Posted on

Movie Review – The Upside

Movie Review - The UpsideThe Upside was a mixture of heart and humor. (Pun intended.) Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston were superb together. The dynamics that developed between the two characters were so well acted that I didn’t want the movie to end. I just wanted to keep seeing these two guys growing and learning together.

The laughs don’t stop. I saw the show in a sold out theater and the crowd was loving it. I’m sure there were even more laughs than I heard, but the crowd was roaring in a few spots, making it hard to hear the following lines.

Humor: check!

It’s also touching. Both characters are working on their own personal demons from polar opposite positions. It’s all about how the two very different men help each other.

Touching: check!

I’m used to seeing Kevin Hart play in comedies that — let’s say — lack a certain depth, which is fine; he’s good at that. Hart shines in this movie in a way he never has before.

So yes, Kevin can pull off emotional and sincere characters too. He’s great at that. I want to see him push it even further and see what happens. I think we’d all be pleasantly surprised.

As for Bryan Cranston, he’s always amazing. His talent shined here, even with only being able to use his face for comedic purposes — he hit it out of the park.

I would recommend this movie to friends and family without hesitation. I read a few reviews on The Upside and saw some pretty nasty ones, which shocked me. I think my brain works on a different wavelength than those critics. I feel that if I laugh, don’t get bored, and walk away happy, then I’ll give it a great review!!

Grade: A+

About The Peetimes: It was extremely hard finding a few moments where I wasn’t laughing. I chose these 3 after throwing out 3 others, because I simply couldn’t make it through typing them without laughing hysterically.

There are no extra scenes during, or after, the end credits of The Upside. (What we mean by Anything Extra.)

Rated (PG-13) for suggestive content and drug use
Genres: Comedy, Drama

Posted on

Rewatch Movie Review – National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation

chevy chase in christmas vacation by national lampoon
Well. That was ‘enlightening’.

I kind of remember National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation as funnier than it is, through younger and rosier colored glasses. Sometimes things don’t really stand up to the passage of time, and this ‘Vacation’ movie from 1989 seems darker and a little bit meaner than I remember. It’s rather judgmental, taking potshots at the expense of people’s quirks and personalities.

For example, the bits with the neighbors (with Elaine from Seinfeld) were distinctly unfunny. I’m not sure why I was supposed to laugh when Clark Griswold crashed a tree into their bedroom, for example. That’s an expensive fix and could have killed the couple. Was their big crime being stuck-up yuppies? I felt a little bad for them.

And then when the elderly couple arrived, the jokes around them seemed mean-spirited, relying on the “old is funny” trope. Which, really, it isn’t.

Also, it seemed a little odd on Clark’s part to let no inch of his house be uncovered by lights. It wasn’t pretty — it was just very bright. (And probably super expensive in electricity.) I can admire an artistic use of Christmas lighting, but this wasn’t it.

The nicest moment was when the little “redneck” niece hoped Santa would find her there, since he missed her last year. I rooted for her to have some kind of sweet holiday morning.  Here was some actual pathos, sneaking in among the random vulgarity of the Griswold family’s attempt at Christmas perfection.

From a recent poll I posted on RunPee, Christmas Vacation fell behind the votes for the sweet-natured Elf, but beat out Home Alone, and tied with Love, Actually. I probably would have given this second place too before my rewatch, based on older, fonder memories of the film. It does have funny gags, but if I look at it honestly, it doesn’t come close to the better chuckles of European Vacation, or even American Vacation. And by the third go-around, I would hope the Griswolds would have learned to roll with life’s punches a bit more.

Did anyone think holding the boss hostage for a bonus check was a real hoot? I know I’m missing the point — these guys are intended to be crude and tasteless. I just don’t find that funny anymore.

I’m not trying to stomp on anyone’s memories of this as a great holiday film: it’s just my review, so feel free to ignore it. It’s not an awful movie, and there are some decent laughs in there. So I’ll give it a score of “average” (a C), and add a plus for having a dog named Snot.  That made my mother laugh long and hard. I’m sure there’s something for everyone in there somewhere, and I apologize in advance for pooping on your holiday parade.

 

Movie Grade: C+

Posted on

Movie Rewatch Review – The Birdcage

the birdcage with gene hackman, robin williams and nathan lane.
I’m still giggling. Some of this movie is just not cool today, but the basic madcap humor and earnest message is a win.

When The Birdcage opened as a feature film in 1997, I don’t remember people being quite so terrified of gay men…so it surprised me, 21 years later, to see such fear in the hearts of the young straight couple to admit the groom-to-be had two fathers. Or, as this movie made clear, one male father, and one male mother.

I’m guessing the producers chose to make the young lady’s parents so super conservative to even be close to being okay with this premise — even to making Callista Flockhart’s character’s father an uber republican senator, basing his platform almost entirely on a Moral “Something-Or-Other” Coalition.

I can’t imagine this movie being produced today. The son made his doting, supportive parents pretend to be something society deemed acceptable, deceive his fiance’s parents, bring on a “fake” (sort of–it’s complicated) cis female mother, and REDECORATE THEIR ENTIRE HOUSE to appear heteronormative. It felt so completely unfair and inappropriate that I had to sit back, reminding myself the original version of the story came out even earlier, in a time when “the gays” was a legitimate source of humor. (Gene Hackman’s senator is an equal-opportunity xenophobe: he also says “a Black.”)

As per the Wikipedia, The Birdcage was previously known on Broadway as La Cage aux Folles (written in 1973): “The original 1983 Broadway production received nine nominations for Tony Awards and won six, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. The success of the musical spawned a West End production and several international runs. The 2004 Broadway revival won the Tony Award for Best Revival, and the 2008 London revival garnered the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival. The 2010 Broadway revival was nominated for eleven Tony Awards, winning the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. La Cage aux Folles is the first musical which has won the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical twice and the show that has won a Best Production Tony Award (Best Musical or Best Revival of a Musical) for each of its Broadway productions. The show has had five nominations for Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical from the three Broadway productions, twice for Georges and three times for Albin, and won twice, both for Albin.”

Not too shabby. I’d love to see it on stage, myself.

Anyway. [pullquote]I’ve decided not to judge an old story on new norms. [/pullquote]So be it: in this film’s universe, it’s a screaming hoot to present a wildly feminine fellow as a manly men’s man. Yes, I’m being sardonic, but if we go with the old and acceptable trope of mixed identities and madcap humor, this really is a super fun film. It made me a little sad to see Robin Williams here, knowing now how his genius stemmed from intense depression, but he was note-perfect as the long-suffering father who stands by his man when it counted. Nathan Lane, as William’s effeminate mate, was at turns amusing and heart-breaking, but always fantastic. And [pullquote position=”right”]Hank Azaria (as their houseboy) was a non-stop delight, and not because he was gay, but from being such a wonderful weirdo in all incarnations. [/pullquote](I want an entire movie based on the life and times of Agador Spartacus. )

Hank Azaria in the birdcage
Oh Hank Spartacus, you rock my world!

Everyone committed to their parts with genuine glee and abandon. It was a real pleasure and treat to rewatch this film, so many years later, in spite of the genuine frustration of intransigent attitudes that hopefully don’t persist today.

[pullquote]I give this a super high grade only because the film made me laugh harder than I have in many (many!) years[/pullquote], from seeing everyone scrambling to hide phallic statues and bowls with Greek boys playing “leapfrog” around the rim, serving shrimp soup with no shrimp (and uncracked eggs floating around) as the only dish, and the joyous end with Hackman’s senator finally accepting the inevitable and the ridiculous. I’m still  smiling two days later.

I don’t want to write any more for this review, for two reasons: it’s immensely funny and shouldn’t be spoiled, and because I’m kind of uncomfortable making a lot of comments on using Gay Panic as a source of humor. If you have any suggestions how to handle both loving and being disturbed by the themes of a  movie, please leave them in the comments below. 

Movie Grade: A+ (For being legitimately enjoyable when taken on its intended merits: showcasing great acting, playful humor, and showing that society should never make one feel ashamed of themselves. )

Posted on

Rewatch Movie Review – My Cousin Vinny

joe pesci and marissa tomei in my cousin vinny
They really don’t blend.

Even though this movie was a weird choice to show on network TV, it’s still a super good flick holding up beautifully over time. Why is this a weird choice, you ask?

I’ll tell you: it features New Yorkers.  People who like to curse. In New York, cursing is like breathing, and this movie overflows with cursely monikers needing to be bleeped out. It was just bizarre to watch a film where half the lines were missing. They didn’t even bother to replace the phrases with non-offensive synonyms or a bleeping sound.

[pullquote]Fortunately, I’d seen this film enough in the past to not be confused by sentences like, “You little [dead space]”. But still, it felt like traveling back to the 80s. We can’t deal with a few [redacted] in our [redacted] lives? [/pullquote]

Back to the movie. Joe Pesci as the title character was incredibly funny, and I don’t normally appreciate his humor. He embodied the role, full stop.  He reminded me of Jack Black in Jumanji 2 — another actor I normally dislike, but was so [redacted] perfect for the role that he won me over.

Ralph Macchio did a fine job as well, although the “two yutes” were basically fodder for Pesci ‘s particular style of New Yorkness. When Vinny finally got a good night’s sleep in jail made sense: If you’ve ever went to bed in Manhattan, you’ll realize that people yelling and banging around is a New York lullaby.

[pullquote position=”right”]But here I have to stop and talk about Marissa Tomei.  Despite the title, this was her movie. Try to imagine My Cousin Vinny without her contribution. It would just be a fish-out-of-water Pesci vehicle, and the Vinny character would revert back to Pesci’s usual annoying shtick[/pullquote]. Here he was softened, humanized, and even sympathetic. Vinny was in over his head, with the lives of the youngsters in his hands, and he only made it work with his fiance’s contribution.

Tomei (as Lisa) upstaged everyone effortlessly, and had most of the best lines in this highly quotable film, like the highly usable,”Oh yeah, you blend.” She stomped around rural Alabama in impossible heels, wearing outrageous outfits that qualify as everyday attire in New York City. I’m from New York originally, and I certify you can possess an entire wardrobe without a hint of actual ‘cloth’ in it. That poor judge. (Who, by the way, played Herman Munster back in the day. This here was a shining role for the man. It’s hard to play the heavy and still be completely amusing. RIP, Fred Gwynne.)

Plot-wise, things come together somewhat conveniently (really? Lisa took a photo of tire tracks?), but you forgive these things because you’re having such a good time.  Lisa’s technical know-how is not only played as flirting with Vinny (see: “Dead-on balls accurate”), but has a true payoff in a final courtroom scene that is not to be missed. There are enough clues scattered around to hint at Lisa’s expertise, and even if the ending is unlikely, it feels satisfying.[pullquote] So, besides watching a film that’s funny just for the sake of being funny, it manages to be a clever and involving story.[/pullquote]

It kind of makes you want to take a road trip to Beechum County, AL, just to find a restaurant with a menu consisting of “Breakfast,” “Lunch,” and “Dinner.”  And, as we all know, it takes 20 minutes to make real grits. Ever had grits — real southern ones? They’re actually quite good.

So there you have it. A funny, happy film, still very watchable, where you’ll laugh a bit and love how everything comes together in the [redacted] end. Too bad they never gave us a sequel where Lisa and Vinny road trip across the country. I’d totally watch the [redacted] out of that.

Movie Grade: A-

 

 

Posted on

The Grinch Who Keeps Stealing Christmas

He's still a mean one.
He’s still a mean one.

With the newest incarnation of The Grinch in theaters this year, we thought it was time to take a look at the history of this mean green creature, who is both dastardly and oddly sympathetic.

How The Grinch Stole Christmas  (1957) – The original kid’s book by Dr. Seuss is beloved, and for very good reasons. It started it all, showing us a grumpy Gus who hates the holiday (shades of A Christmas Carol). He steals, he lies, he abuses his dog Max, and breaks Cindy Lou Who’s trust…but eventually hears the joyous music and comes through in the end. This is an allegory for humanity, in a real way. [pullquote]We can be mean, we can hurt others to hide our own miserable loneliness…but if we open ourselves — just a crack — to others…well, we might learn to belong after all.[/pullquote] Who hasn’t known this kind of profound alienation? Who doesn’t secretly dream of being accepted despite the petty crimes we’ve committed? The message hits us right in the feels. Dr. Seuss knew it. This is among the three top stories he gifted to generations of children. (Along with The Lorax and The Cat in The Hat. Can’t argue with those.)

How The Grinch Stole Christmas –  A faithful and rousing rendition of the Dr. Seuss book, the animated 26-minute special from 1966 is definitely something…yes, special. Growing up with this, it was a traditional treat to rewatch it every year, as a child. I still watch it now to herald the holiday season. Good animation, great songs (I still sing the refrain), and a story to make your heart grow three sizes in the end. A-level work.

The Grinch (2000) – The live action version with Jim Carrey dropped on the scene to a mostly poor reception. (It seems Carrey doesn’t always have the magic touch.) I recently watched this for the first time, and found it lacking. Middling, dank, arbitrary, and a bit sour. Ron Howard himself directed, and usually produces great films. What happened to the color, the joy, the fun? Not everyone panned it, however. The Wikipedia reports, “Despite mixed reviews that often compared the film unfavorably to the 1966 special, it won the Academy Award for Best Makeup, and was also nominated for Best Art Directionand Best Costume Design.”

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018) – [pullquote position=”right”]Did we need ANOTHER Grinch? Why reboot this one; it’s been done enough, surely? [/pullquote]In spite of my fears, every time I saw the new animated trailer in theaters I smiled and giggled in spite of myself. It looks a world of better than the live action version. I think they might get it right! I’m not the kind of critic who wants to see the same darn themes rebooted every few years, but agree Pixar knows how to craft a film. The trailer looks charming and fun: I’m all over it. If it doesn’t suck, it might put this story to bed, finally. NOTE, after seeing the 2018 movie: it didn’t. Here’s my Grinch-like review.

Watch The Grinch Trailers, to get you in the proper mood for the Mean One this Christmas: 

The Final Grinch Trailer:  

In Defense of the Grinch (1966)

In Defense of the Grinch (1966)

Movie Review – The Grinch (2018)

Posted on

Movie ReWatch Review – RED

bruce willis and morgan freeman in RED
Retired, Extremely Dangerous

To start with, the title RED in this film is an acronym for Retired, Extremely Dangerous. As retirees, we see these characters don’t have much of a life anymore. That’s the set-up, starting with Bruce Willis’ Frank Moses, lost in an empty house devoid of personal decor. I can see where it would be tough for such deadly folks to ease back into American suburbia, after a career of honing themselves into CIA weapons.

[pullquote]What do you do, after a rough life of adventure and government-condoned murder?[/pullquote] Make bogus government paycheck calls in a desperate attempt to connect with someone, like Bruce Willis’ infamous black-ops character? Pine away over lost love, like Brian Cox’s Russian spy; live in a bunker, like John Malcovich’s crazy bomber; or make flower arrangements and bake like a Martha Stewart clone, as Helen Mirren’s wetworks expert is reduced to?

These are good questions, and I don’t know how the real-life ex-agents manage to “transition,” as Moses puts it.

In RED, it’s nice to see the connection — and grudging respect — growing between Karl Urban’s ambitious young agent, in contrast to Willis’ older, jaded Moses. Urban’s Cooper is well on his way to becoming just like the people he’s hunting, but we start rooting for all of them somewhere along the way. [pullquote]There’s a lot of care to establish these characters as gifted, yet fallible people, and not impervious superhero agents.[/pullquote] They take bullets, make costly mistakes, love the wrong people, and — in spite of the pain —  they miss the old days.

Make no mistake.[pullquote position=”right”]This is a clever, funny movie. It doesn’t shy from violence, but there’s a lot of discretion shots and it’s not gory. The soundtrack is absolutely affable, with the whole affair as slick and stylish as Pulp Fiction — or even better, an older and more lethal version of Ocean’s 11. [/pullquote]When Freeman gleefully announces, “The band’s getting back together,”  I wanted to cheer.

These actors are known for their authentic character roles over decades of work, and the ensemble meshed like magic. I couldn’t get enough of their amusingly tense sparring, and can’t wait to see the sequel I somehow missed the first time around. I’ll catch RED 2 next and see if the story picks up right where it leaves off.

Helen Mirren’s Virginia reminded me of a gleeful, older Xena: Warrior Princess. She has the same focused, deadly, competent joy in her work; she just seemed grateful to get to murder with the other kids again. You go, Dame Mirren!

Even though this movie came out in 2010,  the actors haven’t aged at all. Morgan Freeman and Mirren both just headlined a brand-new fantasy feature this week (The Nutcracker and the 4 Realms), and honestly, they look the same. Good genes, I guess. (I don’t think Morgan Freeman ages. He did play God once…)

Usually the villains in CIA/FBI shoot-em-up movies are lame, with the MacGuffins fungible. Here, I felt invested in the stakes and cared about the outcome. The Vice President was a sad figure in the end. That worked.

Richard Dreyfuss’ self-titled Bad Guy was a bit over the top (not in the good way), and detracted somewhat from the otherwise graceful “execution” (lol) of a really enjoyable thriller. Dreyfuss is usually an extremely competent actor. But his was the only off-key note in RED. Maybe I can  blame the director for that.

Basically, this is darn good movie that holds up nicely over time. I’m excited to view the sequel tonite, and will post a review to the link soon.

Movie Grade: A

Posted on

Movie Rewatch Review – Deadpool

Chimichangas for everyone
MAXIMUM EFFORT!

What is it about popular films on TV and their commercials? It seems the more beloved the film, the greater the number of ads.  Watching Deadpool with my mother last night, the commercials came hot and heavy every few minutes — I’m positive at least 45 minutes of runtime were aggressively selling something. As opposed to Deadpool himself, who only sold laughs, naughty references, and gonzo violence. But since one can DVR television these days, we fast forwarded our way through the barrage.

My mother had never seen Deadpool before, and normally doesn’t like superhero films. When the Marvel credits flipped through, she almost deleted the film right there. But I promised this was was super maxi fun, so she watched it, and even liked it.[pullquote] The magic of Deadpool is that it’s so clever and cool and funny that even non-geeks enjoy it.[/pullquote]

All this lead up disguises the point that I didn’t take a lot of notes while watching. Normally I fill up several pages of thoughts, asides, and commentary. This one, not so much: I hated taking my eyes off the screen for even a moment. The notes I did scrawl were written so fast they’re illegible. [pullquote position=”right”]Deadpool has an endless stream of visual gags, Easter-eggs, in-jokes, out-jokes, and cinematically cool moments, starting with that amazing time-stopped opening sequence that must be seen to be believed.[/pullquote] And then re-seen, over and over again, just to be sure to catch all the special touches in the background/foreground/everywhere, and firmly plant Angel in the Morning in your head all day.

The only time you can really take a break from devouring the screen is while Wade Wilson is being tortured…which is also, by the end of that sequence, the only scene were Wade stops cracking wise. (Sad face. But he gets his groove back soon enough.)

I did notice I few gags I missed on previous viewings. A good one: Deadpool’s merc bar is called Sister Margaret’s Home For Wayward Girls, which spoofs on that other sign we see in front of the X-Men Mansion (Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters). [pullquote]In another scene, Deadpool references a good time for a Pee Break, which of course we at RunPee appreciate.[/pullquote] Francis mentions sewing Wade’s mouth shut, which calls back to that unfortunate incarnation of Mr. Pool in Wolverine: Origins (shudder). And lastly, Deadpool predicts his own future movie franchise when he talks about how superhero origin stories (Deadpool 1) are followed by a sequel (Deadpool 2), which is then turned into full larger ensemble team effort (X-Force is coming. Lord help us).

A common question is where does Deadpool fit in the Marvel pantheon? The answer: wherever you want him. Really. As a character who name drops his own actor and regularly breaks the 4th Wall (ie: talks to the audience, just like Ferris Bueller — which he also references), he fits into our own viewing universe. He hangs out with X-Men (in both timelines, even if he can’t keep the continuity straight), and even leaves hints that the Marvel Cinematic Universe exists.

We’ve covered Deadpool, both 1 and 2, in some detail here on RunPee, and happily crowed about the upcoming PG-13 Deadpool 2 coming this Christmas season (with 15 minutes of new footage!) Rejoice, my friends! MAXIMUM EFFORT!

Movie Grade: A+

More Deadpool Articles on RunPee.com – 

Every Deadpool post — and we have a lot of them — is here.  <—– Click it.  You know you want to.

The Deadpool Before Christmas – A PG-13 Version: New Footage, New Film

Is Deadpool in the Avengers’ Universe?

Every Hilarious Deadpool 2 Trailer

Deadpool 2 Outtakes, Bloopers, and Banned Jokes

Posted on

Movie Review – Deadpool 2

Deadpool 2. Funny?

Without question.

As funny as the first?

Close, but not quite… Okay, now that I think about it, yeah, it was as funny as the first.

Deadpool 2. Great action?

Absolutely.

Was the action as good as the first?

Nope.

This has hardly a knock on the movie. The first Deadpool was fantastic, A-grade material, from start to finish. DP2 coming close is still a great compliment.

What DP2 has over the original is the impressive list of cameos. I don’t want to give it away here, in case you haven’t seen the movie yet, so I’ll put that at the very bottom in case you’re interested.

One thing I did notice however was that the sound was a little muffled. I don’t think it was the theater because it’s an IMAX theater I’ve been to many times. There were a number of lines that just felt swallowed up and I couldn’t catch them.

Grade: B+

Scroll down for the notable cameos…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brad Pitt as Vanisher
Terry Crews as Bedlam
Matt Damon as Redneck #1
Alan Tudyk as Redneck #2
Nicholas Hoult as Beast (uncredited)
Hugh Jackman as Wolverine (uncredited)
James McAvoy as Charles Xavier (uncredited)
Evan Peters as Quicksilver (uncredited)
Tye Sheridan as Cyclops (uncredited)

Posted on

Movie Review – Overboard (2018)

I’m not sure why anyone felt a need to remake *Overboard*. The 1987 original has a sparkling and famous cast, led by Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russel. It was sweet, it was funny, and despite the kind of casual sexism often shown in that era of movies, was a small cult classic. I loved it. I still love it and watch it when I need cheering up. [pullquote]But, remember, as major hits from the past go, this is still minor-league. It would be like remaking *So I Married An Axe Murderer*. Both are cute, fun little romps, perfectly made — but not exactly in the realm of important films of the 80s.[/pullquote]

I can see re-doing *Ghostbusters* , a major movie from that time, still on any complete must-see movie list. That remake was gender-flipped, and featured good natured cameos from almost everyone in the original. Which leads me back to *Overboard*.

Someone must have noted when the gender swapped *Ghostbusters* made enough of a splash to justify its existence, and thought the concept would work for other old properties. Cue *Overboard*.

Does it work? Yes and no. With the gender reversals and current climate of correctness, it’s a lot less sexist. It also features a large Latino cast to balance out all the blond girls. The good mom (Kate, by Anna Faris) finds love and  a father to her girls; the selfish alpha male (Leo, by Eugenio Derbez) learns to be warm, caring, and responsible…so the message is nice and the audience walks out happy. There are legitimate laughs along the way, mainly via Leo struggling to learn construction under the benevolent hazing of his co-workers. I smiled a lot. This should all be fresh and new for audiences not raised on the original.

[pullquote position=”right”]What doesn’t work is how underwhelming this version is. It’s not as charming as it hoped to be, and the cast doesn’t have that ringing chemistry of the first. The family moments feel rushed and unearned.[/pullquote] Kate’s “nurse” story lacks the cool cleverness of Kurt Russel’s “Wonders of the World Golf Course” scenario, and the children don’t have enough anything memorable to do. The side-plot with Leo’s rich family is simply dull. That’s way too bad; the antics of the crew on the “Immaculata” were wildly entertaining.

On all these levels, *Overboard 2018* doesn’t come close to adding anything interesting that a remake should. Only the character of Leo is consistently amusing, but with his role doubling for the formidable Ms. Hawn, the actor really doesn’t stand a chance in comparison.

If you’re a huge fan of the 1987 original, you might enjoy this reboot. It’s nowhere near as charming, but has its moments. There are many lines lifted exactly from the first, with expressions and tones carefully rendered the same way (ie: “Sometimes dads leave”). A lot of memorable shots are nicely echoed (as in the quiet, tension-crackling scene of the limousine driving toward Elk Cove ). It’s fun to find these elements honored and recreated.

One thing I would have enjoyed: there should have been cameos from the original cast scattered around, as they did with the aforementioned ghost busting movie. If they didn’t want to be that self-referential, they could have slipped in cameos to the extra scene during the credits. I was mystified by the cameo absence. Evoking exact phrases and scenes from the ’87 version showed that they weren’t hiding their roots. And it would have lent a respectful sense of fun for actors and viewers alike.

Enough about comparisons. I’ll grade this movie a B- on its own merits: it’s likable and fun enough for an easy afternoon at the theater. If you want to see something much more touching, that’s rollicking and straight out funny, with far superior acting, rewatch the original.

Movie Grade: B-

Read more: 

Posted on

Movie Review – Jumanji 2: Welcome to the Jungle

This “sequel” version of Jumanji is adorable and funny. Predictable, yes, but the story is based on a video game plot, so it’s kind of a baked-in thing.

It’s also bit too pat in how each teenage character gets the perfect game avatar to grow as a person, but this is yet another thing that can be explained away in-universe: it’s a magic game, and that’s what it does. So I guess we can make allowances for this too. It’s all in good fun to service the adventure story.

This movie is very like a fantasy-version of The Breakfast Club, updated for the cell-phone/video game era. It’s got detention, stereotypical teens from different cliques, and the theme is an exploration of how their characters learn to work together. They become close through their experiences. So, yeah, the same concept.

The plot is paper-thin, which is, again, part of the conceit. [pullquote]What the film really sells are the sweet character interactions, tons of gorgeous visuals, lots of humor, and the swashbuckling tone. I’ll say it: this could become a lightweight adventure/humor classic. [/pullquote]We’ll see, over time. The audience enjoyed it — they were laughing and clapping throughout. There’s also a good message for young people about tolerance and acceptance. Nothing world-changing, but I’m glad I got to see this.

Everyone in the film was just great — the actors seemed like they had a blast. Jack Black was fantastic, and I normally don’t enjoy his brand of broad humor. He had the obviously funny part, but didn’t oversell it, even when teaching “Martha” how to flirt. Dwayne Johnson was super playful, and pulled off a believably bashful teen. Kevin Hart was a crack-up as the “backpack guy.” Karen Gillan has nice comedic timing, and it was good to see her actual face without the blue makeup of Nebula from Guardians of the Galaxy. At some points she still channeled Nebula, but her physicality as a warrior served her well in both roles. Everyone played off each other very well. The ensemble was just too damn cute, and they knew it.

Do you need to see the original Jumanji to follow along? In a word, no. Somehow the old one never pinged on my radar. I think I should catch it now; Jumanji 2 was that much fun. I laughed almost the whole time, and enjoyed these veteran actors doing their campy best of reviving the old “body swap” tale. It made me forget about life for a few hours, and that’s what a movie can do at its best.

Movie Grade: A-