The Cinema Lounge: Evil Dead

 Remakes are usually very under whelming. The big trend now that seems to have been going on for a century is to remake movies, particularly horror movies. Now some of them can be good, I'll admit. Though it was no where near the original, the Halloween remake was decent enough, as were the two Romero remakes Dawn of the Dead and The Crazies. But most of the time producers give us unimaginative garbage that is either complete garbage or a total unoriginal rehash of the original that begs questions like, "Did we really need a remake of Nightmare on Elm Street?" So naturally when news broke that there was going to be a remake made of The Evil Dead my immediate response was, really? You're gonna try and remake one of the biggest cult horror movies and try to get away with it? Pssh, good luck with that. And as the hype grew and more and more information about the film was released I actually began to become intreagued with this film. For one thing, Raimi and Campbell were producing which was a big sign to the fans of the original. Also, the new director Fede Alvarez had some hype behind him as well. This was his first feature but he has a good number of pretty damn good short films under his belt. I really started to get excited about it when I heard that it was brought to the MPAA for a rating and right off the bat it got slapped with the dreaded NC-17, which for this film they were apparently very proud of. It was brought down to an R rating with some editing though, but a hard R at that.After all of this hype and news about the film I did get a bit more excited for it but I was still on the fence about it. That is, until I saw the red band trailer and by god was that a glorious way to draw in movie goers, spotlighting the films more serious tone compared to the original and more realistic gore.

As I've said the film is directed by new comer Fede Alvarez and produced by Sam Raimi, director of the original series, and Bruce Campbell, the king of all things B-movie and star of the original series. The movie stars a young up and coming cast of actors in the forms of Jane Levy as Mia, Shiloh Fernandez as David, Lou Taylor Pucci as Eric, Jessica Lucas as Olivia, and Elizabeth Blackmore as Natalie. All of these characters do have connections with each other but they are never fleshed out all that well or they are with very bad exposition. And that is the biggest flaw of this remake, the writing.

The film starts off much like the original with five friends going to a cabin in the woods to have a fun time and to help their friend Mia kick a drug addiction. The first twenty minutes is all terribly forced exposition about the character's past relationships, mainly focusing on that of Mia and David, two estranged siblings who haven't seen each other in quite sometime, or at least I think that's the relationship shared between the two because it is never fully developed or even all that good. The rest of the cast are just kind of there for the most part except for Eric who has the best lines of the piece and is the one responsible for the whole thing happening because he thinks it's a good idea to read from a book that was found in the creepy basement of the cabin in a room where dead animals are hanging from the ceiling, is wrapped up in barbed wire, is bound in human skin, and that displays multiple notes throughout it that says DO NOT READ THIS BOOK ALOUD OR SHIT'S GONNA GO DOWN essentially. The others aren't all that much smarter either, as they all constantly do stupid things that are commonly seen in the horror genre. Although this may actually have been the intention made by Alvarez who also served as one of the writers as well as director on the film. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt but if the writing was done on purpose it does make sense and gives the film a depth of humor that on the surface it is missing.

Besides the writing everything else about the film is pretty damn solid. Alvarez's direction is great. The film is shot very well and the key decision to only use practical effects over CGI was what really makes this movie shine. The gore scenes are spectacular, although they would have been even better if I hadn't seen the trailers for it because they do spoil a lot of the best parts but there are a few choice moments that weren't shown that still would make you cringe, particularly the scenes which include either cutting off or ripping off arms and hands. The film gets so gory and over the top that by the end of the film it literally starts raining blood from the sky. The final "battle" with a chainsaw is also very satisfying. If you have seen the trailers though, each of the scenes in them do have more to them so they weren't completely spoiled but going in fresh would have been a better way to go.

The performances from the cast got the job done and the stand out is definitely Jane Levy. She has the engrossing task of giving a troubled drug addict girl performance one minute, then an Exorcist- like demon performance the next. Lou Taylor Pucci would be the other notable cast member for a darkly humorous role which involves getting injured, a lot. The rest of the cast is unfortunately not all that memorable although the identities of who lives and who dies is a bit unpredictable which is a big plus for the troubled script.

Evil Dead is a good remake of a classic horror gem. The problems really only come from the script which is kind of a big deal but it is possible that it was intentional. This movie is about the experience of watching it, and when characters say or do dumb things it is very enjoyable to her the audience groan or laugh or actually yell at the screen altogether, so even with it's problems they aren't a deal breaker for the movie. The gore scenes are the whole purpose of seeing this and you won't be disappointed. While it doesn't surpass the original, it does entertain in it's own right, and if you're a fan of the originals or classic gory ultra- violent films, than you'll love Evil Dead.

FINAL GRADE: B

The Cinema Lounge: Oz the Great and Powerful

JOKE ABOUT CONFUSING THIS WITH THE HBO SERIES. Now that that's out of the way, Oz the Great and Powerful stars James Franco as the main man himself known as Oz, Mila Kunis as Theodora, Rachael Weisz as Evanora, Michelle Williams as Glinda, Zach Braff as Finley, and Joey King as the China Girl. The movie is directed by Sam Raimi of The Evil Dead and Spider-man series fame and this is his best looking film yet.

I'm gonna start with the positives first because unfortunately there aren't many. The movie looks fantastic, I really love the effects used in this especially for Finley and China Girl. They really look great and seem like they totally belong in the world that they're in. As far as performances go, the voice over work is very very good for the CGI characters. This actually made me kind of like Zach Braff, which is no small feat mind you, and Joey King was perfect for the little China Girl. The live action performances were unfourtunatly not as good as the voice over work but Michelle Williams and Rachael Weisz both do a good job and the scenes with them together are some of the best.

The rest of the film goes downhill from here. The performances from Franco and Kunis are, just, bad. I suppose the characters that they are playing should be a bit over the top but it seems like too much. Franco really hams it up throughout the whole thing, never really letting up, although it does work in a few scenes but only a few. When Oz is putting on his show and is over acting  it makes sense but than he continues to act the same way for the rest of the movie. I really wish Robert Downy Jr. would've played Oz. He was lined up for the job but there was a scheduling conflict with Iron Man 3, so obviously he couldn't do it, but throughout the movie I just kept thinking that it would be so much better if he were in this. Shame.

Mila Kunis' character unfortunately never has a good scene. Ever. At least Franco was able to have two or three good scenes, but Kunis is just horrible in this. It's a shame really because she's proven that she can act. Whenever she's on screen though her performance is just so over the top it's not even funny, just annoying.

As far as the plot goes it is pretty much the same type of story as the original Wizard of Oz but with the wizard himself this time. It has a few twists and turns but they are so predictable. If you remember anything from the original movie than you will see all of the twists coming.

The movie as a whole works as a simple fun family film. As a normal film, it's kind of horrendous. But there definitely are moments in it that were able to recapture the magic that the original captured. This is mainly due to the wonderful effects and voice acting. Unfortunately the movie falls apart at when it comes to the story and acting, save for a few people. If you would like to revisit the world of Oz and really wanna see this than I'd say wait for it to come out on DVD and rent it. Otherwise, you wouldn't be missing much if you don't see this.

FINAL GRADE: C-

Top 10 Films of 2012

Alright, I know I'm kinda late on this list but not that late, I mean the Oscars did just happen. I also have finally seen every movie that has come out worth seeing, took me awhile to see Life of Pi and Cloud Atlas. So with that at of the way here is my list for the Top 10 Films of 2012. I'm going to start off with Honorable Mentions, just listing them in no particular order not going into detail, then I'll get to the list.

Each of these Honorable Mentions are fantastic films and I highly suggest all of them. In no particular order-
Honorable Mentions: Looper, , The Hobbit, The Hunger Games, Men in Black 3, The Woman in Black, 21 Jump Street, The Amazing Spider-man, Ted, The Expendables 2, Seven Psychopaths, Man With The Iron Fists, Les Miserable, Zero Dark Thirty, Chronicle, Dredd, Beasts of the Southern Wild

10.The Cabin in the Woods
Being a horror fan, I always try to see as many horror movie as I can every year. This is by far the one of the best horror movies in the past ten years. It's a movie where you really don't know where its going but when it gets there you are completely satisfied.

 9. Prometheus
This is a story that I have been waiting for since the first time I saw Alien. I've always been a huge fan of the series but there's always been one question, what's the deal with the space jockey? Prometheus answered this question, sort of. It's a great looking film with some very inventive story telling. It didn't drastically change the game but it's a welcome back for Ridley Scott to the genre that started his career.

8. Life of Pi
Took me awhile to see this one but I'm extremely glad I did. It's a beautifully crafted film with a heartwarming inspirational story and effects that look amazing. Going into it I wasn't sure if I was gonna like it but I'm very glad I took the chance on this. The only thing bringing this down is the ending which many people have complained about, but it wasn't that bad and I think it worked.

 7. Silver Linings Playbook
Defiantly had one of the best casts of the year and also a very well written film. The film also really shows the things that people who are bipolar go through and it does it very well. It was really great to see DeNiro in a good movie for once as well and he would have been well deserving of an Oscar for his performance.

6. Moonrise Kingdom
This is the film that got me into Wes Anderson and I'm extremely glad it did. It's a fun quirky comedy that also has the best script of the year, besides Django. After seeing this I watched all of Anderson's films and this easily sits as one of his best. I'd say its second only to The Royal Tenenbaums.

5. The Avengers
What can I say about this one. It was everything I had hoped for and more. The hype behind this one was so huge and it delivered on all aspects. The cast was amazing together, the story worked, it was fantastically shot, and it was filled with bad ass moments that a comic book movie fan would expect from this film. To me, this was the best comic book film of the year and delivered on things that fans were looking for, unlike some other comic book movies that came out this year that have the initails TDKR.

4. Cloud Atlas
This was another one that took me awhile to see but again I'm so happy I did. This was the must see movie of the year for the sheer scope and approach of it. This left many critics divided with some hating it and others adoring it. Obviously I'm on the latter's side. I've been waiting for a film like this to happen for a long time. I just love the idea of a genre crossing anthology type movie, and the idea for using the actors as different characters in the stories was genius, I think it really works. It looks stunningly beautiful and it's definitely the Wachowski's best film to date.  

3. Django Unchained
It was inevitable that the new Tarantino flick would find it's way onto my list being that I've loved everything the man has made so far. While Django isn't his best it is still a step above everyone else and that's what's great about Tarantino. His worst film could be considered someone elses best. This is one that you can really tell he's been wanting to make for a long time being that he is such a fan of spaghetti westerns, and his love for them really shines through. Its a very fun and well made film. If you are a Tarantino fan, you won't be disappointed.

 2. Lincoln
It's a bit surprising even to me that this isn't my number one pick because it is Spielberg at his best. This is another one that I was destined to love right from the start simply because it's Spielberg. His ability to capture a character's essence shines through in this love letter to his hero Abraham Lincoln. The decision to focus on just the one moment in time of the mans life really works and the decision to cast the great Daniel Day-Lewis as the man himself was also a brilliant move. It's been great to see Steven Spielberg bounce back from Indiana Jones 4 and the last three years have been very kind for the man putting out two very fine films, War Horse and The Adventures of Tin Tin, and one truly great film in the form of Lincoln.

1. Skyfall
This is the greatest Bond film ever made. Yes, better than Goldfinger. I never thought I'd see the day that a Bond movie would beat out Goldfinger as my favorite, but then I saw Skyfall and it blew me away. The action, the story, the cast, the beautiful cinematography, Sam Mendes's  direction, I mean everything was pitch perfect and this is is also the best performances by both Daniel Craig and Judi Dench of the series. It also has the greatest Bond villain as well in the form of Silva played tremendously by Javier Bardem, who was robbed an Oscar nod for his performance. It also delved way deeper into the Bond character than any other one of the franchise ever has. All of this put together is what makes this not only the best picture of the year, to me, but also the best Bond movie ever.

Netflix Reviews: Road To Perdition

 While browsing through Netflix I came across the Sam Mendes page and noticed that he made some films that I hadn't realized he made. Among them were Jarhead, Revolutionary Road, Away We Go, and Road To Perdition. The only things I heard about Road To Perdition before watching it were that it starred Tom Hanks, was based on a graphic novel, and that it was very underrated. I wasn't even aware that Mendes directed it. So I thought what the hell and put it on my queue. Now that I've finally watched it, I can honestly say that it has become one of my favorite movies of all time.

Road To Perdition stars Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Daniel Craig, Jude Law, and Stanley Tucci. Hanks plays a hitman for the mob in the 1930s. His boss, played by Paul Newman, thinks of Hanks like a son, even though he already has a son whose played by Daniel Craig. Hanks' character, Michael, is also married and has two sons. When his oldest son discovers that his dad kills for the mob, Craig's character, Connor, decides that he may tell people about what he saw and goes after Michael's wife and younger son. With the mob on his tail including an assassin, played by Jude Law, Michael tries to stay alive, and will do anything to make sure no harm comes to his son.

Let me start off by saying that film looks absolutely beautiful. This was famed cinematographer Conrad L. Hall's final film before his death in 2003 and it just may be his best work. He also worked on Cool Hand Luke, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, and American Beauty, among other films. One scene in particular is that of one of the final ones in the film with Hanks and Newman in the rain. It's gorgeous and executed brilliantly.

Now I must admit I've only seen one film of Sam Mendes' and that's Skyfall but after watching that it immediately made me a fan of his and this film launched him into my favorites. He does a fantastic job hear, every shot is beautiful and every interaction is gripping. He totally gets the heart of the story and brings it out front and center, the relationships between fathers and sons. And not just between Hanks and his son but also Paul Newman and Daniel Craig. Both pairs start out about the same at the beginning but as the film goes on they become complete foils of each other, mainly Hanks' son and Craig.

Craig is basically what Hanks' son could be depending on what path he chooses to take with his life. Follow in his father's footsteps, or lead a good life away from crime and murder. This is an important point to the film and stays with it throughout all the way up to an ending that could have been ruined easily if Mendes were to let the son do something instead of Hanks. (Trying to keep it as spoiler free as I can.)

The cast is simply spectacular. I love seeing Tom Hanks in more gritty kinds of roles like this and he shines as the lead. Paul Newman is of course brilliant and does a great job as the mob boss. Jude Law plays a different role than his usual mo here as well and he is creepy and intimidating, just as he should be. Daniel Craig plays the scolded son just trying to earn his father's approval very well and shows that even back in 2002 he had amazing acting chops. Tyler Hoechin plays Hanks' son, Michael Jr, and even he does very well here too. The cast as a whole gives an amazing performance.

I'm kind of a sucker for father son stories that include  both a literal journey and metaphorical journey i.e. The Road, and this one is also fully developed and realized. The relationship that evolves between the two is really very touching to watch. The film even manages to bring some humor into it as well when the relationship really starts to bud.

I mentioned this before but the film really reminds me of Shawshank Redemption. Not just in reputation, but in plot and tone. Hell even some shots were almost exact. There's a beach scene that resembles Shawshank in such a way that it made think I knew exactly what was going to happen and yet the film still surprised me.

Road To Perdition is just an amazing film. Everything about it is just damn near perfect. The look, the story, the acting, the themes, even the music all of it just works and fits together so well that it makes a very brilliant and a very different kind of gangster movie. It was totally underrated in it's time and deserved way more nominations, if not awards themselves, then it got. I'm just happy that I got to see it and that this beautiful gem didn't fly under my radar. 

 FINAL GRADE: A+

Netflix Reviews: The Watch

Okay so I've finally seen the critically panned comedy The Watch. When this first came out I was actually looking forward to seeing it. I mean it starred some of the funniest guys in the business today plus it was the first prominent American film role for Richard Ayoade who some may know from the British comedy show The IT Crowd. What I'm saying is, it had potential.

The Watch stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, Richard Ayoade, and Will Forte. The plot centers around a small town that has been invaded by aliens that kill people and wear their skin to blend in. Ben Stiller's character, Evan, takes it upon himself to form a neighborhood watch to protect the town from the alien invaders.

In all honesty, I didn't think this movie was that bad when I was watching it. It had some funny lines and the cast was decent enough. Probably the biggest problem is it doesn't leave a lasting impression really. It's not a quotable kind of film either like Anchorman or Dodge ball, though it does aspire to be. 

It kind of reminds of the movie Role Models. Both have some good ideas and both got some laughs out of me. Not huge laughs, mind you, but a few here and there. Both also don't live up to their full potential and could be really hilarious but just end up being okay.

It's definitely not as bad as all the reviews for it say but it could've been better. The characters are likeable enough, though Vaughn can get a bit annoying after awhile. Do I recomend it? Not exactly but if you're a fan of the cast and debating on whether or not to see it, I say go for it. You come away with a few laughs at the very least. If you want a hilarious comedy though I'd go with 21 Jump Street which was the funniest comedy of the year.

FINAL GRADE: C

The Cinema Lounge: Mama

 Before going into this movie I decided I was gonna have a little drinking game going while I watched. The game was very simple, take a drink every time the word mama was said or seen on screen. Now unfortunately for me I had no alcohol on me at the time so I just used water instead to see how long it would take for me to finish my drink. Took about a little over half the movie for one water bottle. However if I had come prepared and brought a large bottle of whiskey with me it would've been gone in the last thirty minutes. Anyway, let's dive in.

Mama is a horror film produced by Guillermo del Toro and is directed by Andres Muschietti in his first feature length directorial effort. The film came about when del Toro saw Muschietti's short film that the movie is based on. Del Toro being impressed he decided that the short film was worthy of a feature length counter part. Now I've seen the short film and if that alone impressed del Toro, than the man is easily impressed.

The cast is a pretty decent one. Jessica Chastain stars in the lead role hot off the success of her Oscar nominated performance in the, over- hyped, Zero Dark Thirty. She does a fantastic job here as well playing a rather different part from any previous roles. She's accompanied by Nikolaj Coster- Waldau who plays her... boyfriend? fiancee? husband? I don't know it's not exactly clear but he does a fine job as well. Or at least until he's sidelined for most of the movie. Seriously, what's with these Jessica Chastain movies where the lead male has a big presence in the first thirty minutes but then just leaves for most of it and then pops back up at the end? I'm seeing a pattern here.

As far as the two little girls in the movie go, they do an okay job. Although they do stretch the boundary between cute and annoying a little to often. The older one, the character's name is Victoria, does most of the talking while the the younger one, Lily, is just there to creep everybody the fuck out.

Now on to Mama herself, or itself or whatever. Mama is basically just a ghost. One of the big problems with the film is that it's more of the same. It just copies every other modern ghost movie in ideas and images. Her design is where this is most apparent. I think back to The Woman In Black, a film that I very much enjoyed, and I remember the look of the ghost. In that it wasn't so much how vivid in detail or how great the effects were, cause they were maybe only a little better than Mama's, but it was how it was shot and it really created great fear and tension when ever the ghost was looming over a scene. In Mama, however, the ghost is reduced to nothing but shitty jump scares and effects that aren't good enough to show for long periods of time like they do.

The film does have a few good things going for it though. Jessica Chastain is great in this and she keeps the movie watchable. A few of the scares are decent enough, but only a few. The rest of the film is either average or just down right idiotic and lame. And the ending is so dumb, it was honestly hard for me not to get up, give the screen the finger, shout "Fuck you movie.", and leave.

It suffers from not only being a horror movie rated PG-13 but also from living in an age where CGI is over used. Now I personally do like CGI but only when it needs to be used and is so good you can barely believe it's not real i.e. 2009's Star Trek. CGI in a horror movie just doesn't work when the villain is all computer. Not only does it look bad but psychologically it's just not scary because you know for a fact that there's nothing there. I also feel CGI blood is a sin against nature, but one step at a time.

I felt that the movie deserved about a C for most it, but the ending brought it down enormously. It's kind of a shame cause I haven't seen a good del Toro produced horror movie in a long time. Here hoping that the awesome looking Evil Dead remake is as good as that trailer for it is. If you haven't seen it yet, get on over to Youtube and watch it cause you're in for a good time.

FINAL GRADE: D

The Cinema Lounge: The Last Stand

Well it's been about a decade since the governator has been in the role as lead action hero. His last true outing in the genre was in Terminator 3 then he went on to bigger things when he became the governor of California. Now he's back in the Jee-woon Kim directed action movie, The Last Stand.

The Last Stand centers around a sheriff from a small town on the Texas/ Mexico border. Along with him are his three deputies who are used to a simple life as far police work goes being that nothing ever really happens in their quaint little town. The sheriff is on his weekend off while most of the occupants of the town go with the high school football team to an out of town game. Meanwhile, the FBI lose a captive fugitive who steals an insanely fast sports car and plans to cross the Mexican boarder. But he makes a big mistake when he tries to cross through Arnold's town.

So the movie basically plays out how you'd think. Bad guy is smart enough to out smart the FBI, bad guy goes through small town, bad guy meets Arnold, Arnold beats the shit out of him. It's a simple enough premise and in theory it works pretty well as a return movie for Schwarzenegger. But let us keep in mind that this is, after all, A SCHWARZENEGGER MOVIE. So obviously this has some very bad and very dumb moments in it, with some fun action and gun play.

The main thing that brings down the movie is Arnold himself. He hasn't been front and center on screen in awhile and boy does it show. I mean the guy was no Gregory Peck, but in  my opinion he was never cringe worthy bad or anything. Unfortunately here, he's just that. Part of it has to do with the dialogue I must admit but I think he still needs some time to get back into the swing of things.

As far as supporting cast goes there are some familiar faces along with Arnold. The most prominent, or at least the most prominently made by the trailer, the poster, and every single T.V. spot I saw for this movie, would be Johnny Knoxville even though he's only in it for about 20 minutes altogether (thankfully). Forrest "If- there's- a- paycheck- involved- I'll- take- the- part" Whitaker does an over the top, but at times hilarious, job of being the FBI agent in charge of the situation, who also sucks at his job. The other two notables are Peter Stormare (Fargo) who plays one of the over the top villains and Luis Guzman... You know, that one guy who was in a bunch of stuff. Yeah him.

This was Jee-woon Kim's American directorial debut, though he does have a sort of cult following for his foreign films like "I Saw The Devil" and "A Tale of Two Sister", mostly horror work. For his first American movie, welllllllll, hey it could've been worse. I still have to see his other work but it does look promising.

The one interesting thing the film has going for it, is the fact that this is basically a western. Now not in the complete and utter literal sense but when you really analyze the film there are a lot of western elements to it. It was obviously heavily influenced by them at least. The film also has a weird theme through out between old verses new. For example, Arnold has a gun fight with one of the villains. The villain is holding an old timey Smith and Wesson looking gun, while Arnold uses a more modern day version of that. It's a bit odd and the message that they would seem to be conveying is "New good. Old Bad." which doesn't really favor kindly to Arnold when you think about it.

All in all the movie is along the lines of Commando. It's bad but it's not BAD. If anything it's at least enjoyable and that's really all you could want from a Schwarzenegger movie. The biggest problem with the film, aside from technical things that don't really matter in an Arnold movie, is that it isn't very memorable and doesn't leave a lasting impression really.

While this wasn't the mega success most people thought it would be, it was a decent enough starting point for Arnold to return to acting. And while it may not make the big bucks like it was predicted to, one thing's for sure, Arnold is back.

FINAL GRADE: C

The Cinema Lounge: Silver Linings Playbook

Take an award winning director, an independent film actress turned mega star franchise actress, a comedic actor trying to branch out into dramas, a comedic-romantic story line containing thoughts on mental illness, and Chris Tucker dancing and you'd get Silver Linings Playbook. Directed by David O. Russell hot off the critical and commercial success of the Oscar nominated film The Fighter. Silver Linings Playbook itself is nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Director.

The film stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Chris Tucker. The plot centers around Patrick (Cooper), a former substitute teacher in Philadelphia who, after spending time in a mental institution, moves back in with his parents and attempts to reconcile with his ex-wife. His life is turned upside down when he meets a girl by the name of Tiffany (Lawrence), who also has a few issues as well.

The cast is pretty stellar with everyone having a chance to shine. Bradley Cooper finally gets a more dramatic role that can show just how good he is. Jennifer Lawrence is wonderful as Tiffany and out of the list of nominated actresses this year, definitely deserves to get recognized as best actress at the Oscars. It's refreshing to see De Niro in a role that's actually worthy of him for once instead of something like New Year's Eve, and he really does a fantastic job here. It's a shame De Niro is up against the likes of Christoph Waltz this year for Best Supporting because this is the best I've seen him in years but compared to Waltz's performance I doubt he'll get it, though if he did it would be wholeheartedly deserved. I must admit it was also nice to see Chris Tucker pop up in something again after a few years of living under a rock somewhere. He plays a friend of Patrick's from the mental institution who consistently finds ways of breaking out to come hang out with his pal.

The plot of the film isn't necessarily anything special but the dialogue and reactions of characters with each other is really where it takes form. Cooper and Lawrence have excellent chemistry together and have many humorous and even sometimes outright hilarious moments, although their relationship felt eclipsed by the relationship between Cooper and De Niro. The father son relationship really went through a lot with De Niro having to deal with Cooper's health problems and even his own OCD and superstitions that mirror his son's mental problems. By the end of the film it was that relationship that felt completely fleshed out and that it truly went through a sort of metamorphosis.

The film is great and barely falters until the very end. There were a few ways it could have ended to truly make it great, but unfortunately the film plays it safe and it really suffers from that. Though I do very much like how it ends with Copper's father and wife. If Russell could have just taken a chance and maybe even leave the end a bit ambiguous  it would have really improved it and maybe even made this the best film of the year as a whole. But as it stands it's an enjoyable, way-above-average, rom-com with a talented cast and some truly funny moments.

FINAL GRADE: B+