Tag: Dramedy

THE HOLDOVERS – Review

We just finished that spooky holiday and now we (mostly the retailers) are gearing up for the big two end-of-the-year family holidays. And if you’re at school and far away from family you’re looking forward to taking a break from academia to reunite with those loved ones. But what if that’s not possible, and you’re stuck for a couple of weeks with your least favorite teacher? That’s the premise of this dramedy, which is a cause for celebration for film lovers. That’s because it’s the latest directorial effort from a filmmaker who has been delighting us for over thirty years now. And for a little extra treat in our stocking, this reunites him with an actor who has been quite a scene stealer in supporting character roles. Well now, he’s front-and-center along with a talented acting duo as the the trio that’s forced to bound over Christmas and into New Year’s as THE HOLDOVERS.

It’s a very chilly snowy 1970 December on the campus of the prestigious Barton Academy, an elite prep school for boys in the New England area. All the students are “psyched” for Christmas break, especially fifteen-year-old Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa). He’s one of the better scholars, but he has a knack for getting into mischief. Although he gets passing grades, he still manages to “get under the skin” of prickly curmudgeon Dr. Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) the loathed teacher of ancient civilizations. And the dean at Barton is not too happy with him as he didn’t give a ‘pass’ to the son of a wealthy school donor. Therefore Hunham will stay on campus during the break to supervise the students with nowhere to go for the holiday. Then Tully suddenly finds himself in that group after his mother informs him that she’s planning a belated Winter honeymoon with her new hubby. And then the group of “holdovers” is “whittled down to three when a rich papa whisks away four students in his private copter. Their parents were called and gave the “OK” while Tully’s couldn’t be reached. So he’s “stuck” at school with Hunham and the cafeteria supervisor Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph) who recently lost her only son in Vietnam. So, is there any way this threesome can get along and make these holidays happy?

Oh welcome back Mr. Giamatti, it feels as though your excellent work on the Showtime series “Billions” has kept you away from the big screen far too long. Happily, you’ve gifted us with a superb performance as the reviled teacher mockingly called “Walleye”. He could have easily become a caricature of the scholarly dictator cartoonishly ruling his classroom with an iron fist. Mind you, we get a bit of that in the opening sequences as he gifts his charges with a “lump of coal” wrapped in homework, but Hunham is more complex than that. His hard exterior doesn’t obscure his longing spirit as Giamatti shows us that this surly misanthrope yearns for a human connection, as he tries not to drown in a sea of regret and remorse. One of the few staffers he reaches out to is Mary, played by the compelling Ms. Randoph. Her no-nonsense kitchen queen also puts up a “tough front”, not wishing to be pitied for her heart-wrenching loss. Randolph shows us that Mary has found another wounded soul in Hunham. Much of the same can be said for the “tossed away” son played by screen newcomer Sessa who uses a snarky wiseguy attitude to mask the hurt abandonded child inside. With his Pop “out of the picture”,, Tully needs a family connection to his mother who appears to toss him aside for her new beau. And Sessa shows us how this fuels his rebellious behavior with Hunham. Sessa’s best moments are when he strains against his mentor as he tries to charge into adulthood (his flirtation with a local girl is charming and a bit “cringe”). These three powerhouse actors provide a strong foundation for the film.

But it all might collapse if it weren’t for the superior “architect” behind this story, the engaging filmmaker Alexander Payne working from David Hemingson’s smart and sensitive (and very funny) screenplay. The two expertly recreate that “transition time” as the radical 60s eased into the go-go 70s. Helping considerably is the authentic sets (all real places), art direction, costuming, and grooming (wow, those helmet-like hair haircuts of the day). This is first and foremost a Payne project as we become involved with these offbeat characters, but it’s also a warm homage to the directors of that period as the whole movie has the feel of lauded director Hal Ashby (especially THE LAST DETAIL with the trio at the center of a journey), mixed with a touch of James Bridges’ THE PAPER CHASE and assorted other school-set dramedies. The atmosphere seems so real as we can almost feel those cold dark paneled floors as the characters tromp through those long empty hallways. And again, Payne gets the best out of his cast, rivaling his last collaboration with Giamatti nearly twenty years ago with SIDEWAYS. There are no flashy camera techniques or staccato editing, merely (though it’s oh so rare) assured storytelling abetted by superlative performances. THE HOLDOVERS is a true cinematic holiday gift for movie lovers everywhere.

4 Out of 4

THE HOLDOVERS is now playing in select theatres

JULES – Review

(L-R) Jane Curtin as Joyce, Harriet Harris as Sandy, Ben Kingsley as Milton and Jade Quon as Jules, in JULES. Courtesy of Bleecker Street

A reclusive older man (Ben Kingsley), who has built his small-town daily routine around complaints about pedestrian safety at the town council meetings, has his routine upended when a flying saucer lands in his backyard, in director Marc Turtletaub’s dramedy JULES. Although sci fi is part of the premise, the real focus and strength of this whimsical, warm comedy JULES is an exploration of friendship in late life and aging generally, and the fine acting ensemble of Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris and Jane Curtin.

Milton (Kingsley) is more upset that the flying saucer took out his flower garden than he is surprised to find a spaceship in his backyard. With get-off-my-grass outrage, he calls the authorities to report the spaceship but gets the real world response you would expect: disbelief. They think the old guy is losing it. The thing is that is a kind of true, as Milton has been having memory problems, doing things like leaving his keys in the fridge, troubles he is hoping to conceal from his concerned daughter Denise (Zoë Winters).

Shortly after the flying saucer trashed the flowers, Milton is shocked to find an ailing alien (Jade Quon, made up like the usual Area 51 denizen) slumped on his patio. Moved by the alien’s pitiful, pleading gaze, Milton brings him/her/it inside, wrapping the creature in a blanket and setting the visitor on the couch. Milton offers his strange guest a plate with a selection of finger foods like cheese and crackers but the only things the visitor eats are the apple slices.

The creature doesn’t speak but seems very gentle, intuitive and cooperative – and a really good listener. Soon, Milton has a new routine, caring for the creature and then sitting on the couch, watching TV and chatting. He names the visitor Jules.

When Milton becomes even more reclusive than usual and starts buying lots of apples, it sparks the interest of two other seniors, also regular speakers at the city council meetings, Sandy (a wonderful Harriet Sansom Harris) and Joyce (Jane Curtin). Sandy decides to pay Milton a call, and is taken aback at seeing Jules. But she relaxes when Milton assures her the space visitor is harmless, even friendly. Not long after, Joyce, consumed by curiosity, also turns up at Milton’s door. Soon the threesome are inseparable – make that four.

Harriet Sansom Harris might not be a familiar name but you’ll likely recognize her face, and this role gives this talented actor a chance to shine. Director Marc Turtletaub (LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE, THE FAREWELL), gives Harris a plum part, as her character is the key to drawing out the reserved Milton, as the three humans form friendships and bond with the mute but attentive and intuitive alien played by Jade Quon. Quon does a fine job in the part despite the challenge of playing a character with a mostly frozen face who is unable to speak.

Along with a message of the value of being a good listener and being open to someone from somewhere else, this well-meaning dramedy explores issues of social isolation and friendship in late life with humor and heart. It is just set within a sci-fi-fantasy tale about an off-world stranger who knows how to listen.

One reason Milton doesn’t talk about the alien in the room is that he is covering his memory problems, particularly around his caring daughter. He worries about being forced out of his nice home into a retirement community or assisted living. Rather than risk calling attention to his memory problems, Milton just stops talking about the flying saucer that ruined his garden and starts spending more time with the wounded alien that crawled out of it and curled up on his patio. When Sandy and Joyce join him, helping Jules becomes everyone’s project, as they share their feelings and inner thoughts.

The acting is very good and the ensemble scenes with Kingsley, Harris and Curtin are often hilarious, and definitely highlights. The bits between Kingsley’s Milton and Jade Quon’s mute space visitor are touching.

With a brisk 87 minute running time, the story is certainly creative but the movie is best when it is about relationships. Eventually, the outer space visitor Jules feels well enough to start repairs on the spaceship but the sci-fi story becomes increasingly wonky and improbable as it unfolds, particularly after feds looking for the spaceship show up. There is a weird bit of ick factor in the solution to fixing the ship, especially for pet owners. In contrast, the funny, warm and believable interpersonal interactions between the characters, and the way it touches on issues of social isolation and worries of aging is always strong, authentic and touching.

JULES is at its best when focused on interpersonal interactions, with the two women, the mute alien and with his daughter. Where the film falls short is in the sci-fi tale part, which doesn’t make entire sense and has a bit of business that pet owners are likely to find off-putting.

JULES opens Friday, August 11, at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinema and in other theaters nationally.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

“Makari” Season 2 – TV Series Review

(L-R) Ester Pantano as Suleima, Claudio Gioe as Saverio and Domenico Centamore as Peppe, in Italian crime TV series “Makari.” Courtesy of MHzChoice

“Makari” Season 2 brings three more cozy light crime dramedies from this Italian TV series. It’s named after a Sicilian coastal village (Macari) that provides the lovely setting for a season of three mysteries in which our set of amateurs become involved. The star is Saverio (Claudio Gioe), a fortyish writer who’s lost his high-profile political press-agent gig due to an even higher-profile screw-up. Tail between his legs and nearly broke, he returns to the village where his father still owns a run-down vacation home, and tries to start a new life in safe, familiar environs.

He’s greeted by old pal Peppe (Domenico Centamore) – a lovable, overly chatty lug who variably helps and annoys our putative hero as he settles in. Saverio’s next acquisition is a girlfriend. He meets a charming, bright waitress, Suleima (Ester Pantano), interrupting her architecture studies to earn money during the town’s tourist-laden summer, and gradually wins her over.

Saverio is no action figure, nor does he go out of his way to get involved in these cases When he does, it’s to be helpful to others, and possibly provide material for the novels he’d meant to write before the call of journalism and politics changed that game plan. His sleuthing is mainly dependent on his friendly, approachable demeanor and intellect. Suleima is helpful, albeit largely from a distance. Peppe is the more active cohort, though his big, friendly puppy nature tends to provide more comic relief than useful support.

The tenor is akin to Terence Hill’s “Don Matteo,” or more familiar British series like “Father Brown” and “Doc Martin,” in the way it’s fleshed out by casts of locals we get comfortable with. Gioe’s Saverio is quite likeable. Pantano’s Suleima is a real gem, looking just beautiful enough to realistically fit the rest of the premise while showing intellect, independence and street smarts to make her an engaging character. Centamore’s Peppe is sort of a cross between Italy’s late, great Bud Spencer, and Zorro’s buffoonish Sergeant Garcia.

Season 2 picks up shortly after the events of the first quartet. Saverio has been back in his eponymous hometown for about a year and isn’t thriving financially. His last book didn’t sell. The publisher is delaying the release of the novel he’s trying to finish, forcing him to accept a gig writing and hosting travel pieces for the web. He needs the paycheck, and raising his profile via the exposure should also boost book sales whenever he finally finishes the one he’s been blocked on for months.

This season again mixes comedy (largely surrounding Peppe) and romance with the easygoing mysteries. Saverio’s relationship with Suleima is strained by geographic distance, exacerbated by how closely and constantly she works with her boss, Teodoro (Andrea Bosca), who seems like a guy few women could resist. He’s handsome, rich, smart and almost unbelievably altruistic. He envisions creating a huge multi-purpose facility that could greatly benefit Sicily’s economy and culture; all meant for the good of the regular people, not the fat cats. Since Saverio is at an all-time career low, his insecurities flourish.

His first assignment is an archaeological dig of great import, overseen by a professor widely considered at the top of the field (no Indiana Jones to compete with in this version of the world). On the eve of announcing whether newly-unearthed stones come from the ruins of an ancient theater scholars have been seeking for centuries, he’s killed. Saverio lands in another sleuthing challenge for himself and Peppe. This death at least brings the unforeseen upside of giving his videos far more hits than expected.

Episode 2 takes him to a tourism village hosting a conference aimed at reducing Mafia influence in Sicily. Two of its leading advocates are valued former colleagues. When one is found dead, Saverio first has to convince the cops that it was murder, rather than the work-avoiding suicide they initially assumed. Were Mafiosi trying to squelch their critics? Or were there other players and motives to consider? The third involves a death that looks accidental, but must be otherwise, or we wouldn’t have much of a story. This one poses a threat to Teodoro and Suleima’s grand project. Again, Saverio has to convince the police not to settle for easy answers, and spearhead the path to solution.

This round is one crime shorter, offering three 110-minute episodes, with less sex and violence than our usual prime-time fare. It ends without cliffhangers, leaving the protagonists in suitable places if it proves to be the end, without precluding a third season. Since these aired in 2022, that remains possible, and would certainly be welcome.

“Makari” Season 2, mostly in Italian with English subtitles, begins streaming on MHzChoice on Tuesday, July 18.

RATING: 3 out of 4 stars

THE MIRACLE CLUB – Review

Agnes O’Casey as Dolly, Kathy Bates as Eileen Dunne and Maggie Smith as Lily Fox sign up for the ‘All Stars Talent Show’ in THE MIRACLE CLUB. Photo credit: Jonathan Hession. © themiracleclubcopyright 2023. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates play longtime friends in ’60s Ballygar, Ireland hoping to win a church talent contest for a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France, in Irish director Thaddeus O’Sullivan’s dramedy THE MIRACLE CLUB. Actually there are three friends, with the third being a young neighbor, played by Agnes O’Casey. The women have differing reason for wanting to make the pilgrimage – two hope for a miracle and one wants a trip of lifetime. There is a fourth woman is on the trip, Chrissie (Laura Linney), the long-absent daughter of a recently deceased friend, who has returned after four decades in America for the funeral of her estranged mother.

THE MIRACLE CLUB is a well-meaning drama with dashes of comedy, but it is less about religion than you might assume for a movie about a trip to the religious site of Lourdes. Rather, it is more about self-reflection on long-held grudges, guilt and regrets, and the possibility of forgiveness and hope. While the film is warm, it is also predictable, although it is lifted by its remarkable cast, which includes Laura Linney and Stephen Rea. The Irish dramedy is based on a story by Jimmy Smallhorne, with a screenplay by Smallhorne, Timothy Prager and Joshua D. Maurer.

Eileen (Kathy Bates) is one of the two hoping for a miracle. She has discovered a lump in her breast and although she hasn’t been to a doctor, she is sure it is cancer, so she is hoping for a miracle cure from Lourdes famous waters. She is also looking for a break from her stressful home life, with a chaotic house full of children and a lazy husband, Frank (Stephen Rea), who does nothing to help out. Young wife and mother Dolly (Agnes O’Casey) is hoping for a miracle for her school age son, Daniel (Eric D. Smith), who has never spoken a word, and is determined to go to Lourdes despite opposition from her domineering husband George (Mark McKenna), who leaves all the care of the house, Daniel and their newborn baby entirely to his wife while treating her with dismissive disrespect. Lily (Maggie Smith), who has a bad leg, isn’t looking for a cure or a miracle, but she dreams of visiting a site she always wanted to see, while she’s still able to travel. Lily is haunted by the death of her only son Declan, who drown in the sea forty years ago, and she frequently visits his seaside memorial plaque, an obsession her needy husband (Niall Buggy) doesn’t understand.

The women live in a neighborhood that is a close-knit community, more like a village than part of a big city. But life is hard, particularly for women in this traditional, patriarchal era, and the women are full of regrets, resentments, disappointments and grudges. The lure of the trip is less religious devotion than the idea of travel to “exotic” France, to a famous place where miracles might happen. Pilgrimage site Lourdes is a perfect spot for this dream, a place where the faithful believe the waters have the power to heal but also somewhere with a reputation as a kind of Catholic “Disneyland,” filled with touristy souvenir shops.

The church talent show is run by the kindly priest Father Dermot Byrne (Mark O’Halloran) in the church hall. But Father Byrne is also overseeing a funeral, for a longtime friend of Lily and Eileen whose daughter left Ireland for American forty years ago under a cloud of scandal. The long-absent daughter, Chrissie (Laura Linney) has now returned for the funeral, although she did not arrive in time to say goodbye to her estranged mother.

When Chrissie turns up at the church hall where the talent contest is taking place, the reception she gets from long-ago friends Eileen and Lily is more than chilly – hostile even, with sharp-tongued Eileen especially vicious in her snub.

Yet all four women end up on the bus for the trip to Lourdes, along with the parish priest, who acts as tour director, and hopes for some kind of healing, emotional and spiritual, for the women. Despite Chrissie’s unwelcome presence, Lily, Eileen and Dolly are excited about the trip, which includes a night in a hotel, likely the first time these work-class women have had that experience.

The movie gets off to a slow start and has some stiff, awkward moments, particularly when the characters first get to Lourdes, but about halfway through it takes a turns towards a deeper, human story. The film is plagued by predictability but it is lifted by its great cast, who deliver some sparkling moments despite it all.

This is very much an ensemble film but Agnes O’Casey, the great-granddaughter of legendary Irish playwright Sean O’Casey, is particularly impressive in her first feature film role. Maggie Smith is, as always, amazing but her Lily is a far different, more reserved character, than the Dowager Countess played in “Downton Abbey,” so fans expecting those verbal zingers will be largely disappointed. It is Kathy Bates’ Eileen who is the fiery one in this story, and Eileen peppers the air with some salty language, even laying into Mark O’Halloran’s kindly priest in one drunken tirade.

While the Dublin portion is shot on location, the Lourdes scenes aren’t, with recreated locations and even green screen for some famous sites, which diminished its authenticity. Once again, the film leans on its cast to overcome its problems.

The film also has a little 1960s-era feminist theme, with the wives going off and leaving their outraged, domestically-helpless husbands to cope with taking care of the kiddies and the house, including diaper changes, shopping and cooking. Although, predictably. this leads to a new appreciation of what their wives deal with daily, these scenes back home also yield some nice comic bits, like a very funny Stephen Rea serving his brood a gray-looking stew while complaining about how hard he worked on it.

While not everything goes smoothly for this gentle film about long-held grudges, self-reflection and potential forgiveness against the backdrop of the famous Catholic pilgrimage site, it does find its way to a warm if expected resolution by the end. The film is really aimed at a certain kind of audience, a more thoughtful, introspective one than an audience looking for an Irish old gal pals kick-up-your-heels comedy trip, along the lines of “80 for Brady.” With its salty language and pointed observations, it might not be for the most devout either. Although there is some snarky jibes (these women are, after all, Irish), those hoping for those sharp-as-glass zingers from Maggie Smith, which she delivered so well in “Downton Abbey,” won’t find them here. Instead, it is Kathy Bates’ character who has the sharp-tongue and she doesn’t hesitate to use it to launch word-bombs, even right there in the church hall. While this is not a unquestioning travel ad for Lourdes, it does treat the religious site with some care, so believers won’t feel uncomfortable in that aspect.

There are things that THE MIRACLE CLUB does get right, like the gritty feel of the low-income Dublin neighborhood, which feels like a village apart from the city itself. The period fashions are well-done, particularly for Agnes O’Casey’s younger Dolly, as well as the sense of women running everything thanklessly for the clueless men, who dismiss their efforts until the women are gone on their trip. Another thing it captures well is the women’s anticipation about what might happen in Lourdes, a mix of religious dreams and real-world doubt. The excitement of the women, whose lives were so hard, just anticipating a night in a hotel, something working-class women of that era might never have done before, is another touch of period realism.

All that means that THE MIRACLE CLUB is not for every audience. There is humor but the film’s thoughtful self-reflective message is the real point.

THE MIRACLE CLUB opens Friday, July 14, in theaters.

RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

“Nona And Her Daughters” – TV review

Miou Miou as Nona, in the French TV miniseries “Nona And Her Daughters.” Photo credit: Manuel Moutier. Courtesy of MHz Choice

“Nona And Her Daughters” (“Nona Et Ses Filles”) is a character-driven dramedy miniseries from French TV that successfully spans a few genres. Nona (Miou-Miou), after a lifetime devoted to advocacy for women’s rights, shockingly finds herself pregnant at 70. Even worse, the only man she’s been with is proven NOT to be the father by a DNA test. Nona has been fiercely independent, heading their city’s equivalent of Planned Parenthood after raising triplet daughters Emmanuelle (Virginie Ledoyen), Gabrielle (Clotilde Hesme), and George (Valerie Donzelli) on her own, without ever being at all sure who sired them. Or caring, for that matter. The trio (with their unisex, per mom’s principles, names) is about to turn 44, and even more surprised than Nona by this seeming impossibility.

The diverse set of women rally together around this event. The daughters move back to mom’s apartment to provide support. That’s really needed, since Nona is ordered to stay home and minimize all stress for the duration. They strive to keep her little passenger a secret, rather than face the media frenzy this news would inevitably generate. Emmanuelle, a mother of five, fills in for Nona at the clinic, fabricating an excuse for her mom’s absence. Gabrielle, a sex therapist, starts coming unglued for various reasons, most of which seem at odds with her professional training. George, a perpetual student who keeps changing majors and thesis topics about as often as her underwear, contributes as best she can.

Although her character is an underachiever, Donzelli actually does triple duty for this series. She‘s one of the series’ creators and writers, a co-leading actress, and also the narrator giving voice to her journal entries about the course of events we’re seeing. I didn’t check the credits to see if she also handled craft services on the set.

The series builds in the style of classic farce. Complications pile on from various sources. The circle of secrecy keeps broadening as more people are needed to assist the foursome. Leaks force the inclusion of less-welcome attention from others. Comings and goings based on partial or incorrect information accelerate until the lid inevitably blows off. The tone of the unfolding events and story arcs is admirably maintained as lively, while remaining well shy of zany. Slapstick is not part of the deal, though there is a considerable amount of movement – physical and otherwise. The nine half-hour scripts serve up healthy doses of social satire and sentiment, even dangling a bit of mysticism within the overall comedic package.

Performances from the quartet are exceptional across-the-board. They flesh out distinctive personalities, and all shine in their moments of opportunity. The daughters are played by actresses within three years of their characters’ age, bearing just enough resemblance to each other for credibility as non-identical womb-mates (I had to look that up to confirm it’s really a word. No extra charge for the service). The men mostly fill needed roles for the story, though a few are given interesting minor arcs of their own. Though obviously written for an audience primarily of women in the age range of these characters, its appeal turns out to be more inclusive of other demographics. Present company included.

On the downside, the authors seemingly wrote themselves into a corner, falling a bit short of an ending befitting all they’d crafted in leading to its apex. For me, the series peaked in Episode 7 with one truly superb scene. The last two were a relative letdown, though not enough to negate the high quality of writing and acting preceding them that made a one-day binge feel like time well spent.

“Nona And Her Daughters” (“Nona Et Ses Filles”), mostly in French with English subtitles, streams on MHz Choice starting on May 2.

RATING: 2.5 out of 4 stars

Clothilde Hesme as Gaby, Valerie Donzelli as George and Virginie Ledoyen as Manu, in the French TV miniseries “Nona And Her Daughters.” Photo credit: Manuel Moutier. Courtesy of MHz Choice

SHOWING UP (2023) – Review

Aside from the warmer temps and the arrival of the big Summer blockbuster flix, the waning days of Spring also bring the conclusion of the school year for many students from public schools and colleges (yes, they often operate with limited classes in Summer). So, how about a fairly somber film set in the world of academia? And to get more specific, perhaps a slice of life set in an art school, a place filled with folks working on projects for display from paint on canvas to hanging bits of string and fabric would “fit the bill”. Yes, that’s the setting for this character study about an artist that learns that much of the hard work of her creative life is focus, determination, and simply SHOWING UP.

The artist in question is Lizzy (Michelle Williams), who spends most of her time in the workshop space she’s set up in the garage of the house she’s renting. Well, she’s really living in half of the house owned by another artist named Jo (Hong Chau). Lizzy is furiously working on clay sculptures that will be on display soon at a gallery show of her creations. Not helping her progress is the lack of hot water, which landlord Jo is not attending to (instead she’s also prepping for a show and making a tire swing for the big backyard tree). They both are on the staff of an art college outside of Portland run by Lizzy’s frazzled mother Jean (Maryann Plunkett). The rest of the eccentric teachers are helpful and supportive, especially Eric (Andre Benjamin) who runs the kiln (essential to Lizzy). The tension ramps up when Lizzy’s cat mangles a pigeon that swooped inside her place. She releases the injured bird into the wild, but Jo retrieves it and asks her to look after it as it heals (and Jo sets up her own art display). Then Lizzy must visit her pottery artist father, Bill (Judd Hirsch), and personally invite him to her show, He has his hands full with visiting houseguests (Amanda Plummer and Matt Malloy) who are content to mooch food and take over his living room. Luckily Bill can give Lizzy info on her socially awkward brother Sean (John Magero) who hasn’t responded to any of her invitation attempts. Between her family, the injured bird, and her slow-moving landlord, will Lizzy get everything together before the “big show” opening day reception arrives?

Williams cements her “rep” as one of our most versatile screen stars with her take on an everywoman who almost blends into the background, in many sequences. Her Lizzy is there to react and “roll with the punches” when dealing with other personalities and unexpected situations. It’s not to say that she “coasts along” as her domestic chaos finally “lights her fuse” (“Who’s in my parking spot?!”). Williams shows how Lizzy’s almost at “the brink” as she pushes herself toward her artistic “finish line”. For much of the story’s runtime, her adversary is Chau’s Jo who seems indifferent to Lizzy’s concerns as she doesn’t let her own art shows overwhelm her while seeming to ignore her tenant’s pleas. Perhaps Lizzy is envious of Jo’s blase attitude toward her work and life. Benjamin is the campus”mellow fellow”, quick with a smile who is “diggin’ the groove” in his work and social life. Plunkett is prickly and distracted as Jean who flits about the school’s offices as though she has a dozen plates spinning with her animosity toward her ex-husband finally earning her intense focus. Hirsch is an affable charmer, the “godfather of clay” who delights in the blossoming talents of his kids but is content to be a distant mentor. Magaro conveys a real sense of slowly simmering volatile chaos as the unpredictable, flighty Sean, whose main concern is his lack of access to his TV shows (“I’m being blocked.”). Plummer and Malloy supply some quirky comic relief as the guests that linger well past the “welcome stage”.

This film is the fourth collaboration between Williams and filmmaker Kelly Reichardt who directed from the screenplay she co-wrote with Jonathan Raymond. And of the four it may be the least compelling. Being a former art college student I appreciated the attention to detail, getting the atmosphere of languid creativity just right, much like the comedy/mystery ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL from 2006. Like that weird graphic novel adaptation I was almost experiencing sensory flashbacks (“sniff” is that turpentine or epoxy) and feeling as though the camera was right behind me in those hectic days of deadlines and endless “drying times” as artists worked on too-long strips of canvas on the hallway floors. But the mood’s not enough to make the story interesting as little subplots drop in and out with little resolution, from the wounded bird to the somewhat unhinged brother. At the tale’s heart is the odd passive-aggressive bond between Lizzy and Jo which feels dramatically shallow. The sense of “art drudgery” is there, but the build-up to the big gallery show doesn’t puck a real thematic “punch”. It’s great to see Williams paired again with the always-engaging Hirsch, and she is a strong scene partner for Chau, but they can’t overcome the meandering pace. The details are spot on, but it’s not enough to spark interest in the non-art school crowd who the studio hopes will be SHOWING UP at the cinemas.

1.5 Out of 4

SHOWING UP is now playing in select theatres

SPINNING GOLD – Review

The film year of 2022 pretty much ended with a “music biopic”, WHITNEY HOUSTON: I WANNA DANCE WITH SOMEBODY (at least I’m making it the “year’s end” as it was the last advance screening I attended). It did fairly well at the box office but didn’t come close to the critical and award accolades of BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY or JUDY. But that’s not going to halt Hollywood from “mining” this material, and so we’re getting a tune-filled “true” tale at the end of 2023’s first quarter. Oh, but this has a twist in that it doesn’t center around a beloved performer. No, this concerns the head of a record company. Yeah kids, in those ancient days before streaming and downloading, people went to brick-and-mortar stores and bought discs produced by these companies AKA recording labels. And one of the biggest of them in the mid-70s into the early 80s was an “upstart” dubbed Casablanca Records, whose goal was to produce “top of the charts” hits. And for a time they were very adept at SPINNING GOLD.


The name of the company is a knowing wink at their “head honcho”, the flamboyant “schmoozer” who named himself Neil Bogart (Jeremy Jordon), hence he’s no relation to the 40s film icon. After a fluffy bit of fantasy involving the tune “Oh, Happy Day”, and a disastrous “showcase” for one of his (eventual) “super-bands”, he guides us through his early years, bouncing from job to job while watching his hustling pop Al (Jason Isaacs) fail to grab the “gold ring”. He meets his future wife Beth (Michelle Monaghan) while teaching dance lessons at her family’s hotel. Soon after, he’s a promoter for MGM records (even scoring as a singer with a “single” tune), which leads to a big spot at “indie” Buddha Records. But Neil has dreams of his own company, so with a few “shady loans from casino mogul Big Joey (Vincent Pastore), he creates Casablanca Records along with a loyal motel crew/staffers (Peyton List, Jay Pharoah, Dan Fogler, and James Wolk). After “poaching” a few established music stars like the Isley Brothers and Gladys Knight, the team hunts for new “properties”. Giorgio Moroder (Sebastian Maniscalo) has produced a unique sound with a transplanted US vocalist in Germany, Donna Summer (Tayla Parx), but what really interests Neil is this hard-rockin’ band that mixes make-up, kinky black jumpsuits, and pyrotechnics called Kiss. And he’s really, really interested in their manager Joyce (Lyndsy Fonseca). Over the next few years, Neil and his posse dodge creditors, evade vengeful record rivals and sign hitmakers like the Village People, Bill Withers, and Parliment as they ride the roller coaster of fame and fortune. But can Steven keep his professional and personal life from crumbling as the temptations of the time, especially that “nose candy”, lure him into a downward spiral?

Making extensive use of his stage musical skills (the original Broadway “Newsies”), Jordan’s giving it his all to make Bogart an endearing “wildcard”. It all comes together best when Jordan joins the “hitmakers’ during the creative process, especially with Knight (who’d take a “Midnight Train to Houston”), but he flounders when the script tries to get past Bogart’s moral failing, making his repeated defense of his adultery, “It’s complicated”, a lazy punchline. In order to make this complex, flawed character work, perhaps a more seasoned screen presence was needed, though Jordan is a talent on the rise. Monaghan is captivating as the first wife under his spell, but the story jettisons her in the last act, reducing her to Neil’s suffering “doormat”, while Fonseca’s Joyce pushes against the “other woman” label, she’s fair too tolerant of Neil’s recklessness. Isaac’s as the neer-do-well papa drops into the tale randomly, to remind Neil of his roots and to show him that the “apple doesn’t fall far…”. Wolk, List, and Gad are almost interchangeable as Neil’s “funky flunkies” (Gad is the go-to comic “pitbull”), but SNL vet Pharoah is effective as Neil’s “window to reality”. Ditto for another “SNL-er”, Chris Redd as a DJ who becomes the “well-oiled” doorway for Casablanca’s product. Unfortunately, the funny Maniscalo has little to do as producer Moroder, other than affect a low ethnic rumble line delivery. Of the label’s “talent,” the stand-outs are Casey Like as the surly mercenary Kiss frontman Gene Simmons and Parx as the often perplexed but sultry songstress Summer.

Since the person at the heart of this biopic is the son of the main subject (with his other heirs listed as producers, you might think that Timothy Scott Bogart had written and directed an affectionate “fluff piece”, extolling his pop’s genius. Well, there’s a bit of that, though he doesn’t gloss over the “dents and dings” in Neil’s armor. Yup, the high points of his legacy shine through, with some stars getting better treatment than others (why do the Village People only get a minute or so, almost as an afterthought). We’re meant to think of Neil as a charming “rascal”, a “bad boy” made good by out-hustling “the squares”. But mostly his showboating comes off as a flashy arrogance, a grating ‘showboat” constantly pulling fiery magician’s flash-paper out of his pockets (what “money man” would take him seriously). we even get an ongoing “debt or profit” title card for “time jumps”. Like his tricks, Neil and his antics become tiresome over the over two-hour runtime. Ditto for the 70s fashions and facial hair (it’s kitschy, we get it) and the constant chainsmoking (an excuse for the young cast to seem cooler and “edgy”). And could they have picked a more cliched final fadeout tune? Despite its “adult themes” (a recent hyped-up movie ursine would snort it up), this “jukebox musical life story” seems more suited to basic cable TV. The end result is closer to zirconium with the ponderous SPINNING GOLD.

1.5 Out of 4

SPINNING GOLD opens in select theatres on Friday, March 31, 2023

A MAN CALLED OTTO – Review

Tom Hanks is Otto Anderson in Columbia Pictures A MAN CALLED OTTO. Photo by: Niko Tavernise

So, we’re almost a week into 2023 and all that holiday cheer is so…last year. What a perfect time for a film centering around an older fella’ who’s…well, a human version of the grinch, sans green fur and the larceny. And who’s taken on this role? It’s none other than the movie’s “Mr. Nice Guy’ himself, “America’s dad” (perhaps grandpa; now), and two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks. Hey. we all need to “shake things up” a bit, and get out of our “comfort zone”. But are his filmgoing fans ready to accept him as a real grouch AKA A MAN CALLED OTTO? BTW, this has no connection to A FISH CALLED WANDA or THE MAN CALLED FLINTSTONE, in case you’re wondering.

When we first encounter Otto Anderson (Hanks), he’s raising a stink at his local hardware store because he doesn’t see why he has to pay for another foot of rope, when he only needs another six inches. From there he’s off to his gated community, a “pre-planned” set of “cloned” small two-story houses, just outside of Pittsburgh. Every morning, before he trudges off to his long-standing factory job, he makes the “rounds” Otto considers himself the “enforcer” of the homeowners’ society’s rules, quick with his notepad jotting down any infractions (not separating the recyclables, trimming the lawns, etc.). During this, he growls at some of his neighbors, including a talky “speed-walker”, a delivery driver parking too long in a guest, spot, and a young woman who doesn’t “curb” her pooch. Perhaps worst is the jerk from the real estate agency (Mike Birbiglia) who drives through “no vehicle” walkways. As far as work goes, he’s out of it, forced into early retirement by his company’s new, much-younger owners. On his way back home, he stops off at the grave of his beloved wife Sonya for a chat before embarking on his home “project”. Remember that rope, well it will be part of his plan to join Sonya. But as he puts the noose around his neck (while dressed in his best suit), a commotion outside distracts him. A family has rented out the house next door, and the husband can’t back up with the trailer attached to the old SUV. Being an auto buff, Otto has to intervene. He meets Pittsburgh native Tommy (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), his pregnant Hispanic wife Marisol (Mariana Trevino), and their two pre-teen daughters. Needless to say, Otto is most unpleasant to them, but his gruffness doesn’t stop Marisol from reaching out to him. Can this young optimistic family break through his emotional barriers and get Otto to “lighten up” and perhaps put aside his “project’ and find a reason to go on living?

Well, can we buy our “bosom buddy” Mr. H as an unsociable curmudgeon? Hmmm, somewhat, especially in the first act as he focuses his disdainful glare at anyone coming into his sight range. But it’s more intense irritation than blind fury. We know his bark (more of a cry for help) is much worse than his bite as we wait for this stomping iceberg to gradually melt. And though we’d never want to deal with him in reality, Hanks makes Otto a compelling, often unpredictable toxic troll. By the story’s midpoint, we see that he’s met his match in Trevino as Marisol whose wide smile burns through the near-constant clouds of an Eastern winter (the scenes really seem chilly). She brings a lot of energy to the forever frazzled mama, though we wonder why she doesn’t give up on the “old mope”. Garcia-Rulfo is a likable doofus daddy who gladly lets her “run the show”. Rachel Keller is quite endearing in the flashback sequences as Otto’s soulmate Sonya. It’s a shame that we only get a couple of brief scenes with the gifted stand-up comic Birbiglia as Otto’s up-tight, buttom-down weasel of an arch-nemisis. Luckily Mr, B makes his every sneer count.

Now, as many of you know this is a remake of a Swedish film (A MAN CALLED OVE) based on a beloved novel of the same name, Back in 2016 it was the year’s biggest foreign-language box-office champ, so it’s got big snow boots to fill. Hanks is more than up for it, though he lacks the lumbering menace of that film’s lead star, Rolf Lassgard, who has an aura of real danger, as though he’s a bear just awake from hibernation (and you’re a tasty salmon). To “hedge their bets” the screenplay adapter, David Magee, has retained most of the story “beats” while shuffling some flashback sequences around a tad. Still, Sonya seems more saintly here as we meet a few of her former students who remind Otto of her unconditional kindness. And it’s a shame that director Mark Forster (talk about a wide resume, from MONSTER’S BALL to Bond) didn’t cut back on the antics of Otto’s cartoonish neighbors who seem lifted out of an ABC TGIF sitcom (plus the amped-up antics of the “newbies”). Still, it’s nice to see Hanks in a big lead role after doing supporting work in the past year. And it’s got a bit more bite than most “family-friendly” dramedies, despite the sentimental “memory pieces”. Even though he can be annoying and dismissive there are worse people to live next to than A MAN CALLED OTTO.

2.5 Out of 4

A MAN CALLED OTTO is now playing in select theatres

RAYMOND & RAY – Review

So now that October’s past the midway point many of us are getting that end-of-the-year “sense of dread” as the two major holidays loom with the pressure of reuniting with the family. Oh, I know that there are those on the “other side of the coin” who truly relish the big annual “sitdowns” (and consider yourself fortunate indeed). This film is assuredly in the former category. Oh, and it’s not set during a holiday. Rather it’s more of a family “unraveling” as the setting is the funeral of a parent. Which in turn brings together, after a long “hiatus”, two brothers from “different mothers”. And though they share a papa, they’ve got little in common despite the shared “moniker”. But to make things easier, their patriarch referred to the guys as RAYMOND & RAY.

The first one we meet is the “straight-laced” timid and a tad “up-tight” Raymond (Ewan McGregor) as he drives through a dark, dense wooded area. He finally finds his destination, a cabin off the main road. Raymond nervously knocks on the door and is greeted by his pistol-toting stepbrother Ray (Ethan Hawke). Since he’s got no phone, Raymond has surprised him just as one of his ladies has left (hence the “piece”). Raymond explains that their father Harris’ funeral is tomorrow about two hours away. Ray scoffs and has no interest in attending, but Raymond insists since he needs Ray to drive. Seems he lost his license due to a DUI but took a chance on the back roads at night to pick up Ray. Eventually, they agree to leave at dawn. On the road, the two share horror stories about their awful abusive pop. At the funeral parlor, the brothers are stunned by the “pre-arrangements” and are told by a lawyer to go to dad’s final home for items left for them. At the house, they’re greeted by Lucia (Maribel Verdu), a former lover of Harris who tended to him in his final years, which intrigues Raymond. Later at the funeral home, Ray strikes up a dialogue with his papa’s hospital nurse Kiera (Sophis Okonedo), who is resistant to his charms. Eventually, they all gather at the cemetery for a memorial service that turns into a multi-hour ordeal because of the unusual (to say the least) requests in Harris’ will, Under that setting sun many surprises come to light and family scandals and secrets are revisited.

The film’s an engaging showcase for the two lead actors and their very distinct performing styles. Slightly tweaking his American accent for a Southeastern twang, MacGregor Imbues the almost always mellow Raymond with a bit of suppressed rage. With each new family anecdote his “fuse” inches toward the long-dormant but still potent “payload. This guy’s sitting on so much that it’s not a question of whether he’ll explode, but when. And McGregor shows us Raymond’s frustration with his sibling and how it’s finely tempered by his growing lust for Lucia. Hawke infuses a “too cool for school” vibe for Ray (though his academic years are long behind him), though his “half-mast” eyes are hiding a deep loss-fueled pain. He’s had his fill of people even though he can’t resist sending off a magnetic vibe to nearly all the ladies. But that “mojo’ is deflected by Verdu who projects her own charisma as the sexy, nurturing exotic goddess (much as in her breakthrough role over 20 years ago in Y TU MAMA TAMBIEN) Lucia who exalts in her passions, offers an escape hatch to Raymond’s crushing disappointments. Also blocking Ray’s charms is Okoneido’s Kierra who recognizes Ray as a damaged soul wrapped in his aloof dude disguise. She heeds her calling to try to ease his pin, but is determined not to be one of his many casual “flings”. Also of note is Vondie Curtis-Hall as the flamboyant exuberant Reverend West who befriended the late papa in his last months.

Writer/director Rodrigo Garcia has created an engrossing look at two middle-aged men grappling with the past and each other while trying to deny the desire for the brotherhood that they each share. Although it begins with mismatched, bickering travelers trapped on a “road trip” first act, once they reach the destination the family drama opens up to take in the quirky characters that Dad had gathered during his last journey. It does seem to meander during the long final act at the gravesite, often feeling like a stage play with each mourner getting some script “business”, which leads to a hopeful conclusion with the promise of a better future and a smattering of redemption. Sure, it remains a family relationship drama, though it’s also an interesting character study worth taking in for the cast, especially the two terrific actors as RAYMOND & RAY.

3 Out of 4

RAYMOND & RAY is now playing in select theatres and streams exclusively on AppleTV+ beginning on October 21, 2022

THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER – Review

This week’s new film release may seem like more of a Summer escapist flick with an average Joe traveling across the globe and acting like the ole comic trope “the fish out of water”, That notion is somewhat re-enforced by the film’s star, who’s mostly known for musicals and comedies, and by the movie’s marketing team, who are ‘selling it” as a zany romp, Much as with DOG from earlier this year, don’t judge a flick by its cast or ads. That’s because the story’s protagonist is headed to Vietnam… in 1967, the definition of a “hot spot”. Now if this mix of whimsy and social/political upheaval in the “swingin’ 60s”, sounds a bit like the recent Best Picture Oscar winner THE GREEN BOOK (which was set five or six years before this), well you’re pretty perceptive because this is from the same filmmaker who hopes to entertain and enlighten us once again with this true story all about THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER.

The “run” actually starts in a neighborhood bar in Manhattan on that fateful year. The “mainstays’ are telling tales and busting…chops, as John “Chickie” Donohue (Zac Efron) cajoles the owner/bartender, known affectionately as “The Colonel” (Bill Murray) to put a brew on his “tab”. The spirits are deflated a bit when the TV spews out more images of the deadly combat overseas. Cut to late the next morning as Chickie is rousted out of bed by his bombastic “old man”. Since Chickie’s a merchant marine, and unmarried, he’s crashing with his family since he’s often out to sea for months. The only thing that Pops insists on is that he attended weekend mass. The local church is an oasis of calm after he endures the heated arguments between his folks and his college-age sister Christine (Ruby Ashbourne Serkis). She actually protests the US involvement “over there” at the nearby park, which is the scene of a brawl involving Chickie and a “pub pal”. Back at said “watering hole”, the Colonel wishes he could do something for “the boys” awww, even if he could just bring them a beer. Suddenly an idea pops into Chickies’ pickled brain. He’ll bring the neighbor gang beers since he can work on a cargo ship headed to Nam. He finds out a vessel is shipping out, then fills a battered gym bag full of PBR (Pabst Blue Ribbon) cans, along with some cash, letter, and other trinkets from “service families” and dashes to the docks. Before ya know it, he’s in the harbor pleading with his CO for a multi-day leave. Begrudgingly, Chickie gets 72 hours. From there he’s checking names off his list, giving out “not-so-cold ones”, and grabbing truck and copter rides from staffers that think he’s CIA (he is wearing a plaid Sear short-sleeve shirt and jeans). But as Chickie gets farther “in-country”, the horrors of battle may take him down, despite the help of a grizzled news “photog” named Coates (Russell Crowe). Can Chickie get back to his boat in time, or will this “goodwill trip” cost him his life?

With great energy and physicality, Efron dives into this character role in an attempt to break out of the “teen dream’ matinee idol parts. And he often succeeds. His Chickie has goofy charm to spare as he fumbles to express his often conflicting motivations. He truly wants to help the “guys from the block”, but his enthusiasm colors his world view. Chickie thinks that the fellas only need to be shown that their hometown’s behind them. Of course, the guys he finally finds, think that he’s misguided and reckless (“too stupid to get killed”). Efron conveys that sweaty panic as his eyes are fully “opened” to the dirty deeds done in the name of “country”. Doing much to pry those “lids” is Crowe who has the necessary gravitas to “spill the beans” while dodging the bombs to deliver the unvarnished story. Unlike his array of action heroes, Coates is content to click the camera rather than a pistol, as he adopts Chickie almost as a pet or a naive son who must be sent back. Of course, Chickie may not get the neighborhood guys to listen, men like The Colonel, who Murray embodies with none of his snarky attitude. Rather, he’s as straight and unwavering as his impressive silver “buzzcut”. As for the gangs at his pub, the funniest might be Hal Cumpston as Leary, a doofus who switches his opinion with lightning speed (“a flip-flopper”). Lighting up the screen is Kristen Carey as the mother of one of Chickie’s best pals who is MIA. Her inner light for him glows brightly, though we can see that she is braced for the worst.

The aforementioned director is Peter Farrelly, who also co-wrote the adaptation (with Pete Jones and Brian Hayes Currie) of the book the real Chickie wrote with Joanna Molloy. He keeps the story flowing fairly smoothly, though a few of the brief flashbacks tend to slow down the tale’s progression (blips of Chichie with his MIA bud). Plus he goes deep into the heated family dinner table verbal battles that seem to be sparking back up in more recent political and philosophical “showdowns”. But, unlike 2018’s THE GREEN BOOK (four years, really), there’s little time for character interaction. Chickie’s time with the old NYC guys feels truncated as he has to keep moving, and any chemistry with Coates is drowned out by the bombs and bullets. And frankly, the GIs make few impressions as some wonder if they can ever really return home. Some of the “pencil-pushers” who think that Chickie is an “undercover” provide a bit of levity, but it’s scarce. And despite the “R” rating, much of the conflict feels too “tidy” as Chickie can easily reconnect with folks on the way. It feels less DEER HUNTER” and more GOOD MORNING VIETNAM, as the horrors force Chickie into an awareness (maybe a bit “woke”). As Mr. Joel sang, “the good ole days weren’t all that good”, but this is a tune that’s been played too often making this feel like a slightly elevated basic cable dramedy. Perhaps a few brews from the bag would’ve made THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER go down easier, but it just leaves the viewer with a throbbing movie hangover.

2.5 Out of 4

THE GREATEST BEER RUN EVER opens in select theatres and streams exclusively on AppleTV+ beginning Friday, September 30, 2022