A quintessential slacker-stoner Gen-X writer-director, Kevin Smith has given up uneven comedies and dramas such as Clerks, Jersey Girl, Chasing Amy and Dogma. This time, he's following his friend Judd Apatow's footstep in making gross-out romantic comedies, starring one of Apatow's stars Seth Rogen.
Zack (Seth Rogen) and Miri (Elizabeth Banks) have been roommates for ten years, and the prospect of them being romantic involved is so gross that they're very comfortable with being best friends and roommates. However, they're living from paychecks to paychecks, and are on the verge of being evicted from their crummy apartment. At their high school reunion, Zack is inspired by former classmate Bobby's (Brandon Routh) boyfriend (Justin Long), who is a gay porn actor. He has the bright idea for Miri and him to get out of their financial jam: by making and selling their own porno.
At first Miri is hesitant about it, but Zack reassures her that nothing is going to change between them. Sex is just sex. The pair secures a small investment from their "producer," fellow coffee shop employee Delaney (Craig Robinson). They also recruit local "actors" such as exotic dancers Stacey (Katie Morgan) and Bubbles (Traci Lords), and Lester (Jason Mewes) who has a "special talent."
A setback threatens to shut down the production, when Zack has a brilliant idea of turning the coffee shop into a set. Everything is going well until Zack and Miri finally shoot their sex scene together. They realize they actually have feelings for each other, and that complicates things.
Seth Rogen (Pineapple Express) pretty much has monopolized the market as the slacker/stoner/overweight romantic leading man. Here, he's doing what he does best, what with his unpretentious but crude demeanors. Certainly he has his appeal to women: he's teddy bear-cuddly and not intimidating. It would be interesting to see Rogen grow out of that niche with The Green Hornet. Meanwhile, Elizabeth Banks (W) shows her range by playing a totally different person than Laura Bush in W. She reminds us that she can be really funny without being gross.
The supporting cast seems to have a good time making this film. Kevin Smith's longtime muse, Jason Mewes (Clerks II), bares it all playing the "talented" Lester. His portrayal of the totally clueless but also harmless porn star wannabe is some of the highlights of the movie. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) and Justin Long (Live Free and Die Hard) have a great time playing a gay couple. Long, in particular, goes all out playing the gay porn star who likes to talk about his work just a bit too much.
Craig Robinson (Pineapple Express) is lovable as the reluctant coffee guy-turn-porn producer. His naiveté and bluntness are good for a laugh. Ricky Mabe (Trailer Park of Terror) has a small role as one of the porn stars but his performance is the weakest link. And what's a movie about making porn without some real porn stars? Katie Morgan and the legendary Traci Lords (Will & Grace) play a pair of female porn stars with zest -- they seem to really know what they are doing.
The screenplay by writer-director Kevin Smith (Jersey Girl) is generally funny and consistent with a lot of extremely crude jokes and pervasive language. The dialogue is generally believable: I know a lot of people who talk like that in real life. Some of the scenes are hilarious because he captures the awkwardness of amateur porn. The high school reunion, for example, is painfully spot on and embarrassing, even though it does feel rather "old-school."
The problem with the script isn't that it's not funny -- it is, by using a lot of potty and smutty humor. It's not even because it's infantile -- Judd Apatow is very good at that, and clearly Kevin Smith has a track record as well. The problem is, in order to create these hilarious situations yet still maintain the romantic core of the story, Smith sacrifices the character development. The change in Zack seems sudden. The character of Miri just isn't believable. It's not the fault of Elizabeth Banks; she does well with what she's given. The problem is the character was written for another actress: Janeane Garofalo, for example -- someone who is less pretty and classy, but more dorky and socially inapt. When the only reason why Miri would agree to making the porno is that she needs money and both her parents are dead, something is off there.Zack and Miri's relationship is also problematic. First of all, it's difficult to believe that a straight man and a straight woman can be best friends and roommates for 10 years. And they talk about sex and everything with each other with the kind of frankness that would make two brothers blush. And most unbelievable is how they suddenly realize they're in love while making a porno. The romantic core of the story is just too flimsy. It sounds more like an excuse than a real character development.
It's not to say it's a complete failure. There are seriously funny moments, and the camaraderie between the actors is excellent. I do think Smith goes overboard with some of the potty humor and smut, but given the context of the story, I'll tolerate that. As a comedy, it makes me laugh. But somehow it's trying too hard to be yet another Knocked Up or 40-Year-Old Virgin, but falls short on the character and dramatic side. Smith hits you on the head over and over with the laughs. It lacks the emotional impact or the subtlety. The result is somewhere in between. It's too raunchy for a romantic comedy, but too lame for porn.
Stars: Elizabeth Banks, Seth Rogen, Jason Mewes, Brandon Routh, Justin Long, Ricky Mabe, Katie Morgan, Craig Robinson, Traci Lords
Director: Kevin Smith
Writer: Kevin Smith
Distributor: Weinstein Company
MPAA Rating: R for strong crude sexual content including dialogue, graphic nudity and pervasive language
Running Time: 102 Minutes
Ratings:
Script – 6
Performance – 7
Direction – 6
Cinematography – 6
Music/Sound– 7
Editing – 7
Production – 7
Total – 6.7 out of 10
Kym (Anne Hathaway) is a young woman who's been in and out of rehab for ten years. She gets to spend the weekend with her family in Connecticut when her older sister, Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) is getting married to Sidney (Tunde AdeBimpe). Upon arrival, Rachel tries to fit in and find something in common with her estranged family, but her insecurity eventually gets the best of her.
Kym feels like her father, Paul (Bill Irwin), is constantly keeping an eye on her, and Rachel doesn't even want her there. Meanwhile, her mother, Abby (Debra Winger), is nowhere to be found. Trying to cope with the alienation and the feeling that her presence is the elephant in the room, Rachel starts to act up. She demands her sister to make her the maid of honor, and she lashes out on her father for being protective. The only solace she finds is a new love interest: fellow recovering addict Kieran (Mather Zickel), who is also Sidney's best friend and best man.
As Rachel's nuptial approaches, the tension comes to a boil, and we eventually finds out what happened to Kym and her family. The myriad of emotions resurface as the family tries to put on a happy face. Kym begins to understand that the pain doesn't just go away; she needs to deal with it and there's no escaping anymore.
Anne Hathaway (
Rosemarie DeWitt (
Bill Irwin (
Written by Jenny Lumet, the script is loosely structured, taking on a documentary way of storytelling. The secrets and information flows in organically. Lumet sets the story in a few days, and frames everything within the context of the wedding. The problem is, the story feels more like a character study, but we don't really get to know anything deep about these characters, except that they're sad, depressed, conflicted. The story is largely plotless, and sometimes we simply don't know where it's going. In a way, it is kind of nice to see a film without any specific plot or resolution -- it's very much counter-programming. On the other hand, it'd take more interesting characters to hook us and string us on. Some of these characters come across as irritating and depressive.
Director Jonathan Demme (
Lily Owens (Dakota Fanning) grows up knowing she is responsible for her mother's death and her father's misery. When her housekeeper, Rosaleen (Jennifer Hudson) is brutally beaten up and in danger of being killed by the town's racists, Lily runs away from home and takes Rosaleen with her. Not knowing where to go, they trek their way to Tiburon, SC that may hold the secret to Lily's mother's past.
Once there, a hunch leads Lily and Rosaleen to three African-American beekeeping sisters: August (Queen Latifah), June (Alicia Keys) and May (Sophie Okonedo) Boatwright. The sisters take them in and give them a place to stay and work. Here, Lily learns the valuable lessons of beekeeping, family, friendship, and love -- something she never received from her father. She also falls in love with August's godson, Zachary (Tristan Wilds), a 16-year-old black man who aspires to become a lawyer. While the civil right movement is tearing the South apart, Lily learns the secret lives of her parents, and realizes that she is, indeed, loved.
As the young protagonist/narrator, Dakota Fanning (
Queen Latifah (
While the women dominate the film, a number of male actors supply the counterbalance rather nicely. Paul Bettany (
Adapted from Sue Monk Kidd's bestselling novel, the screenplay, written by writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood (
That said, there's one tragic turn of event in the story that I feel is forced and manipulative. I'm sure the author and screenwriter have the best intention and there's a whole gamut of emotion that gos into it, but the result seems a bit lacking. It just feels melodramatic and manipulative, when compared to the more genuine and thus more emotional scenes elsewhere.
Prince-Bythewood's direction is steady and effective. Her use of colors, lights, and movements is commendable. The cinematography is impressive. I'm not sure, however, that the production conjures the right feeling about the mid-60s. Something seems off. Perhaps because the actors, especially Fanning, Latifah and Keys, look and feel somewhat too modern for the time period. Still, her slow and steady direction helps give the film a solid foundation. And she allows the writing and the characters to reveal the layers organically without trying to spoon-feed us with exposition. At times, the conflicts seem a bit mundane; however, the characters make us care deeply, even when they're just sitting around sipping sweetened iced tea.
As the world comes to a catastrophic end, a number of engineers and scientists -- the "Builders" -- have built an underground city, which they call the City of Ember, where the last of the human race can live and self-sustain for many years. They have also written specific instructions for their descendants to leave Ember after 200 years. The plan and instructions are kept in a locked metallic box and passed down from mayor to mayor. Unfortunately, the box is eventually lost, and 200 years have come and gone but no one in Ember knows about "the plan."
Another century or so later, the City of Ember is on the verge of collapsing. Food is scarce and the generator is failing. Once the generator fails, everyone in the city will die. Their society is living in constant fear and a totalitarian state under the rule of Mayor Cole (Bill Murray). Messenger Lina Mayfleet (Saoirse Ronan), a descendant of the city's 7th Mayor, discovers a mysterious box in her grandmother's apartment. She realizes the significance of the box and tries to alert Mayor Cole of a possible "exit" to the outside world. She and pipe-worker Doon Harrow (Harry Treadaway) uncover Cole's secrets, and they're now on the run to escape capture, while trying to find the exit that may be the only salvation for the citizens of Ember.
Oscar-nominated Saoirse Ronan (
Bill Murray (
The screenplay, adapted from Jeanne Duprau's novel, by Caroline Thompson (
The characters are very likable, without being too cute or cartoonish. Once the prologue is out of the way, the plot advances without being stuck with lots of exposition. There are some silly moments and cliched plot elements, but over all, Thompson's succeeded in creating a special world and keep us there.
Director Gil Kenan (
I went to the theater not expecting much (and I'm still bothered by Bill Murray's presence), and I was pleasantly surprised. It's well-crafted, well-executed, and well-performed. It inspires a certain awe and I'm impressed by the grand themes that are not normally presented in YA fantasies. And so it's not only appropriate for the younger crowd -- it can be enjoyed by a whole city of folks, young and old alike.
Nick (Michael Cera) is a dorky high school senior who is also the only straight dude in a "gay band" with his best friends Dev (Rafi Gavron) and Thom (Aaron Yoo). Nick is still hung up on Tris (Alexis Dziena) weeks after they've broken up. Meanwhile, Norah (Kat Dennings), who goes to the same prep school as Tris, has a crush on the mysterious "Nick" who makes the best mixed CDs.
Nick and Norah finally meet at a club where Nick and his band are playing. To make Tris jealous, Norah asks Nick to be his girlfriend for the night. Nick goes along with that scheme. When Norah's drunk friend Caroline (Ari Graynor) is "lost" in Manhattan, Nick and Norah set out on a citywide search. Meanwhile, they're trying to figure out what they really want out of this adventure.
Michael Cera (
The supporting cast is in fine form as well. Aaron Yoo (
Adapted by Lorene Scafaria (
The dialogue is cute but not too cliched. There are a few "good for you" moments that feel natural and enlightening. The minor characters are particularly lovable. Nick and Norah are two identifiable teenagers. The script is not outrageously raunchy and sexual, so that's a really nice change of pace. Scafaria proves to us that one can be funny without being gross (OK, there is one or two gross but relatively innocent moments).
Director Peter Sollett (
Granted, the material is a bit out of my age group (I'm by no means an old fart, however). Still, the core of the story is a sweet coming of age romance. It's so devoid of cynicism and anger and prejudice; and I find that very refreshing. There's certain innocence in the whole thing that makes me smile. Nick and Norah will certainly make it into my own playlist.