"Don Jon" Movie Review

My review of "Don Jon" starring  Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore.

                                   "Don Jon"

         Published on Sept. 27, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

                               Wayback Machine Archive Post

                                                  Photo courtesy of Relativity Media

Don (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), called “Don Jon” because of his ability to sleep with the best looking woman in the club every night, is devoted to his family, his friends and his church.  He is also devoted to porn.  His world gets turned upside down when he starts dating Barbara Sugarman (Scarlett Johansson), who has big plans for Don.

A word of warning when you go see this film (and some of you may not after you hear this), there is quite a bit of small scenes of pornography in this R rated film. Don is addicted to on-line porn, and we see what he is watching.  None of the porn scenes are too graphic, but there are quite a few scenes of topless women gyrating on the screen. If you can get through the first fifteen minutes of the film, the scenes become less and less, but there is quite a bit in the early parts of this film.

Don, while quite the ladies’ man, would rather spend time watching the fantasy women in porn than spend time getting to know someone in the real world. This all changes when he meets Barbara, a woman who doesn’t fall for his moves or his lines.  Johansson is perfect in the role of Barbara, a woman that is so beautiful that a Lothario like Don is willing to change his ways and become a one-woman-man. Barbara  knows how to manipulate a guy into doing things he would not ordinarily do, like go to night school or give up the porn that he seems to love more than anything in the world. She does a marvelous job as a living, breathing “Jersey Girl,” bringing a stereotypical character to life, making  a character that is strait from the reality shows more real than anyone on “The Jersey Shore.”

Gordon-Levitt has the right stuff as an actor to pull off such a difficult role. Don is a guy that while a playboy, puts his family and friends first, so that while you might not like some of his lifestyle choices, you still root for the guy and Gordon-Levitt brings those qualities to the screen.  Gordon-Levitt is not only the star of the film, he also wrote and directed it. JGL shows a nice comedic touch to a film that could have easily been either heavy handed or could have gone way over the top with the stereotypical characters. Gordon-Levitt gives us characters that have depth and with Don, real growth.

Photo courtesy of Relativity Media

The supporting cast in this film is good, with Tony Danza as Don’s father, Julianne Moore as Esther, a classmate in night school with Don, and the versatile Brie Larson, who plays Don’s sister. Danza is especially good in his role as the man that Don will turn into if he keeps going down the road he is on. Danza’s performance never feels forced and is so much fun to watch.  Moore gives us, a reality check character, someone who doesn’t belong in Don’s world but is the perfect person to help him see what is important in life. As with just about any character Moore plays on screen, there is such an easy quality about her that instantly makes us want to like and trust her character. Larson, whose character for most of the film, is a “fly on the wall” sitting at the dinner table texting away on her phone with an attitude that shows that she has seen this all before. Larson comes through in her performance, when her character is asked to make a life changing statement to Don, delivering her lines with the force necessary for it to sink in.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt has given us a film that is funny and at times moving, about people whose priorities need to change in order for them to be happy and self-fulfilled. It’s a well done film that if you can get past the first fifteen minutes, you will thoroughly enjoy.

My Rating:  Bargain Matinee

Don Jon opens today at Atlanta area theatres.

Don Jon Facebook Page

"Thanks For Sharing" Movie Review

My review of "Thanks for Sharing" starring Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins, Gwyneth Paltrow.

                        "Thanks for Sharing"

      Published on Sept. 20, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

                               Wayback Machine Archive Post

                                                      Photo courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Thanks for Sharing (2013)

Adam (Mark Ruffalo) is a dedicated environmental consultant, Neil (Josh Gad)  is an emergency room doctor, and Mike (Tim Robbins)is a contractor; all come from different backgrounds and seem like they wouldn’t have anything in common. Except for the fact that they are all addicts in a support group… a support group for sex addiction. Adam is respected and looked up to by the members of the support group the three attend. Mike is seen as the leader of the group, well liked and caring, he always has time for his fellow group members.  Neil is new to the group and really hasn’t come to terms with being a sex addict, having been ordered by a judge to attend the meetings. Newly added to the group is Dede (Pink), who when seeing that she is the only female in the support group says “Wow, my last support group wasn’t such a sausage fest.”

Adam has been clean for 5 years and on advice from his sponsor, Mike, he has decided that he is ready to try and start dating again.  At a cooking class, he meets Phoebe (Gwyneth Paltrow), and they instantly hit it off, so much so that she gives him her number. Now, Mike must come to a decision; when does he tell Phoebe, a woman that he really likes, about his sex addiction.

This is a very strange film because it’s an adult romantic comedy where most of the principal players are sex addicts.  The film tries to be funny at times, sometimes going over the line with some slapstick scenes that Josh Gad’s character is involved with, but it never quite finds the mark.

Whereas, the plot line is a little too predictable, so that you know what is going to happen, right before it happens; not a good thing to bring out the laughs. The film does an admirable job of tackling such a tough subject as sex addiction, an addiction that society looks down on and doesn’t fully understand.  We see through the eyes of Adam, how difficult it must be in today’s society to be a sex addict, where you can’t walk down a NY street without being bombarded by ads that use sex as a selling tool.  To stay strait, Adam does not have a TV or a computer in his apartment, and when he goes on business trips, he goes as far as having the TV removed from the room.

The three male leads are outstanding in this film.  Ruffalo  plays Adam as a man we would instantly like, charming and humorous.  You can see why Gwyneth Paltrow’s character is attracted to him right from the start.  Ruffalo never disappoints on screen. This is one of his best performances, as we really get to see the man and all the conflicts that he has to overcome just to have a normal relationship with a woman.

Tim Robbins is equally good as the well-worn and seasoned Mike, who by his own admission, has put his family through hell but has come to a place where he can function normally and can use his knowledge to help others.

Josh Gad is becoming one of my favorite actors and does an outstanding job of showing us someone who is just starting to realize that he must get a handle on his addiction or it will ruin his life.  Gad’s scenes with Pink’s character, Dede, are the highlight of the film.  They play off each other perfectly as their characters become more comfortable asking for help and guidance.

Co-writer/director Stuart Blumberg just doesn’t quite find his footing with this film, as It can’t quite figure out if wants to be a drama or a romantic comedy, so it goes to kind of a middle ground that just isn’t what was needed.  With such a great cast, and a terrific performance by Ruffalo, this film should have been better.  It’s one of those films that you leave the theatre saying “I liked it, but I didn’t love it.”

My Rating:  Bargain Matinee

“Thanks for Sharing” is currently playing in Atlanta area theatres.

Thanks for Sharing Website

"Short Term 12" Movie Review

My review of "Short Term 12" starring Brie Larson, Frantz Turner, John Gallagher Jr..

                              "Short Term 12"

        Published on Sept. 13, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

                                Wayback Machine Archive Post

                                             Photo courtesy of Cinedigm Entertainment Group

“Short Term 12” (2013)

Grace (Brie Larson) works as a supervisor of a foster-care facility for at risk teenagers called Short Term 12. Her boyfriend, Mason (John Gallagher Jr.) also works with her at the home, their relationship while discreet, is known by the children in the facility and becomes a great source of ridicule.

We first meet Grace and Mason on Nate’s (Rami Malek) first day working at the foster home. As the staff assembles outside the facility, Mason tells a humorous story of having to follow a foster kid on a bus (once the kids leave the grounds, they can’t be forcefully returned) while having to go to the bathroom for the whole ride.  As Mason gets near the end of the story, one of the foster kids makes a break it, screaming at the top of his lungs as Grace says “We’ve got a runner!” This is the start to a phenomenal film about the people who work with kids who have experienced trauma in their lives.

Grace is a flawed character that can get just about any kid to talk. She always knows when to press and when to just sit there with them and let them decide for themselves when to open up. Unfortunately, Grace isn’t able to do this with herself, as she would rather ride her bike than talk about what is bothering her with Mason. Mason tries to be understanding, even joking about being jealous of her bike. But it is very evident from the start of the film that Grace’s inability to share her feelings and pain is going to cause problems later on in the film.

Grace’s world is changed when Jayden (Kaitlyn Dever), a teenage girl with an attitude problem, enters the facility and Grace sees herself in the troubled young woman. Grace senses that there is much more to Jayden’s story than just that her mother has died and that her dad doesn’t always show up to see her. Grace is warned by her supervisor “It’s not your job to interpret tears” but Grace can’t leave things alone and tries to reach Jayden to get her to open up.

Brie Larson is the reason to see this film as she gives one of the best performances of the year,  making Grace such an interesting character to watch and root for.  We hope against hope that Grace will take the necessary steps to open up about her past to Mason. Larson makes us care about Grace, and we see the passion that her character has for the kids in every scene. She also makes us like Grace, using a great sense of comic timing; making her interactions with the kids seem real and full of empathy.

Gallagher does a fine job as Mason, the kind and understanding boyfriend who is willing to put up with Grace’s aloofness in order to be with her. He makes his character the perfect partner for Grace, especially when dealing with the teenagers. He portrays Mason as a fun loving person who seems to be a kid at heart.

The cast of kids are outstanding, with Dever as the angry Jayden and Keith Stanfield as the almost eighteen year old Marcus, standing out from the rest of the gang. Dever does an excellent job of portraying a teen that is wary of sharing any of her pain, much less any of her time with the rest of the kids in the home. Stanfield brings out an enjoyable performance as the rapping teenager who doesn’t want to leave the facility, which has become the only stable thing in his life.

Writer/director Destin Cretton does a masterful job of easing us into this emotionally complex world. The film has a documentary feel to it as the camera moves quite a bit in every scene, but it never becomes obvious; as it makes us feel as part of the group in the home, experiencing what is unfolding in the foster home, right along with the rest of the kids. It would have been very easy for Cretton to write a script full of clichés and over the top scenes, but the film never gets bogged down in melodrama. Cretton treats the teens and the staff of the home as real people with real problems, problems that are dealt with humor and compassion. It’s rare to see a film about teenagers and the adults that deal with them done with a deft touch, but Cretton has brought us a film that knows that their families or friends may have let them down, but someone like Grace is willing to pick up the pieces.

My Rating: I Would Pay to See it Again

Short Term 12 is playing in Atlanta at Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

Short Term 12 Website

"Adore" Movie Review

My review of "Adore" starring Naomi Watts, Robin Wright, Xavier Samuel.

                                     "Adore"

        Published on Sept. 6, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

                              Wayback Machine Archive Post

                                                        Photo courtesy of Exclusive Media

“Adore” (2013)

When I review films, I try not to give away too much of the plot and really try not to discuss major reveals in the movie, but in order to review this film I will have to discuss the central plot sequence.

Lil (Naomi Watts) and Roz (Robin Wright) grew up being best friends. Now both women live near each other on the coast of Australia. Lil is a widow with a son named Ian (Xavier Samuel), and Roz is married to Harold (Ben Mendelsohn) and they have a son named Tom (James Frecheville). Just like their moms, Ben and Tom, both now nineteen, have grown up to be best friends and spend most of their days surfing together. The two families spend a lot of time together, mostly on the beach or at each other’s homes. Lil and Roz spend so much time together that there are rumors in town that they are lesbian lovers. Even Roz’s husband, Harold questions just how close the two women are.

Harold takes a teaching job in Sydney, which is a good distance from their coastal town and wants his family to follow him. Roz is hesitant to follow her husband, not wanting to move away from the life they have built on the coast and away from Lil, but she agrees to follow him in a few weeks after he settles. The two mothers and their sons spend just about all their waking hours in each other’s company. With her husband away, Roz starts spending time alone with Ian, Lil’s son. We can see that there is an attraction building between the two as they share a cigarette after a swim or when they are sitting on the porch together after a meal.

After a night when all four of them have been drinking, and everyone has gone to bed, the young men decide to both bunk at Roz’s house. Ian wakes up in the middle of the night and finds Roz getting a drink in the kitchen. He then makes a move on her, at which point she reciprocate and they end up sleeping together. The next morning, Tom see’s that Ian has slept with his mom. Feeling blindsided and betrayed, Tom decides to get back at the them, so he makes a move on Lil. At first Lil resists, but eventually she relents after having found out that her son is sleeping with her best friend, so she decides that they too should also start up a torrid, passionate affair.

This will be a disturbing film for many people to see as the two women are certainly mother figures to the two young men that they are having affairs with. I think what makes the two women accept that each other is having an affair with the other’s son, is the isolation of the two families. Their houses are on top of a hill overlooking the beach, far away from the town. The beach, where they spend most of their time, is always deserted, and the town they live in is extremely small. This gives the two women a feeling that they are on an island with the two boys and that the outside world and its mores doesn’t matter. It also helps that the two young men don’t see their time with the women as just a romp in the hay with a “cougar.” They in fact seem to genuinely care about the two women in their lives, especially Ian, who seems to have had feelings for Roz for a long time. The fact that both families have spent so much time together seems to have greatly contributed to this blurring of the lines, making the creation of this strange little family seems almost right and good to both women.

Anne Fontaine, in her English language debut, brings out the best in Wright and Watts, as each project a different take to their roles. Wright’s character of Roz, is the braver of the two, willing to fight for what she feels is right. Whereas, Watts’ portrayal of Lil is more hesitant in the relationship, though both show that they deeply care for each of the young men. Wright especially stands out, giving a strong, warm performance that is deeply layered with guilt, passion and love. These intense emotions are amplified in particularly in the scene where Ian makes the pass at her their first night together. As he kisses her, Roz pulls back several times as if she is thinking “should I keep doing this, should I let it go on?” To Fontaine’s credit and Wright’s extraordinary acting, there are no words uttered during this sequence and the director lets Wright tell us everything she is thinking through her use of her body language. Wright and Watts, through their actions give us reasons to why they would be willing to accept this very unmentionable situation.

Frecheville as Tom gives the weaker performance of the two young men. He has a tendency to hold back in his role, depending more on his good looks than his acting ability to deliver his scenes. Samuel as Ian, does an outstanding job, giving us some feeling and depth to what seems to be a very complex character.

Fontaine uses cinematographer Christophe Beaucarne’s photography to great effect. The shots of the coastline and it’s beach are breathtakingly beautiful. It’s an area that once you started living there you would never want to leave.

The film though is let down by the script and it’s clumsy dialogue. Lines such as “Now I feel really sinful” as Roz sneaks a drag off of Ian’s cigarette or “They look like Gods” as Roz admires the two boys early in the film, just comes off clunky and almost laughable. The film works best when Fontaine lets the camera just roll and follow the four characters as they enjoy each other company.

It’s a complex film that deals with a taboo subject, worth seeing for the superb performances of Wright and Watts, along with the breathtaking beauty of the Australian coast. I just wish the dialogue had fit the film better, to be able to match the passion and flair of the performances.

My Rating: Bargain Matinee

“Adore” is playing in Atlanta at LeFont Sandy Springs

Adore Website

"Austenland" Movie Review

My review of "Austenland" starring Keri Russell, JJ Feild, Jennifer Coolidge.

                                         "Austenland"

       Published on Sept. 6, 2013 on CWAtlanta.cbslocal.com

                           Wayback Machine Archive Post

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics 

“Austenland” (2013)

Jane (Keri Russell) is obsessed with the author Jane Austen and the world she described in her books, especially “Pride and Prejudice.” Jane has even gone so far as to decorate her bedroom with all things Austen, including a life-size cardboard cutout of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy from the 1995 film “Pride and Prejudice.” Jane is still single, as the men she dates have no chance living up to the lofty standards her ideal “Austen” man. When she is sexually harassed by a fellow office worker, Jane decides now is the time to chase (follow) her dreams and thoroughly delve into the Austin experience, in a world she has grown to love.

Against the wishes of her friends, she uses her entire life savings to go to a Jane Austen theme experience called Austenland. She is told by the travel agent, who sells her the package that it’s a “LC,” a life changer. Leaving Jane convinced that Austenland is where she will find her own “Mr. Darcy.” She flies to England to take part in experience and meets a fellow American, Elizabeth Charming (Jennifer Coolidge) at the arrival zone of the airport.

Upon entering the theme park, the women are met by Mrs. Rattlesnake (Jane Seymour), who owns and runs Austenland. It’s a place where people pay to interact and explore a world inhabited by actors playing parts created in the mold of the Austen characters. Jane soon learns that the package she bought is the least expensive of the bunch, so while Elizabeth has gotten the best room fit for a queen, Jane’ room is down in a dingy hallway, with the barest of essential furniture. Jane soon discovers that what you wish for might not be as perfect as you hoped; as she finds the men playing the parts of English gentry to be boring and self-centered, especially the aloof Mr. Nobley (JJ Field). On the other hand, Jane encounters a stable boy named Martin (Bret McKenzie), and she finds herself being drawn to him because of his fun, laid back personality.

This is a nice, light romantic comedy that has a few twists and turns to the plot. Some which you just might not see coming, which makes for a nice surprise from your average “rom-com.” While the tone of the film is light, there is some substance to the plot; as Jane must come to grips with her overly high expectations for the opposite sex and the reality of what she thinks the perfect Jane Austin world would look like.

Russell is the centerpiece of the film, and while she is up to the task, appearing with her usual “cute girl” role on screen, she is let down a little bit by the script. Russell’s character at the start of the film is somewhat meek and demure. When she makes the change to a more assertive character, one which we knew would happen, it’s too quick of a sharp turn, with too little to no reason behind it.

I would have liked the script by director Jerusha Hess, co-written with Shannon Hale, to have a little more substance to it as the comedy in the film can be a little forced. This is especially true of Jennifer Coolidge’s Charming character. We have come to expect Coolidge going over the top with her roles, and in the right film, it can be funny and at times enduring. In this film, the director, Hess, lets Coolidge go full speed into the character, so much so that her character becomes very tiresome. There is a running gag with her attempting to speak with a British accent, which grows tiring very quickly, mostly because she is saying lines that are just a little too dumb and outrageous. I also thought that Jane Seymour brought almost nothing new to her role. She plays her character as she always seems to do in films such as this, a restrained proper Englishwoman. It’s a rather bland performance, but Seymour really isn’t given much to do with her part. Once again, I can fault the script as it would have been fun for Seymour to play against type, maybe making her bawdy or a “horrible” boss, which I think would have been a nice twist.

I did enjoy the two male leads, Bret McKenzie is very appealing as the stable hand, Martin. He has nice chemistry with Russell that comes across as an ease with her on the screen. I especially enjoyed the performance of JJ Field as the Mr. Darcy-like, Henry Nobley. I thought he brought a complexity to the role, showing us that maybe there was more to this man than being a pompous upper class gentleman.

The cinematography of Larry Smith does a good job showcasing the on location English countryside, bringing out the lush fauna. I also liked the score of the film by Ilan Eshkeri, which had a nice mix of music from Austen’s era, spliced with modern music; which kept us thinking that while we are experiencing what it meant to live in that time period. On a side note, the film takes place in modern times.

Jane Austin fans and fans of Russell will enjoy this film more than the ordinary filmgoer, and I bet loads of book clubs will be making a night of it. The film, while not hitting on all cylinders and taking very few chances, does make an enjoyable movie going experience, mostly due to the performance of Keri Russell and her two male leads, JJ Field and Bret McKenzie.

My Rating:  Bargain Matinee 

Austenland is playing in Atlanta at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema

Austenland Website