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Catch and Release (2006)
There's something special about it
I saw this movie back in 2010ish as a young teen, and while the plot wasn't memorable, I remember it being comforting and interesting. Since it's currently on streaming services, I decided to revisit it 12 yrs later. I am happy to say that it has held up pretty well. It's not incredible, but there's definitely some things that are special that make it stand out from the rest.
The film is about a mid/late 20s woman Gray (Jennifer Garner), whose fiance dies very suddenly. Her world falls apart both mentally and physically - she has no spousal support due to a lack of a will, she's unable to afford to continue living in her dream house, and she finds out that her late fiance was cheating on her with another woman and had a secret child. The film depicts Gray's ups and downs as she navigates this totally new life, with the help of some old friends, including a budding new romance between her and her late fiance's best friend Fritz (Timothy Olyphant).
To start, the concept of the film is well done - it's set in Colorado, which is a refreshing change of pace from the streets of NYC. The cinematography is fresh, and the color palette, full of lush greens, browns, and blues, is nice to look at. There's also a certain mid-2000s charm to the characters' outfits, lifestyles, sets, and of course, the soundtrack, which hits me right in the millennial feels.
There's something very special and memorable about the plot element of Gray deciding to move into her fiance's old house. It's very obvious the director took care to make sure the setting of the house was cozy, lived in, and full of the types of quirks that you'd imagine young renters in Colorado would put up with, like converted bedrooms, sliding doors, and a sticky front door that's just annoying enough... This type of attention to detail contributes to us viewers feeling truly immersed in the characters' lives. It also makes for quite interesting character interactions, in which the house becomes highly incorporated into pivotal scenes, such as Gray and Fritz's first night together, and Gray subsequently sneaking around and hiding the relationship from the other housemates.
I also especially liked how all of the characters are shown dealing with their grief in different ways, following the loss of their best friend/roommate/fiance. Sam, for example, eats and drinks his feelings and skips out on work. Dennis keeps himself busy at all times and hovers around Gray trying to feel useful. Gray and Fritz are both surface-level keeping it cool, but on the inside are in a lot of turmoil. Their character dynamic works well together, the chemistry between the actors is palpable, and I was rooting for them to get together.
I think what doesn't work in this film, and probably the reason it has mixed reviews, are the major plot holes and slightly unexplained storyline elements.
The parts concerning Gray's late fiance's will and legal issues require more attention from viewers, or else it's easy to miss why she's broke. Additionally, Fritz and Gray's relationship could have used a lot more exposition and development. I think the director intended us to find Fritz gross, vulgar, and immature, so it was a little confusing why they wouldn't have had a few more clashing moments to build the tension before their big kiss.
My desire to know more about Fritz also extends to Sam and Dennis. There's too many moments where viewers are left to "choose their own adventure" and fill in the blanks. I acknowledge that it's often hard for directors to strike a good balance between telling the audience the story, while being sure not to hold their hands, but unfortunately this film teeters on being a little too vague. It's a shame because again, the concept and plot of the film are super interesting and creative - it's just that it's missing that extra layer of character and story development that would make this film a real hit.
Overall, I think this film has earned a place in the early 2000s romcom/dramedy lineup. The characters are easy to like, the acting performances are well done, and the story is a realistic look at how grief upends people's lives and emotions. It's not necessarily a 10/10 film, but I'm comfortable saying it's a hidden gem for people who love the genre.
Encanto (2021)
Solid with a few minor flaws
Encanto is a story about the magical Madrigal family, who use their magic Gifts to help the people in their town. The family's matriarch, Abuela Alma, at first appears very loving, caring, and protective over her family, but we viewers soon come to find that she runs a very tight ship and there is no margin for error - the Madrigals are born to be special and they must uphold that facade. They must be helpful and perfect at all times... otherwise, what use is their Gift?
In comes the main protagonist Mirabel, who does not receive a Gift in the same traditional way as the rest of her family, and is thus somewhat cast aside by Abuela. While nobody ever outright treats Mirabel badly for not being Gifted, it's quite obvious her family members either pity her, ignore her, or guilt her for her apparent lack of a Gift. The irony was not lost on me that although Abuela is not necessarily magical herself, Abuela treats Mirabel, the only other non-magical family member, perhaps the worst, and after Mirabel has a vision of seeing their house cracking, Abuela deems Mirabel an outright threat to the family's way of life.
I liked this movie particularly because (1) Maribel's story does not need to revolve around a romantic love interest, and (2) there wasn't a traditional villain to take down (and no, Abuela is not a villain despite the countless memes). Rather, the villain or threat to the characters' world as they know it, is themselves.
Abuela, for instance, ultimately learns to give up control and stop being so protective of her family, who was unable to grow or evolve under her staus quo. Isabela learns that she doesn't have to use her powers to maintain a certain graceful, feminine image at all times. Luisa learns that even the strongest people can use some help with heavy lifting. The other family members additionally all have something to gain from their family 'losing' their magic, but it is Mirabel, our beloved unmagical black sheep, who discovers that she has been Gifted all along. Her Gift, as I understand it, is her family, and being able to bring everyone together.
Despite a lovely message, I did find the storyline to be teetering the line of underexplaining things. I'm a big fan of children's movies like this that don't need a character unrealistically conversing or monologuing about things that they, in reality, would never feel the need to talk about randomly. I also believe that the best children's movies are the ones that know most kids understand complex concepts and they don't necessarily need to see slapstick animal sidekicks or talking snowmen to stay engaged (see Studio Ghibli). While Encanto has some of these qualities, I do think a little bit *too *much was left for interpretation.
I see a high probability of kids and even adults who watch this movie asking questions about the ending, being unable to grasp the hints that Mirabel is actually Gifted, or that one of the reasons Abuela dislikes Mirabel is because they are more similar than different. I think a little more story development in the final act of the story was definitely needed.
In regards to some critiques about the film having too many characters, under any other circumstances I may agree, but in the context of this being a Columbian family, where larger families and different generations living together are the norm, it made complete sense.
The Royal Treatment (2022)
Bland and disappointing
Izzy is a girl from an old school Italian family, who works at a hair salon and lives on 183rd street in New York... At first I thought the lack of saying East or West meant this was taking place in Queens, but the idiosyncrasies galore suggest this fabled place may as well been in all five boroughs. Thus sets the tone for how the rest of this movie plays out.
The absolutely baffling inconsistency continues as Izzy meets a handsome prince and schools him on how to be an anticapitalist before running out the door halfway through his haircut. While I wholeheartedly agree with Izzy to eat the rich, the scenes feel pandering and absolutely inserted to give her the only one cognizable personality trait in the entire film ~ that she enjoys helping others (though we never learn concretely what her motivation is for this), and is very outgoing.
On an off chance, the Prince appears flattered by Izzy's extraversion and "honesty" (read: she's the only poor, working class person he's ever spoken to), her and her friends are offered the chance to head the makeup/hair for the Prince's upcoming royal wedding in his faux home country.
Cut to perhaps the worst in-universe country/culture I have ever possibly seen. There are French, English, Australian, Scottish, etc characters, and then there's the Prince and his family, who are unintendedly American for some reason, even though their family has ruled this country for generations...
While I was able to read between some lines and understand that perhaps the true intention of the writers was that this country is supposed to represent unity and harmony across ethnicities and race, I highly doubt viewers with less observation or imagination would come to the same conclusion. To the average layperson, it's just confusing. Nothing is ever explained, and it really puts a damper on being able to empathize with this fake country or engross yourself in their world. (For a film with great world-building and immersion in a faux country, see Princess Diaries 2.)
Similarly in the scenes depicting the "slum" of the country, the writers are undecided of whether these characters are just poor and wearing rags, or if these rags are some sort of cultural statement. Either way, it's just another opportunity for Izzy to slide in some anticap rhetoric, that this time feels even more pandering than it did before.
Don't get me wrong, I love films that can talk about class issues - but with the blatant, plot-moving, calling-out of injustices the way Izzy does, you'd think there would be some discussion on how the people of the "slums" got to be in such dire economic straits? Nope. Although it would seem that the person responsible for their people living in poverty is the Prince's father, any chance for the Prince to actually bring that up or question anything is dampened by his utter lack of any backbone. Because of this, I found myself rooting more and more for Izzy to NOT marry this guy by the end of the film, aside from the leads also just having a lack of chemistry.
Overall, this movie is good for background noise, watching with kids, or watching on those nights you decide to eat from the whole pint of Ben and Jerry's. The story and its characters are overall bland and disappointing, along with some god-awful fake accents and odd acting choices.
The only reason I'm giving it a couple stars is because there are a few cute moments, primarily involving Izzy's mom and grandma, the sleazy building super, Izzy's hairdressing friends, and the true star of the show, the Prince's faithful butler with a long-lost gay love story that i would have rather spend 1.5 hours watching instead. All of these background characters steal the show in whatever scene they're in and make things more watchable.