Movie Review: TAMMY

TAMMY
Director: Ben Falcone
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Allison Janney, Nat Faxon, Toni Collette, Sandra Oh, Gary Cole, Mark Duplass, Dan Aykroyd

McCarthy. Sarandon. Bates. Janney. Collette. All fantastic actresses that I love. Tammy has to be good, right? Well...You may want to think twice before buying your movie tickets this weekend. On the same day Tammy (McCarthy) is fired from her job at Topper Jacks, her car breaks down, and finds out her husband (Faxon) is cheating on her with the neighbor (Collette). She heads over to her mom’s (Janney) house and ends up going on a road trip with her Grandma Pearl (Sarandon). Their end spot may be Niagara Falls, but along the way they stop by Pearl’s cousin Lenore’s (Bates) house for an all lesbian 4th of July barbeque. Tammy and Pearl both have their issues, troubles, problems, and dirty habits, so the trip along the way is quite the adventure.

Apparently, Tammy has been a pet project for Melissa McCarthy and her husband Ben Falcone. They have been working on it for years as they both wrote the script and Falcone sits in the director’s chair. Falcone also has a minor role as Tammy’s manager at Topper Jack’s. It’s odd that this is their special project as it doesn’t really have anything new to say. We have seen McCarthy play this type of dirty, crass, and obnoxious character numerous times before like Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Identity Thief. It has become her niche like many other comedians typically do. She is such a talented actress and is far better than playing the same old tired character over and over again. Her character Sookie St. James on Gilmore Girls is nothing like what she has been playing lately. By the way, how come no one ever mentions Gilmore Girls when talking about McCarthy. It’s a wonderful show, so go out and add it to your summer binge list!

The trailers for Tammy have definitely played up this side of her character, but they are a bit misleading as the movie isn’t about how gross she can be. The story is more about the road trip and relationship she has with her grandmother and how the two of them grow and learn from each other. There is a bit of a transformation and growth with Tammy as she isn’t always dumb and getting into trouble. The problem with it is that it’s uneven in its approach. There is a side subplot involving a budding romance with Mark Duplass’ character. I enjoyed it even though it doesn’t quite fit in the movie. It is further proof that McCarthy would be great in a smart romantic comedy. There is a sweet and natural chemistry between the two of them.

The film boasts a wonderful cast of truly talented character actors who have all dabbled in comedies and dramas. We’ve got two Oscar winners (Sarandon, Bates) and three Emmy winners (McCarthy, Collette, Janney) present. They all make the movie tolerable as I typically enjoy whatever they are working on, yet everyone seems to be wasted here. Poor Allison Janney is stuck behind a phone most of the movie checking in with McCarthy and Sarandon’s road trip. I wonder if they are all friends of McCarthy and Falcone who decided to do them a favor by being in the movie. I know Sarandon has appeared on McCarthy’s TV show, Mike and Molly. With McCarthy, Janney, and Sarandon playing three different generations, you have to get over their lack of an age difference very early on. In case you were curious, there is only a twenty-four year age gap between McCarthy and Sarandon. According to IMDb, Shirley MacLaine was originally cast as the grandma but had to bow out due to scheduling conflicts. With Sarandon doing another road trip style movie, this made me want to go back and watch Thelma & Louise again.

I haven’t given up on McCarthy yet like I have done in the past with Will Ferrell, Jack Black, and Adam Sandler. I just think it’s time to retire this character type that she has gotten herself stuck into playing over and over. She is clearly far superior than this material. Since it has been in the works for years, I do wonder if she wrote this movie before she got into this rut. Maybe it would have played better if it had been released years ago.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? The movie has a couple of laughs, but they were already shown in the trailer. The movie is not nearly as funny as it could have been knowing how funny McCarthy can be.

RATING: 2 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

Movie Review: ENOUGH SAID

ENOUGH SAID
Director: Nicole Holofcener
Starring: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, James Gandolfini, Toni Collette, Catherine Keener, Ben Falcone

So what happens when two iconic Emmy winning actors from two of my favorite television shows do a movie together? They prove, yet again, that they are more than just Tony Soprano and Elaine Benes. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Eva, a divorced single mother working as a masseuse and looking for more in life. Her daughter is heading off to college soon, and she is determined to soak in as much mother-daughter time as she can. She attends a party with her friends Sarah (Collette) and Will (Falcone) and awkwardly mingles with the other guests and passes out her business cards hoping for new clients. She meets Marianne (Keener), an earthy hipster poet that actually calls her back for an appointment. Eva is quite impressed as most people just take her card to be nice and never use it. They form a quick bond over being divorcees with daughters. Marianne has the gorgeous home and lifestyle Eva wishes she had. Their massage sessions turn a bit therapeutic and personal for Marianne as she continually opens up about her awful ex-husband.

At the same party, Eva is introduced to Albert (Gandolfini), another divorcee whose daughter is college bound. He is sweet, tender, funny, and the sparks ignite between the two of them. They may seem like an unlikely pair, but as they continue to see each other, they realize they may just be what each other needs in life. Eva's new found friendship in Marianne and romance with Albert is put to the test as she puts the pieces together that her new boyfriend is the awful ex-husband Marianne keeps nagging about in their sessions.

Of course there has to be some sort of snag. That's what makes this movie all the more realistic. Life always has to throw in those curve balls right when you think it is on the up and up. Director/writer Nicole Holofcener has created a mature smart romantic dramedy that feels far more accurate and true to life than many of those sophomoric and idiotic rom-coms that clutter the theaters. Take the first date between Albert and Eva as an example; it has that first date feel full of awkward moments, interesting dialogue, and some funny banter. There are these road blocks and personality traits that test the compatibility of the couple that ring very true to life. I feel like we do not see enough of these types of stories where the characters are set in their ways but are trying to find love again. There is an interesting commentary on divorce and how one person’s personality traits and ticks may bother one person but another person may find them redeeming. The character of Marianne is so adamant in her thoughts about Albert, but that doesn’t mean he is a terrible person or that it is wrong for Eva to be attracted to him.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus primarily works on the small screen, so it is such a treat to see her take on this character. I wish she would take on more film work in between her seasons of HBO’s “Veep”. She is truly one of the best comediennes working today. This is more of a dramatic role than say Elaine Benes, Christine Campbell, or Selina Meyer. Have no fear as she still infuses the role with her style of comedy by finding the humor in those awkward moments that she is so perfect at delivering. She has that infectious laughter that is always so believable. The chemistry between her and Gandolfini works so well, that I often wondered if she was laughing as the character or laughing at Gandolfini working his magic and charm. Maybe a little of both. It is such a shame that Gandolfini is no longer with us. He was so unbelievably talented. To many people he will always be known as Tony Soprano. Enough Said was a great platform for him to show off just how great he was at playing someone that showed off his warm and gentle side, which often goes unnoticed.

Enough Said is a gem of a movie that has gained a small audience but deserves much more. This is one of those movies that could get lost in the shuffle, but to see these two actors work so well together is such a treat. Plus, they are joined by Toni Collette and Catherine Keener who are delightful as always. If you want a romantic comedy that you can actually relate to and understand where these characters are coming from, do try to catch the latest from indie director Nicole Holofcener.

RATING: **** (4 out of 5 stars)

Movie Review: THE WAY WAY BACK

THE WAY WAY BACK
Writers/Directors: Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
Starring: Liam James, Toni Collette, Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph, AnnaSophia Robb, Amanda Peet, Rob Corddry, Allison Janney



I know I would be pissed if someone rated me a 3 on a scale of 1 to 10. That is how fourteen-year-old Duncan (James) is rated by his mom, Pam's (Collette), new boyfriend, Trent (Carell). This depressing discussion is the start of Duncan’s summer vacation as he forced to spend the summer at Trent’s beach house. Trent’s blunt and smug personality does not mesh well with someone like Duncan who is introverted and quiet and tends to keep his feelings bottled up. Even though he is with his mom and sister, Duncan feels trapped as he would rather spend the summer with his father. What he does not realize is that his father has practically abandoned him.

Their arrival at the beach house is greeted by neighbor Betty (Janney) who is loud, brash, and practically three sheets to the wind at any given moment. Is a cocktail ever not in her hands? Being the prick that he is, Trent seems to boss Duncan around but at the same time does not really care about having private family time. Pam forces family time with a game of Candyland only for it to turn south when Trent is far too rigid with the rules. She struggles with trying to make her relationship with Trent work out while watching the affects it has on Duncan. He finds it far more important to be engaged with Joan (Peet) and Kip (Corddry), another couple with a beach house nearby.

Duncan finds solace and friendships along the way to combat the attitude and behavior Trent gives him. Owen (Rockwell) is the “cool” guy with a fun car who has not really matured. Susanna (Robb) is the cute girl next door who is actually nice and approachable after their first awkward meeting. Duncan escapes the dreaded beach house each day by biking to Water Wizz Water Park. At first it was just a place to get away, but his new pal Owen hires him to do basic pool duties and cleanup. Owen, his manager/girlfriend Caitlyn (Rudolph), and the rest of the Water Wizz employees make him feel at home and welcome all of his quirks and oddities. His daily trips are kept a secret from his family. Why bother telling people and potentially ruin the one good thing he has going for him. The co-writers and directors of the film, Nat Faxon and Jim Rash, have supporting roles as water park employees.

The Way Way Back is another example of those touching and inspiring dramedies like Little Miss Sunshine and Juno that make you feel all good inside after you watch it. The screenplay by Faxon and Rash, who also co-wrote The Descendants, has a good mix of really funny moments (any scene with the always fabulous Allison Janney) against the constant tension with the Carell character and the inner turmoil Duncan feels. Even though these characters may not seem all that original, they have lined up an excellent ensemble of actors that make them believable as people you can feel a connection to from your own life. Carell and Rockwell play outside their typically range. I sometimes have a thin line for Carell especially when it borders on over-the-top comedic antics. He is fantastic and perfectly scuzzy in this role. I applaud him for taking on such a prickly bastard. Rockwell makes his character out to be more than just some beach bum who never grew up. He has heart and well-being and really cares for Duncan.

Any movie that can bring me back to my childhood in some way or another wins a place in my heart. I remember being that awkward teen that was grumpy about going up to the cabin as it got in the way of spending the summer with my friends. I now relish in those weekends that involve cabin getaways. I did not have a water park, but I had the video store where I spent my days getting paid to watch movies and restock the shelves. This is one of the better films I have seen all year. It has that classic summer movie feel that has heart, meaning, and funny characters without feeling too dopey or quirky for its own good.

RATING: *****(5 out of 5 stars)

PAUL'S 2013 MID-YEAR MOVIE RECAP

PAUL'S 2013 MID-YEAR MOVIE RECAP

I alway like to keep a running tally of all of the new movies I have taken in over the year. Whether they are the new 2013 releases, movies from the last few years I'm catching up on, or taking advantage of the old classics, I like to see how my movie watching is growing or decreasing and what the 2013 movie year is shaping up to be like. Let's see how this year has panned out so far:

The Sessions
Promised Land
Broken City
Side Effects
Amour
Take This Waltz
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Oz, The Great and Powerful
Side By Side
A Separation
Wreck-It Ralph
Compliance
Admission
The Silence
The Prodigal Son
Evil Dead
Flashdance
Days of Heavan
Jurassic Park 3D
Double Indemnity
Room 237
To the Wonder
The Place Beyond the Pines
ParaNorman
Iron Man 3
The Paperboy
The Great Gatsby
Bernie
Star Trek Into Darkness
Oblivion
Now You See Me
All Good Things
End of Watch
Lars and the Real Girl
The Way Way Back
Tucker and Dale Vs. Evil
Behind the Candelabra
Man of Steel
Beautiful Creatures
Stoker
Not Fade Away
Identity Thief
Mama

That's a total of 45 movies. Only three down from the 48 movies I saw at this point in 2012 Here's the 2012 list. In my opinion, 2013 has been kind of a dud regarding the quality of films released this year. During the springs months, there seemed to be flop after flop opening each weekend, and I just did not feel moved to waste money on a movie that did not look good just for the sake of seeing a new movie. I recently got married and went on a honeymoon, so my theater going was also put on the back burner throughout most of this past year. I turned to Netflix Streaming to catch up on some of the classics or other movies I may have missed in the past years.

Back to the films of 2013. There were some definite standouts, but overall I found myself disappointed in many movies. Evil Dead and Oz, The Great and Powerful should have been great, but I left just appauled about how bad they were. I wanted to love The Great Gatsby, but left disappointed. What's worse, a movie that is bad because it's bad or a movie that is bad when it had the potential to be oh so good?  We still have the rest of the summer blockbuster season and the fall movie calendar looks to have some great selections, so I will be curious to see if 2013 redeems itself.

Best of the 2013 Releases So Far...

The Way Way Back
Side Effects
The Place Beyond the Pines
Star Trek Into Darkness

Worst of the 2013 Releases So Far...

Evil Dead
Oz, The Great and Powerful
**Boo on Sam Raimi for BOTH of these choices

I'd love to hear your thoughts!  What are your picks for best and worst of 2013?