Jennifer Aniston seems to have set out to do something her ex-husband and his current beau do not: trying to conquer the indie world. Her latest entry is an off-the-wall romantic comedy.
Mike (Steve Zahn) is the night manager of a motel in Arizona owned by his parents Trish (Margo Martindale) and Jerry (Fred Ward). Apart from that, Mike is an aimless dreamer without much of a purpose in life. That is until traveling businesswoman Sue (Jennifer Aniston) comes into town and stays at the motel for two nights. Mike is immediately smitten by Sue. He offers her a "complimentary" bottle of win in order to get closer to her. Thus begins a weird encounter that ends up with a one night stand.
Sue thinks it's all over until Mike shows up at her work place in Baltimore. She is at once repelled and intrigued by his eccentricity. Mike is so unlike her, and his spontaneity excites something in Sue's orderly life. The brief long-distant courtship soon ends when Sue believes it won't work. She also decides to go back to her ex-boyfriend Jango (Woody Harrelson), who is an ex-punk turned yogurt mogul and promises her an opportunity to head her own charity operation. Unwilling to let Sue go, Mike tracks her down in Washington state and vows to win her back.
Jennifer Aniston (She's Just Not That Into You) is a better actress than most people give her credit for. Between blockbusters such as Marley & Me and indies such as Friends With Money, she's paved a unique path for herself. As the uptight, shielded Sue, she projects a vulnerability beneath a veneer of coldness. Her eyes are very expressive even when she's not saying anything, as is her body language. Steve Zahn (Night Train), on the other hand, has long carved out a niche for himself by playing oddball characters. Mike is not very far from that mold: in a way, one wonders if the childlike Mike has Asperger Syndrome or some form of ADHD even though none is mentioned. His character, while bordering on creepy and obsessive, is difficult to portray well, but Zahn succeeds in making us care for Mike. He's an unlikely romantic hero, but it works for him.
Margo Martindale (Feast of Love) is excellent as Mike's doting mother -- I wish she had more screen time. Fred Ward (Feast of Love) plays to type as Mike's stoic father who is a 'Nam veteran. James Hiroyuki Liao (Prison Break) is goofy and affecting as a Chinese waiter, Al, who becomes Mike's friend. And Woody Harrelson (Semi-Pro) has a funny bit part as Sue's ex.
Written and directed by Stephen Belber (The Things We Know), the story begins on an offbeat note. What is between Mike and Sue can't actually be described as "meet cute." In fact, what Mike does is rather creepy, and I'm surprised Sue goes along with it. That said, it must mean that, despite Sue's trepidation, she must be at least attracted to him. In some way, it's entirely plausible because Mike has a childlike, dreamer quality that Sue probably adores, and he's not half-bad looking. That said, the first half is the strongest as far as the script is concerned. The situations are whimsical and somewhat unconventional. The dialogue is quirky but believable.
The second half, on the other, becomes more far-fetched and, at some point, rather ridiculous. Especially by the time Mike arrives in Washington, the story stretches credibility since the courtship between Mike and Sue is already strange enough. The ending also comes as rather forced and predictable, without a lot of true motivation or organic resolution. It feels contrived.
Belber's direction has a soft and almost lethargic style. That fits the first half of the film extremely well. But his pace and style seem to have shifted by the second half, and the story takes on a different turn and feel. It's inconsistent, and it breaks the spell. What works for the film is the interesting, mismatched relationship between Mike and Sue, and how they find a connection despite all odds. When the story deviates from it, especially when Mike goes off to find himself (palling with Al or being a Buddhist monk for four months), the story falters.
Flawed as it is, Management is a sweet little dumpling of a film that touches on the serendipity of love however unlikely it can be. If only the story had been more focused and Mike's eccentricity dialed down somewhat, the film could have become an indie darling. Blame it on the management.Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Steve Zahn, Margo Martindale, Fred Ward, James Hiroyuki Liao, Woody Harrelson
Director: Stephen Belber
Writer: Stephen Belber
Distributor: Samuel Goldwyn Company
MPAA Rating: R for language
Running Time: 94 Minutes
Ratings:
Script – 7
Performance – 8
Direction – 6
Cinematography – 7
Music/Sound– 6
Editing – 7
Production – 7
Total – 6.7 out of 10
Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is the editor-in-chief at Colden Books, a major publisher in New York. She is brash, smart, and ruthless. Her loyal assistant of three years, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) loathes her but he puts up with her to get ahead in his career in publishing (he's an aspiring novelist). When the INS threatens to deport Margaret, who is Canadian, she coerces Andrew to marry her so she can stay in the country and keep her job. Andrew reluctantly accepts the business proposal with the condition that he be promoted to Editor and also his manuscript be published.
Unfortunately, the INS inspector (Denis O'Hare) does not believe them, and he gives them only a few days to prove that their marriage is real, or face severe punishment for fraud. Andrew takes Margaret to his family in Alaska for the weekend, in hopes that they get to know each other enough over the weekend to pass the immigration test.
Once there, Margaret is embraced by Andrew's family including daddy Joe (Craig T. Nelson), mommy Grace (Mary Steenburgen), and 90-year-old granny Annie (Betty White). In fact, the family is so excited about the engagement that they ask the couple to get married, per tradition, at the family barn that same weekend. The couple continues their charade but soon find themselves falling for each other despite the fact that they don't even like each other.
Sandra Bullock (Premonition) gets back to the romcom genre with a vengeance. Sure, she's done plenty of comedies such as Miss Congeniality and romance such as The Lake House, but the American sweetheart, despite being in her mid-40s, is still at the top of her game here. She plays the Ice Queen just as deftly as she does vulnerability. She makes us believe about her uptight character. Ryan Reynolds (X-Men Origins: Wolverine) is charming yet conniving as the shrewd assistant. He's smarter than he looks and an equal match to Margaret. Reynolds tackles the role with good comic timing and charisma without being obnoxious or whimpy. In fact, despite the 12 years age difference between him and Bullock, they display incredible chemistry together. The pair is a joy to watch.
The supporting cast is truly in supporting role and they serve the purpose. Craig T. Nelson (Parenthood) is the obligatory grumpy father, but he shows enough depth that we know he loves his son. Mary Steenburgen (Four Christmases) is radiant as the doting mother who is torn between her husband and son. Betty White (Love N' Dancing) is wonderfully goofy as granny. Denis O'Hare (Duplicity) is smartly smarmy as the INS agent, and Oscar Nuñez (the Office) steals the show as the town's only male exotic dancer.
The Proposal is producer Pete Chiarelli's (Eagle Eye) first script, and it's surprisingly tight. It's also derivative, basically a retold story of Taming of the Shrew. Chiarelli also shamelessly borrows from other romantic comedies such as When Harry Met Sally. Still, I think he's done a good job weaving the tale together and giving us interesting characters and scenarios. The plot does feel contrived and forced, but we willingly go along to see how the characters fall in love (that's pretty much a given for the genre; no surprise there). The strength of the script is the relationship between the two leads and Andrew's family, and the situational humor (there's one funny part involving the family dog).
Director Anne Fletcher (27 Dresses) puts together a tight production. The pace is crisp and the humor spot on. New York and Alaska look gorgeous and the film is buoyed by its lighthearted look and feel. The best part of the film, however, belongs to the chemistry between Bullock and Reynolds. They bicker; they scheme; they one-up each other; they eventually fall in love -- it's all believable because the two leads play expertly with each other. There is one particularly naked scene (in a Walt Disney film, no less) that is funny and sexy without being crude.
Granted, there's nothing new about the show and we pretty much know how it's going to unfold and end, and the plot does feel forced at times. However, the production is handsome, the supporting cast is solid, and the two leads are so darned perfect together that it's a proposal worth considering.
Brothers Stephen (Mark Ruffalo) and Bloom (Adrien Brody) grow up from foster home to foster home until one day they realize they are very good at concocting stories. They carry out their first con when they are only 13 and 10 respectively. Eventually they become two of the best con men in the world, swindling millionaires with lust and intrigue. After so many years, though, Bloom gets tired and he yearns for something real. Stephen promises him they will quit after one last job -- and preferably their best.
The mark is a beautiful but eccentric heiress, Penelope (Rachel Weisz), who is lonely and bored, and doesn't connect with people well at all. Bloom and Stephen, together with their sidekick Bang Bang (Rinko Kikuchi) disguise themselves as antique smugglers and promise Penelope the time of her life. Their adventures would take them all over the world. Furthermore, Bloom seduces Penelope and makes her feel romantically alive and exciting. The trouble is, Bloom is falling in love with Penelope for real.
Rachel Weisz (Definitely, Maybe) is a lot fun playing the eccentric heiress who yearns for something more in life but doesn't want to plan anything. She's lively and cute and authentic and she adds a lot of zest the moment she steps on screen. Adrien Brody (The Darjeeling Limited) hasn't done much mainstream films for a while and I think he may be on top something. Brody is the type of intense actors who fare better with independent films. As Bloom, he does "brooding" well and has a good connection with Weisz. Unfortunately, that can't be said about him and Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac). The two don't look or act like brothers to me. Individually, they're both excellent actors, but together they just don't really jell as well.
Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) has a mostly speechless role as the quirky sidekick who loves guns and explosives. I think she has one of the most intriguing roles in the entire film, and as Weisz's character said: I want to know her! Unfortunately, she remains only a sidekick throughout the movie. Robbie Coltrane (Harry Potter) has a minor role as an accomplice to the Brothers Bloom; he does a good job but a tad too much of a caricature. Maximilian Shell (Deep Impact) has a strange and amusing role as the brothers' one-eyed mentor and nemesis.
Written and directed by Rian Johnson (Brick), the screenplay tries to mix quirk with cleverness. The storytelling actually reminds me of In Bruges. However, I think Johnson tries too hard to be quirky and smart. After the interesting prologue, the story seems to be bogged down by twists upon twists to a point it becomes convoluted and confusing. I think the problem is that as audiences, we don't know what is real and what is not, who to trust and what to believe. While the running theme is "a story so well told that it feels real," it's never good to confuse your audience.
Also, the twists seem contrived and forced. While some of them are very clever, I can't help but feel that nothing is organic. It's trying to be too clever and well-orchestrated. Even when things go wrong, there seems to be always a solution. For example, I have no idea how Penelope could get away with being caught stealing a prized book from the museum.
Johnson's strength is in the witty and clever dialogue. His characters are generally likable, if maybe quirky for quirky's sake. That said, the contrived plot leaves many holes to poke through. Granted, Johnson advances the plot quickly enough that we don't have time to ponder the absurdity or implausibility. Furthermore, the production designs seems rather odd. I have a hard time deciding what time period this story is set in -- the costumes and transportation seems old-fashioned, almost fable-like, but once in a while we get a glimpse of modern-day things such as Rap music and breakdancing. Perhaps that's Johnson's intention, to make the film time-irrelevant. Still, once again it's not a good thing to confuse your audiences.
Brothers Bloom may fill a certain niche: high concept action comedy with quirky characters. But Johnson falls short in giving us something that is truly satisfying. And that's abso-blooming-lutely too bad.
Doug (Justin Bartha) and Tracy (Sasha Barrese) are getting married. Two days before the lavish wedding in Los Angeles, Doug's best friends Phil (Bradley Cooper) and Stu (Ed Helms) are giving him a bachelor's party he will not forget. In Las Vegas. Doug also brings along Tracy's "slow" brother, Alan (Zach Galifianakis). The foursome makes it to Vegas in style, in a vintage Mercedes that belongs to Tracy's father (Jeffrey Tambor). They make a toast on the rooftop of Caesar Palace and vow to have the best time of their lives.
What happens next is everyone's guess. They wake up the next morning with huge hangovers, and can't remember anything that happened the night before. The hotel suite is completely trashed. Worst, Doug is missing. With the wedding only a day away, Phil, Stu and Alan must retrace their steps and find Doug -- preferably still alive. Their mysteries take them through their misadventures again, and these three must learn to get alone with one other.
Bradley Cooper (He's Just Not That Into You) is an up-and-coming star following the footsteps of Matthew McConnaughey. I call him Christian Bale Lite. Not that Cooper is not a good actor -- in fact, he's excellent in this movie -- but he's yet to find his breakout role. Certainly he has a big role in The Hangover, but it is also a bit underwritten and he's constantly overshadowed by Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis.
Helms (The Office) is hilarious as the straight man of the unfortunate foursome. He plays the neurotic and timid dentist with great comic timing. It is not easy to play the most "normal" character in the bunch and yet make us laugh so much, and Helms does it wonderfully. In comparison, Zach Galifianakis (Into the Wild) has the wackiest role in the film and he excels in it. He makes us laugh so hard and yet feel sympathy for a guy who practically has "loser" written all over his body.
The supporting cast includes Justin Bartha (National Treasure) as the poor groom-to-be. Bartha has a relative small role (since he disappears for most of the film) but manages to pull it off nicely. Heather Graham (Baby On Board) is sweet as a stripper who willingly gets involved. Rachael Harris (The Soloist) is excellent as Helm's girlfriend from Hell. And Ken Jeong (Role Models) puts in a hilarious (and naked) performance as a sexually ambiguous mafia. There are some interesting cameos, including Mike Tyson.
The script by Jon Lucas (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) and Scott Moore (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past) are surprisingly tight and funny. They manage to mix multiple genres -- buddy, road trip, mystery, raunchy sex comedy, even a bit of romcom thrown in -- with great results. There are multiple scenarios and dialogue that would bust our guts. And some scenes would make us gasp in disbelief, especially what the actors would do for a laugh (and definitely stay for the closing credits). The mystery unfolds nicely with enough intrigue, disbelief and puzzlement: How the %$@# did they get there?
Granted, some scenarios are amazingly outrageous and the writers did not give us any real explanation. We just have to believe that they happened. But that's the brilliance of the story. With a blackout like that, anything could happen and they did happen. The story is as much about finding out what happened as fixing them. The writers also give us just enough character development to make us care about these characters. Surely, for example, Phil is a douche, Stu is a nerd, and Alan is out of his mind. But we come to love them and want them to find their way back home.
Director Todd Philips (School for Scoundrels) keeps the mystery close the vest and moves the story along briskly. He creates many cringe-worthy scenarios and keeps the focus on the characters and their relationships. Sure, the jokes can be crude and the characters may be childish, but Philips never lets us doubt that we should be rooting for them.