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: The Big Year

If you were the coach of a football team and you had Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers on your roster, would you suddenly decide to switch their positions and play them all on defense?  Do you think this would be a recipe for success? I think for about 99.9% of the population (that 0.01% for those who have no idea who any of the aforementioned trio are), the answers to both questions would be a resounding NO.  One person you can count in the extreme minority who might say yes is director David Frankel (Devil Wears Prada, Marley & Me).

The reason I suggest this is because Frankel takes three renowned comedic actors in Steve Martin, Jack Black, and Owen Wilson  and casts them in the light-hearted drama (yes, oxymoron intended) The Big Year as three men determined to be the best bird watcher in the world.  And did I mention it is a straight-laced approach to bird watching (is there any other kind?) – hold the punch line?  My best guest is that Frankel envisioned combining the Marley & Me version of Wilson wit the Shopgirl version of Martin and The Holiday version of Black to create this cinematic world populated by dramedy-friendly male leads.

The plot of the movie focuses on these three men as they stand at crossroads in their respective lives and uses The Big Year – an annual bird watching competition – as a vehicle to highlight the choices the trio of protagonists have made and the ones they face as they move forward in their lives.  The premise alone is not terribly gripping, but the inclusion of the three veteran comedians creates expectations.  Unfortunately those expectations are for hilarity to ensue, which the film by design cannot deliver. 

The bottom line is that this is a cinematic version of the defunct TNT show  - Men of a Certain Age, which focused on three men battling mid-life crises.  Like that show, the plot of this film has a very limited market.  And I know – as hot and riveting as the desire to be the greatest bird watcher may sound (note: dripping sarcasm), it really is not a compelling vehicle to hitch your storytelling wagon to.  Having just watched it less than twenty-four hours ago, I am hard-pressed to name one or two scenes that made an impression with me.

This is an avoid-at-all-costs movie, but not because it is horrible, vapid, poorly written and directed.  To the contrary, it is a fair exercise in the rules of cinematic production.  The problem though is that the other half of the filmmaking equation is to entertain and that is where this movie is sorely lacking.

Standout Performance: Rosamund Pike is solid as the dramatic heavy in the film.

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Review: Our Idiot Brother

If you have been following my reviews recently then you may have noticed that the quality of movies that I’ve been subjecting myself to has been trending downward – most likely the result of a dearth of quality options - although bad decision making cannot be completely dismissed. Regardless, this thinning of the marketplace is not unusual as August gives way to September, but occasionally a diamond can be unearthed from the rough. Well, said diamond has been found in the slice of life “dramedy” entitled "Our Idiot Brother."

There is a lot to like about this film from its quirky comedic sense to its well-constructed cast that is anchored by the always-affable Paul Rudd, whose character is an unfailingly genuine and overly simple man-child. His harmless indiscretions cast him as the idiot burdensome brother to his three intelligent but distinctly misguided sisters. Through his various trials and tribulations, Rudd’s character Ned unintentionally flips the script on his sisters and shows them that it is in fact their lives that are in dire need of repair.

It is not an easy thing to be funny, witty, and emotionally genuine but this cast pulls it off with flying colors. Paul Rudd is his usual funny and genuine self - the type of protagonist who is easy to root for. Emily Mortimer, Elizabeth Banks, and Zooey Deschanel are perfectly cast in their respective roles as Rudd's complex sisters struggling with problems ranging from infidelity to career stagnation. The complexity of their lives is in sharp contrast to the simplicity of Rudd’s character and the resulting dynamic is what drives the film.

As for the rest of the cast, Stephen Coogan and Kathryn Hahn deliver their stock performances, which set them up perfectly as the two foils of the film, while T.J. Miller of “She’s Out of My League” fame shows a good comedic sense and compliments Rudd nicely when the two share the screen. My one complaint is the work of Rashida Jones as Cindy. Her character in this film is drab, uninspired, and very much a cliche– a far cry from her performance in “I Love You, Man.”

I would recommend this film for any occasion. Both entertaining and endearing, the film manages to avoid getting bogged down in minutiae. It is refreshing to watch a film where the only agenda is to tell a good story at a brisk pace and that is precisely what we have here. It was the perfect film to watch as the summer movie season draws to a close.

Standout Performance: T.J. Miller is surprisingly funny and holds his own when sharing the screen with seasoned comedic actors.

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