Current Releases
BABY MAMA With Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler and other comedians routinely hoarding the screens in our nation’s multiplexes, here come Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to remind audiences that girls just want to have fun. Indeed, the Cyndi Lauper hit of that name is granted its own karaoke-set scene, and its inclusion is fitting in a movie that’s similarly pointed, joyous, and light on its feet. This stars Fey as Kate Holbrook, a successful businesswoman who, upon finding out that she only has a one-in-a-million chance of getting pregnant, turns to an agency to provide her with a surrogate mom; she ends up getting Angie Ostrowiski (Poehler), who clearly resides several rungs down the social ladder. The plot complications arrive with clockwork precision, and it’s this rigid formula (along with a ludicrous happy ending) that prevents a fine movie from being even better. Yet judging it strictly on its comic merit, Baby Mama delivers (pun not intended, I assure you). Scripter Michael McCullers (who also directed) serves up several killer quips guaranteed to remain among the year’s freshest, and the two perfectly cast leading ladies are backed by an engaging mix of emerging talents. Yet it’s the old pros who really shine: Sigourney Weaver is suitably smug as the head of the surrogate center, gamely being shellacked by some of the script’s best zingers, while Steven Martin is perfect as the owner of an organic health food chain. Martin’s ponytailed character is a real piece of P.C. work, and with this portrayal, the actor emerges as Baby Mama‘s mack daddy. ***
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN This C.S. Lewis adaptation is darker than 2005’s The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which seems to be the path taken by many second installments in film franchises (The Empire Strikes Back, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Back to the Future Part II, The Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation). In this one, the Pevensie kids – Peter (William Moseley), Susan (Anna Popplewell), Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley) – return to the magical land of Narnia, only to find a gloomy environment in which humans have taken over and all mystical creatures are hiding in the forests. Eventually, the woodland inhabitants, the Pevensie siblings and the dashing Prince Caspian (Ben Barnes) band forces to restore Narnia to its previous glory. A couple of familiar faces from the previous picture return, yet it’s cast newcomer Peter Dinklage (The Station Agent) who walks away with this film; he’s excellent as Trumpkin, a surly dwarf who aids the cause. As for the kids, this is clearly a case where girls rule while boys drool. Susan cuts a fierce figure as a warrior queen, while Lucy is allowed to establish the strongest bonds with the Narnians. On the other hand, the interesting Edmund is given too little to do, while Peter is only slightly less generic than fellow pretty-boy Caspian – whenever Peter and Caspian bicker, it’s like watching the leaders of two feuding boy bands get in each other’s faces. Overall, though, this is that rare sequel which improves upon the original; even the visual effects, shaky in the first film, are far more smoothly executed here. ***
DECEPTION It’s hard to believe a movie starring Hugh Jackman and Ewan McGregor, two impossibly charismatic actors, could be so dull, but the evidence is right here. McGregor stars as Jonathan McQuarry, a meek accountant who has no fun until a lawyer named Wyatt Bose (Jackman) swoops down like a slumming deus ex machina and introduces his new pal to the pleasures of pot, nightclubs and mixed doubles tennis matches. Just before Wyatt leaves town for a business trip, he “accidentally” switches cell phones with Jonathan; soon, the virginal numbers cruncher is receiving calls during which sexy female voices merely whisper, “Are you free tonight?” Passing himself off as Wyatt, Jonathan soon discovers an anonymous sex club in which the members all turn out to be Wall Street movers and shakers. Before long, though, he realizes he’s the victim of a major – wait, let me check the title again – deception. Since this is a costly studio project subject to MPAA approval (and we know what those prudes think about s-e-x), viewers looking for some steamy stimulation will soon discover they’re not getting Shortbus as much as they’re getting the short end of the stick. Indeed, the sex club turns out to be so irrelevant to the plot than the characters might as well have belonged to the Wine of the Month Club or Oprah’s Book Club instead. Ultimately, the movie packs less erotic heat than even Horton Hears a Who! or Young@Heart. This wouldn’t matter if the mystery was in any way compelling, but there are no surprises to be found anywhere along the way to its laughable finale. It’s best if Jackman sticks with the X-Men and leaves the XXX to others. *
IRON MAN Given their general status as popcorn flicks heavier on the decadent calories than on the nutritional value, I’m always pleasantly surprised at how much care Hollywood studios take when it comes to casting their superheroes in franchise flicks. With Iron Man, Paramount settled on an actor who turned out to be both unexpected and just right: Robert Downey Jr. is excellent in the film, and it owes much of its success to him. Centering on the Marvel Comics character created back in 1963, Iron Man shows how swaggering, self-centered inventor and industrialist Tony Stark (Downey), the U.S. military’s chief supplier of weapons of mass destruction, transforms into an armored superhero dedicated to fighting for peace (this is an even more liberal-minded superhero film than Batman Begins). Stark’s difficulties while perfecting his Iron Man persona provide the movie with many of its most amusing moments, as do the interludes between Stark and his faithful right-hand woman Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Indeed, the expository material is so engaging that the climactic battle between Iron Man and a villain known as Iron Monger comes as a massive letdown: After adding such a personal touch to the proceedings – even in earlier scenes involving CGI work – director Jon Favreau turns in a chaotic action climax that could have been lifted from any soulless Jerry Bruckheimer endeavor. Still, even this last-inning letdown can’t tarnish Iron Man‘s overall appeal. Just as Tony Stark needs a device to keep his heart pumping, Iron Man requires Downey’s presence to keep the heart of this franchise alive. ***
MADE OF HONOR When F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, “There are no second acts in American lives,” he couldn’t possibly have predicted the career of Patrick Dempsey. Those of us reviewing films back in the late ’80s/early ’90s remember Dempsey as a talentless 20-something who regularly turned up in bombs like Run and Loverboy. Dempsey largely went away for a decade before unexpectedly striking gold with Grey’s Anatomy. It must be said that middle age agrees with the 42-year-old Dempsey: As witnessed in Enchanted and now Made of Honor, he has settled into being a competent (if rather passive) romantic lead on the big screen. Unfortunately, those of us hoping for entertainment value beyond mere eye candy will be sorely left hanging with Made of Honor, the sort of romantic comedy that Hollywood spits out of the formula factory on a regular schedule. This cribs from the vastly superior My Best Friend’s Wedding in its portrayal of two longtime pals – one male (Dempsey’s womanizing Tom), one female (Michelle Monaghan’s brainy Hannah) – who have always been afraid that sex and love would ruin their perfect camaraderie. But once Hannah goes to Scotland for six weeks, Tom realizes that she’s been the right one all along; unfortunately, when she returns stateside, it’s with a fiancé (Kevin McKidd) in tow. The screenplay by Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont (the team behind Surviving Christmas and The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas) and newbie Adam Sztykiel doesn’t completely destroy a workable premise – the scribes are repeatedly bailed out by the likable cast – but comic desperation can be seen at alarmingly frequent intervals. **
MY BLUEBERRY NIGHTS My Blueberry Nights is a movie of firsts. It’s the first English-language picture helmed by acclaimed Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai (In the Mood for Love); it’s the first acting role for music star Norah Jones (landing the leading role in her maiden on-screen voyage); and it’s the first flick to manage the difficult feat of wasting the considerable talents of both Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman. Jones stars as Elizabeth, a New Yorker distraught over the breakup with her cheating boyfriend and pouring her sorrows out to sympathetic cafe owner Jeremy (Jude Law). One night, she elects to bolt from the city to find herself; her travels take her first to Memphis, where she befriends an alcoholic cop (David Straithairn) separated from – but still in love with – his flirtatious wife (Weisz), and then to a Nevada town, where she hooks up with a gambler (Portman) with daddy issues. As we can expect from master visualist Wong (working with ace cinematographer Darius Khondji), the dreamy, color-coordinated look of the film is the real star; it certainly has more presence than Jones, who’s merely adequate in her film debut. Her monotony stands in stark contrast to the broad turns by Weisz and especially Portman, both defeated by poorly defined caricatures. In fact, considering Wong’s reputation for creating memorable and sensitive female characters, it’s odd that the ones on view here aren’t especially noteworthy. Odder still is the fact that Elizabeth’s soul-searching is the result of – of all things – being dumped by a guy. Wong’s Hong Kong efforts are steeped in romanticism, but here, something clearly got lost in translation. **
SPEED RACER To complain about the excesses of Speed Racer would be like bitching that there are too many rib eyes kept on ice at your local steakhouse or that there are too many references to God in the Holy Bible. Anyone who ever watched the 1960s cartoon series should recall the frenetic pace, often blurry visuals and gaudy color schemes. In fact, those were the reasons kids tuned into the series in the first place; certainly, it wasn’t to marvel at the flat characterizations or infantile dialogue. Still, while there’s no denying the visual wizardry behind Speed Racer, visual wizardry is about all that the movie has going for it, and it’s hard to rally the troops behind so chilly a leader. The basic plotline deals with earnest Speed Racer (Into the Wild‘s Emile Hirsch) attempting to bring down the corrupt dynasty that controls the racing industry, but for the most part, the narrative form as we know it often doesn’t seem to exist in this film: The Wachowski Brothers (The Matrix) employ impressive CGI mixed with old-school techniques to create something of a mind meld – Peter Max by way of Andy Warhol by way of Dr. Seuss. Yet splashy colors and kinetic energy both have the ability to wear viewers down, especially when bombarding them for 135 minutes. Little children are sure to get antsy during this PG-rated confection, while adults need more subtext than a broad condemnation of rampant capitalism (the primary villain is cut from the same soiled cloth as today’s odious, profit-driven CEOs). Faring best amidst all the razzle-dazzle are John Goodman as Speed’s doughy dad and a scene-stealing chimp who deserves his own three-picture deal. **1/2
WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS When invited to join me at the press screening for What Happens In Vegas, a good friend declined, e-mailing, “I can only stand one Hollywood romantic comedy a year, and No Country for Old Men was it for me in ’08.” That quip’s funnier than anything found in the actual movie, and 20th Century Fox would have done well to hire him to pen the film’s screenplay. As it stands, this is the year’s umpteenth assembly-line rom-com, although it’s easier to take than most of its predecessors: It’s less obnoxious than Fool’s Gold, less forced than Made of Honor and less formulaic (well, by a sliver, anyway) than 27 Dresses. Cameron Diaz plays Joy, an ambitious Wall Street trader who’s just been dumped by her fiancé (Jason Sudeikis); Ashton Kutcher is Jack, a slacker who’s just been fired from the company business by his own dad (Treat Williams). They both decide to head to Vegas, where they meet, get drunk and wind up married. After sobering up, they realize they don’t even like each other, so once they’re back in New York, they try desperately to get a divorce; instead, the judge (Dennis Miller) sentences them to six months of marriage, requiring them to visit a counselor (Queen Latifah) weekly to monitor their progress. While the veterans in the cast are a welcome presence (especially Dennis Farina as Joy’s boss), the couple’s best friends are the same, nondescript group of dullards we usually get in movies like this. As for the leads, Diaz is typically winning, while Kutcher doesn’t blend in with the furniture as much as usual. **
YOUNG@HEART In the documentary Young@Heart, the work is already half-done within five minutes of the picture’s first frame. A movie about a group of senior citizens (average age: 80) who tour internationally as a chorus covering rock and pop hits? Who could possibly resist such a sweet premise? Fortunately, director Stephen Walker moves the material far beyond its easy setting as a simple, feel-good romp; by the time it’s all over, audience members will be moved (to laughter and tears), enlightened and inspired. Initially, the tone is light, as the first part of the film introduces us to the people who make up this Massachusetts-based choir. If remembering lyrics were all these folks had to worry about, then they’d have it pretty easy. Unfortunately, with their advanced years comes advanced ailments, and before long, some of them are having to make ever-increasing visits to the hospital to monitor heart and/or cancer conditions. Thus, the movie morphs from simply showing how the unifying power of music can cross all lines (including age and social class) to touching on the notion that these senior citizens, like sharks, need to constantly be moving to stay alive. That Death still makes a appearance or two while they’re pouring themselves into their songs makes our heartbreak all that more pronounced. Yet ultimately, Young@Heart is far from a bummer: Instead, it’s a tribute to this nation’s elderly, an ode to the power of the arts, and a salute to David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix and the other musicians whose songs have found new rhyme and reason thanks to these geriatric rockers. ***1/2
OPENS FRIDAY, MAY 30:
THE FALL: Lee Pace, Catinca Untaru.
SEX AND THE CITY: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall.
THE STRANGERS: Liv Tyler, Scott Speedman.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2008.
