Everybody Wants Some!!

First Hit:  The music was to die for and the story grew on me as it evolved.

This film takes place over 3 – 4 days by following Jake (Blake Jenner) arriving on a Friday afternoon at an unnamed Texas University to take up residency in the baseball team’s campus home provided by a school sponsor and ending on the following Monday.

As with most Richard Linklater films, dialog and time period is clearly identified. When Jake gets in his car and drives off to the university he turns up the stereo in the vintage Oldsmobile 442 to blast out The Knack’s “My Sharona”. This perfectly sets the tone for the film.

Other music includes Blondie, Van Halen, The Cars, and Cheap Trick. As a jock hanging out with other jocks there is a perception about his intellectual capabilities. However, as the film points out a couple of times, each sub-group of people have their own ranges of intelligence and abilities. It reflects what is true in society. In other words, jocks are not all stupid.

That said, without any structure to their lives over the weekend they attend multiple parties, go to multiple nightclubs, and because they’re in college multiple types of pranks are pulled on each other. But in the end, you see these disparate personalities coming together in cohesive groups on their way to learning more about who they are.

Jenner was well cast as the young freshman baseball jock who is thoughtful. His quiet and inclusive ways made him very likeable. Justin Street (as Jay), Ryan Guzman (as Roper), Tyler Hoechlin (as McReynolds), Wyatt Russell (as Willoughby), Glen Powell (as Finnegan), Temple Baker (as Plummer), J. Quinton Johnson (as Dale), and Will Brittain (as Beuter) we’re all wonderful as the primary members of the baseball team. Each brought a strong and unique personality. Zoey Deutch as Beverly, Jay’s love interest, was very strong and an interesting character. Linklater wrote a very strong script with dialogue that really worked and his direction was spot on, especially the detail of in the scenes.

Overall:  This was a wonderful slice of life film that has deeper meaning.

The Boss

First Hit:  Not a well thought out plot, however at times, it was laugh out loud funny.

I’m not a big Melissa McCarthy fan. I don’t always find her sense of humor to be my cup of tea. Often, her size/weight are part of the humor kit bag. Here it wasn’t which made the experience better.

As Michelle Darnell, a fabulously wealthy woman wooing crowds with her state it and take it philosophy, she is crassly focused on herself and her money. She was raised in an orphanage because she is returned to the orphanage 3 times by foster parents that find her unlikable.

During her hey-day, Claire (Kristen Bell), her assistant works hard to support her, but is mistreated and finally leaves. Michelle, at the same time, is also arrested and convicted for insider trading and spends time in jail because of her competitor, Renault (Peter Dinklage), turns her in.

Upon release from prison Michelle shows up at Claire’s door without anywhere else to go. Claire trusts here again and they go into business but Michelle double-crosses Claire again. Will Michelle learn? Watch the film to find out.

McCarthy is very funny at times. I appreciated that her weight wasn’t used as a focal point to her humor. Bell is funny, touching and is an actress that I think is underrated because she consistently delivers.  Dinklage is odd in this role and I’m not sure it was well cast. Ella Anderson, as Bell’s daughter, was really good. She carried curiosity, kindness and faith very well. Ben Falcone wrote and directed this occasionally funny film.

Overall:  It was enjoyable and at times, very funny, but plot wise it was just OK.

The Bronze

First Hit:  It was tough to watch and listen to Hope's (Melissa Rauch) dialogue, however, I think the overall concept held together.

Hope is deeply holding on to the fame she gained by winning an overall gymnastic bronze medal she won in the 2004 Olympics.

Her winning overshadowed other gymnastic Olympians because she severely hurt her ankle on the balance beam but did finish the completion by doing the uneven bars which earned her a Bronze Medal.

Coming back to her hometown she received a hero’s welcome and benefited from  perks the town gave her (own parking space in town, free sneakers, and other things) ever since. This even includes a sign of her achievement under the town’s “Welcome” sign.

She doesn't have a job, she steals from her dad’s mail truck, she wears her Olympic warm-up suit each and every day. She’s gained some weight but keeps the hair style, including the bangs she had during her heyday. She’s rude to almost everyone she meets and has a horrible attitude. Watching the scene when she first meets Maggie (Haley Lu Richardson), the town’s new gymnastics super star, she barely looks at her during the entire conversation.

She is challenged, by money, to coach Maggie because Maggie’s coach dies. They end up working together at Ben’s (Thomas Middleditch) gym. There are a few nice gymnastic sequences to watch and if you can get by the raunchiness of Hope, it actually isn’t a bad film.

Rauch holds her character most all the way though the film, but it isn’t a character we can really care about, even at the end there’s an edge that is bothersome. Middleditch is very good as Ben (Twitch). Richardson is almost too naïve as the upcoming gymnast. Gary Cole as Hope’s dad Stan was very good in that he was believable. Melissa and Winston Rauch wrote the screenplay which erred on the side of too raunchy and mean. Bryan Buckley directed this with reasonable clarity and what failed was the script.

Overall:  The concept for me worked well but the film’s main character seemed overboard in the role.

Hello, My Name Is Doris

First Hit:  Sally Field (as Doris) steals this film and makes this story work very well.

Doris is in her mid-sixties, her mom has just passed away, she had lived with her mom most of her life, she’s a hoarder, and works in an advertising agency as a data input operator.

Into her work life walks in John Fremont (Max Greenfield), a new arrival from California. He’s in his mid-thirties, got dropped by his girlfriend, is kind, and in his new job/life he’s trying to fit in.

What doesn’t work about this film is that John is portrayed as too naïve about how Doris feels about him. However, what does work about this film is Field as Doris. She is so good that the audience is engaged and bought into the story.

Most of the film is about how Doris fantasizes about having a romantic relationship with a man half her age. However, it also speaks to aging, human kindness, hoarding, sacrificing for family, the modern workplace, older people, and finally, friends and family.

Although we are not introduced to Doris’ character gently, there is no compromise in her character and to be quite frank, it worked.

Field is beyond fabulous. She could be considered for a third Oscar next March. Greenfield was good but I couldn’t help but think about his lack of vision of Doris' intention. Tyne Daly as Roz, Doris’ best friend, was extremely strong. Her acceptance and friendship was perfectly played. Isabella Acres as Roz’s granddaughter Vivian was spectacular. Her befriending of Doris and helping her navigate Social Media was perfect. Laura Terruso and Michael Showalter wrote a very interesting and edgy script. Showalter did a great job of guiding and giving Field the freedom to deeply explore her character.

Overall:  This film was very entertaining and I loved Doris’ outfits.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

First Hit:  Although uneven in its execution, I liked the resulting story as a whole.

WTF has an appeal in a couple of ways. The title was interesting because it is what Kim Baker (Tina Fey) felt about her life. She was in an uninspired relationship with her boyfriend, her news reporting job is as tenuous as it is monotonous and she realized that she was sleepwalking through life. She’s given a chance to go to Afghanistan to report on a fading war.

The news focus is on Iraq and the US has troops in Afghanistan and her network wants someone there to get and report on the best news nuggets available. Kim decides to take the leap and almost immediately she regrets the choice. However, as you’d expect, she finds her sea legs and starts to dig for stories and eventually lands an excellent one by being embedded in one of General Hollanek’s (Billy Bob Thornton) units.

Unfortunately, we see Kim fall into the partying ways of her peers with no understanding as to why. Her friendship with Tanya Vanderpoel (Margot Robbie), one of the few other women in compound, seemed shallow.

The script attempted to make these two be good friends, but there was something palpable missing. Labeled as a "Comedy", there was very little that is funny about this film which added to the unevenness.

The notable components for me were:  The outstanding performance of Christopher Abbott as Fahim Ahmadzai, who was Baker’s interpreter. He really embodied a sweetness and intelligence of the culture and his performance stayed with me long after the credits. When Kim spoke with a group of Afghani village women only to find out that they were destroying the wells was another really good scene. However, there seemed little depth to Baker and this did drag the film down and made for some scenes that could have been cut.

The ending scenes, however, brought the film back together. Her meeting with Specialist Coughlin (Evan Jonigkeit) at his ranch was very heartfelt as was her bringing Iain MacKelpie (Martin Freeman), a lover from Afghanistan, on to her Washington news program.

Fey was uneven in her performance and I never really bought that she bought into the character. There seemed to be a slight disconnect at times. Other times her interpretation of the character worked well enough. Abbott was phenomenal, I so loved his character. His eyes said it all. Robbie was OK, but almost out of place based on her character and the situation. Freeman was strong as the guy who found a home in being a photographer in a war torn country. Thornton was perfect as the Marine General who was a sarcastic, tough, and compassionate leader. Jonigkeit was excellent as the Marine who suffered and grew from the experience. Alfred Molina as Ali Massoud Sadiq was another bright spot in the film. Robert Carlock and Kim Barker wrote the screenplay based on Barker’s account of being in Afghanistan. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa directed the film and as I’ve learned; when there is more than one director the chances of unevenness are more available and pronounced.

Overall:  Through the unevenness the ending and a few other great scenes made it work well enough.