Reviews

Bernard is a goofball workaholic who is unappreciated by his miserly boss. He's too much of a mouse to quit and doesn't prioritize his family, leading to a bad result.

Flora is a genie who somehow has been in a box for 2,000 years when Bernard shines it up. And chaos ensues.

We always enjoy Melissa McCarthy. But, this movie is just so silly. And they left holes, many holes in the script. It's nice that the workaholic learns the error of his ways, but how didn't he wish for his own successful business at some point, and what happened to the mystery note toward the end? They left that completely dangling.

I enjoyed the other actors a lot. Just wish they'd all had more to work with.

My husband and I went to Florence in April. On the south side of the Arno River is the Pinocchio Store. The proprietor has been selling all things Pinocchio for 30 years. He had several versions of the book, including Disney and a few editions by Carlo Collodi, the original author. He steered me to one printed with the original illustrator, so probably the closest to the original 19th century book.

The only resemblances to this film are the carnival and the sea creature. Pinocchio has to go through a lot more to learn his lessons in the book.

The film delves deeper into backstory, changes the time period, and, the arc of the relationship between Pinocchio and Gepetto.

The made-up first son of the woodworker is named Carlo. Must be a tribute to Carlo Collodi.

It changes the mystical aspect, as well. And, there are some holes in the story.

All that said, the film is really well made. The stop motion animation is amazing. Except for the holes in the story, it's well written and directed. Can't beat the star power, either.

Even my husband, who is not an animation fan, thoroughly enjoyed it.

It's dark, but so is the original. So are many of the old folktales. They were written to teach life lessons.

Today's children's stories are, in my mind, too sanitized and they talk down to kids. This film doesn't do that, one reason I liked it.

I love most of the actors that are in this film. My husband and I enjoy romcoms. We literally look for new ones to watch. But this is the second new streamer-produced romcom we've seen lately that flops. Honestly, Prime's Shotgun Wedding is worse. We couldn't even finish that one.

No wonder the streamers are losing money. It's not just about the stars. It's not about the premise. It's about the writing and directing. In the case of Your Place or Mine, I agree with other reviewers that this is a poor use of Reese Witherspoon's talents. It's true of the other actors, as well.

Netflix and others need to look past the premise and the stars and READ the script before green-lighting. If they had, perhaps they'd have noted that it's disjointed, not particularly funny, and that the characters themselves aren't at all real. There is no depth or logic to any of the characters. It doesn't have to be a lot for a romcom!

The leads are both supposed to be inherently creative types. She is supposed to be a repressed editor.

Ashton Kutcher is supposed to be a clandestine writer and avid reader. Yet, his apartment is barren. Even his books are on the shelf by color, presumably decorated by a professional designer. He is revealed to be a marketing consultant who can't commit to a company nor to a woman. Marketing is often a creative career, and I don't know a single marketing person who would have an apartment like what they portray for him. That apartment would suit a techie, perhaps, or, indeed, a math whiz. The Porsche works, and his sense of humor work. The fact that he reads a lot works. But that's it. His character isn't complete. Kutcher does the best he can with this, but it just doesn't connect.

Reese's character is supposed to be like an old hippie. Long skirts, jean jackets, bohemian. Her house fits that. However, the screenwriter has her in a completely nonsensical career in math. Math? She reads voraciously. She was probably an English major in college. We don't really know if she's ever edited, but it's what she wants to do, just doesn't think it's practical. Why did the writer put her in some kind of math class? And for what job? That's never revealed that I saw. Why wasn't SHE in marketing for a career? Sales, even? Those and others would make more sense than some indistinct job in math for everything else about her character. Plus all of her week-long shenanigans in LA wouldn't have given her time to study to actually pass a test. Is she naturally a math wiz? I didn't see the evidence in her personality as written.

No, romcoms aren't typically in-depth. But the good ones do better than this. The best in class is When Harry Met Sally. It not only had good acting, but an excellent script for them to work with.

And, in good romcoms, there is chemistry. I didn't see that among any of the characters. It was as if they were all independently floating through the movie, especially Steve Zahn's character of the neighbor. What exactly was the point of his character? The only character with any depth was the kid, Wesley Kimmel, and his scenes were fun. This was also a poor use of Tig Notaro. She's naturally funny, and some of her lines worked. But again, no depth, no engagement.

Netflix, stop scrimping on writing. If a new writer needs a chance, at least get someone with more experience to help them hone good, worthy scripts. Please!

Come Sunday, to me, is an amazing film. It is a look inside the belief system of fundamentalist Christians. This is not the belief system to which I have ever belonged. So watching Carlton Pearson's transformation and how he was ostracized for his revelations, moved me greatly and kept me riveted. They assembled some truly great actors for this film, from Chiwetel Ejiofor, to Martin Sheen. Based on a true story. It was apparently difficult to have this film made due to the subject matter and fears of protest. I'm personally very glad they were able to get it done. Not to put down those who sought to punish Rev. Pearson for abandoning their tribe, but because it was so uplifting how he found his true path and offered hope for others. I look for transformation in characters as I watch serious films. This film and it's actors transformed as few films do. I highly recommend this.

I first discovered the books while in South Africa for a cultural exchange 4-1/2 years ago. I've read many of them, as they've been released in this country, since. I had high hopes for the series, and actually decided to keep HBO because of it! Other than some modifications in plot (the hairdresser is not in the books, neither is Grace Makutsi's brother) the series keeps the tone of the books. This program is not filled with suspense. It is not a thriller.

To me, this is wonderful! Everything doesn't have to raise your blood pressure! The reason I love the books and the series is because it is gentle. The character of Mma Ramatswe uses both the principals of detective work and her intuition to solve the mysteries of Gaborone, Botswana. It is a feel-good series, that, at least so far, is appropriate for families. It is my favorite show right now!