Instant Family (2018)

Genre: Comedy 

Directed by: Sean Anders

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Rose Byrne, Isabela Moner

Time: 119 minutes

When Pete and Ellie Wagner, a couple who make a living renovating and flipping houses, decide that it may be time for them to start a family, the idea of adoption through foster care seems to be the avenue to choose for them. They end up fostering three siblings, Lizzy, Juan and Lita, the kids of a single mom who is a drug addict that was sent to jail.

The subject of adoption is one that hits close to home for the wife and myself, so we went to the movies last weekend to see it. It does a good job of showing how difficult it can be to care for foster children. Most of the acting was okay, though I found Rose Byrne’s performance a little over-the-top and exaggerated in the role of Ellie Wagner.

The biggest problem for me was in the writing. A lot of the characters, from the social workers, to the parents interested in foster care, to the nosy neighbor played by Joan Cusack, they were so big and clichéd. There was a definite lack of subtlety there. I get the idea of comedic effect, but it was not that funny. And most at the attempts at verbal comedy, through the script, felt awkward.

That being said, some moments still made me laugh, some made me smile and some others were quite touching. It was a decent film, not without its definite flaws.

Rating: «««

The Holiday (2006)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Directed by: Nancy Meyers

Cast: Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law, Jack Black

Time: 136 minutes

Iris Simpkins and Amanda Woods are two very different women living on different sides of the Atlantic, but, as Christmas time is fast approaching, they both find themselves lovelorn and looking to escape. After talking to each other online, they decide to swap homes for two weeks.

The Holiday is not without charm. The story is compelling enough to hook you in. Unfortunately, in the delivery, it is far from perfect. Kate Winslet is pretty good and convincing in her role. So are the two male leads. Yes, even Jack Black, who was definitely a weird choice. He made it work. But, Cameron Diaz, as is often the case, overplays a little too much. Sometimes, her performance was so big that it took me out of the story.

That being said, this is a fine light romantic comedy that offers decent entertainment for a couple looking for something to watch.

Rating: «««

The Late Bloomer (2016)

Genre: Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Kevin Pollack

Cast: Johnny Simmons, Maria Bello, Brittany Snow

Time: 90 minutes

Inspired by journalist Ken Baker’s autobiographical memoirs, The Late Bloomer tells the story of Dr. Peter Newmans, a 27-year-old sex therapist who has remained a virgin all his life. As he ends up in the hospital after an accident on the basketball field, he finds out that a small tumor in his brain has been impeding on his normal growth from boy to man. Getting this fixed plunges him in the difficult hands of puberty, which complicates his relationship with his neighbor Michelle, a woman he has befriended and been secretly pursuing for years.

This film was bashed by critics and reviewers, but I found it amusing. Sure, most of it was silly, but the actors, many of which are talented folks, managed to squeeze some good out of the little they were given. I was entertained.

Rating: «««

George Carlin: You Are All Diseased (1999)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Rocco Urbisci

Cast: George Carlin

Time: 65 minutes

By the time he was recording his 11th HBO comedy special, live from the Beacon Theatre, in New York, George Carlin was in his 60’s. But, that did not mean that the man considered by many, including myself, to be the greatest stand-up comic of all-time had lost any of his energy. In the hour-long set, Carlin discusses such topics as airport security, fear of germs, cigars, angels, kids, men, religion, advertising, Clinton, minorities and God. Here, Carlin is as caustic and edgy as ever. He takes no prisoners and spares no one as he dives head first into his view of things. This show certainly is not for the dainty minds out there. This is a solid set of comedy, packed with tons of material that will make you laugh, think and laugh again...or frown if you are overly sensitive.

Rating: «««««

Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

Genre: Biographical

Directed by: Bryan Singer

Cast: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy

Time: 134 minutes

This 2018 biographical film tells the story of Freddie Mercury and his rise to international fame with the band Queen, leading to their groundbreaking performance at Live Aid, in Wembley Stadium.

I had a lot of apprehensions before seeing this, considering a lot of the discussions about it over the last few years. That being said, I am glad I saw it. Rami Malek manages to bring Mercury back to life on screen. Malek manages to compensate for the ridiculous teeth prosthetic he was saddled with by giving a great acting performance. The rest of the cast was mostly good too, though the focus was clearly not on them.

This film is not without its faults. The script and direction delivered a lot of clichés of the genre and the filmmakers sure took a lot of poetic license, but, in the end, this is a feel-good movie that made me want to listen to the music of Queen again. Kudos for that.

Rating: ««««

Adam Sandler: 100% Fresh (2018)

Genre: Comedy

Directed by: Steven Brill

Cast: Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider

Time: 73 minutes

This comedy special covers the latest tour of comedy clubs and concert halls by Adam Sandler. It contains over an hour of brand spanking new jokes and songs by the actor-comedian. The editing, going from one location to another all the time, made the whole thing feel disorganized to me. A good chunk of the material was pretty good, but there was also a lot of weaker stuff. The highlights for me were the tribute, in song, to the late Chris Farley and the updated version of Growing Old With You, the tune from Wedding Singer.

Rating: «««

Tout le monde debout (2018)

Genre: Franco / Comedy

Réalisateur: Franck Dubosc

Distribution: Franck Dubosc, Alexandra Lamy, Elsa Zylberstein

Durée: 107 minutes

Jocelyn est un homme d’affaires qui ment continuellement pour séduire le plus de femmes possible. Suite au décès de sa mère, il rencontre Marie, qui, en raison d’un malentendu, pense que Jocelyn est confiné à un fauteuil roulant. Voulant la séduire, il ne lui dit pas la vérité. Marie présente à Jocelyn sa soeur Florence, qui est elle-même réellement en fauteuil roulant.

L’histoire du Don Juan réformé par l’amour de la bonne personne et qui se met les pieds dans les plats en tentant de changer est vieille comme le monde et un peu cliché. Cela dit, Tout le monde debout offre une version assez fraîche et sympathique pour que ce soit intéressant. Les personnages sont attachants et les dialogues sont savoureux. Cette comédie offre même quelques petits moments tendres sans pour autant tombe dans le mélodrame.

Somme toute, Tout le monde debout est une comédie fort sympathique et divertissante. J’ai beaucoup aimé.

Note: ««««