Reviews

I was told to watch this on a Friday night by a coworker/film geek. He said it was much better than the 2016 version of this movie.

Maybe it's my age or being fatigued after work, but this was too mind-numbing and immature to enjoy even as a silly B movie. I enjoy some movies tied to comics like Nolan's Batman trilogy, Thor Ragnarok, the standalone Joker movie, or even the first Guardians of the Galaxy.

Although this has an R rating, the meaningless violence, humor, or detachment from how the Pentagon operates with regard to our foreign policy made it seem like it was targeted towards a much younger audience.

I enjoyed this movie and love all of Linklater's works. Certain directors just mesh well with your world view and style. His humor works for certain people, and it doesn't translate well for international audiences. For instance, I can't stand Kevin Smith's style of comedy, but many people adore it.

This movie took me back to my college years. I attended the University of Texas and belonged to a fraternity. Although we weren't athletic jocks, there were similar dynamics, characters, and situations as with this movie's baseball team. Looking back it was immature and misogynistic fun, however it happened and I had great memories from then. This movie captured that very well.

That said, there was no tension or arc that this group faced. Everything came to them pretty easy, like on a silver platter. There are people like that in life, yet it doesn't make for compelling cinema. I also thought the lead had little chemistry or charisma with his girl. The character played by Glen Powell was the highlight, as was the soundtrack.

I enjoyed this 90-minute movie. Although its plot was pretty basic and the acting not the best, I really loved the setting and imagery of a late 80s northern English seaport. You feel the decay of English manufacturing and a sense of being adrift and lonely; the American/English angle was well-done and fits the Reagan-Thatcher years. The soundtrack also matches the mood, at first being smooth, then irritated, and then chaotic. The couple were easy to root for, especially Sean Bean - who I'd like to have a little more backstory for.

Normally, a movie like this would get 5 or 6 out of 10, but that well- done atmosphere makes this good.