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June 8, 2009

The Boxer

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Jim Sheridan is pretty much the go-to guy when it comes to movies about Ireland. The Dublin-born director started things off with the brilliant My Left Foot, establishing a working relationship with Daniel Day-Lewis at the outset. The two would collaborate again with 1993’s In the Name of the Father. Their third collaboration, The Boxer, stands as a bleak and desolate piece about change and the hunger for peace in Ireland.

Day-Lewis is Danny Flynn, a member of the IRA with a promising boxing career. His life was put on hold when he was imprisoned at the age of 18 for his terrorist associations. The film picks up with Flynn finally leaving prison after 14 years. He refused to name his fellow IRA men, increasing the length of his prison term. Upon his release, Flynn is sent into a community that is attempting to negotiate peace with the British. Head IRA man Joe Hamill (Brian Cox) is trying to work out a peace agreement.

The process is far from easy, though, and Hamill has his hands full with various members of the IRA. He especially struggles with a militant faction of the group, led by Harry (Gerard McSorley). Flynn, meanwhile, rekindles a past relationship with Maggie (Emily Watson) despite her marriage to another imprisoned IRA member. They embark on a dangerous relationship, with the IRA watching their every move and threatening death for any man caught having an affair with a prisoner’s wife.

Flynn has no interest in the activities of the IRA, having long ago paid his debts and spent his energy on the “cause.” He just wants to fight and pick up his tattered boxing career, so he joins with his old manager Ike (Ken Stott) and reopens a local gym for young boxers to train. Flynn’s sense for “getting on with it” soon becomes a motivating factor for many in the community and boxing becomes an outlet for much of the pain and violence of the past. The gym is opened for both Protestants and Catholics, but it soon becomes a lightning rod for Harry’s militancy.

The fights are great fun to watch, presenting with a sort of gritty hope. Day-Lewis was trained by Barry McGuigan (the Clones Cyclone) and it shows. He is in great shape for the picture, adding a sense of realism and explosiveness to his normally subdued character. His Danny Flynn speaks in hushed tones, for the most part, choosing his words carefully even when in the presence of the love of his live. He is reserved and appears to have learned his lessons well, so the boxing becomes the real fountain of any lingering angst.

Sheridan’s movie is very carefully constructed and very bleak, very gray. The dialogue is often delivered softly and secretly, as though there is always someone watching. Sheridan effectively captures the tone of uncertainty, spreading his story out as though sudden moments of violence can disrupt the whole damn thing. We get the sense that the love affair, the fighting, and the violence in the streets are all interconnected.

The Boxer is not a perfect motion picture. It sometimes struggles with its own ambition, as though it weighs out the importance of each scene and is forced into making a choice. Sometimes the boxing can feel like a superfluous act, as though the film’s three fights really aren’t needed to develop the character of Danny Flynn. Nevertheless, Sheridan does attempt to instil the scenes with importance. One fight that ends with Flynn showing mercy on his opponent serves to showcase the true nature of this changed man.

The Boxer is an effective, bleak narrative that tells an important story of tentative peace and those who act against it for nothing but their own interests. It is a story of both selfishness and selfless love. It is well-acted, well-directed, and well-scored by Gavin Friday.

8.4/10

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January 21, 2009

The Wrestler

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2008, drama, entertainment, movies, sports, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Darren Aronofsky’s The Wrestler is yet another spectacular picture from 2008. It is deeply emotional, personal, heart-rending, and compelling. It is also an enormously popular film despite its limited release, gathering large ticket sales wherever it is playing and generating Oscar buzz for Mickey Rourke, who already landed the Golden Globe for Best Actor. Luckily for fans of great movies everywhere, The Wrestler will see a wide release starting on January 23. See this movie.

The Wrestler is not about wrestling; it is about the emptying of one’s soul into existence. It is about work, it is about family, it is about loneliness, it is about age, it is about heartache. Rourke stars as Randy “The Ram” Robinson, but his real name is Robin Ramzinski. “Call me Randy,” he tells everyone. Randy is a professional wrestler – hence “The Ram” nickname – but he is twenty years past his prime. Back in the day, he was kind of a big deal. As we are introduced to The Ram, he wrestles on weekends in indie wrestling promotions and works a job at the supermarket to make ends meet.

Randy is a broken man. His body has been destroyed time and time again by years of hard living and misuse. He takes steroids and other drugs to keep up with the younger generation in the wrestling business. Loneliness plagues him, even though Randy is admired by his peers and has many connections. He spends his nights alone in his trailer and visiting a strip club where he flirts with Cassidy (Marisa Tomei). Cassidy is a single mother and she is also encountering the force of age on her profession, as customers don’t desire her as much as they used to and she doesn’t make as much money as the younger girls.

And so, Cassidy and Randy are kindred spirits passing each other by in this life. They are bound by the “rules” of their professions, crippled by how things need to be, and broken by how things are. As Randy continues to put his body through castigation, he eventually has a heart attack. In revaluation form, he decides to reach out to his alienated daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). He is too pathetic for her, though, and Randy’s unavoidable failings as a human being damage all hope at resolution. There are moments of transitory bliss between the two, but their relationship is bound for misery all the same.

Aronofsky’s The Wrestler examines these elements and tells a hurting yarn of burned bridges and a shattered subsistence. The director has taken us inside the world of a man who barely exists. He is celebrated in many ways, selling souvenirs and being recognized slinging deli meats at the supermarket. But in the ways that matter, The Ram is a ruined entity gradually slipping into nonexistence. The Wrestler is the exemplary story of a man’s fight to survive and a man’s fated severance from himself.

Much has been made about Mickey Rourke’s performance and for good reason. There aren’t enough words to describe what this actor has done here. He performs on multiple levels: physical, emotional, spiritual, and beyond. Rourke inhabits The Ram and creates him in order to break him down brick by brick, allowing the blood of disillusionment and failure to spill out of his immeasurable wounds. He is beyond broken and he cannot be fixed. Rourke’s ability to impart his character with futility is among the best acting I’ve seen in a long, long time.

The Wrestler is a film packed with detail, showing us the dim and seamy world of professional wrestling and showing us the human beings behind the curtain with dogged level-headedness. Aronofsky has put an incredible amount of care into this project. A movie about a wrestler, about a “fake industry,” is a giant risk for any director, but Aronofsky has pulled off a piece of work that is nothing short of an engrossing masterpiece. With dazzling performances, spotless direction, spectacular detail, and riveting tragedy, The Wrestler is simply incredible.

9.6/10

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March 3, 2008

Semi-Pro

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2008, comedy, entertainment, movies, sports, trailers | Tags: , , , , , |
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Semi-Pro

Will Ferrell returns to the well yet again with Semi-Pro, a 2008 sports comedy. Directed by Kent Alterman in his directorial debut, Semi-Pro lacks the humour and punch of many of Ferrell’s other comedies. It also lacks the energy of Blades of Glory or Talladega Nights, instead focusing on being an homage of the style of the 1970s and of the American Basketball Association. The jokes come in two varieties here: over-the-top and referential. The jokes that fall in the latter category work best, as many of the over-the-top attempts are simply odd.

Ferrell stars as Jackie Moon, a 1970s singer who used the profits from his hit single “Love Me Sexy” to purchase the Flint Tropics basketball team in the American Basketball Association. The film opens with a funny montage of Moon’s life thus far, showing bits of his hit song and newspaper clippings that describe his tendency to use bizarre gimmicks to bring fans to Tropics games. The montage closes with Moon still singing “Love Me Sexy” to a ridiculous small crowd at the Flint Coliseum. Jackie, we discover, is the owner/player/coach/promoter of the Tropics. Off to a rather good start, I thought.

Eventually, the ABA Commissioner (David Koechner) tells Moon about plans for the ABA to merge with the NBA. Only four teams will move to the NBA, however, and the rest of the teams will be dissolved (is that even a word?). Jackie’s team is in danger of dissolution, as they sit in the basement of the league and have a non-existent fan base. Moon argues that the best teams in the league should get to move to the NBA and then tries to turn his Tropics around with the help of NBA champion Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson).

Semi-Pro works best when it tries to capitalize on some of the more ridiculous ideas that Moon has to promote his team. While the execution of those ideas is less than humorous, the film still manages to create a decent chuckle here and there. Alterman’s film, it turns out, is more fun to think about than to actually see and experience. One imagines that the script reading must have been very funny, but the finished film product is less than amusing. As with most Ferrell comedies, there are a few laughs to be had, but Semi-Pro stretches them out too sparingly for the film to be fairly considered a worthwhile comedy.

The best bits are the send-ups of 1970s shtick, like Ferrell’s awfully good rendition of “Love Me Sexy” and some of the fashion worn by the characters in the film. The attitudes are somewhat funny, too, like a ridiculously over-the-top poker game between some of the team’s announcers and former players. Ferrell successfully captures the vibe of the 1970s here, but again it’s not particularly effective as humour. Instead, it’s more effective as a reference to a decidedly silly time in history.

The side plot involving Monix and his ex (Maura Tierney) simply feels tacked on and stupid. Monix is a reasonable character and some of the stuff involving his winning a championship with the Boston Celtics provides some motivation and interesting dialogue with some of the Tropics, but his character is overall a mistake. Instead, the existence of Monix in such a pivotal role forces the attention away from the film’s star, Ferrell, and away from the potential for comedy. One wonders if the Monix storyline wasn’t to be the main focal point of the picture, as his scenes appear much more crucial than they need to be.

I think part of the problem with Semi-Pro is that it is almost too ambitious to work as a comedy in the traditional sense. It is far less stupid than it should be, actually, and the execution of some of the silly gags is taken without the usual frenetic energy and silliness that we’ve come to expect (or loathe) out of Will Ferrell. When he wrestles a bear, it’s not as funny as it should be. One funny gag about stopping scoring so as to prevent “Free Corndog Night” is just barely silly enough to work. The goal here should have been to mindlessly serve up slapstick slam dunks, but instead the film lacks that punch and resolve and settles for more as opposed to less.

Like Anchorman, Semi-Pro works when it sends up the time period in which the characters exist. Unlike Anchorman, however, the characters aren’t funny enough and the jokes lack energy. Instead, Semi-Pro is a lackadaisical effort that would have been better had it dumbed itself down a little more. There aren’t enough stand-out jokes to make it work and it feels like a wasted effort.

2/10

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December 14, 2007

Rocky Balboa

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2006, drama, entertainment, sports, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Rocky Balboa

Sylvester Stallone has had an interesting career. Often lampooned as an actor, Sly has maintained a dignity about him that comes across in many of his roles. His directorial talents are even more suspect, as he has directed Rocky 2, Rocky 3, Staying Alive, Rocky 4, and finally Rocky Balboa. The hype continues with Stallone, as he’s the director and star of the upcoming Rambo film. For those into nostalgia, Stallone is your guy. I’m happy to report that Rocky Balboa, the 2006 return to the fabled Rocky franchise of films, is a very good film and is easily the best of the series, with measured exception given to the 1976 original which I have not seen in years.

It may not sound like much of a feat for Rocky Balboa to be a greater film than some of the goofball films in the series, but it’s hard to put some clarity on to this without doing Stallone a great injustice. In my view, Stallone has a great deal of talent both in front of the camera and behind the camera. He gets to demonstrate this to the best of his ability thus far with Rocky Balboa and he makes use of every angle, every line, and every moment he has. In many ways, it seems as though the plot in the film parallels the experience of Stallone behind the camera. It seems like it’s a million to one shot and, luckily, it’s a knockout punch.

Stallone decided to do Rocky Balboa after admitting that he was “negligent” in the production of Rocky 5, which was a film that left him and many fans of the series feeling disappointed. So, Rocky Balboa came out of it and the sixth film in the franchise was born out of a desire to close the hero’s tale off in the best possible fashion. As a meditation on Rocky the character, it is beautiful. It works even better, however, as a film about aging and the relationships between men as they reach the understanding of their existence. It’s a film about purpose and living it out, regardless of the odds or the opinions. For that reason alone, Rocky Balboa becomes a very poignant film.

Essentially, we pick up with Rocky Balboa (Stallone, of course) living in Philadelphia. The shots of Philadelphia are gorgeous and really add a depth, making the city a character all on its own and giving the story richness. Rocky has left boxing, of course, and is now retired. He runs a small Italian restaurant that bases much of its business on Rocky’s legacy. He visits with the customers, night after night, and regales the patrons with stories from the ring. Rocky has recently lost Adrian, his wife, to cancer and is struggling to come to terms with the next path in his life. He is weak, but far from broken, and the mental struggles that exist as reminders of his past are clear on Rocky’s worn face and in his voice. Stallone plays this perfectly, giving a wonderful and understated performance as Balboa.

Rocky’s constant companion is Paulie (Burt Young), Adrian’s brother. With Paulie by his side, Rocky moves through his life with the memories of Adrian and a distant relationship with his son (Milo Ventimiglia) as his only companions. Rocky’s son, Robert, is attempting to carve out a career of his own as a businessman, but he constantly lives in the shadow of his father’s legacy in the ring. This causes strain in the relationship between father and son, a strain that is eventually utilized as a catalyst for both men. As the story goes on, Rocky meets “Little Marie,” a character from the 1976 film who is all grown up. Rocky and Marie (Geraldine Hughes) begin a relationship that isn’t quite romantic, but is more that of Rocky serving as Marie’s protector and helping her with her son (James Francis Kelly III).

With this tapestry as the background to Rocky’s life, a challenge emerges as an ESPN broadcast hypothesizes about Rocky going up against the current undefeated champion of boxing, a fight who gets no respect named Mason Dixon (Antonio Tarver). Dixon is looking for a way to gain respect from the fans and in the ring, as many people chide him for merely taking “easy fights” and winning decisively against other fighters considered to be way out of his league. With nobody left to fight and with Rocky pushing for a return to the ring (although Rocky simply wants to fight some “small fights”), Dixon and his management team coerce Rocky into an exhibition fight. Of course, the boxing world goes crazy for it and Rocky is given a chance to test himself against the current best in the world.

Rocky Balboa is a film about making it through and accomplishing goals. Rocky does not take the fight with Dixon to win the fight or prove himself as a winner. Rocky takes the fight with Dixon to prove it to himself that he can last and that he can take the punches thrown by Dixon (and life) and still keep coming. This is evidenced with the ending, as Rocky and his crew leave the ring quickly before the results are read. This ending is parallel to the ending in Rocky from 1976, as Rocky simply searches for Adrian while the ring announcer reads the results. In both films, the end results are not the motivation for his actions. He has, instead, a higher purpose here.

The boxing scenes were likely the most realistic of any of the Rocky films, which is a match to the film’s more realistic and stoic tone. Stallone is really good here, as mentioned, and the supporting cast comes together nicely as well. There are a few wandering moments in the film, as though Stallone has taken on a bit too much, but nothing suffers significantly from this and the film, as a whole, is highly entertaining and uplifting. Rocky Balboa is a memorable and meaningful way to close out one of America’s greatest underdog stories. I, for one, am now looking forward to 2008’s Rambo with some excitement.

8/10

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November 19, 2007

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

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Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American comedy film about NASCAR and the interesting social culture that accompanies the popular motorsport. The film was directed by Adam McKay, who also directed Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby was produced by Ferrell and Judd Apatow, the writer and director of the 2007 comedy film Knocked Up. The film features an ensemble cast, led by Ferrell, and is largely satirical in nature.

Will Ferrell stars as Ricky Bobby, a NASCAR stock car champion who has become an overnight sensation. He is a national hero because of his winning attitude and larger than life personality. Bobby races alongside his loyal childhood friend, Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly). The two consistently finish each race in first and second place, with Bobby always pulling out for the win as a part of an agreement the two friends have. Eventually, a gay French driver named Jean Girard, played by Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat), challenges Ricky Bobby and his supremacy. Ricky Bobby’s life begins to spiral inexorably out of control and he loses it all. The fight is on to regain his winning ways and his confidence.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby represented the biggest opening weekend ever for a Will Ferrell comedy and the second biggest opening weekend for a comedy, period, with the biggest opening comedy of all time being Bruce Almighty (go figure!). Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby takes its nature from satirical elements, mostly. It’s interesting to note that Ferrell, for the most part, actually plays a fairly straight character with an assortment of wonky side characters and supporting performances. John C. Reilly, for example, plays far more of an offbeat character than Ferrell does and turns in a more comedic performance. This creates a different sort of dichotomy, in a way, and both helps and harms the overall product.

It harms the product by not creating many legitimate hilarious moments. There are some very funny moments, without a doubt, but this film lacked the gut-busting humour of 2007’s Blades of Glory and the laugh-a-minute characterizations of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Having Ferrell play it somewhat straight was an interesting choice. I realize that many will read this and wonder what I’m talking about here. To elaborate somewhat, I found Ferrell’s Ricky Bobby to be an accurate caricature of the NASCAR subculture. It was an excellent parody of a character, but not necessarily a funny character by itself. Ferrell acts like a NASCAR star, and well he should, but the over-the-top nature is lacking. He is immensely committed to his role here and does some really funny stuff, but none of it is ever epic in scope like some of his other characters.

It helps the product in the notion that Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is then freed up to become a rich satire, in and of itself. Without Will Ferrell stealing the show and turning in a pure comic performance (although many will argue he does), he stands back and acts a linear character while the swirling action and characters around him bolster the feel of the film. The supporting cast is given time to shine sufficiently, from John C. Reilly’s hilarious character to Michael Clarke Duncan, Sacha Baron Cohen (who is the highlight of the film, in my view), Leslie Bibb, Molly Shannon, Rob Riggle, and David Koechner. It’s all very funny stuff and the characters involved in Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby send the film over the top in terms of solid character satires.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a tight satire and parody of films like Days of Thunder and other “racing” films. It contains enough punch and attitude to really ratchet up the comic value of these sorts of films, while shining a light on the basic culture within the NASCAR scene without offending or belittling anyone along the way. As with most of Ferrell’s films, it is not mean-spirited or obtuse. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is, instead, a loud and fun comedy with characters that ring true and a “lesson learned, feel-good” sort of story to tie it all together. It is a well crafted film, often dumb but barely hilarious.

7/10

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November 1, 2007

Blades of Glory

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2007, comedy, entertainment, sports, trailers | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Blades of Glory

Okay, let’s get this out of the way. Blades of Glory is funny, without a doubt. The chemistry between the film’s two stars, Jon Heder and Will Ferrell is amusing and enchanting in a strange sort of way. The supporting characters are also funny, with most of them portrayed by recognizable faces of various TV comedies, including Will Arnett (Arrested Development), his wife Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live), Jenna Fischer (The Office), and Craig T. Nelson (Coach). The plot is pretty basic, yet ridiculously funny in its execution, and most of the set-ups are seen from a mile away.

Happily, that’s not why films exist. The joy of movie-watching is not to figure out the story, to see the shocks or jokes coming, or to decipher whether or not a film is “realistic.” The joy of movie-watching is in the details of the film, in the journey to get the finish, and in the escapism that allows reality to drift away and be replaced by a charming palette of imagination. No no, I’m being serious. With that in mind, Blades of Glory becomes ideal escapist fun. With steady laughs and top-notch comic performances, this harmless little film is the perfect comic touch for an afternoon viewing or a party with friends. Ferrell doesn’t disappoint and, in fact, may be at his best with this one. His fans will love it.

Ferrell plays Chazz Michael Michaels, a hilariously over-the-top figure skating superstar with a sex addiction. He is referred to as “sex on ice” and “makes love to the crowd” through his figure skating routine, which is choreographed with impeccable humour. Heder plays Jimmy MacElroy, the darling of the figure skating world and boy genius. He was born to skate, literally, and is the pretty boy of the show. Complete with stalkers and requisite gay jokes, Heder’s MacElroy is funny too. At a skating event, MacElroy and Michaels tie in the scores and end up having to share the gold medal podium. They squabble and get into a full-blown fighting, leading to their lifetime banning from singles skating. A stalker finds a loophole in the rules, however, that allows MacElroy and Michaels to compete in pairs skating and a team is begrudgingly born. That’s about it.

Blades of Glory works because of its one-liners and because of the comedic performance of Ferrell. The genius of Ferrell, yes I said “genius,” is that he’ll do anything for a laugh and essentially has no shame. Ferrell is the true embodiment of, as Richard Roeper puts it, “the modern clown.” He’s not offensive or tepid, rather he’s always on and relatively lovable in his roles. Ferrell is no different here, despite playing a reprehensible character. Ferrell takes Chazz Michael Michaels and works the living daylights out of the role, never cracking a smile and never letting the audience know that he’s supposed to be funny. He plays the role straight-ahead and that is why it works so well. Ferrell is the funniest man working in Hollywood today because he knows how to be funny without acting funny.

Comedy in Hollywood is hard to make, especially if the intention is to please the critics. Blades of Glory, which ranked an impressive 70% over at Rotten Tomatoes, works because it’s not attempting to please the critics. Some comedies attempt to be smart, others attempt to be vile and offensive, while others – like Blades of Glory and The Simpsons Movie, to name a few recent ones – play to the fans of the material. Blades of Glory works because people will get what they paid for and their expectations will be met. It is funny, often very funny, and it is light-hearted enough to send audiences home with a smile and a chuckle. In a day and age of filmmaking that often is over-serious and indulgent, it’s nice to have a performer like Will Ferrell that can still be counted on to make films that are funny.

Most of the “knock” on the film is that it is “one joke” spread out for 90 minutes. The unfortunate thing about this critique is that it knocks down all comedy in a way. How many brilliant Abbott and Costello routines were based around one central comic premise? Or the Three Stooges? Laurel and Hardy? The idea behind Blades of Glory is not to be innovative and blaze bold new trails. The idea here is to create laughter and a comic release for a target audience of folks that don’t take themselves too seriously. It’s a simple movie, without question, and applying too much banal criticism to it is simply a waste of time.

With solid comic performances, well-choreographed figure skating routines that create big laughs, and a gentle spirit, Blades of Glory is a fun film that makes for perfect matinée viewing.

7/10

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August 11, 2007

The Benchwarmers

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2006, comedy, entertainment, family, romance, sports | Tags: , , , , , , , , , |
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The Benchwarmers

It’s no secret that reviewing films is a highly subjective matter. It’s no secret that the grades that I give out to these films are arbitrary and capricious. So when it comes to a film like The Benchwarmers, I gear up to play my arbitrary card and push for the win. Okay, so maybe I’m getting lost in my own verbiage (it wouldn’t be the first time). One thing that I look for when I review a film is what the intent of the film was, then I review the film based on the intentions of the filmmakers and based on whether or not I felt that those intentions were accomplished effectively. For this reason, I can look at a musical such as Singin’ in the Rain and give it an “A” and I can look at an action blockbuster like Live Free or Die Hard and also give it an “A”. Does that mean I think that they are equal in terms of quality? Well, that’s where that arbitrary bit comes in. I review films based on their independent merits, not for purposes of comparing one “A” film to another, or even one “F” film to another. In other words, if you happen to like musicals or classics more than action films or comedies, I try to review those films based on their own sensibilities. Keeping that in mind, on with the next review!

The Benchwarmers is a film that, just by looking at the advertisements and the performers in it (no personal offense to Rob Schneider, who I know reads my blog), seems destined to be a disasterpiece. Yet, it isn’t. In fact, The Benchwarmers doesn’t suck in any way, shape or form. It is, as usual, entirely arbitrary, but I can honestly say that if slapstick feel-good comedies are your thing, you will likely get a good kick out of this film and you will likely enjoy yourself. Mission accomplished.

Let’s dig a bit deeper, though. The Benchwarmers was produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions, so you can pretty much guess at the tone that the film is going to have from the outset. It stars David Spade (Joe Dirt, Black Sheep, Tommy Boy, Police Academy 4), Rob Schneider (The Waterboy, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigalo, The Animal, The Hot Chick), Jon Heder (Napoleon Dynamite, Just Like Heaven), Jon Lovitz (Three Amigos, High School High, The Producers, City Slickers 2: The Legend of Curly’s Gold), and Molly Sims. The film also features supporting roles from Craig Kilborn, Tim Meadows, Nick Swardson, and Reggie Jackson.

With that cast, you pretty much know what you’re getting. The plot is quite simple, as three neighbourhood friends decide to challenge neighbourhood bullies to baseball games. A millionaire (Lovitz) comes along and sponsors the whole thing, telling the three friends that he’s doing it for his son because his son was bullied just like he was. Eventually, the tournament is hugely popular and all sorts of nerds and jocks show up to cheer on the teams in the Round Robin setup.

The film is a heartwarming little tale with lots of fart jokes and slapstick humour, making it right on par with what to expect from a film with Sandler’s blueprint on it. It carries a solid message, isn’t too preachy, and lampoons itself enough to carry the gags and jokes one step further. The Benchwarmers doesn’t take itself seriously and, like most films of this ilk, neither should the viewer. Sit back, relax and enjoy the antics of Lovitz (it’s priceless when he drives the Knight Rider car AND the old Batmobile), Heder (who is a great physical comedian with excellent timing), Spade (great one-liners and a killer haircut), and Schneider (he actually plays the “straight man” in this one). It’s fun for the whole family, with farts!

6.5/10

 

July 29, 2007

Fever Pitch

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2005, comedy, drama, entertainment, romance, sports | Tags: , , , |
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Fever Pitch

2005’s Fever Pitch is actually a remake of a 1997 British film of the same name and is loosely based on a novel of the same name by Nick Hornby. The original 1997 film and the novel used football or soccer as the central theme, whereas 2005’s Fever Pitch obviously used baseball to more ably capture the American market. A Canadian version involving a rabid Toronto Maple Leafs fan was scrapped because test audiences found the notion of a Leafs fan actually having a girlfriend to be too unrealistic. I kid, I kid!

Fever Pitch follows a lifelong Boston Red Sox fan, Ben Wrightman (Jimmy Fallon), as he enters a relationship with a career-minded woman, Lindsey Meeks (Drew Barrymore). Wrightman is obsessed with the Red Sox and sooner or later his obsession begins to take over his relationship with Meeks, creating some interesting moments centered around themes of making choices in life and having unhealthy obsessions. The use of baseball is merely an example of the possibility of having many stumbling blocks in human relationships, of course. Meeks’ career is lightly focused on as having the same effect, as scenes of her constantly being on her cell phone or on her laptop contrast Wrightman’s baseball obsession.

Fallon and Barrymore are charming enough, but the chemistry between the two never really takes off too much. Opening scenes from their first date are cute, with Fallon’s Wrightman taking care of a sick date and even cleaning her toilet and hilariously brushing her dog’s teeth. The film heads from there into the typical montage footage of Wrightman continuing to win Meeks over and Meeks talking to her gaggle of female friends that try to figure out why a guy like Wrightman – who we’re supposed to believe is some alarmingly attractive and perfect “catch” – is still single. Eventually, of course, she finds out that it’s because of his baseball obsession and his inability to choose his relationship over the beloved Red Sox.

Scenes are the game are also charming and inviting, as Wrightman’s “summer family” are introduced. Along with the film’s flashback intro, we really get a sense of how tightly knit a family of fans can actually be and how something like the game of baseball can serve as an ultimate unifier of very diverse people. When Wrightman attempts to sell his tickets after years of watching games at Fenway, his summer family berate him and plead with him as though they are losing a brother. In that way, Fever Pitch is engagingly human and gives us an accurate glimpse into sports fan mentality and how “being there” is among the many thrills in life. It’s also a simple meditation on obsession of any kind, whether it’s a sports team or career aspirations, and how we all have choices to make in terms of our priorities.

In that respect, Fever Pitch really works. As a comedy, it doesn’t particularly click. The film was made by the Farrelly brothers (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin), but none of that contagious comedic energy was there. It was definitely a departure for the Farrelly brothers, one that could be seen as either a good thing or a bad thing. Quite frankly, I was surprised to discover that Fever Pitch was a Farrelly brothers film at the end credits. Still, I can’t fault it because I was surprised. I’m just not convinced it worked as a comedy on many levels because the comedic energy was lacking. A more apt describer for Fever Pitch would be “cute”.

Fever Pitch is not about baseball. It is about, as Roger Ebert puts it eloquently, “how men and women, filled with love and motivated by the best will in the world, simply do not speak the same emotional language”. It is a rather elegant meditation on human relationships and the obstacles that we place in the way of our own happiness. Fever Pitch is charming enough to carry that responsibility, yet lacks a truly enigmatic lead in Fallon and misrepresents itself as a comedy. It’s a cute enough date movie that teaches people about compromise and relationships between adults, but it’s not much more than that.

6.5/10

 

May 9, 2007

Bend It Like Beckham

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2002, 2003, comedy, drama, entertainment, family, foreign, romance, sports | Tags: , , , , , , |
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Bend It Like Beckham

Bend It Like Beckham is a 2002-2003 (depending on where you live) British film directed by Gurinder Chadha (Bride and Prejudice, What’s Cooking). The film focuses on the lives of two young London women with very different backgrounds. One is a British Indian Sikh girl who plays football against her family’s wishes, while the other is a Londoner attempting to fight off her mother’s assumptions about her sexuality and her athletic prowess. The film treats the topic of parents and family tradition as its focal point, using the game of football as a backdrop to the real story about how these young women interact with their families and with the culture clash.

The film stars Keira Knightley and Parminder Nagra as the two women and also features Jonathon Rhys Meyers, Archie Panjabi, Ameet Chana and a collection of other Indian actors in several key roles. The cast is truly exuberant and fun, bringing loads of energy and life to the screen as the story continues. The family dynamic is captured elegantly and realistically on both sides of the tale, from the protectiveness of the Indian family to the silly presumptions of the middle-class London family. Both are played to comedic effect without actually laughing at the traditions or lifestyles of the two families.

The film’s dialogue is smart, intelligent and witty with lots of banter about the various cultures, religions and family issues that arise during the course of the film. Topics such as arranged marriage, the role of women and sexuality are all discussed with potent and brave witticisms, making the script flow naturally and eloquently from the performers. It is a layered piece insomuch as it delicately presents several points of view without subscribing to any particular point of view. Bend It Like Beckham works because it keeps the protagonist honest and good-natured, instead of turning her into a precocious rebel that defies her parents at every turn to chase her dreams.

Beyond the film’s careful cultural construction, Bend It Like Beckham just feels good. It’s a film that intends to raise the audience up, give them something to think about and entertain them with lively splices of football and a fun Indian wedding sequence with extravagant splashes of color and life. The film’s music keeps driving the action suitably, never feeling out of place in the confines of the fast-pacing and generous action shots. It’s a film with good intentions, without a doubt.

Some of the critique against Bend It Like Beckham is that it is too obvious and too familiar. As far as I’m concerned, however, if a film creates a fascination with the characters and a desire to see those characters do well, it succeeds at its goal. Bend It Like Beckham is driven by its characters and by the richness of their families and their lives. The excitement of the football matches is secondary to the real story of relationships and the changes they go through, from weddings to football to heading off to America and to college. The culture “shock” isn’t treated obviously but rather respectfully, with passionate curiosity instead of arrogant attempts at comic relief. The Indian parents are funny because they’re funny, not because they’re Indian.

So Bend It Like Beckham does reach for the feel-good ending, it does push all of the right buttons and it isn’t a surprising film in that it wows you with an ending you never expected. But is that really the point and, furthermore, is the the primary goal of films? Far too often, I read reviews that critique all films along the same wavelength as though each film is a thriller that needs innovation and unique “twists.” Bend It Like Beckham deserves better treatment. It is a sweetheart of a film that is a treat to watch thanks to an intelligent script, gentle performances and lively fun.

7.5/10

 

April 12, 2007

Two for the Money

Posted by Jordan Richardson under 2005, drama, entertainment, sports, thrillers, trailers | Tags: , , , , , |
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Two for the Money

Two for the Money is a 2005 film directed by DJ Caruso (The Salton Sea, Taking Lives). The film centers around Matthew McConaughey’s character, Brandon Lang. Lang is a former football star that has the ability to predict the outcomes of games, but can’t play because of an injury. This ability is eventually tapped by Al Pacino’s character, the head of a sports betting company. Pacino’s character, Walter Abrams, uses high pressure sales tactics to get people to place lucrative bets on various sporting events.

Lang is a hometown boy and Abrams is a street-smart gambling addict, making for an interesting combination of characters. As they team up, they start making a tremendous amount of money for Abrams’ betting company and Lang starts to move up the ladder, quickly becoming a hotshot in every sense of the word. Abrams gets Lang a new car, new suit, new haircut and all of the other trappings of successful living, thus turning the hometown boy into a fast-talking slickster.

Eventually, Lang begins to start making incorrect picks and Abrams starts to lose massive amounts of money. Abrams applies loads of pressure on Lang, though, in an attempt to get his “golden child” to start picking winners again. This is all played out through the usage of several Pacino monologues, all driven by his chaotic approach to playing the role. Abrams tries to trick Lang several times, too, almost to give himself an excuse to hate him. Lang, on the other hand, begins to get caught up in the trappings of the lifestyle and has several incidents with drugs and women. The relationship between Abrams and Lang becomes a bitter struggle based around grabbing the most cash and eventually degenerates into dust.

Pacino is reasonable here, but there is little connection with himself and the character of Abrams to latch on to for the viewer. Instead, Two for the Money seems to flash back and forth between showing off McConaughey’s knack for working out and showing off his body to Pacino’s knack for giving big wandering speeches. The plot gets lost in the shuffle and the performances come up short. Pacino, in his attempts to deliver, looks to be overdoing in it several scenes. The pretentious cocky script feels ridiculous at times, oozing ostentatious witticisms without cause. The result of the script and the sub-par acting is very little character connection in what can only be described as a character film.

Rene Russo, Armand Assante, Jeremy Piven and others also round out the cast. Russo is less than passable, as usual, in her role as Abrams’ wife. Assante is okay in a throwaway unnecessary role as a big time better that loses quite a bit of cash as a result of Lang’s mistake. The rest of the cast is either around for the purpose of serving as hotshot betting consultants to shout banalities into phones or sex scene partners for Brandon Lang. To that end, the gambling action is less tolerable than that in Jerry Maguire and the sex scenes are lengthly, stupid and gawky while trying to pass for steamy, sexy and erotic.

It seems that anything remotely good about Two for the Money has been done better in other films. Fans of Matthew McConaughey’s body will get several good looks at his meal ticket, but they’re likely to get better acting from him in other films, such as Dazed and Confused or…..Dazed and Confused. Pacino, passable in moments, delivers much better crazed speeches and rants in almost every other film he’s been in. Looking at his filmography, in fact, it would be easy to say that this is the worst film Pacino’s ever been in.

1/10

Trailer: