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jimmy030806
Reviews
The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)
A Solid B
Charm, sarcasm, profanity and disabilities...what could possibly go wrong? In the hands of lesser actors this film could've been a disaster. The script isn't exactly original nor is the movie as a whole. I'm curious to know if other people that have seen this film noticed the dichotomy between the scripted dialogue and dialogue that felt more like Roberts and Rudd playing off each other. That's where the movie shines. Rudd and Roberts have excellent on-screen chemistry which carries the movie through one cliché after another. This film certainly does not reinvent the "dramedy" genre and the director seems to know that trying to would be a mistake. This movie may be formulaic but they cast actors that are talented enough (and smart enough) to make that formula work. And I give the director credit for not letting the movie devolve into melodrama but instead exercises restraint. Instead, he lets the drama and trauma set the backdrop in front of which Ben and Trevor's blossoming friendship unfolds. The surprise of the film for me was Selena Gomez's performance in a role that is one big, walking, sarcastic, cliché. The millennial who acts tough and jaded but has a heart of gold underneath. The director Rob Burnett does fairly well picking and choosing the best elements from a few tried and true cinematic themes. This film is simultaneously a buddy comedy, a road trip movie, a drama about how perseverance can overcome past trauma and life's obstacles, and a coming of age story. And while the cliches are many the film works. There are several laugh out loud moments with a sizable helping of quotable one-liners throughout. The film has heart and refrains from manipulating the audience emotionally to produce a tearjerker. I'll admit (and my wife will verify) that I'm a bit of a weeper. I don't think there's a Disney movie that I've seen that hasn't made me cry or at least get teary-eyed at some point. So if I didn't cry, you probably won't either. I believe, however, that if I enjoyed the movie as much as I did there's a fair you will as well.
Night of the Comet (1984)
It May Be Terrible, But it's Also Terribly Fun
Some of my favorite movies are among the worst movies ever made. We all have at least one movie we consider so bad it's good, I may have more than some but that doesn't mean my taste isn't refined, I'm just not a movie snob. I say all that to make this point; sometimes it's necessary to watch without expectations of anything other than to have fun and enjoy yourself like you did when you were a kid. If you haven't seen this and want to, I suggest that you try that mindset when you do. That said, this movie reflects the era in which it came out. Hailey's Comet was due to make a flyby in less than two years and fascination (and fear) with all things comet related was at an all-time high. Previous transits of the famous comet had caused hysteria stoked by sensational headlines warning of the danger posed by comets and capitalized on by unethical people/companies selling bogus products claiming to comet-proof an individual/home/family (i.e. Gas masks in during the previous passing in the early 1900's). While this movie may have been rooted in the times, it's still a campy horror movie that elicits more groans than gasps. The special effects were truly bad even for the times. The acting is pretty terrible, the dialogue even worse. However it does play pretty successfully on every teenager/young adult's fantasies of living in a world with no rules, all the material things one would ever want, and fast cars with no cops to enforce the speed limit; albeit a post-apocalyptic one but why be picky. It also has a lead character infused with charisma for days by Catherine Mary Stewart. I may be biased in that by the crush I had on her for the most of that decade and the next. The movie is terrible but if you allow yourself to be a kid again, without expectations of anything but having fun and enjoying yourself, then it can be terribly fun.
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (2021)
Not as Good as The 1st One, But Still Enjoyable
The headline says it all. Reynolds and Jackson are as good as they always are, Hayek really leans into the over-the-top role of Mrs. Kincaid, and the action is again superb. The story is ok at best with characters making decisions that don't make sense, and plot points that feel like lazy storytelling. With all that said, it's far better that the worst sequels (see Ghostbusters II, The Phantom Menace) but doesn't hit the level of the best sequels (see The Empire Strikes Back, Thor: Ragnarok). I give it 3.5 out of 5 donuts.