When it comes to love, I think all of us can attest that it is indeed crazy and stupid, one of the most perplexed, inexplicable and complicated things in life. Steve Carell's latest romantic comedy, Crazy, Stupid, Love, gives that topic another spin.
Cal (Steve Carell) and Emily (Julianne Moore) are getting a divorce. Emily confesses of having slept with her coworker David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon) because she feels she and Cal have drifted apart. Cal immediately becomes withdrawn and self-pitying. A stranger at a bar, Jacob (Ryan Gosling), comes to the rescue. Jacob is a master womanizer, and he agrees to help Cal comes to his senses and rediscover his "manhood" so his wife will realize how sorry she is for cheating on him.
Meanwhile, Cal is trying to manage his relationship with his two young children Robbie (Jonah Bobo) and Molly (Joey King). Robbie is a pubescent boy in love with his 17-year-old babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), who is in love with Cal. And Emily is trying to sort out her feelings: Does she want Cal back, or does she want to pursue a future with David?
While Cal finally rediscovers his inner manhood and confidence, he realizes sleeping with random women really isn't who he is, because he is still in love with Emily. Despite everything, she is his soulmate. At the same time, Jacob meets the woman of his dream, Hannah (Emma Stone), who changes him. He asks Cal for advice. The two men suddenly find themselves trading places, and the result points to something disastrous.
Steve Carell (Dinner for Schmuck) has had a few hits (Get Smart, Despicable Me, The 40 Year Old Virgin) and a few duds (Date Night, Evan Almighty), but he's always had a knack for playing the everyday lovesick man. Carell finds his stride in the role of Cal. He can play the schmuck just fine, but he can also be sassy and charming, a real romantic lead. It's a difficult to pull off, but Carell does a fine job.
Ryan Gosling (Drive) sheds his broody onscreen persona for the role of Jacob, the player. He is attractive, sexy, and charismatic. But deep down you know there's a soulful guy in there, and we're not disappointed. It's perfect casting. Emma Stone (Easy A) is amazing as Hannah. It's simply a pleasure to watch her. Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right) is very good as Emily, but I feel that her ability has been somewhat stifled in a less sympathetic role (playing the adulterer is always a risky choice).
Analeigh Tipton (The Green Hornet) is hilarious as the lovesick babysitter pining for a married older man. She gets that nervous, giggly, anxious and crazy puppy love just right. Jonah Bobo (Choke) displays tremendous confidence as a kid who knows what he wants and goes for it. There are other notable performances including Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler) as a crazy school teacher, and Kevin Bacon (X-Men: First Class) as Emily's coworker/love interest.
The screenplay by Dan Fogelman, who is best known for his family movies such as Tangled, Bolt and Cars, delves into more adult materials here including adultery, teen lust, and sexual conquests. But at the core, Fogelman tackles the most difficult subject of all: the crazy, stupid nature of love. What is love? And why is it so powerful despite everything our brains tell us? What is love that makes a wife cheat, or a husband forgive, an independent woman melt and giggle uncontrollably, or a playboy turn into goo? Fogelman also approaches the story from two different points of view: adult's and teen's. It is through his teenage son's more pure and unbridled passion that Cal rediscovers what he is all about.
The plot is well put together with multiple subplots, character arcs, and a good dose of humor mixed with true emotions. The dialogue is fresh, and the characters are all very likable. There is no villain in this movie, which is refreshing. That said, the plot can be contrived and manipulative. The biggest problem comes during a climactic twist -- Fogelman's use of misdirection and coincidence comes to a head and I have a hard time believing what just happened. Granted, he skillfully and masterfully constructed the whole situation, but that's it: it feels artificial and too carefully constructed, and further exposes the implausibility of all the coincidences. Which is just too bad because the script is otherwise very well written, allowing the actors to fully develop their characters who have real emotional lives.
Co-directors Glenn Ficarra (I Love You Phillip Morris) and John Requa (I Love You Phillip Morris) have a good handle on quirky characters. They successfully move the plot along smoothly and weave the multiple plot threads together. Sometimes, however, the story seems out of focus somewhat because there are too many characters to follow. We know everything is going to come together, but it is still rather distracting. The production is professional and the movie is well made, however.
I thoroughly enjoy and am touched by the movie, despite its major flaws and my uneasy feeling that I'm being manipulated. When it comes to matters of the heart, you either love it or hate it, and nobody likes to feel manipulated to feel certain way. So it's tight rope to traverse. I think by and large the filmmakers did a good job. It remains to be seen if audiences would be crazy, stupid enough to love it.Stars: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Analeigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, Joey King, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon
Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writer: Dan Fogelman
Distributor: Warner Bros.
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for coarse humor, sexual content and language
Running Time: 118 minutes
Ratings:
Script – 8
Performance – 8
Direction – 7
Cinematography – 8
Music/Sound– 7
Editing – 8
Production – 8
Total – 7.8 out of 10
Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a scrawny young man from Brooklyn who has huge courage and integrity, and his aspiration is to join the US military. Unfortunately, he is not physically fit and he has failed five times to enlist. A chance meeting, however, draws Dr. Abraham Erskine's (Stanley Tucci) attention, who believes Rogers is the best candidate for his latest project.
Turns out Dr. Erksine has developed a serum and the technologies surrounding it to make normal men super soldiers. Eager to join the army and serve the country, Rogers willingly accepts the opportunity to be the guinea pig. The test is a success, and Rogers is transformed into a muscular man with superhuman powers. Unfortunately, a spy infiltrates the group, kills Dr. Erskine, and destroys the last bit of serum. Without the serum and the doctor, Rogers becomes the only super soldier. Colonel Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) doesn't know what to do with him. Instead, Rogers becomes Captain America, a propaganda mascot for recruitment.
While Captain America enjoys his fame and popularity, he is moving further and further away from his destiny: to serve and protect the country. Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) convinces him what he must do. When a platoon of soldiers including his best friend, James "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Stan), are captured by Nazi commander Johann Schmidt (Hugo Weaving), Captain America defies the colonel's order and carry out a mission to save his fellow servicemen.
Chris Evans (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) is no stranger to sci-fi and comic book hero movies: Fantastic Four, Push, Sunshine, to name a few. As Steve Rogers, his head is digitally put on the body of a scrawny actor, and the transformation is astounding. Through his acting and the CG special effects, we come to believe Evans is the skinny dude with a big heart. As Captain America, however, Evans is all brawn and brain, and he pulls it off beautifully. Great job.
As his cohort and love interest, Hayley Atwell (Brideshead Revisited) is also great. She is beautiful but not fragile. She is strong but not bitchy. She is capable but not arrogant. She is the kind of heroine we'd love to love. Plus she has good chemistry with Evans. Meanwhile, Hugo Weaving (The Wolfman) has a good time playing the super villain. Still, I see Agent Smith every time he arches his brows and twists his lips. I hope he can break out of that mold soon.
The supporting cast is excellent. Sebastian Stan (Black Swan) is ernest as Rogers' best friend Bucky. Tommy Lee Jones (The Company Man) is fully engaged as Colonel Phillips, and not without a good dose of humor. Dominic Cooper (An Education) walks in the shoes of Howard Stark (yes, Tony Stark's father) beautifully. Toby Jones (Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll) is perfect as Dr. Zola, and Stanley Tucci (Burlesque) is sympathetic and lovable as Dr. Erskine.
Written by Christopher Markus (The Chronicles of Narnia) and Stephen McFeely (The Chronicles of Narnia), the screenplay combines the "origin" story with a new plot to draw us in. Set in 1942-43 during WWII, the rich history gives the story some depth and resonance. The "alternate history" part, especially in the context of comic book super heroes and villains, works mostly. There is a bit of Raiders of the Lost Ark that is somewhat hokey and over the top. But by and large the plot is well grounded in reality (relatively speaking), buoyed by Chris Evan's boy-next-door, no-frill performance in the title role.
The mix of comic book fantasy and historical backdrops works very well here. It reminds me of another "captain" movie, Sky Captain, which was rather badly written. One can only appreciate more the thoughts and rich history behind this Marvel comic. The screenplay has humor, action, fantasy and heart. It's everything a popcorn movie could hope for, and then some.
Director Joe Johnston (The Wolfman) is no stranger to action-adventure sci-fi movies either. This reminds me of The Rocketeer, which he directed in 1991. I enjoyed that film very much as well. He has, however, grown as a director. The pacing is great, and the plot flows well. The action sequences are well done. The special effects compliment the story, and not the other way around. In particular, transforming the buff Evans into a short, scrawny guy is a wonder in itself. The effects are seamless and believable. They've taken what was possible for Benjamin Button and gone even beyond that. The production is handsome, and the score, by Alan Silvestri, is wonderful, including a show-stopping musical number written by Alan Menken.
As a popcorn movie, you can't go wrong with Captain America. But more impressively, it has substance and makes us care about the characters. It has real heart. It has action. It has patriotism. It has humor. It has musical numbers. You can't get more American than that.
"It all ends," says the tagline of the final film of the hugely successful franchise that is Harry Potter. As we say goodbye to Hogwarts and the characters we've grown to love in the past ten years (more if you count the books), we also marvel at how greatly the series have changed through the years.
As the story begins, we're quickly reminded what just happened: Harry (Daniel Redcliffe), Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint) barely escaped while Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) successfully get hold of the Elder wand by raiding Dumbledore's (Michael Gambon) grave. Meanwhile, Hogwart is in a totalitarian state under the rule of headmaster Snape (Alan Rickman).
Harry and his friends' first priority is to find the remain horcruxes in order to destroy Voldemort before he finds and kills Harry. They only have a faint idea what and where the horcruxes are: two of the objects belong to Hogwart founders Helga Hufflepuff and Rowena Ravenclaw. On their quest to search for the horcruxes, Voldermort becomes even stronger and raises his army against the rebels, and is set to attack Hogwart, where Harry is in hiding.
With the help of his friends, Harry is able to locate the horcruxes and destroy them, thus weakening Voldemort. However, after Snape was killed by Voldemort, Harry learns from Snape's memory that Snape was really a double agent: his love for Harry's mother prompted him to devote his life to protect Harry at all cost. Furthermore, Harry realizes that Voldemort, through his attempt to kill Harry as a baby, accidentally made Harry one of his horcruxes. In order for Harry to destroy Voldemort, Harry must sacrifice himself and die first, so his friends could have a chance against and defeat the dark lord.
After playing Harry Potter for ten years since he was 11, Daniel Radcliffe (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow Part 1) has matured as an actor. His final chapter as the hero proves to us that the young actor can leave this iconic role and succeed in anything his heart desires. Radcliffe is strong, sensible, and emotive. Rupert Grint (Harry Potter) and Emma Watson (Harry Potter) have less to do in this final chapter, but they, too, have grown as actors.
Ralph Fiennes (The Reader) is, as usual, in great form as the evil Lord Voldemort. However, instead of playing the role with pure evil, Fiennes shows enough dimensions to give the character depth. Michael Gambon (The King's Speech) returns as Dumbledore and makes us miss him. Alan Rickman (Alice in Wonderland) continues to amaze as Snape, one of the most complex characters in literature/cinema.
The women do well as well. Maggie Smith (Nanny McPhee Returns) shines again as Professor McGonagall, who has mostly played a bit role in the recent films but becomes a true leader in this final chapter. Julie Walters (Mamma Mia!) and Helena Bonham Carter (Alice in Wonderland) don't have much to do here, but have a nice final showdown.
Steve Kloves (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1) continues to streamline JK Rowling's hefty book. He has to make difficult choices when determining what to cut (without enraging fans or confusing those who have not read the book) to keep the plot and character development under control. Fortunately, as the story comes to its finishing mark, character development is secondary and Kloves can focus on the plot. There is a few nice twists and one big reveal near the end that casts a new light on the entire series (in case you are one of the few who never read the books). The scenes with Snape are particularly strong, ominous and emotionally charged.
The last half of the final chapter aptly takes us back to Hogwart, where the heart of the entire series is. It is, indeed, quite emotional to see Hogwart being attacked and destroyed, and some of our favorite characters perish in the final battles. At the same time, Kloves has the thankless job of telling an omniscient story from the points of view of so many characters in such an epic scale, in so little time (130 minutes). I feel that some scenes are too rushed, and certain expositions are missing so the casual audience who have not read the books may be confused. Certain plot twists also seem rather contrived. I don't know if the problem lies with Mr. Kloves or Ms. Rowling.
David Yates (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1) has hit a stride so this final chapter seems like a mere extension of what he's accomplished with the previous films. His pacing is good. The production is handsome, and the special effects are top-notch. The score by Alexandre Desplat is amazing. Unfortunately, like the script, he rushes through some of the pivotal scenes, short-circuiting some of the more emotional elements. And while the epilogue is essential to wrap up the entire series, it does seem rather anticlimactic.
Even with its flaws, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 is a great ending to a phenomenal series. It is possibly one of the best films in the series.
Nick (Jason Bateman), Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) and Dale (Charlie Day) are three best friends who all have horrible bosses respectively. Nick works at an investment firm under a sadistic egomaniac named Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey). After eight years of slaving for the firm and Harken, Nick is denied his promotion. Meanwhile, after Kurt's favorite boss Jack Pellit (Donald Sutherland) died, Pellit's no-good son Bobby (Colin Farrell) takes over and is running the company to the ground. And Dale is sexually harassed by his gorgeous boss Julia (Jennifer Aniston). According to Nick and Kurt, that should be a day in heaven except Dale is loyal to his fiance.
Frustrated by the lack of future prospects, the three friends talk of offing their respective bosses. One thing leads to another, and they decide to go through with it. They try to hire a professional hit-man, but instead they get an "advice": to kill each other's boss without raising suspicion, and to make the deaths look accidental.
So, the three musketeers go off to do some recon, to find information on their targets. They discover that Bobby is hooked on cocaine, and Harken is allergic to peanuts. Once they have a plan in mind, they decide to go through with it. But nothing is as simple as it sounds.
Jason Bateman (The Switch) is best when he plays snarky and cocky. Here, however, he plays a mild-mannered, considerate straight man of the trio, and he is constantly upstaged by his costars. Even during his more "explosive" scenes, he's outshone by better actors such as Spacey. Jason Sudeikis (Hall Pass) plays pretty much the same character he's been playing: the good-hearted but horny Average Joe. But he does it so well that I'm afraid he'll be typecast for a long time. Charlie Day (Going the Distance) is hilarious as Dale, but his frantic, moronic antics get a bit annoying after a while. More often than not I just want to scream: "Get a hold of yourself, Stupid."
The bosses, on the other hand, all relish in their evilness. Kevin Spacey (Casino Jack) is particularly smarmy and showy as Nick's sadistic boss; he steals every scene he's in. Jennifer Aniston (The Switch) is never better as the saucy, scheming and sex-crazy bitch. I think she's found her calling (forget about all those lame romantic comedies, Jen). Colin Farrel (Crazy Heart) dons a ridiculous combover wig and fake belly to play the repulsive Bobby Pellit to great effect. Too bad he doesn't have nearly enough scenes.
Notable cameos include Donald Sutherland (The Eagle) as Kurk's sweet boss, Jamie Foxx (Due Date) as a hit-man, Ioan Gruffudd (W) as "Wetwork Man," and Bob Newhart (Elf) as Nick's new boss.
Written by a trio of TV writers (Michael Markowitz, John Fracis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein), the script is surprisingly sophisticated (for a broad comedy). The premise is rather silly: who in the right mind would actually carry out a murder plan just to get rid of their bosses? However, the writers try to make it plausible with various degrees of success. We can, for example, sympathize with Nick for wanting to kill the Devil that is Dave Harken, but Kurt and Dale's motives are murky and unconvincing. Certainly there are other ways for them to deal with their annoying bosses.
The plot is coherent up to a point, then it gets somewhat repetitive and annoying as well. Basically, it's about three incompetent would-be killers doing really stupid things. After a while, it gets tiresome. Stupid people are fun to watch but only for a while. You'd want them to do something at least halfway decent to redeem themselves. At the end of the day, they rely on someone else to save the day. That doesn't really sit well with me. We want heroes, however reluctant, and not just morons who happen to luck out at the end. Granted, there are some hilarious scenes and situations, and the cast seems to have a great time making this. They have a good rapport with one another.
Seth Gordon's (Four Christmases) direction is slick and professional. He moves the plot along in a brisk pace, and there's enough character development (for a comedy) to make us care. Still, his skillful direction can't lift the material from the contrived plot. There are elements that don't really work for me: murky motivation, unreasonable reactions, and illogical plot twists, all for moving the plot along. Even for a comedy, I need some believability.
Still, Horrible Bosses is an enjoyable diversion during a season of big-budget CGI extravaganzas (next up: the very last Harry Potter). It's crude, rude, and funny in spots. It pales compared to the far-superior Bridesmaids, but for the giggly teenage boys and mens who act like boys, and those who like to watch them, this is far from horrible.
The story begins four years later and Sam (Shia LaBeouf) has just graduated from college. He has a new girlfriend Carly (Rosie Hungtington-Whiteley) who has a high-profile PR job working for super rich and powerful Dylan (Patrick Dempsey). Meanwhile, Sam can't even get a job because he can't talk about the aliens and can't get anyone at the Pentagon to give him a recommendation. Frustrated (after all, he saved the world twice), he reluctantly takes an entry-level job under the supervision of Bruce Brazos (John Malkovich) who has a screw loose himself.
Meanwhile, the Autobots are working for the US military in covert operations. But soon, they discover the US government has kept a 50-year-old secret: the lunar landing project was all a coverup. In 1961, an alien ship crash-landed on the moon carrying a special technology that could have helped the Autobots win the war against the Decepticons and take back their planet Cybertron.
Worse, they realize the Decepticons are back and they're racing to get their hands on the technology as well. Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen) leads a team to recover the technology and revive the inventor, Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy). They understand the technology could create a time-space portal to bring Cybertron to Earth, thus threatening the lives of humans. With the help of Sam, they will have to find a way to keep the technology safe from the Decepticons.
Shia LaBeouf (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) reprises his role as Sam Witwicky, and his acting ability hasn't much improved. Mr. LaBeouf has three expressions: befuddled, angry, and goofy. It's even worse when his character continues to be underwritten and undeveloped. Years later, his character still acts the same way, like an overgrown kid. It's amazing, however, that he keeps getting super hot girlfriends. This guy must have something extraordinarily impressive, and we're not talking about his acting talent.
Other major players are also back in the game. Josh Duhamel (Life as We Know It) is fine as Colonel Lennox, but like every other character, his is undeveloped. All he does is act macho and heroic, which he does rather well. John Turturo (Cars 2) returns as Simmons and has some funny lines. At least he has fun playing it up. Tyrese Gibson (Fast Five) also returns -- at least his presence gives the film some needed diversity. Since Megan Fox was fired, supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley makes her debut as yet another hot, sexy, not-a-strand-of-messy-hair damsel in distress. Acting? What acting? But at least she's an amazing eye candy.
New cast members include Patrick Dempsey (Valentine's Day) as a weasel (and it's good for him to play the bad guy for once -- still with great hair), and Frances McDomand (Burn After Reading) playing a droll top National Security director. She acts a bit of class to the ensemble (just a bit). John Malkovich (RED) and Ken Jeong (Hangover 2) provide some needed comic relief with their relatively unnecessary roles. The standout is Alan Tudyk (Beautiful Boy) as Simmons' mysterious and sexually ambiguous assistant. The voices have returned, too: Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime and Huge Weaving as Megatron. Leonard Nimoy lends his distinguished voice as Sentinel Prime.
Thankfully written by a single writer, Ehren Kruger (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen), instead of by committee, the storyline is more coherent and reasonable. Of course, "reasonable" is a relative term. We're still talking about a mechanical alien race and tons of explosions. At least Kruger bases the story on a neat concept. However, as the plot unfolds, we get lost in the convoluted twists and a myriad of minor characters. There are so many plot holes and unexplained development that eventually I just have to give up making sense of them.
But who are we kidding? We don't go to see Transformers for the plot or acting. We go to see the Transformers, the CGI, explosions and stunts. Forget about the cheesy dialogue, flimsy character development, forced humor, and a plausible story. Forget about using your brain -- it's not required. In fact, it's best that we leave our brains at the door. The more you let yourself drift away into this fantasy land, the better you will enjoy this sensory overload.
And that's what director Michael Bay has given us: sensory overload. Criticize him as much as you want, but Bay knows what the mass audience wants and he delivers: super loud and busy popcorn entertainment with sexy babes and cool toys. This film sells toys, and sell a billion they will. What Bay has learned from the atrocity that was Transformer 2 is that he must give the audience what they want, namely the Transformers and the fight scenes. So instead of giving us extreme closeups of "what the heck is going on?" he uses more medium shots this time and the experience is so much better. In fact, he's staged certain amazing, War-of-the-World-esque scenes of epic fights and mayhem, including an extended 9/11-inspired sequence involving a building in downtown Chicago with excellent stunt work and choreography. Now that's what we're talking about.
Still, the movie is way too long without a good plot. At 157 minutes, it's seriously testing our patience by the last act. The extended climax lasts for about an hour, with more of the same going on. More flights. More explosions. More robots. More mayhems. More noises. More destructions. More. More. More. At the end of the film, we're totally exhausted and numb.