Comedy

Trainwreck

  • Title: Trainwreck
  • IMDb: link

TrainwreckAmy Schumer, who also wrote the script, stars as a relationship-averse mess of a woman whose world view is changed after interviewing a doctor (Bill Hader) for a local magazine. Trainwreck is a pretty straightforward romcom focusing on Amy’s struggles with love and her dysfunctional relationships with her father (Colin Quinn), sister (Brie Larson), and former boyfriend (John Cena). Like many scripts written by stand-up comedians, Trainwreck is a bit uneven. At times the film is quite funny even if all of its jokes don’t quite hit home.

Directed by Judd Apatow, the film boasts an odd collection of unlikely supporting characters. Along with Cena we also get LeBron James (playing himself) as Hader’s client and friend, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tilda Swinton as Amy’s demanding boss, and Daniel Radcliffe and Marisa Tomei as the stars of a movie within the movie about a dogwalker and his client in a running gag that never pays off.

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Results

  • Title: Results
  • IMDb: link

ResultsWriter/director Andrew Bujalski‘s Results about a recently-wealthy client’s (Kevin Corrigan) impact on the lives of two personal trainers (Guy Pearce and Cobie Smulders) in Austin, Texas boasts a strong cast and an unique indie feel but suffers from not being funny enough to be a true comedy, dark enough to be dark comedy, or dramatic enough to be taken seriously. Results intermittently entertains while teasing the audience with a cast (that also includes Giovanni Ribisi, Anthony Michael Hall, and Constance Zimmer) that is far better than its source material.

Pearce is all-in as Trevor, the odd-duck owner of a local fitness center whose life is complicated by the employee he loves (Smulders) and the untethered client whose infatuation with the woman throws all their lives into chaos. Anthony Michael Hall has a small humorous role as the guru whose philosophy Trevor has based his entire business on. Trevor’s eventual encounter with his idol needs to be either funnier or more soul-crushing but, like the entire movie, the script flounders when hard choices must be made.

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The Peanuts Movie

  • Title: The Peanuts Movie
  • IMDb: link

The Peanuts MovieBlending together several storylines from Charles M. Schulz‘s comic strip, director Steve Martino and writers Bryan Schulz, Craig Schulz, and Cornelius Uliano offer up a tale that despite its modern 3D CGI characters still feels old fashioned (in all the best ways).

Although at 93 minutes The Peanuts Movie feels a bit long, particularly in the final half, the screening I attended appeared to be the rare family film to entertain both kids and parents alike. Included in the storylines are Charlie Brown‘s (Noah Schnapp) self-confidence issues and crush on the Little Red-Headed Girl (Francesca Capaldi), Snoopy‘s (Bill Melendez) battles with the Red Baron, and Lucy‘s (Hadley Belle Miller) psychiatric service and crush on the piano-playing Schroeder (Noah Johnston). We also get a talent show, Charlie Brown’s attempts to fly a kite, Peppermint Patty (Venus Schultheis) and Marcie (Rebecca Bloom), Linus (Alexander Garfin) and his trusty blanket, Sally‘s (Mariel Sheets) relationship to her big brother, a book report, and plenty of opportunities for the old blockhead to make mistakes, rise to the occasion, showcase heart, and learn valuable lessons.

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Spy

  • Title: Spy
  • IMDb: link

SpyMelissa McCarthy stars as a CIA analyst forced into the field when an arms dealer (Rose Byrne) with knowledge of all the CIA’s operatives acquires a nuclear bomb and plans to sell it on the black market. I’m far from McCarthy’s biggest fan whose poor script choices have made me more than once refer to her as the female Kevin James. However, with Spy the comedienne’s talents are put to good use by writer/director Paul Feig which is odd because the script shares quite a bit in common with the far-less enjoyable Get Smart reboot from a few years back. Along with McCarthy, Feig balances the talents of Byrne, Jude Law, and a very funny Jason Statham as the alpha-male spy who is his own biggest fan in a comedy far funnier than I was expecting.

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The Big Bang Theory – The Bachelor Party Corrosion

  • Title: The Big Bang Theory – The Bachelor Party Corrosion
  • wiki: link

The Bachelor Party Corrosion

Pre-wedding celebrations are held after Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Leonard (Johnny Galecki) have returned from Vegas, and worked out their post-marriage issues, as Howard (Simon Helberg) and Raj (Kunal Nayyar) kidnap Leonard and Sheldon (Jim Parsons) for a Mexican road trip in Richard Feynman‘s van for an overdue bachelor party celebration. This leaves the ladies on their own to celebrate Penny’s wedding. Neither weekend goes as planned.

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