Crazy, Stupid, Love.

First Hit: This film had some very funny, sad, thoughtful moments, but wasn’t memorable.

Cal (played by Steve Carell) is married to Emily (played by Julianne Moore) and they’ve been married for a long time. They were each other’s soul mates but they’ve grown apart.

Emily has an affair with David Lindhagen (played by Kevin Bacon) and it devastates Cal. He moves out. They have three children one is grown and gone while the other two are younger. The boy Robbie (played by Jonah Bobo) is smart, wise and in love with the babysitter Jessica (played by Analeigh Tipton) who is 5 years older than Robbie but she has a crush on Cal.

Cal goes to a singles bar to drown his sorrows and watches as Jacob (played by Ryan Gosling) picks up woman after woman each and every night. Jacob, in turn, watches Cal telling tales in the bar about how his wife did him wrong and decides to help him out. He invites Cal on a shopping trip and then lets him listen to how he picks up women. One night Cal picks up Kate (played by Marisa Tomei) who likes his honesty and charm. He learns that Kate is a “5 years sober” teacher.

In the meantime we watch Hannah (played by Emma Stone) get shut down by a guy who offers her a job when she thought she was going to be proposed to. In a fit of upset, she finds Jacob, whom she turned down on an earlier encounter and makes him take her to his house for sex.

However, they end up in a long conversation and begin to fall in love. As they fall in love, Cal is busy picking up a string of women but missing Emily. Emily dates David but misses Cal. Robbie is making Jessica feel uncomfortable with his ever present text messages outlining his undying love.

This is the setup for what I think was the funniest and most interesting scene in the film. I won’t spoil it, and it has to do with people meeting people and the police having to separate all the men fighting each other.

Carell is good as a heart broken man and good as the newly coiffed player. However the word I used was good, not great as I continued to feel separateness from and not an embodiment of of the character he was playing. Moore was very good as the woman who was searching for femininity and inner glow again. Bacon was perfect for the short but important part as the “other man”. Bobo was very good, although some of his lines and actions seemed more than what a 12 year old would say or do. Tipton was wonderful and perfect as the babysitter who is beautiful, doesn’t know it, and feeling the pressure of her first crush. Tomei was outstanding as the teacher who finds out she slept with, yet another man, who lied to her. Gosling was fully engaging as the guy with the photo-shopped body and used his charms to pick up women but then was able to meet someone whom he really cared about. Dan Fogelman wrote a strong and, at times, surprising script although I think the 12 year old lines were overly adult at times. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa directed the film with skill in many places including the little surprises that lead to a nice climax. However, it was longer than needed and there could have been some pruning of a number of scenes (including lawn raking and bar pickup bits).

Overall: The film was enjoyable and surprising moments that were really funny.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

First Hit: Somewhat better than Part 1 but frankly, I’m glad this long winded tale is over.

Thrusting children who are the bringers of light and lightheartedness to our planet into an ever increasing darker set of circumstances as they get older is part of our life on this planet; or so it seems.

The Harry Potter series of films reflects this transition in a different way and I’m not sure if it is (or was) to our benefit or entertainment. The tales took the mystery of magic and attempted to make it a real life thing and being embodied in a select few children. 

The series of films only focused on the selected few therefore we rarely were able to see or sense the difference between this magical world and non-magically gifted children or adults. This was one of the problems I had with this series of films. Where as the Hobbit tales were all fantasy.

These films originally started in a world where regular people were part of the story but they ended up being only fantasy until the very last scene when the main character's children are in a real life railway station heading off to Hogwarts School.

This film took started where Part 1 left off. Whereas Part 1 of the final chapter was long winded, boring and attempted to set-up our characters for the final resolution; Part 2 was filled with CGI action. Harry (like Luke Skywalker) was connected to the dark force of Lord Voldemort and had to be willing to kill himself to save Hogwarts and all the special magical kids who attend. One has to be willing to lose oneself to find oneself and this is true in the Harry Potter world as well as our own.

Anyway this film was dark (both in concept and visually), long, and, in some ways, filled with senseless action.

Daniel Radcliffe (as Potter) was good to watch in the first couple of films, but became limited and shallow as the series went on. He lacked depth of character in Part 2. My guess is (and I could very well be wrong) he’s glad to be through with this film series because it showed. Rupert Grint (as Weasley) probably won’t have much of an acting career after this last installment, there is nothing engaging about him or the character he played. Emma Watson (as Granger) was and is the strongest actor of the main three characters and will continue to have success as an actor. Alan Rickman (as Snape) is always enjoyable to watch and here he makes his character intriguing. Ralph Fiennes (as Voldemort) is good as the story’s evil dark character and it wasn’t because of the lines but because of his skill at creating presence. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay from J.K. Rowling’s novel and some of the dialogue felt stiff. David Yates directed this and there seemed to be the belief that the more crap you throw up on the screen the more of it will stick. One scene particularly felt out of place, was when Harry was coming down some stairs after an intense encounter with the vision pool and Ron and Hermione are sitting there. Why were they there, how did they get there, why would they be sitting there as if they were having a private “together” moment in the middle of the battle for their school? Then they get up and after a couple of stilted lines, the three of them get more engaged with the war against evil again.

Overall:  I waded through all of the films and only one or two were noteworthy and engaging. This one excelled only in the amount of CGI stuff thrown up on the screen.

A Better Life

First Hit: This was a powerfully acted film which showed light on the immigrant and immigration issue in the United States.

Carlos Galindo (played by Demian Bichir) is an illegal immigrant attempting to make a life for himself and his son in Los Angeles.

He keeps his head low. He attempts to be “invisible” while attempting to create a better life for his son. His wife has left him. The man he works for, Blasco Martinez (played by Joaquin Cosio), has been following his dream in LA as an owner operator of a gardening company and truck. He’s made enough to retire on a farm in Mexico so now he wants to sell his truck and business clients to Carlos.

Carlos is hesitant, it will put him into debt, he has no driver’s license, and he won’t be as invisible any longer. His son Luis (played by Jose Julian), is smart but being pulled by gangs, his gang linked girlfriend, and the embarrassment that his dad is a gardener. Carlos takes the risk, buys the truck and the events that follow bring him and his son closer together.

This film points out the difficulty illegal aliens have in staying in the United States. I was constantly reminded of the human work lineup that stand on the corners in our towns in the Bay Area.

Bichir is amazing as Carlos. The grip tight reigns on his emotions, the focus on showing up each day and doing a quality job but staying silent was perfect for his character. Cosio as his boss was emblematic of a man who did what he needed to do to get to his payday. Julian was very good as the son who is partially embarrassed yet proud of his father’s willingness to do what it takes to make a life for the two of them. Eric Eason wrote a wonderful screenplay. Chris Weitz selected wonderful locations and extracted a great performance from Galindo. Growing up in Southern California and as a father, I felt that Weitz got the feeling just right.

Overall: This was a wonderful film and definitely worth seeing.

Larry Crowne

First Hit:  Although at times amusing, this film misfires in almost every area.

Tom Hanks had an idea and wrote it down on paper, decided it was good enough to be a film, then chose to direct and star in it as well.

Most of these decisions were not the best he could have made. The idea was actually pretty good and could have been expanded upon. People losing jobs after a divorce and finding they are not able to pay the bills could be a very strong story.

What evolved with fellow scriptwriter Nia Vardalos is generally weak and glossy. That the answer to Larry Crowne’s (played by Hanks) problems are to take college courses? Not sure this is real or true. Yes, getting an education is important and can lead one to a successful change in careers, but I didn’t think Larry had any idea as to what he wanted to be?

There is nothing in the film about Larry having a dream to be anything. So why would he go to school? Will a college degree in liberal arts keep him employed? No it won't, just ask the tens of thousands of college graduates who don’t have and cannot get a job.

This point is equally made in the film by his former boss at U Mart losing his job and he is seen later delivering pizza (and he graduated from SMU). Lastly,  would Larry have had grounds for wrongful termination suit? Probably and although

I don't recommend such things, it came to mind because Larry is fired he didn't have the possibility to advance in his career without further education. But where did we think he was pushing for a promotion. He seemed happy doing his job. The point of these comments is to indicate that the setup for this film was trite, untrue and wasteful.

The point of the film was to find a way to get Mercedes Tainot, a worn down by life teacher, played by Julia Roberts to find hope by meeting Larry. To this end the film worked in some ways. Do I believe that there was a real chemistry between Larry and Mercedes? Nope, not in the least and generally felt that they were two drowning individuals who decided to cling to each other to stay afloat.

There were some side characters as well. George Takei played Dr. Matsutani an economics professor. As Dr. M. he brought a whole new look to the film but, for the most part, was an interesting and fun diversion. Another side character who attempts to make Larry more hip was Alvarez (played by Roxana Ortega), she takes a liking to Larry and works with his clothes and gets him to join a scooter club.

Lastly, Alvarez’s boyfriend Dell Gordo (played by Wilmer Valderrama) was funny as the always watching and being jealous by the kind actions of his girlfriend.

Hanks might have made a better showing if he hadn’t written the script or directed himself in this film. Roberts was, by far and away, the best character in the film. She felt real. And despite her obvious beauty, I felt a depth in her character. She was living with her deadbeat husband who loves triple x porn and then goes to her teaching job and only having classes which are barely attended. Takei was funny and solid as an economics professor who believes he, and only he, understands economics. Ortega was cute, a little unrealistic, but embodied a person who follows her own open heart path. Valderrama was fun to watch in his reactions when Alvarez was around Larry. Hanks and Vardalos’ writing painfully displayed their lack of understanding of what is like to be downsized. Hanks showed he cannot direct himself and if directing is a calling for him, then make sure he is not a character in his own film so that he can concentrate on the task at hand – making a film that holds together well.

Overall: Poorly done but there were some fun moments and scenes which made it worth watching but barely.

Beginners

First Hit: A wonderfully insightful film about growing into love.

Oliver (played by Ewan McGregor), after losing his mom, four years earlier, is now picking up the pieces of his life because his dad, Hal, has just died.

He’s had four significant relationships in his life where he insured they would not succeed by sabotaging them. Shortly after his mother Georgia (played by Mary Page Keller) died, his father, Hal (played by Christopher Plummer) announces that he is gay and is going to live a gay life. Hal also learns that he is dying of cancer.

The film effectively flashes back to Oliver’s young years sharing the sadness and disappointment both his mom and he experienced in their family. Georgia knew Hal was gay when she married him and always felt she could change him. Although he never had an affair while married, their marriage was filled with disappointment for Georgia.

Therefore, it was also disappointing for Oliver because besides the sadness in the family as a whole, his father was absent by working long hours as a museum curator. The film flashes also to Hal’s gay life including the younger man he meets and loves. Hal begins to love again the way he felt he should have always loved. One evening Oliver’s friends take him to a costume party where he goes as Sigmund Freud.

There he meets Anna (played by Melanie Laurent), an actress who has laryngitis. She tells him that he has sad eyes. As he begins to develop a relationship with Anna, flashbacks to his childhood and his father’s living his life as a gay man enter his mind (and on the screen). Anna and Oliver fall in love and he asks her to move in with him, and right away his insecurities arise.

The film ends with him finding his way back to allowing love into his life. One of the great aspects of this film is the use of Arthur, Hal’s dog. This dog plays a prominent part in this film because he embodies faithfulness, unconditional love, and joy.

McGregor is very good as a man who wants and is looking for love in his life but is confused about how to allow it in. Plummer is fantastic as Hal; the man who married for faithful love based in friendship but really wanted to live his truth as a gay man in love. Laurent was perfect as the woman who lives a solitary life on the road being an actress, but really longs to have love in her life. She is looking for someone who can see her. Mike Mills both wrote and directed this film and in both areas he did an outstanding job. The dialogue clear, pithy and poignant while the direction was very crisp and always on target.

Overall: This was a thoughtful joyous film.