Dumb and Dumber To

Long Awaited(?) Sequel is Everything You'd Expect...and Less

When word was first spread that there was a sequel to Dumb and Dumber in the works, many questions arose - Why now? Aren't they too old? and How much more potty humor exists in the English language? In this movie, the Farley Brothers answer all three.

DUmb and Dumber To couldn't quite pick up where the original left off, so it picks up at the earliest it can...20 years later. It finds Harry Dunn (Jeff Daniels) still living in Providence, Rhode Island. Most of his days are spent visiting his friend Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey), who has been long-since committed to a mental institute. Still heartbroken over Mary "Sampsonite," he hasn't spoken in 20 years but when Harry breaks the news that he needs a kidney transplant, Lloyd suddenly snaps out of it.   A visit to Harry's parents reveals that he has a long-lost daughter and that's just where the story begins. The deliriously dimwitted duo then embarks on a comedic odyssey to find her and save Harry's life.  Along the way, they pull all their old stunts, leaving a trail of destruction wherever they go.  Along the way they are even re-united with their former vehicle, the "shaggin' waggon," which has been remarkably well-maintained for 20 years.

It should come as no surprise that this film features many, many recycled gags and punch lines from the original.  If you thought the first Dumb and Dumber was gross, immature, or anything of that sort, you'll be absolutely astounded when you see this cinematic masterpiece; it tops all other comedies when it comes to rude, crude, and bathroom humor.  Instead of singing Mockingbird to the criminal they end up giving a ride to, they decide to teach him a game.  "Hey" Lloyd asks. "Wanna play 'he who smelt it?" No, it's not as bad as it sounds. It's even grosser and that's not even the worse it gets.  That said, if you want to laugh and don't mind very immature humor, this is not a movie to miss. It all depends on how low you're willing to stoop.  If you loved the original, though, or even the prequel, watch this movie.  It's worth it for a die-hard fan.

2.5 stars.

The Way Way Back

Summer Dramedy Has It's Moments, Though It's Nothing Spectacular.

In honor of it being summer again, I thought I'd post a review of a new summer film.  While lying in bed with the flu, I discovered this flick, which had somehow escaped my knowledge.

The Way Way Back is the story of Duncan, a moody adolescent.  He and his mother (Toni Collette) are spending the summer in an New England beach town with her boyfriend Trent (Steve Carrell) and his obnoxious daughter who wants nothing to do with Duncan.  With no friends around and a conflicted relationship with his father, Duncan hates his life.  He doesn't see any way for things to get better, but one day he chances across a small amusement park where he finds a friend in the manger.  Owen (Sam Rockwell ) is an arrested adolescent who takes the lonely Duncan under his wing.  Working at the park provides Duncan with just the escape he needs, but meanwhile, new problems are constantly brewing back home.  Although he resents his mother for bringing him on the vacation in the first place, his relationship with Trent is bad and as he learns more about the man, it only gets worse.  The cute girl next door, though (AnnaSophia Robb), keeps things interesting.

This is actually a very enjoyable movie up until the very end.  Most of the cast is very good.  Seeing Steve Carrell as a lazy jerk was different, but he pulled it off alright.  Most of the cast is good, including Allison Janney who gives a screen stealing performance as a loud, divorcee neighbor.  The movie is well acted and primarily well written, but the ending left me so disappointed.  On the whole, though, it's not a bad film by any means, just not one that left me satisfied.

2.5 Stars.

The World's End

Awful Apocalyptic Spoof Falls Short of Every Possible Mark.

I suppose I really shouldn't expect quality entertainment from Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.  The British comedic stars who brought us Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz are back with a film that's even worse than the first two.  Although I enjoyed Hot Fuzz somewhat, it was by no means a quality film.  This movie, however, tops even Shaun of the Dead for stupid comedic farces.

The World's End actually starts off as a somewhat decent movie.  It begins with five British school boys celebrating their last day of school by attempting to hit all 12 of their town's pubs in one night.  This epic pub crawl is known as the "golden mile."  Although they almost finish, they decide to call it quits early and head for the hills, just two pubs shy of completing their goal.  It was a life changing pinnacle for Gary King (Simon Peg) the group's leader.

Years later, we find Gary telling the story of the golden mile that almost was to people in an AA meeting.  Although years have come and gone, he has never been able to move on and live a productive life.  Following a suggestion from one of his AA comrades, though, he decides to reunite with his four old friends and take another shot at the golden mile.  Although his former friends Andy (Nick Frost), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Cosidine), and Peter (Eddie Marsden), all have good jobs and nice quiet lives, Gary convinces them to join him in their hometown of Newton - Haven for another pub crawl to finish what they started so many years ago.

Basically, this is a decent movie until the apocalyptic stuff starts.  I won't go into too much detail, but let's just say it goes from being an enjoyable film about five old friends reuniting to a stupid film about five old friends fighting evil robots in about five minutes.  Such a disappointment.  The only enjoyable part was Nick Frost, who took a break from his typical role of a bumbling idiot to play an uptight laqyer who disapproves of Gary and his antics. This movie didn't impress me but if you enjoy stupid, apocalyptic farces, be my guest.  Just don't expect too much.  The World's End had one of the worst endings I've ever seen.

1.5 Stars.

Endless Love

Sappy Rom-Drom Would Bore Even Nicholas Sparks.

It's common these days for most movies to be at least somewhat clique, but this chick flick tops them all.  Not even kidding.  If cliche were a movie, it would be Endless Love.

Every character in this film is a walking cliche, quite literally.  Let me explain.  The movie starts at a high school graduation where we first meet the pair of star-crossed lovers.  David Elliot (Alex Pettyfer) is your typical working class kid, the son of a humble, blue collar mechanic.  Jade Butterfield (Gabriella Wilde) is your typical high society beauty, the daughter of a wealthy doctor.  He plans on running his father's small auto body shop, while she plans on going pre-med at Brown University.  David is admiring Jade from afar, unable to talk to her, but his obnoxious friend Mason tells him not to waste his time, that a girl so beautiful and so rich could never be interested in the likes of him.  Very shortly thereafter, however, Jade and her family come to dinner at the incredibly upscale inn and restaurant where David and Mason work as parking valets.  While Jade accidentally drops something, their eyes meet for the first time and that's really where their story begins.

Is that cliche enough for you yet? I'll continue.  It's been stated that Jade's family is very wealthy, but they are also still recovering from the loss of Jade's older brother who was lost to them two years previously.  Aside from that, though, her family couldn't be anymore cliche.  Her arrogant father (Bruce Greenwood) isn't impressed by David and doesn't consider him a suitable match for his daughter while her impressionable mother (Joely Richardson) finds him charming.  Her older brother (Rhys Wakefield) is a college slacker who is an obvious disappointment to his businesslike father.   David and Jade's romance takes off, but her snobbish father will do just about anything to keep them apart, ignoring all of David's great qualities.  This isn't a bad film, there just isn't much originality here.  If you're looking for something of the sweet, romantic sort, stick with Dear John or The Notebook.  Watch this if you want, just don't expect anything new of exciting.

2.5 Stars.

Django Unchained

Inglorious Bastards comes to The Dirty South.

I'm not a fan of most 21st century action films, but I make an exception in the case of anything by Quentin Tarantino.    Pulp Fiction is his masterpiece, but he has yet to make a bad film.  I loved Inglorious Bastards and when I heard that Tarantino was taking on slavery and racism, I had a feeling it would be good.  It was.

Django Unchained is a unique story.  Set in the pre-civil war South, it begins with a mysterious man named Dr. King Schultz (Christopher Waltz), who drives a dentist cart, ambushing two vicious slave traders at night, who are returning home after purchasing a group of slaves.  He wants to buy one named Django (Jamie Foxx), who steps forward, but when the brothers refuse to sell, King Schultz kills one and leaves the other for dead.  The next day he reveals himself to be a bounty hunter and states that he wants Django's help in chasing down the south's most wanted criminals.  Wanting to be free, Django agrees, though he also wants to rescue the wife he lost to the slave trade years before.  A bargain is struck and their partnership is quite successful.  The duo's final challenge comes, though, in rescuing Django's wife from her masters.  As luck would have it, she is owned by Calvin Candie (Leonardo DiCaprio), the ruthless son of a late southern millionaire.  Candie is what we in the 21st century would call a "trust fund baby."  King Schultz and Django adapt new personas and charm their way into Candieland, Calvin's estate.  Things go well at first, but, right when their about to make a deal, things get complicated when Calvin's trusted house slave Steven (Samuel L. Jackson) becomes suspicious.  That's where it gets interesting.

Except all the typical, guns, violence, and death of Inglorious Bastards that is typical of Tarantino.  Django and King Schultz are both very likable heroes and easy to root for and DiCaprio is his usual charming self as the villan.  Action buffs won't be disappointed and anyone who liked Inglorious Bastards should definitely give Django Unchained a shot.

5 Stars.

Ted

The Mind Behind Family Guy Takes His Shot at the Big Screen...What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

We've all seen Family Guy and heard all the jokes.  You may not get every one, but every joke made on Family Guy is always gotten by somebody somewhere.  Think what you want about Seth Macfarlane, but he knows how to make immature people laugh.  After eight seasons of Family Guy, he took his shot at the silver screen and didn't disappoint his loyal fans...at least not me.

Ted is unlike any movie I had ever seen, in both the best and worst ways possible.  Everything is uniquely Seth Macfarlane, starting with the plot.  On the surface it seems fairly almost innocent; a young boy named John wishes for a friend and receives a teddy bear named...wait for it...Teddy.  When he wishes for his friend to stay with him forever the bear magically comes to life and becomes a celebrity.  Things go well for awhile, but, eventually, the boy grows up and the bear does too...sort of.  Years later the movie finds John (Mark Wahlberg), grown and trying to make a career for himself and have a relationship with the woman he loves.  Unfortunately, he has one small problem - his talking teddy bear who lives with him and refuses to leave.  His manner is rude, crude, and everything else Seth Macfarlane.  Ted doesn't work a job or do anything productive; he's more into cigaretts, beer, TV, and partying.  John know he won't be able to move on with his life unless he unloads Ted, but dumping his longtime best friend is easier said than done.  Things really get complicated when a demented TV viewer decides he wants Ted for his own and seemingly normal guy John is faced with deciding between his best friend and the future he truly wants.

If you're a fan of Family Guy and it's irreverent humor, you'll likely enjoy Ted.  If you're looking for something mature, this is definitely not the film for you.  It's nowhere near a "quality movie" but if you are, or were ever a fan of Family Guy, it is most certainly entertaining.  As crude as it may be, much of the humor is clever, as per the usual from Seth MacFarlane.  If you looking to laugh at offensive, stupid things, give Ted a try.

2.5 Stars

Here Comes the Boom

The Theme of Rocky Meets the Spirit of School of Rock

For anyone who doesn't know the song, this film's title can be misleading. At first glance it seems like a comedy, given it's title and the fact that it stars Kevin James.  The plot, though, is hardly comedic and the film starts out in an almost depressing way.

James stars as Scott Voss, a former college wrestling star turned apathetic high school biology teacher.  He used to enjoy teaching, but life seems to have lost it's purpose and he leads a life of solitude.  Voss doesn't care much for his students or the people there, except for his friend Marty (Henry Winkler), a kind and charming music teacher.  Marty soon finds himself in trouble, though, faced with the prospect of losing his job with a baby on the way.  Scott steps in and vows to raise the money needed to save his friend's job, but soon discovers that it won't be easy.  Things get interesting, though, when he meets Hugo, a community college student who was once a mixed martial arts fighter.  When Scott discovers the money that mixed martial arts fighters make, he decides to try his hand at it.  Aided by Marty and training with Hugo, Scott enbarks on a quest to kick and punch his way to the top.  His plan is simply to advance to raise the money they need by losing all the fights he can, but things don't quite go as planned.  Along the way, though, Scott rediscovers his love of teaching and becomes something no one ever thought he could be; a role model.

This movie isn't quite the underdog triumph that Rocky is, but it still warms the heart and demonstrates the values of courage, friendship, and believing in oneself.  I personally enjoyed it much more than I thought I would.  Even though it's not a comedy, there are some laughs, particularly when Scott enters a fight with the arena speakers blasting "Holly Holy" by Neil Diamond.  Here Comes the Boom won't rank among the other underdog sports movies, but if you enjoyed Rocky, it's worth a watch.  Public school teachers especially should give it a try, although real mixed martial arts fighters may have a hard time taking it seriously.   Definitely not a bad movie, though.

3.5 Stars