Jobs

First Hit:  Moments were very good, but it didn’t hold up as well as the man himself did.

There are moments when there are close-ups of Ashton Kutcher’s version of Steve Jobs that he looks exactly like Jobs, but where the film fails in my book, is completeness of character.

It seemed like we were given snippets and views of Jobs but not a real cohesive story. Example: When Jobs denies being Lisa’s father, how did we get her sleeping on the couch later on? Where was the story?

We are treated to some famous Jobs’ outbursts, but where do they come from? Where were the storylines behind them and Steve’s kindness? Where was the story as to why Steve didn’t give his original workers part of the stock action? Was it selfishness?

It is the lack of real developmental continuity that hurt this film. Why did the screenwriter and director only focus on the story of the start of Apple to Jobs coming back? It might have been more interesting to include more recent events as well. Lastly, at more than 2 hours, the lack of a deeper story made the movie feel long.

Kutcher got many of Jobs mannerisms down well. In fact some of the close-ups showed Kutcher did his homework regarding how Steve looked and walked. Dermot Mulroney as Mike Markkula was good at being the person who supported Steve from the beginning but turning against him later on. Josh Gad as Steve Wozniak was superb and was clearly the best actor in the film in their role. Matthew Modine as John Scully was OK, but again there seem to be a lack luster level of interest or “drama” to make it engaging. Lastly, where were the women in this film? Matt Whiteley wrote a weak script which focused on some less interesting aspects of Jobs’ life. Joshua Michael Stern seemed to lack direction and didn’t have a clear vision of what the point of this film was to be.

Overall:  As much as I wanted to see this film, was the same level it disappointed me.

No Strings Attached

First Hit: A well done light hearted film about two people, with great chemistry, coming together.

Ashton Kutcher may be limited in his acting range, but he is really good within his range.

As Adam, a fun loving guy trying to be a television program writer with a famous father Alvin (played by Kevin Kline), he is living an easy sort of life. He’s handsome, women find him attractive, and he’s got friends.

Years earlier he met a young lady at camp named Emma (played by Natalie Portman) who is highly intelligent and proclaims, at this early age, she’s not good at affection. Years after that meeting they run into each other and she invites him to a thing.

The thing happens to be her father’s funeral. Later they meet up again and they begin a “friend with benefits” relationship. It is clear from the beginning he likes her more, in a romantic way, than she does him. She is focused in her medical practice and only wants sex with Adam at any time of the day or night.

The audience knows she is falling for him because there are too many hints that she is, despite her words to the contrary. Yes the ending is known because this is a Hollywood movie, but how it takes the audience to the ending is well done and the actors were great at telling this story.

Kutcher may be limited in the roles he's offered or in the choice he’s made. However in this film he’s easy to watch, he’s relaxed in this role and he brings the right amount of range to his character. Portman on the heels of her Oscar nomination deserving performance in “Black Swan” shows some real range by playing someone funny, complex, interesting and most of all believable. As Emma she is wonderful and sexy. Kline as Kutcher’s father is good as an obsessed man who knows he’s been obsessed with his past life as an young actor and he still leaves gatherings of people with a famous line from his early career “Great Scott”! It was nice to see Kline again in a role. Elizabeth Meriwether and Michael Samonek wrote an effective screenplay and story respectively. Ivan Reitman did a wonderful job of taking a predictable story with some good actors and making an enjoyable film.

Overall: Worth the money to go see if you want to sit back, relax and enjoy a romantic comedy.

Valentine's Day

First Hit: A funny, cute and lighthearted romp with a huge cast ensuring its popularity.

Did I say huge cast? Here is a partial listing: Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Biel, Taylor Swift, Julia Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Shirley MacLaine, Bradley Cooper, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Alba, Hector Elizondo, and Anne Hathaway and that’s not everyone who is in this film.

This cast alone would drive people to the box office but it is also a Garry Marshall film and it opened on Valentine’s Day weekend so it was almost guaranteed to be successful. I saw this with my partner on Valentine's Day and there were lots of couples in the theater.

From an entertainment point of view, this film was also a success. The story lines are varied; from old time lovers still deepening and rekindling their love to young lovers discovering their next steps. There is a counterpoint of people who struggle and don’t particularly like Valentine’s Day.

The film begins with a man asking a woman to marry him, she says "yes" then has a change of heart. It segues into a boy living with his grandparents and having a crush on his teacher and he wants to give her a valentine but the teacher is deeply involved with a man whom she discovers is married.

There is the story of a mother returning from her overseas Army assignment to be with her love for just 18 hours before she has to return to her assignment. Then there is a football player announcing he is gay which will allow him to be public with his relationship.

These and many more stories were packed into this film. It would be hard to not relate to at least one of them in some way.

I won’t comment on all the performances but bring up a couple which I thought were worth noting. I enjoyed Biel being more physical in her comedy than in previous films. She was very enjoyable to watch. I enjoyed both Garner and Hathaway in their respective roles as teacher and part time phone sex operator. Marshall doesn’t take a lot of risks in this film (which is true to form for him) but he doesn't need to, the story and actors bring it all together under his guiding hand.

Overall: This was a well marketed film that delivered enough laughs and story line to keep me interested for the entire film.

What Happens in Vegas

First Hit: There is nothing in this film that makes it romantic and little to make it funny.

Cameron Diaz plays Joy a floor broker on the New York Stock Exchange. She is engaged to a guy who decides that she is no fun and too controlling (schedule time to make a schedule).

Ashton Kutcher plays Jack who is generally irresponsible and gets fired by his father because he just screws around at work. These two, through some convincing of their best friends’, head to Las Vegas so that they can get away from it all and relax.

By happenstance the four of them end up in the same hotel room. After sorting it out with the front desk they end up spending an evening together getting drunk, gambling, dancing and Jack and Joy get married.

Through their hangover haze the next morning they decide they must get an annulment or divorce as quickly as possible because they don’t like each other and despise each other’s lifestyle. As they make this decision Joy’s quarter ends up in Jack’s hand and he puts it into a slot machine and wins 3 Million dollars.

Each of them wants the money but a judge decides they have to try to be a couple for 6 months before he will decide the case. Yes you know the outcome, they fight, manipulate and hurt each other but end up in each other’s arms, again.

There is no chemistry between these two on screen. The acting seemed forced and uneven. There is very little that is funny and some of the jabs and jokes are mean spirited (think Joy’s coworker and boss also Jack’s best friend and lawyer remarks' were just plain dumb). Their respective best friends are miscast and only there to provide some mean spirited prompting.

Overall: This film was a waste of time and is what needed to stay in Vegas.