Promising Young Woman

February 14, 2021 at 2:25 pm | Posted in 2020 | Leave a comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

◊ ◊ ◊ ◊ ½

This is the sort of film I want to recommend to everybody, and yet nobody. I can’t imagine anyone will enjoy this film; I did not enjoy it at all, but I absolutely loved it. This film is a product of #MeToo, and frankly we need more of this. Like the brilliant 2020 HBO series, “I May Destroy You,” women may see a lot that rings true for them, and men will likely be made very uncomfortable. Stories like these should challenge us to really think about power and culpability. In this story, we see both on display from many angles. The film is brilliantly constructed, paralleling Cassie’s “mission” with her burgeoning relationship with Ryan. It helps that Carey Mulligan and Bo Burnham has such genuine chemistry on screen together. Their scenes are light and fun and have a definite romcom vibe to them. Director and writer Emerald Fennell has masterfully constructed the story for maximum bite, right down to the smallest details, such as the framed “Yee Haw” that hung just above the most disturbing scene. The film was not flawless. Fennell over used the colors of bright pink and baby blue to reinforce the gender issues at stake; they were in virtually every scene (and almost 100% of what Cassie wore), and it became a bit distracting. Also, the movie should have ended just five minutes sooner. The very last scene softened the gut-punch, and it shouldn’t have. If it had ended after the police officer in the doctor’s office, it would have been perfect. The ending was just too tidy and wrapped up in a bow. To use a favorite phrase of mine, it rescued the audience, and we shouldn’t have been rescued. But, the rest of this film is a long, powerful journey through trauma, rage, and revenge.

 

Eighth Grade

August 5, 2018 at 8:07 pm | Posted in 2018 | 3 Comments
Tags: , , , , , ,

◊ ◊ ◊ ½

“Eighth Grade” is one of those strange little movies that you can be glad you saw, without necessarily having enjoyed seeing it. It does its job almost perfectly, almost too perfectly, in fact. Taking place in the last week of 8th grade, it follows Kayla (Elsie Fisher, “Despicable Me,” “Despicable Me 2”) as she doles out sage advice on her YouTube channel and then desperately tries to follow it in her own life. She’s shy, awkward, sweet, has a huge crush and a well-meaning dad. These are not exactly original themes, but I am not sure I have ever seen them presented more realistically. I was reminded of the 2003 film “Thirteen” (my god, that was 15 years ago!). Just like that film attempted to tell us what it was like for that generation, “Eight Grade” updates us on the post-millennial crew. I found that one remarkably real, at the time, but it seems like sheer melodrama in comparison to this film. “Eighth Grade” was written and directed by Bo Burnham, a 27 year old known mostly for bit parts. Burnham has managed to tell a completely real story, full of real characters. The film centers around Fisher, who is in every scene, and she does an absolutely fantastic job. The entire film felt like I could be watching a hidden camera documentary about adolescents. And, that is both its strength and its weakness. In the end, I don’t find the lives of middle school students to be either gripping or enjoyable to watch. They are all so damned painfully awkward. I was able to laugh at some of those moments, but others made me want to look away mortified by how much they reminded me of my own childhood. In terms of pure technique (writing, directing, acting), I would give this film a 4.5. But, in terms of my own pure enjoyment, it would get a 2. So, I split the difference in coming up with my rating. If you are an adolescent, a parent of an adolescent, a film lover, or just enjoy wallowing in awkwardness, I would line up for this one. Otherwise, it might not be the film for you.

The Big Sick

August 26, 2017 at 10:38 am | Posted in 2017 | Leave a comment
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

◊ ◊ ◊ ½

Sometimes the most cliché of genres can offer the sweetest surprise. It is a difficult thing to convince me to see a romantic comedy, any more. I feel like I have seen it all and disliked most of it. They are cloying, predictable and only blandly humorous. Yet, “The Big Sick” manages to be something I almost never expect from a romantic comedy; it is deeply touching. Written by real-life spouses Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon, the film tells us the story of how they met. In what is definitely an unexpected twist for a romantic comedy, the main focus of the movie is on Kumail’s relationship with Emily’s parents (Holly Hunter & Ray Romano), rather than with her, as they struggle to deal with her unexpected illness. This vehicle allowed the audience to get to know his character outside of the standard rom com clichés. The film’s humor is fairly gentle. There are no belly laughs and it won’t have you in tears, but it did keep me genuinely chuckling throughout. At times, scenes could feel like they were veering toward stereotype (particularly where Kumail’s family was concerned) but it always felt more like a gentle ribbing than anything else. Because this was so autobiographical, the film felt very loving and respectful toward its characters. There is nothing biting here. If you are looking for a side-splitting good time, this may not be the movie for you. But you will genuinely feel good throughout. You will find it hard not to like everyone and you will find it hard not to be moved. You probably won’t shed any tears from laughing but you might still shed a tear or two or other reasons.

Blog at WordPress.com.
Entries and comments feeds.