Starring Johnny Knoxville famous for his TV series Jackass first released in 2000, Action Point is a rather stupid movie that is essentially a series of Jackass-like physical comedy stunts pretending to be a full narrative film. However, it should not be criticized too severely because it is exactly the type of movie you should expect from Johnny Knoxville and what appeared in the previews. The story follows the free-spirited owner of a cheap amusement park in the 1970s named D.C., played by Knoxville, who fights for his beloved park to remain open while trying to please his young teenage daughter nicknamed Boogie. The movie is told from the perspective of an older version of D.C. who recounts his memories about Action Point park to his young granddaughter. The amusement park is an extremely unsafe yet thrilling place for the local kids as well as the misfit employees who are often drunk or high. With the opening of a nearby corporate-owned amusement park and the arrival of a litigious real estate developer, D.C. struggles to keep up with competition and decides to up the ante by making the rides even more fun and dangerous. He also tries to connect with his daughter who lives with her mother in New York. The rather ridiculous premise is designed as justification for displaying all of the extremely dangerous stunts for comedic effect that Johnny Knoxville and his crew are known for in the TV show and subsequent movies. Overall, I found the movie largely without any redeeming qualities or even moments of laughter, and I could only recommended to those who really enjoy watching people hurt themselves or are fans of Johnny Knoxville’s work.
Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jason Reitman best known for 2007’s Juno and 2009’s Up in the Air and written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody best known for 2007’s Juno, Tully is a must-see comedic drama about the ups and downs of motherhood that is brought to life by the painfully realistic script and superb acting performances. The plot revolves around a mother of three named Marlo, played by the always terrific Oscar winner Charlize Theron, who has a particularly challenging time with the birth of her third child. Like most parents, she is exhausted and sleep deprived to a point in which she is desperate for help of any kind, especially when her husband Drew, played by Ron Livingston, seems to be too busy at work. She also has to deal with her young son who is having behavioral issues at a prestigious elementary school. Initially, Marlo scoffs at her wealthy brother Craig, played by Mark Duplass, who offers to pay for her to have a so-called night nanny, a nanny only to care for a newborn infant at night so that the parents can get rest. Over time, she is more open to the idea and eventually a young free-spirited woman named Tully, played by Mackenzie Davis from the TV show Halt and Catch Fire, comes over to be the night nanny. Marlo and the vivacious Tully quickly develop a close friendship and have intimate conversations about family and in particular the difficulties that comes with motherhood. Although it sounds like a rather straightforward story, the excellent writing makes for a deeply moving experience in which there are funny and sad moments underscored by an unprecedented level of raw honesty about parenthood. There are some very unexpected events that make it even more of an appealing indie-style film that above all feels so real. The realism comes from the fact that it does not gloss over the many occasions when being a parent feels impossible, such as the constant juggling of taking care of oneself, cleaning up messes, running on very little sleep, and struggling to do what is best for your child. Despite all this, Marlo, as do most parents, realizes that it is worth it to raise a child and that motherly love somehow allows her to deal with the unpleasant aspects of parenting and become the best parent possible. Overall, I found it to be a truly remarkable movie with a top-notch directing/writing duo that delves deep into what it must be like to be a mother and provides yet another example of why Charlize Theron is such a talented actress.
The sequel to the 2001 cult comedy classic Super Troopers featuring the Broken Lizard comedic group, Super Troopers 2 is a ridiculously silly comedy that, like the original, is full of vulgar and very juvenile humor that tries to be nothing more than a more traditional slapstick comedy. The movie follows a group of former Vermont State Troopers who were fired after the shenanigans of the first film and are looking for a way to get back into law enforcement. The main characters are made up of the Broken Lizard comedy troupe: Jay Chandrasekhar playing Senior Trooper Arcot “Thorny” Ramathorn, Paul Soter playing Trooper Jeff Foster, Steve Lemme playing Trooper MacIntyre “Mac” Womack, Erik Stolhanske playing Trooper Robert “Rabbit” Roto, and Kevin Heffernan playing Trooper Rodney “Rod” Farva. The rather ludicrous plot involves the group of highly incompetent troopers led by Captain John O’Hagen, played by Golden Globe-nominated British actor Brian Cox, being recruited to help set up a new highway patrol station outside a small Canadian town transitioning into joining the United States after a border dispute between the two nations. They must take control from a group of three extremely stereotyped Canadian Mounties, including one played by Will Sasso of MADtv fame, who become engaged in prank war with the obnoxious American troopers. Many of the practical jokes that the characters play on one another are sometimes hilarious and almost always rely on gross-out and lowbrow humor that could be upsetting to some viewers. Over time, the ribald story becomes increasingly absurd with the appearance of the slick French-Canadian mayor Guy Le Franc, played by Rob Lowe, and a criminal organization smuggling drugs and a female version of Viagra outlawed in the United States. All of the Canadian characters are over-the-top composites of a stereotypical French-Canadian, complete with the different pronunciation of the word sorry and the notion that all Canadians are nice in addition to poking fun of the fact that some of them speak French and love hockey. Overall, I found it to be a mind-numbing comedy that furthers the stupidity of the original Super Troopers, which will definitely appease fans, that has its moments of uproarious hilarity fueled by some rather immature material.
Directed by Richard Loncraine who is best known for romantic comedies and 2006’s thriller Firewall, Finding Your Feet is the quintessential British romantic comedy revolving around a group of senior citizens looking for joy and love and is brought to life by the highly talented cast. We first meet one of the protagonists Sandra Abbott, played by Oscar-nominated actress Imelda Staunton, after she discovers that her husband of many years has been cheating on her with her best friend. She moves out of her wealthy enclave to go to London and stay with her older sister Bif, played by Celia Imrie best known for 2012’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Unlike Sandra, Bif is very much a free spirit who is happy to live a modest life in a crowded inner-city apartment and has a group of eccentric friends who all take a dance class at the local community center. Eventually, Sandra is convinced to participate in the dance class in order to get over her pending divorce and reconnect to others her age and outside her comfort zone. Through a series of charming scenes marked by typically dry British humor, she meets Bif’s friends and dance classmates, including the down-to-earth and delightful Charlie, played by acclaimed British actor Timothy Spall, the jovial Ted, played by David Hayman, and the flirtatious Jackie, played by comedic actress Joanna Lumley. The romantic part of the movie comes into play as Sandra begins to fall in love with Charlie; at that very moment, Sandra evolves from being preoccupied with wealth and social status to falling for a man who has very little wealth and lives on a river barge in London. Their romance is complicated by unforeseen circumstances, including Sandra’s husband trying to make amends and Charlie’s past love life. Although much of the movie is an innocent feel-good movie, there are some sentimental moments in which life is brought down to earth through the universal aspects of aging, including grief and loss of loved ones. Overall, I found it to be a delightful British film filled with witty innocent humor and a realistic pinch of bittersweet emotions that is elevated by a terrific cast of characters.
Directed by Kay Cannon who was the screenwriter for the Pitch Perfect movie franchise, Blockers is a surprisingly sentimental and intelligent comedy that otherwise follows in the same vein of a vulgar teenage comedy about sex. The story involves three parents who try to prevent their three high school daughters from entering a sex pact to lose their virginity on their prom night. The group of girls have been longtime friends ever since they started elementary school and feel that they must have sex before college in order to be seen as adults. Unlike most teenage comedies in which a group of young men lust after beautiful coeds, the film focuses on the intention of the female protagonists to explore their own sexuality and therefore objectifies women to a lesser degree. Furthermore, much of the plot is about the parents: the single and overprotective mother Lisa, played by Judd Apatow-favorite Leslie Mann; the muscular and emotional father Mitchell, played by former pro wrestler John Cena; and the carefree yet absent father Hunter, played by Ike Barinholtz best known for 2014’s comedy Neighbors. After they hear that their daughters are not so innocent as they hoped, the heavily involved parents Lisa and Mitchell panic and decide to follow the girls on prom night to prevent them from having sex. Only later does the more lackadaisical Hunter join in on the hilarity that ensues as they embark on their ridiculous adventure to stop teenagers from being teenagers. Yes, the movie is filled with some rather inappropriate moments that are typically found in R-rated sex comedies, but the writing allows for the characters to be more fully developed and thereby humanize the process of entering adulthood. At the end, the parents learn their lesson to not be so obsessively protective of their children and instead engage in realistic heart-to-heart discussions about growing up and exploring one’s sexuality. Overall, I found it to be one of the funniest films of the year while at the same time astonishing me for taking a different and more feminine approach to the stereotypical vulgar comedy; underneath all the silliness, the story has a heartfelt message about modern-day parenting.
Directed by acclaimed first filmmaker Cédric Klapisch who is best known for 2002’s L’Auberge Espagnole, Back to Burgundy is a sentimental French film about a winemaking family in the French countryside of Burgundy. The plot follows three siblings who are reunited at their family-owned winery after the return of the prodigal son Jean, played by Pio Marmaï, when the father becomes gravely ill. From the beginning, there is tension between all of the siblings, especially Jean who has been away for many years working at a winery in Australia after having a falling out with the father. Juliette, played by Ana Girardot, is running the day-to-day operations of the family’s fledgling winery and remembers having a much better relationship with the father who taught her the winemaking business. She is occasionally helped out by the younger brother Jeremie, played by François Civil, who has problems of his own dealing with his strict father-in-law who owns one of the more well-known wineries in Burgundy. After the father finally dies, the three siblings must figure how to successfully run the family business at the same time that they are facing an insurmountable inheritance tax. The emotional maturation of the family is eloquently emphasized by showing time-lapse footage of the vineyards over the course of four seasons and the winemaking process that requires time and patience. Eventually, they all become closer to one another and come to appreciate the land that they are so dependent on as equal owners of a winery. Overall, I found it to be a sweet film filled with serious feelings and occasional comedic flair that makes for an enjoyable cinematic experience that leaves you appreciating family even through the inevitably difficult times.
KEITH on Reels 