise with a bartender ("She was wasted."), and beating him ("To be fair, I was out of line."). She grimly plays on his insecurities in order to ensure her dominance, constantly keeping him off-balance, like coldly pulling away when he tries to kiss her cheek. I hated this woman - it's a credit to Harris's delivery that she makes Melissa such a toxic, verbally abusive bully, yet a caricature in sync with this comically vicious world. I couldn't figure out why these two were together, unless she'd clubbed and dragged his nerdy carcass to her lair. This witch is so vile that she could’ve sucked a guy's soul through a straw.
In contrast, Heather Graham brings a sweet sexiness and warmth to her role as Jade, a good-natured stripper/hooker who accidentally marries Stu. His rigid, fearful nature likely arrested his social development and attracted Melissa, who no doubt smelled chum in the water. He is initially unable to accept the possibility that he might actually be happy with Jade, despite her profession. I just wanted to say, "Dude, loosen up!" and feed him a few bottles of laxatives.
But compared to the other females in the movie, she's the embodiment of that impossible ideal: The Perfect Woman. You know, sweet, caring, uncomplicated, and hot. She does a topless scene, but it's hardly erotic. In fact, it will likely make a lot of people cringe.
The last member of the group is Alan, a tubby, socially backward schlub who is somehow very sympathetic. He's so desperate to belong and have 'a wolf pack' that he writes a speech about it in a toast. There's something off-putting, yet sweet about him. Understandably, the guys don't particularly want him around, though Doug tolerates him, since they'll be brothers-in-law soon. You just know this guy was bombarded with dodgeballs of one kind or another all his life. Thanks to Galifianakis' deft delivery, his potentially creepy man-child character becomes the heart of the gang... and the movie. He's so sincere that you just want to rip up that pesky ol' restraining order and invite him to join the fun.
Here is an example of his innate decency: When Stu wails, "I lost a tooth! I married a whore!", Alan is genuinely offended on her behalf. "How dare you! She's a nice lady!"
He has the best lines, which I won't reveal here because a) they're mostly tasteless and b) they're way funnier coming from Alan than me. Except this one:
Stu: She's wearing my grandmother's ring! The one that she had from the Holocaust!
Alan: I didn't know they gave out rings at the Holocaust.
When he says this, he is not being sarcastic or disrespectful; Stu had shown the other two the ring earlier, before Alan had joined them, so he doesn't know about it until after Stu spots the ring on Jade's finger when they stop by her motel room. This is the first time the ring was mentioned in his presence, and he is honestly surprised that Stu's grandma had gotten a "souvenir".
I predict a successful career for him. He's sort of a sweeter version of Seth Rogen, and like Rogen, steals every scene he's in.
I don't usually like low-brow comedies unless it's 2:30 am and I'm so tired I'll laugh at anything, but this is much better than the limitations of this genre usually allows. Ed Helms, a longtime character actor who gets secondary roles, shines in his first time carrying a comedy. He has also found a niche for his real missing tooth. If you liked Wedding Crashers, Knocked Up, Forgetting Sarah Marshall or The 40-Year-Old Virgin, The Hangover is a good bet. Obviously, this is not for children or the easily offended. It's a crude comedy, but redeems itself by actually being funny. In less capable hands, this would have turned into a bad frat boy fiasco. Unlike comedies of this sort, it's not so much mean-spirited as cheerfully hedonistic. And the real love story is the one between the guys who learn to value each other, no matter how stupid or disgusting they are. It's about celebrating those crazy friendships that some people are lucky enough to have - the stuff of fond memories. The girls back home, however, just don’t wanna have fun.
As one character declares, "This is what guys do."
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