Movies, Comedy
Eddie Murphy is one of most talented comic actors. Unlike Ted which was fresh and made me laugh throughout the entire movie, 1000 Words has a few good scenes but remains pretty mediocre. Murphy plays Jack, a high-flying literary agent, who is angry that his father abandoned the family when he was around 10. As he trying to sign a Deepak Chopra like figure for his agency, a tree suddenly appears in his garden and for every word he speaks another leaf will fall of the tree. When all leafs are gone, the tree and he might die. As he trying to conserve words, his marriage falls apart and he is fired. To rescue himself, Jack needs to get in touch with his inner true self.A Thousand Words
Movies, Comedy
Romantic comedies used to have few explicit sex scenes. In 1989 the film When Harry met Sally pushed the boundaries of the genre when Meg Ryan faked an orgasm in a restaurant (see the funny scene). Friends with Benefits focuses the first half on the bedroom and how to create comedy around the lovemaking act. Except for the last scene, which is very well done, I felt like I had seen the story a million times.Friends with Benefit
Movies, Comedy
The first three quarters of the film are stupid. No, boring is a better word. Everything feels staged. You feel that you are watching a comedy without soul and intelligence. But then suddenly it all changes, you are in for a big surprise and the film comes to life. I wonder if it would be been possible to create this dramatic turn of events without boring me out of my mind for most of the film.Crazy, Stupid, Love
Movies, Comedy
Robin Williams is one of the most talented comedians alive. The range of voice impersonation he can do is amazing. Some of his talent is on display in Mrs. Doubtfire. The film was made in 1993 and feels a bit outdated. There are funny moments but the most enjoyable part of the film is to watch Robin Williams impersonate an old English house sitter.Mrs. Doubtfire
Movies, Comedy
Selling insurance is one of the most boring jobs in the world. But some people’s personality seems to be uniquely suited for this line of work. Tim Lippe is one of them. The most excitement Tim has experienced in life to date is having sex with his former 7th grade teacher (Segourney Weaver) once week. But now he is sent on a road trip to Cedar Rapids. There he is introduced to the most fun insurance people you can imagine. Gorgeous women (e.g. Anne Heche) are chasing this nerd and giving us a few laughs. I enjoyed the film a lot more than the 40-year-old virgin but it definitely is not a film you must see.Cedar Rapids
Movies, Comedy
Watching a teenage girl lose her boyfriend of 3 weeks is a lot less scary than watching a woman in her late 30 losing her boyfriend of three years. The film relies on the fact that as adults we all realize that the teenage girl is probably better off being “back on the market” where her twenty-year-older self enters a “bad market.” There are already many film in the Getting-Ready-for-a-Wedding genre. Except for the last 15 minutes the film is banal and boring compared to even such light fare as Four Wedding and a Funeral. If you want to see an initially funny and the deep film about marriage, see the splendid Barney’s Version. The writer Mordecai Richler uses a plot line in Barney’s Version that I once had developed but now no longer can claim as mine: Boy waits long time to marry. Has found great spouse. But at the wedding he meets someone who he instantaneously recognizes as the person he should have married. Bridesmaides never reaches such deep waters.Bridesmaides
Movies, Comedy
My Wes Anderson Film Festival continues. This week I screened his fourth film, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004). While Anderson pushes the cinematography onto a higher plane than in Rushmore or Bottle Rocket, the characters here feel more constructed and synthetic. Owen Wilson co-wrote the first two Anderson films. Perhaps he brought greater depth to the characters. The motor driving The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is the imaginative power fueling the script and the love for constructing detailed sets for each scene. Think of a Jacque Costeau documentary, Finding Nemo, and All About Schmidt or Sideways rolled into one. The eye is enchanted. Yet at times the film felt slow because we never sense that something dramatic is about to happen with any of the characters.The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
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