Romance

My Mother’s Wedding

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: My Mother’s Wedding
  • IMDb: link

Released without much fanfare, I can’t remember seeing a single trailer for this film (which is saying something in this day and age), the directorial debut of Kristin Scott Thomas (who also co-wrote the script) stars Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, and Emily Beecham as the grown daughters who return home for their mother’s (Kristin Scott Thomas) wedding. While all three of the daughters have their own relationship issues, Johansson gets the biggest role here that ties into both her career in the Royal Navy and memories of the pair of lost fathers the girls suffered (both who died in the line of duty when they were children) which is shown through some simple, but effective, animation. 

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Oh, Hi!

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Oh, Hi!
  • IMDb: link

Never tell a girl you aren’t serious about the relationship while chained to the bed. Taking place on the first out-of-town trip of Iris (Molly Gordon, who also co-wrote the film) and Isaac (Logan Lerman), four months into their dating, a basic misunderstanding between the two comes to light after a night of kinky sex. Thanks to some bad advice, and some poor Internet research, and fueled by a desperation to prove he doesn’t know what he actually wants, Iris refuses to uncuff Isaac from the bed and attempts to prove that they should stay together. Frustrated and concerned what else an increasingly manic Iris might do, especially after an offhand comment about wanting to stab him, Isaac initially plays along until it becomes obvious that Iris has no intention of letting him go.

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Clueless

/ / Home Video
  • Title: Clueless
  • IMDb: link

Throwback Thursday takes us back 30 years to writer/director Amy Heckerling adaption of Jane Austen’s Emma through a valley girl filter which is now available on a new 30th Anniversary Edition 4K. The results are quite entertaining. A touchstone for the 90s, especially for those who grew up with the film, Clueless stars Alicia Silverstone as Cher, a rich and popular high school student whose materialistic world view will be challenged over the course of the film in a failed romance with the obviously gay Christian (Justin Walker), a makeover of new student Tai (Brittany Murphy) that blows up in her face, and the discovery that she’s developed feelings for her older stepbrother (Paul Rudd).

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Materialists

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Materialists
  • IMDb: link

I had some trepidation walking into writer/director Celine Song‘s Materialists. On one hand, Song provided my favorite film of 2023. On the other hand, the set up of a beautiful matchmaker, starring my least-favorite mainstream actress, who just can’t seem to find her own Mr. Right, sounded like the kind of bargain-basement romcom that would normally make me want to run quickly in the opposite direction. Thankfully, that’s not what Materialists turns out to be. However, what we do get is only somewhat more successful.

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Jane Austen Wrecked My Life

/ / Movie Reviews
  • Title: Jane Austen Wrecked My Life
  • IMDb: link

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life isn’t what you might expect. It’s more of a throwback art house character-driven story than trashy Hollywood romcom. And, despite the title, Jane Austen‘s writing is celebrated throughout. The film introduces us to Agathe Robinson (Camille Rutherford), a lonely middle-aged bookseller obsessed with Austen who works in a local shop with her best friend (Pablo Pauly). Without her knowledge, Félix submits her writing in a contest winning a two-week writers retreat at the Jane Austen Residency. However, the road to the retreat is fraught with anxiety, kissing Félix on a whim, a broken-down car, and insulting Austen’s descendant Oliver (Charlie Anson) who Agathe immediately dislikes. 

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