Review: The To Do List

Cheeky raucous sex romp comedies that pay homage to the past by brutally tearing them apart have been a staple of American cinema for the better part of the last four decades.  When they work, they have the dual effect of making you feel nostalgic and embarrassed by the dated pop culture phenomena that defined your hormonally driven past.  When they don’t work, the scenes feel like one of those forced conversation about things that no one really wants to talk about.  While I had low expectations for The To DoList, a sexual coming-of-age movie set in the 90’s, I am sorry to say that it was more the latter than the former.  At best it is a complete mixed bag of innuendo and sentiment adding up to one complete mess.

The plot of the movie follows Aubrey Plaza’s Brady Klark, the anal valedictorian of her high school class, as she embarks on the summer before starting college.  After an encounter with Rusty Waters (Scott Porter) - a twenty-something burnout/aspiring musician - sparks her sexual awakening, she with the help of her friends creates a checklist of sexual experiences she believes will prepare her for college. 

Fifteen minutes into the film, I felt like writer/director Maggie Carey had something going with her assault on the early 90’s.  Truth be told, it’s a time period that is just so rich in embarrassing pop culture phenomena.  About thirty-minute later, the jokes really started to get old; clearly the result of going to the well far too many times.  It felt like every time the plot stalled, a joke about hyper color t-shirts or the movie Beaches would find its way into the dialogue.  Does this make the movie a complete disaster?  No.  There are other elements far more damaging, but it is emblematic of just how thin this film runs on laughs after the first act.

Where things really go awry is when the plot twists becomes overly raunchy for no other reason than for the sake of being raunchy.  It’s at those moments where you feel like Carey has completely run out of jokes or plot threads.  It’s unfortunate, because there are some very good comedic moments and solid one-liners to build off of, but ultimately the flow of the narrative gets stifled by these forced scenes.  A bit more attention to both the overall arc and some character development would have gone a long way in remedying this issue.  Again, this film was never intended to be an Oscar nominee (obviously), so one would imagine that this would not have been an insurmountable fix.

One of the more positive aspects of the movie is the cast.  Protagonist Aubrey Plaza of Parks and Recreation is quirky and sarcastic with her signature dry delivery and more often than not she is able to pull off the uptight, nerdy, and  sexually uncomfortable vibe required for the role.  As the movie wears on though, it becomes increasingly evident that she isn’t quite up to the task of carrying a feature film, but it’s not for a lack of trying.  She goes for it and that is highly commendable.

Joining Plaza on this ride is Bill Hader as the degenerate boss of the local public pool.  As one would expect, Hader is very funny in his typical off beat moronic way, but also brings a nice touch of sentimentality to the film.  Connie Britton and Clark Gregg (as Mr. and Mrs. Klark) also do a good job in The To Do List, providing an unbalanced parental presence and generating laughter with their respective perspectives on sex.  Their scenes are especially funny when Rachel Bilson (as Plaza’s more vacuous and more sexually experienced older sister) joins in on the dysfunctional family hijinks. 

Not fairing quite as well is Bilson’s Heart of Dixie co-star, Scott Porter.  As Rusty Waters – the object of Plaza’s desire, Porter fails to really stand out.  His time on screen amounts to little more than flexing by the pool and strumming an acoustic guitar.  His shortcomings however are made up for by the trio of Johnny Simmons, Alia Skawkat, and Sarah Steele - the trio of friends orbiting around Plaza’s R-rated chicanery. 

There were a lot of reasons why I wanted to like this movie.  Its premise is set in a time and place that I can relate to; the cast features two of my favorite Friday Night Lights actors; and Plaza is without a doubt the best thing about Parks and Recreation.  Still, I didn’t walk out of the theater loving this one.  It should have been a rental anyway, but even under those circumstances I don’t know that my appreciation for this movie would have increased.  There are times when the film is really funny, but those scenes don’t outweigh the bad ones.  And without that brand of fun, it’s hard to overlook the movie’s many blemishes.  Save this one for a really really slow night when you are in desperate need for any kind of comedic relief with few other available options.  This gives you the best chance of finding great value in this project.

Standout Performance:  Bill Hader.  Not everything he does in this movie works, but he hits at a higher percentage than his cast mates.  

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Review: Celeste & Jesse Forever

Celeste & Jesse Forever looks and smells like a romantic comedy.  From the cast (Rashida Jones as the Rom and Andy Samberg as the Com) to the trailers, which were cut to make you chuckle and tilt your head and say “awwwww” at the same time, this movie screams When Harry Met Sally and Serendipity.  However having watched the movie, I can tell you that it is precisely neither.  Sure, there’s a dash of romance and a pinch of comedy, but the film that director Lee Toland Krieger and writers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack have cooked up is anything but.  What the film is, is an interesting look at what happens when the bridge between friendship and love falls apart and the process of rediscovering oneself in the aftermath.

The movie follows Celeste (Rashida Jones) and her estranged husband Jesse (Andy Samberg) - two individuals with an awkward if not unhealthy attachment to each other.  Their chemistry and friendship is such that it makes you wonder what beneath the surface differences are keeping them apart.  The story thus follows the ebb and flow between the two as they struggle to move on even in the face of life altering developments.

What works about this movie is that the main characters are flawed in small ways that allow them to remain likable and that they are put in situations that most everyone can relate to.  It gives the film an authentic and poignant feel.  Who hasn’t had that one relationship that should have worked out but for any number of barely perceptible reasons went awry?  And while there are certainly a few dramatic moments for entertainment’s sake, the way the creative team handles loose ends is subtle with a delicate touch.

This is very much Rashida Jones' film.  As Celeste, she receives the most screen time and her work in fleshing out the nuances of her character is key to making this narrative work, because it is Jones who acts as the catalyst to the plot and it is her loss that the audience experiences.  Jones does a remarkable job of creating a character who is maddening, likeable, flawed, and hopeful.  It is without a doubt her most complex role to date and she does a good job of pulling it off. 

Playing opposite her, Andy Samberg is perfectly cast as Jesse.  His character is everything you would expect from a typical Andy Samberg character without the over-the-top comedic hijinks.  He is adept at playing the immature but good-natured slacker and that’s precisely what he is asked to do here.  While I don’t think we’ll be seeing Samberg amongst the list of Oscar nominees any time soon, this film represents a good dramatic turn for the SNL alum.

As for the rest of the cast, Ari Graynor (What’s Your Number?) does a serviceable job as the best friend – a role that she always seems to play. Ditto for Eric Christian Olsen (Fired Up!) who is affable enough in the role of male confidant.  Elijah Wood, Will McCormack, and Chris Messina help to add a bit of depth to the plot in very little screen time, and Emma Roberts brings up the rear as the lone blemish in what is a fairly well acted movie.  Her performance as pop star Riley is a campy half-hearted attempt that is sorely out of place in a movie that is firmly grounded in realism. 

All the pieces come together to form a nice movie.  There are no big scenes or overly dramatic turns and no eye-popping visuals.  It’s a subtle take on two individuals and their ability (or inability) to cope with the intracasies of their relationship.  If this is your cup of tea, then you will love this movie.  If you are looking for laughter, romance, feel-good moments, catharsis, then you may not enjoy this film quite as much.  I would recommend this film for anyone who enjoys smaller scale movies with an indie flair, but know that you won’t feel rewarded at the end for watching this film.  You’re more apt to nod your head in empathy.

Standout Performance: Rashinda Jones.  This is the first movie I have seen where Jones is asked to carry the film and she does a very good job of portraying a complex character in a way that is both compelling and entertaining.

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Review: That's My Boy

I have spilled a lot of proverbial ink (most recently in my Jack and Jill review) about how I repeatedly hoodwink myself into watching Adam Sandler movies.  I estimate that I have sworn off Happy Madison productions at least ten times.  So when Sandler’s latest movie That’s My Boy dropped, I told myself to stay strong.  I knew at some point, I would see it (I admit as much in the June Movie Guide), but I didn’t want to shell out $15 to see this train wreck on the big screen.  I am here to report with mixed feelings that I caved in.

The movie is a complete mess, but that’s not to say there aren’t some very funny moments.  The plot is loosely based on the Mary Kay Letourneau story about an inappropriate student / teacher relationship that results in the birth of a son.  Adam Sandler plays the student some 30 years later and Andy Samberg the estranged son.  Sprinkle in some elements of childhood stardom, 80’s nostalgia, the usual slew of celebrity cameos, and the grotesque shattering of social norms and you pretty much get an idea of what’s going on in the film.

My expectations for Sandler’s movies are so low that it could have been two hours of a blank screen and I probably would have considered that an improvement so that may be a contributing factor as to why I didn’t completely loathe the film.  The one thing that is clearly happening in this project is that Sandler and his crew are trying to go bigger and badder in the raunch department in an attempt to capitalize on the increased popularity of the rated-R comedy.  The result is a slew of cringe-worthy moments flanked by the occasional laugh-out-loud moment (the latter of which has been painfully absent from his last five films).

The cast of the film is mediocre and Sandler is up front and leading the way.  He seems resigned to using the scratchy rumbling voice inflection from Little Nicky, which can be incredibly grating on the nerves.  Samberg compliments him with an uninspired performance that makes one wonder if he should really be leaving SNL at this point in his career.  As for Leighton Meester, her greatest acting talent is bearing a strong resemblance to Minka Kelly, which is to say that she is not the most gifted thespian and so she adds very little to the film.  Those with minimal screen time deliver the best performances.  Eva Amurri Martino, James Caan, Tony Orlando, and Milo Ventimiglia are very solid in supporting roles and Vanilla Ice (Rob Van Winkle) steals the show.

I can’t outright recommend this film, but there is some entertainment here.  You will find yourself oscillating between liking it and loathing it depending on the scene.  It really is one of those movies you’re almost embarrassed to say that you enjoyed on some level.  Don’t see it in the cinema, but instead catch it as a rental or on cable.  You’ll have a laugh or two (and likewise a gag reflex or two).  I have a feeling that this movie will play very well for the 18-25 male demographic, but then I think we all can occasionally enjoy a bit of low low low-brow idiotic hijinks.  After reading this review, if you are still trying to figure out whether or not I liked this film, then join the club.  I am still trying to decide myself.

Standout Performance: Vanilla Ice a.k.a. Rob Van Winkle steals the show in this movie.  Every time he shows up on screen utter bedlam breaks out.

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Review: Friends with Benefits

For the last three months, this movie has provided me with a joke that I have been working ad nauseum. Basically it would unfold as follows:

A trailer or television spot for “Friends with Benefits” would run with clips of Mila Kunis as her typical neurotic self and Justin Timberlake doing his best Joseph Gordon Levitt “500 Days of Summer” imitation to try to make us forget he was once the front man for N’Sync. As said trailer fades to flack, I would turn to the whomever was with me and say: “Oh, I already saw this movie a few months ago when they called it ‘No Stings Attached!’” [Insert fake laugh track here.]

I

t was a fair assumption to make on my part given that I had been bamboozled in the past by carbon copies masquerading as distinct cinematic works (i.e. Armageddon vs. Deep Impact and Lambada vs. The Forbidden Dance). Still, like a moth to flame I ventured out to the local AMC waiting to be duped yet again. For once, I was glad that I did because other than a problem with pacing during the second act, I found the film both entertaining and engaging with just enough self-deprecation in its tone to make the inevitable schmaltz palatable.

In all of Timberlake’s previous jaunts into the world of celluloid, I found his presence disarming – a break in my “willing suspense of disbelief.” When last I saw him in “The Social Network,” my resounding thought was: “Oh that’s Justin Timberlake pretending to be someone who worked with Mark Zuckerberg.” Much to his credit, this film represents the first time he is able to shed his crooner baggage and immerse himself into the plot of the film.

As for Kunis, historically I have not been a big fan. Yes, I was one of the few who preferred Kristen Bell’s Sarah Marshall to Kunis’ Rachel Jansen. But in this film, she delivers a great quirky/off-beat/wounded character performance grounded with an in-your-face east coast aggression that makes her very endearing. In a most unique twist for a romantic comedy, the two leads actually have chemistry as not only paramours but also as friends. It is in this aspect it exceeds its doppelganger – the aforementioned “No Strings Attached.”

As for the film itself, when it is taking not-so-pointed jabs at friendships, sex, and relationships, it is poking fun at pop culture (sorry iPad, T-Mobile, and flashmob enthusiasts). Director Will Gluck makes good use of NYC and Los Angeles as backdrops to this story that will make you laugh when it is not tugging at your proverbial heartstrings. I would definitely recommend this as a date movie – if not in the cinema, then in the comfort of your own home.

Standout Performances: Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake

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