Movie Review: Peter Rabbit

Peter Rabbit ** ½ / *****

Directed by: Will Gluck.

Written by: Will Gluck & Rob Lieber based on the book by Beatrix Potter.

Starring: James Corden (Peter Rabbit), Domhnall Gleeson (Mr. McGregor), Rose Byrne (Bea), Margot Robbie (Flopsy), Daisy Ridley (Cotton-tail), Elizabeth Debicki (Mopsy), Sam Neill (Older Mr. McGregor), Sia (Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle), Colin Moody (Benji), Vauxhall Jermaine (Jackson), Terenia Edwards (Siobhan).

 

It’s very easy to be cynical about children’s entertainment – and Hollywood normally gives you no reason not to be. They are basically stuck in a cycle now of taking a property that people will recognize the name of, and then making the same kind of crass, crude entertainment they always do, just with a few recognizable names. Once in a while, you get something as magical as Paddington (or it’s even better sequel – and why haven’t you people made that wonderful film the biggest hit of 2018 so far), but more often than not, you get something like Peter Rabbit. It isn’t a horrible movie by any means – and in general, my kids and the other kids in the audience, seemed to enjoy it. But it’s busy and loud, and have far too many jokes that will be dated by the time the film comes out on home video. There is a reason why Beatrix Potter’s books are still being read more than 100 years later – and a reason why this film is likely to be forgotten very soon.

 

To be fair to the film, I don’t think it’s as bad as the initial previews led many to believe. Yes, there is some hip hop birds and singing, but the film has at least some respect for Potter’s original story in its opening sequence, when Peter (voiced by James Corden), his triplet sisters (Margot Robbie, Daisy Ridley, Elizabeth Debicki – three very talented actresses who I cannot tell apart in this film) and their cousin Benji (Colin Moody) as they raid Old McGregor’s (Sam Neil) farm. From there, of course, the film has to spin out a larger tale to fill the time, so they end up bringing in a younger Mr. McGregor (Domhnall Gleeson) – who wants to sell the place, and needs to fix it up first, even as he falls for the neighbor, Bea (Rose Bryne) – who loves the rabbits that he despises.

 

If there is a reason to see Peter Rabbit, it is Gleeson, who throws himself into the role with a lot more glee and commitment than most actors do in this sort of film. He is doing expert level physical comedy – pratfalls and mugging to the camera, and makes you believe he would have been an excellent comedian in the silent era. Bryne is sweet as Bea, but I wish they gave her something – anything – else to play other than sweet.

 

Corden, I think, is the wrong choice for Peter Rabbit. He comes across as too brash, too obnoxious, too modern. He takes over in a weird way, and isn’t very likable. I know this is part of the point – strangely, I think the film takes Wes Anderson’s Rushmore as an example, of two males warring over a woman – one who can never get her, and one who is lying to her – but that also ends up going against Bea’s initial point about the rabbits – which is that they are animals, just their following animal instincts. Strangely, this is the second children’s film of 2018 – after Paddington 2 – that made me think of both Wes Anderson, and silent comedians. Paddington 2 did so in a much, much better way (seriously, why didn’t more of you go see Paddington 2).

 

Overall, Peter Rabbit isn’t a painful experience. It’s kind of fun at times, and Gleeson and Neil seem to be having a blast, which helps a great deal. Is it cynical, disposable entertainment? Yes. But not everything can be Paddington.

Movie Review: Friends with Benefits

Friends with Benefits ***

Directed by: Will Gluck.

Written by: Keith Merryman & David A. Newman and Will Gluck.

Starring: Justin Timberlake (Dylan), Mila Kunis (Jamie), Patricia Clarkson (Lorna), Jenna Elfman (Annie), Richard Jenkins (Mr. Harper), Bryan Greenberg (Parker), Woody Harrelson (Tommy), Nolan Gould (Sam), Andy Samberg (Quincy), Shaun White (Himself), Emma Stone (Kayla).

I am now fully convinced that Justin Timberlake has the makings of a real movie star. When he started his acting career, he was smart, taking on supporting roles and improving as an actor before jumping to lead roles. He is actually quite good in movies like Alpha Dog, Southland Tales and Black Snake Moan, but he was smart enough to pick smaller roles in smaller movies, so that even if he wasn’t good, his acting career wouldn’t become a joke. He has improved his comedic skills by countless guest starring roles on Saturday Night Live, and last year, he really did deserve an Oscar nomination for his great performance in The Social Network. In Friends with Benefits, he gives what I like to call a perfect “movie star” performance. No, it isn’t a deep performance, nor perhaps a great one, but he is charming and funny and likable – he sucks the audience in, and makes you care about his character, which is nearly impossible to do with romantic comedies these days. Not to be outdone, his co-star Mila Kunis – quietly building a very solid resume – matches him step for step. Yes, Friends with Benefits is as clichéd as the romantic comedies it pokes of during the course of the movie. But I enjoyed every minute of it.

Timberlake stars as Dylan, born and raised in LA, and making a name for himself running a news blog there. He is young, energetic and creative, and that is why Jamie (Mila Kunis) headhunts him for a job as GQ’s art director in New York. She meets him at the airport, and takes him to his interview, but he isn’t sold on moving to New York yet. So, she takes him around town and sells him on the city. He loves it, agrees to take the job, and moves out. He knows nobody in New York except for Jamie, and the two quickly become best friends. The both have just gone through breakups, and don’t want to date anyone, but they do want sex. The figure they can have sex with each other – just as friends. And we all know how that is going to turn out.

Yes, the plot of the movie is very similar to No Strings Attached with Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman from earlier this year. That movie was okay, but immediately forgettable. Friends with Benefits is funnier and smarter. It reminded me of the Judd Apatow movies in recent years, which mocks the clichés of the genre they are in, while still being a fine example of one. It works here because of the charm of the two leads, who are perfectly suited for each other. The supporting cast – Patricia Clarkson as Jamie’s aging hippie mother, Woody Harrelson as Dylan’s gay friend, Richard Jenkins as Dylan’s Alzheimer’s stricken father and Jeanna Elfman as his ever supportive sister are all fine, but forgettable. What we want is Timberlake and Kunis, and they do not disappoint.

This summer has had a lot of R-Rated comedies – some quite good (Bridesmaids, Horrible Bosses), some being blasé (Bad Teacher) and some downright bad (The Hangover Part II). Friends with Benefits is better than any of them, because it sustains the laughs throughout the whole movie. Yes, you know before you walk into the theater just what is going to happen. But for me, I didn’t care. The leads sold the movie, and they did an excellent job. If more romantic comedies were this good, I could actually start enjoying the genre again.

Movie Review: Easy A

Easy A *** 1/2
Directed by: Will Gluck.
Written By: Bert V. Royal.
Starring: Emma Stone (Olive), Penn Badgley (Woodchuck Todd), Amanda Bynes (Marianne), Dan Byrd (Brandon), Thomas Haden Church (Mr. Griffith), Patricia Clarkson (Rosemary), Stanley Tucci (Dill), Cam Gigandet (Micah), Lisa Kudrow (Mrs. Griffith), Malcolm McDowell (Principal Gibbons), Alyson Michalka (Rhiannon), Fred Armisen (Pastor).

There are some movies that are elevated by one terrific performance, and Easy A is certainly one of those movies. This could have been just another teen movie - a Juno-lite, too satisfied with its own cleverness and intelligence. But Emma Stone makes the movie feel much more real that it should - she grounds the film in her own reality and carries the film in each and every scene. Yes, she is supported by a great cast - particularly Thomas Haden Church as one of her teacher and Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson as her parents who threaten to steal every scene they are in - but this is Stone’s movie from beginning to end. She had already proven that she is one of the best young comedic actresses around right now with her great work in Superbad, Zombieland and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past (where she was the only bright spot in a horrific movie). Here she proves that she is a movie star in the making.

The movie stars Stone as Olive, a high school senior who is pretty much invisible to her classmates. But then she tells one lie to her best friend (Alyson Michalka) that is overheard by Marianne (Amanda Bynes). The lie involves Olive losing her virginity to a college student, and soon rumors start flying about Olive all over the school. Her friend Brandon (Dan Byrd) overhears them, and wants Olive to do him a favor - he is constantly being picked on for being gay - and thinks that if everyone thinks that he had sex with Olive that people will leave him alone. So at a party, they fake it, and it saves Brandon - but makes Olive into the school slut. Marianne, head of a group of Christian students really starts picking on Olive, who has become the school slut. Instead of running from this label, she embraces it, and starts helping other losers “lose their virginity” to her as well. Things eventually get far too out of control.

There are many ways in which this movie could have gone horribly wrong - but it wisely sidesteps them all. The screenplay by Bert V. Royal is witty and hilarious, giving Stone many memorable one liners, and helping to create some memorable supporting characters. Thomas Haden Church is great as the “cool” teacher, and Stanley Tucci and Patricia Clarkson have tremendous chemistry as Olive’s parents, obviously still madly in love after all these years. Yes, the overly moral Christians is something that has been done a few too many times in recent movies (best was in the movie Saved a few years ago), but Amanda Bynes carries off her role easily. The movie knows it is indebted to the teen movies of the 1980s, but instead of running from this, it embraces it - even going so far as to include clips from those movies. Director Will Gluck, who did the absolutely horrible, and mildly offensive Fired Up last year, keeps things moving along nicely, and is smart enough to simply get out of the way. The screenplay and acting is strong enough that it would be hard to screw up.

But the movie belongs to Emma Stone. Not quite the typical Hollywood starlet, Stone is still a beauty, has a sexy, slightly husky voice, and tremendous comic timing. If Stone does not completely sell this role, then the entire movie could have become a horrible film - and film with a lot of one liners in need to someone to deliver them. But Stone gives a star making performance as Olive - it is impossible to not fall for her, not root for her in the movie, and not to find her absolutely hilarious. There are so many teen comedies that come out every year, and most of them seem to come off an assembly line that weeds out any originality or anything of any real interest. But Easy A is different. Because of Stone, Easy A becomes one of the year’s best comedies. I look forward to seeing Stone doing even better work in her career. Trust me, she will be a huge star if she wants to be.

Movie Review - Fired Up!

Fired Up! * ½
Directed By: Will Gluck.
Written By: Freedom Jones.
Starring: Nicholas D'Agosto (Shawn Colfax), Eric Christian Olsen (Nick Brady), Sarah Roemer (Carly), Molly Sims (Diora), Danneel Harris (Bianca), David Walton (Dr. Rick), Adhir Kalyan (Brewster), AnnaLynne McCord (Gwyneth), Juliette Goglia (Poppy), Amber Stevens (Sara), Philip Baker Hall (Coach Byrnes), John Michael Higgins (Coach Keith), Edie McClurg (Ms. Klingerhoff).

It would be easy to be offended by a film like Fired Up! After all, it is a movie that essentially about two guys who use girls for their own personal sexual amusement, and then toss them aside as soon as they are done with them. Not only is this something the movie does not look down on, we are supposed to cheer our “heroes” as over the course of the movie, they learn a valuable lesson. Or at least one does.

But that would be giving the movie more thought than anyone who had anything to do with making it did. This is a movie that cynically tries to cram together other successful movies to make something that teenagers will flock to in droves (I’m sure in the pitch meetings they described it as American Pie meets Bring It On meets The Wedding Crashers). It didn’t seem to work, proving that teenagers have at least some taste.

The movies stars Nicholas D’Agosto and Eric Christian Olsen as two high school students (although D’Agosto is 29 and Olsen is 32!) who are the stars of the high school football team. Instead of going to hot, sweaty football camp for two weeks in the summer, surrounded by nothing but guys, they strike upon a genius idea – they’ll join the cheerleading squad, and spend two weeks sleeping with everything wearing pom poms. Their plan works, but there are complications – D’Agosto ends up falling for his squad’s captain, Carly (Sarah Roemer) and both end up actually caring about cheering.

It must be said that D’Agosto and Olsen are somewhat charming actors, and so they make the movie less painful that it could be. And really, I can’t complain about watching a 90 minutes of a bunch of pretty girls running around in cheerleading outfits (trust me, this doesn’t make me a pervert lusting after teenage girls – most of the cheerleaders appear to be in their mid – 20s). But one thing the movie is missing one key element – it’s not funny. Not ever. The movie just sits there on the screen. Sure, I probably smiled a couple of times, but never really laughed. Humor can make even the most offensive film funny (remember Borat? Or anything by Mel Brooks?). But when an offensive comedy isn’t funny, it’s just offensive. And there’s nothing funny about that.