Short Review: Remember back in the old days when comedies were funny because they contained things like jokes and gags instead of just awkward sexual references and crude language masquerading as humor? Man, those were good times.

This is pitched as a risque sex comedy. Two confirmed bachelors crash weddings to bed the bridesmaids and other female attendees. The obvious point here is the deliver a bawdy comedy. With the exception of three scenes, this film doesn’t deliver on this central selling point. Let’s be clear, while it may appear that I’m complaining this film wasn’t filthy enough, I am not…well, I am - but I’m not. I would prefer that none of the film was dirty. Truth be told, I'd prefer the movie wasn't made at all. The last thing this fledgling culture needs is another dim-eyed sex comedy. That said, this is indeed a sex comedy and the point of the production is ribald humor and it simply doesn't deliver on that front.

The central issue with this comedy is that it is just not funny. The humor is not nurtured throughout the film. The jokes are transitory. Stupid one-liners and inorganic situations abound and the heart of comedy - character is ignored. This is a shame since the premise of the film and the basic plot could have produced a crass but solid comedy.

We are offered quick sketches of the characters at their introduction and then expect to fill in the rest ourselves. None of the characters manage any real change or development and this is the fatal flaw to the whole movie. Wilson’s character isn’t as mean as he should be, Christopher Walkin’s character isn’t as threatening as he could be, the insane sister isn’t crazy enough. Each of the characters is given traits but no personality. The crazy sister Gloria (Isla Fisher) is denounced by the film as being crazy, but acts more spoiled than anything else. She performs some antisocial sexual acts but her insanity is only present when it suits the plot. This is a good example of my main complaint with the film. The characters are not allowed to the time and space to flourish and so we are left with unfulfilled areas where a good deal of humor could be mined.

This lack of internal movement in the characters is what makes scenes with John (Owen Wilson) and his love interest Claire (Rachel McAdams) come across as staged and wanting. The two are supposedly falling in love but the script offer no reason why they would. Other than a cruel fiancee, played by Bradley Cooper, there is literally no explanation why Claire would overturn her life for a man she literally just met. Instead of carefully constructed character work, we are treated to seemingly endless montage sequences showing John and Claire falling in love and later missing one another. These sequences are there because it gives the illusion of content. It’s the cinematic equlivant of someone telling a story and stuttering out “Well, anyway, they fall in love. As I was saying…”

Like a majority of the movies made by Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller, Will Ferrell, Steve Carell, Jack Black and the other comedic actors of this generation, this is a strong concept ruined by spotty execution. It seems that we have lost the ability to enjoy well-written and well executed comedies. We have gone from Blazing Saddles, The Jerk, the Monty Python films and Airplane! to yawning, common denominator crud such as this. When you go from Mel Brooks and Steve Martin to Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn, your culture is in trouble. The bottom line is that American comedy is stagnant.


Related reviews:
Owen Wilson movies
Cars (2006)
Shanghai Noon (2000)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Film Critics United
eFilmCritic



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Labels: Christopher Walkin, comedy, Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn

Wes Anderson is one of the most over-rated directors of the last twenty years.

Now his quirky, self-aware style has been meshed with cheap looking animation.

Geez, pinch me. I must be dreaming.



Screenwriters: Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) and Wes Anderson (Rushmore)
Director: Wes Anderson (Bottle Rocket)
Actors: George Clooney (Michael Clayton), Meryl Streep (The Devil Wears Prada), Jason Schwartzman (I Heart Huckabees), Bill Murray (Caddyshack), Michael Gambon (The Good Shepherd), Willem Dafoe (To Live and Die in L.A.), Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Brian Cox (Supertroopers), Adrien Brody (Cadillac Records) and Karen Duffy (Dumb & Dumber)

Labels: Adrien Brody, Bill Murray, Brian Cox, film, George Clooney, Jason Schwartzman, Karen Duffy, Meryl Streep, Michael Gambon, movie trailer, Owen Wilson, Willem Dafoe

Michael Bay is the Spielberg of crap. and this loud, brainless Mountain Dew commercial with a narrative is his masterwork.

The plot of this wasteful, culture-killer is simple, a big rock is going to crush Earth so in response, America sends up Bruce Willis to blow it up with nuclear bombs because...well, just because it sounds awesome, that's why.

It isn’t that the film is stupid, of course its stupid - it a film starring Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck directed by Michael Bay and written by JJ Abrams, it has stupid in its DNA. The fact that this is dumb doesn't mean much. The number of truly brain dead movies is legion. This movie is a momentous achievement because of the its ability to sustain its stupidity for the duration of its run time and does so at an extreme level. From the moment the lights dim to the second the credits thankfully begin to roll, the audience is assaulted with an unyielding dumb, a thought-smothering blanket of idiocy so thick that it can cover any struggle for logic. Michael Bay has managed to develop a redefinition of the moronic. From the plot to the dialog, every aspect of the script manages to avoid any not being completely dunderheaded.

Here is the kicker, despite the idiocy of every frame, this is a fun movie. It asks nothing from the audience but gives a lot of flashy lights and numerous moments of peril in return. The reason the film works is thanks to the two-dimensional character writing skills of JJ Abrams. He pens a gaggle of impressively thin characters and then Bay cast these shells with solid character actors to bring them to half-life. There's the cranky blue-collar dad (Willis), the virginal princess daugter (Liv Tyler), her handsome young buck (Ben Affleck), the down-to-earth sidekick (Will Patton), the frenzied genius (Steve Buschemi) and let's not forget, the black friend (Michael Clarke Duncan), tossed in for good measure. Across the board, the cast is given an easy job, play to the low expectations and recite some snappy lines that really make no sense, even in context. Its a heck of a living these people make.

I could keep going on make unspecfic attacks on the film but I think I've made my opinion clear. Allow me to sum this up and we'll all move our separate ways. To sum this up, it has Ben Affleck in it and it suits his skills.



Related Reviews:
Bruce Willis movies
Hudson Hawk (1991)
Live Free or Die Hard (2007)


Other Critic's Reviews:
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Independent Critics

Labels: Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Michael Bay, Owen Wilson, Steve Busemi, Will Patton

Short Review: In a time when most family films are little more than subversive, strobe lights with soundtracks I have only one thing to say. Thank God for Pixar.


Living up to the pedigree of Pixar Animation is not an easy task. Pixar may be the only consistent and wholly trusted name in Hollywood these days. Each production from Monsters, Inc. to WALL-E is a high quality, and most importantly safe choice, for parents. Each of their outings has been a richly layered, intelligent gem. Nine major releases under their belt and only one (A Bug's Life) was less than stellar. Cars is another feather in their cap.

Like the other Pixar films, this is a character driven, morality tale about self-awareness and improvement. Rookie race car Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) is at the top of his game and hopes to win the coveted Piston Cup. On his way to California to the big race he is stranded in the nowhere town of Radiator Springs. Lightning McQueen gets into a spot of trouble in Radiator Springs and is sentenced by the town judge/doctor Doc Hudson (Paul Newman) to repave the main road in town (it makes sense in the film.) During his forced stay in the ghost town, McQueen must content with the town citizens including the buck-toothed tow truck Mater (Dan “Larry The Cable Guy” Whitney) and the sleek town attorney Sally (Bonnie Hunt.) The plot unfolds without many surprises but still satisfies thanks to well-rounded characters and some clever writing.

Comparing the content of this film is to what is found in other kids movies shows a stark difference. This film is a welcome break from the breakfast commercial pacing and rectum oriented jokes that are usually pushed at our kids. The opening of Cars involves a drawn out car race and there is plenty of lights, sound and flash. This hyper-paced, dazzling display has its purpose when contrasted with the remainder of the film. Other than the opening and closing race, the flash and kinetic pace slows to allow for an actual story to take place.

The standout of the film is Dan Whitney, a.k.a. Larry The Cable Guy as Mater. He is the obvious and best pick to play a small town redneck. He handles this role with a comfortable delivery and is the highlight in his scenes. Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Bonnie Hunt and Michael Keaton also provide good performances. Then again, it is difficult imagining any actor messing this up. This isn't exactly Shakespeare. Despite characters shallow characters, they wind up being an inviting lot. Even the auxiliary members of the cast, while being stereotypes maintain a sense of fun. Having George Carlin portraying a burnt out hippie 60’s Volkswagen Van that wants to sell “natural blend” gas is going to have good results. Place him next door to a rough n’ ready military Jeep named Sarge and the jokes write themselves.

This film isn’t an unbelievable success like The Incredibles nor as touching as Finding Nemo. However, this is a fine piece in its own right if you're not expecting the world. It lingers in the second act and the jokes aren’t as spry as they are in Monsters, Inc. but it still entertains. The film relies heavily on puns and quick visual jokes for its humor. An example of this is the villainous race car Chick Hicks (Michael Keaton) has HTB sponsor stickers on his body. If one looks closely, HTB stands for Hostile Takeover Bank. It’s not hilarious but it’s a darn clever film and your kids will love it.

My five-year old son summed up the film well when he said the following:

“This movie’s too long, but we still gotta sit and keep watching it, it’s the best movie of all time.”


Related Reviews:
Other Pixar Films
The Incredibles (2004)
Finding Nemo (2003)


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Labels: animated, Bonnie Hunt, film, Larry the Cable Guy, movie review, Owen Wilson, Paul Newman, Pixar

Screenwriters: Robert Ben Garant (Balls of Fury) and Thomas Lennon (Reno 911!: Miami)
Director: Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum)
Actors: Ben Stiller (Zoolander), Amy Adams (Enchanted), Owen Wilson (Bottle Rocket), Steve Coogan (Around the World in 80 Days), Ricky Gervais (Ghost Town), Christopher Guest (Waiting for Guffman) and Bill Hader (Tropic Thunder)

Labels: Amy Adams, Ben Stiller, film, movie trailer, Owen Wilson, Steve Coogan

Looks like cutesy, sentimental, nonsense. Then again, its directed by David Frankel (Band of Brothers) who has surprised me before. Then again, it's Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston...

On the scatological front, the trailer does manage to squeeze in one pee and one poop joke. Usually the marketers try to limit themselves to one or the other. Going with both? Not a good sign. Not that I'm saying if they went with just one we'd be cool.




Screenwriters: Scott Frank (Flight of the Phoenix) and Don Roos (Single White Female)
Director: David Frankel (The Devil Wears Prada)
Actors: Jennifer Aniston (Derailed), Owen Wilson (Wedding Crashers), Alan Arkin (Catch-22) and Haley Bennett (The Haunting of Molly Hartley)

Labels: Alan Arkin, film, Jennifer Aniston, movie trailer, Owen Wilson

This is the quintessential big, fat McMovie. Huge and stupid, this movie asks nothing of its audience and gives nothing in return. Ben Affleck and Bruce Willis star in this goofy flick about a group of oil drillers are sent into space with nuclear warheads to blow up a killer asteroid. The upside to this film is how it openly revels in its stupidity. The frank dumbness at the heart of this piece begs you to wallow in this thoughtlessness carnival of crap without shame. You know this is stupid, the people who made the movie know it’s stupid – everyone agrees. If you like big flashing lights, big explosions and lots of bad dialog screamed at full throat, this is the movie for you. If you’re into plot, character, dialog, or patient exposition, you’ll be better off finding something else.

Labels: Ben Affleck, Billy Bob Thornton, Bruce Willis, Liv Tyler, Michael Bay, Owen Wilson, Steve Busemi, Will Patton