Comedy

My Life in Ruins (after watching this movie)

  • Title: My Life in Ruins
  • IMDB: link

Aside from the beautiful scenery, and a few nice moments from Richard Drefus (who’s really slumming it here), there’s very little to separate My Life in Ruins from any number of braindead romatic comedies. Here’s one of those films where a character notices the love of her life under her nose, finds meaning in her demeaning job, and everything ends happily ever after for everyone (except the audience).

When the film isn’t throwing out contrived plot points like candy, and simply allows the actors to give some actual weight to their characters, there are slight glimmers at what this film could have been. Sadly, these moments are few and far between.

Nia Vardolas stars as Georgia, a disgruntled travel guide. She hates her job, she hates the people she works with, she hates her rundown tour bus, and she hates her tourists who are a collection of cliches you are much more likely to find in a movie like this than on an actual tour bus.

My Life in Ruins (after watching this movie) Read More »

Dance Flick

  • Title: Dance Flick
  • IMDB: link

dance-flick-posterWhat are you doing reading a review for this movie? Come to think of it, what was I doing going to a screening of it? You know exactly what this movie is, and you knew before you ever started reading this review whether it’s for you or not.

There are no surprises with Dance Flick. What you see is what you get, most of it bad. The new film from the Wayan Bros. is yet another entry into the sub-genre of cheap parody films which has produced one or two fun flicks, such as the first Scary Movie, but also filled up the DVD bargain bin at your local Best Buy and the late night B-movie channels on cable.

Dance Flick isn’t one of the better entries into the genre, but at least it’s not the worst. I guess that’s something, right? It is however perplexing. Don’t get me wrong, the entire dance film genre deserves to get poked with a stick, but the idea of centering most of the plot around an eight-year-old film isn’t exactly timely.

Dance Flick Read More »

I Love You, Man

  • Title: I Love You, Man
  • IMDB: link

i-love-you-man-posterI don’t remember exactly when the term bromance was introduced into the lexicon but it seems were stuck with it, at least for the foreseeable future. From the writer/director of Along Came Polly and the writer of Doctor Doolitle 2 comes this tale of a man on the eve of his wedding who realizes he doesn’t have any male friends. Thus hilarity (or Hollywood’s approximation of the concept) ensues. As set-ups go it’s pretty bland (and seems to be cribbing a tad too much from The 40 Year Old Virgin), but I’ll admit I Love You, Man was better than I expected.

After an eight month courtship Peter (Paul Rudd) and Zooey (Rashida Jones) have gotten engaged. Zooey’s friends (Sarah Burns, Jaime Pressley) are pleased with her choice for a husband, but they’re a little concerned with the fact that Peter has no male friends. When Peter realizes his wife’s misgivings he begins a “humorous” search for a best pal that ends in Peter’s discovery of a new friendship with a slightly unbalanced stranger (Jason Segel).

I Love You, Man Read More »

The best male cheerleader recruitment film, like, ever

  • Title: Fired Up!
  • IMDB: link

Fired Up!I come neither to praise nor bash Fired Up! Here’s the type of movie, in the right mood, I might be perfectly fine finding at 1:00am on Comedy Central. If you’re a fan of the straight-to-DVD American Pie films (like this one) you should feel right at home.

The basic set-up for this male cheerleader recruitment film involves two high school ladies men (played by 28-year-old Nicholas D’Agosto and 31-year-old Eric Christian Olsen) who skip out on football practice for a chance to join the squad and go to cheer camp with the hopes of scoring with as many cheerleaders as possible.

The best male cheerleader recruitment film, like, ever Read More »

Sorry, I’m just not that into you

  • Title: He’s Just Not That Into You
  • IMDB: link

hes-just-not-that-into-you-posterHe’s Just Not That Into You starts out with some promise, but, as romcoms are prone to do, falls prey to contrivance and the inevitable happy ending which is cuter than a basket of newborn kittens. Adapted from a self-help book the film does take a (at least occasionally) funny look at how women regard relationships in a mostly twisted and illogical way.

The plot centers around a group of romantically challenged individuals including a loving longtime couple (Ben Affleck, Jennifer Aniston) dealing with the question of marriage, a quirky young woman (Ginnifer Goodwin) who can’t seem to find a guy, Justin Long as the nice-jerk you find in films like this with an encyclopedic knowledge of women’s bad relationship habits, a real estate agent (Kevin Connolly) in love with a Yoga instructor (Scarlett Johansson) who is more infatuated with a guy she met in a grocery store whose wife (Jennifer Connelly) keeps his balls in her purse. Oh, and I forgot Drew Barrymore (and so does the film for large stretches) as woman trying to find romance online surrounded by the trademark swishy gay friends who have nothing better to do than help their hetero pals find love.

Sorry, I’m just not that into you Read More »