SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY - review

SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Cast: Imogen Poots, Owen Wilson, Kathryn Hahn, Will Forte, Jennifer Aniston, Rhys Ifans

Synopsis: The cast and crew of a Broadway play are thrown into a romantic roundelay when a lecherous director hires a hooker-turned-actress to star alongside his wife and his wife's ex-lover

You know those movies where you see the trailer and then spend the next several months hoping against all hope that all the funny bits aren't just in the trailer because it looks funny and you want the whole movie to be equally as funny? Well, SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY was one of those films for me. The trailer made the film look like a ridiculous comedy of errors - incredibly farcical - and I was hoping that the movie would have some additional plot points and more funny bits. Sadly though I was disappointed. Most of the funny bits are in the trailer and there aren't really that many more plot points.

uh oh - husband, wife, call girl, ex-lover - what could possibly go wrong? 

image via Lionsgate

Seeing Peter Bogdanovich's name made me excited, it's been a while since he's graced us with his directorial presence, and the casting looked ok, and while the movie aimed for good old fashioned farcical nonsense, it's mostly just nonsense. Squirrels to the nuts. I heard that phrase about 17 million times in this film and I still don't understand what is happening.

squirrels to the nuts - I don't think even Owen Wilson knows what that means you guys

image via Lionsgate

The opening narrative sets us up in a journalistic interview with an ever optimistic, miracle believing IT girl being interviewed by the ever cyincal journalist about the story of how her acting career came to be. Once call-girl Isabella (Imogen Poots) has a chance meeting with director Arnold Albertson (Owen Wilson), ok well, not so much chance, she's a call-girl, he hired a call-girl, but whatever, and he offers her a tidy sum to quit the business and follow her dream of becoming an actress. She gets a call for an interview for a new Broadway production to play the role of, you guessed it a hooker. I mean come on guys, what are the odds? The other two actors in the play are Arnolds wife Delta (Kathryn Hahn) and Delta's ex-lover Seth (Rhys Ifans). That's just a disaster waiting to happen. Everyone loves Isabella's read, not knowing of course her history with the director, and she gets hired. She also gets asked out by the playwright Joshua (Will Forte),whose ex-girlfiend is Isabella's therapist and whose father is a private investigator hired with following Isabella for another of her clients. All manner of unlikely coincidences occur entwining these stories together leading to a giant catasrophical blow out.

Unfortunately the script is average at best and the film is far too predictable for my liking, but from what I've read this was a labour of love, rather than an aim for the next big hit for Bogdanovich, who co-wrote the script with his ex-wife many years ago. I hope it was worth it emotionally for him getting this piece of the ground, because based on what I've seen the box office results aren't that great. I appreciate that film scripts have to be somewhat predictable on some level so that viewers can follow the storyline, but this was just pushing it a little too far. I could almost guess what the lines were going to be, and you could see 10 minutes out exactly where the next scene would end up.

Credit where credit is due, the cast have done a wonderful job with what they have in this film and Poots lights up the screen like nobody's business. There are strong moments of funny in this film, but it wasn't the laugh out loud, mishap filled caper I was hoping for.

such a lovely cast 

image via Lionsgate

I would be rushing out to hand over 20-something dollars see this unless you've seen every single other film on at the cinema and you want a no-brainer piece of trash to fill in some time, or you've got some movie vouchers that are going to expire and it's after 5 on a Saturday and you can't use them for anything else.

2 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER - review

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER
Director: David Wain
Cast: Janeane Garofolo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter, Marguerite Moreau, Michael Ian Black, Zak Orth, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Marisa Ryan

Synopsis: The setting is Camp Firewood, the year 1981. It's the last day before everyone goes back to the real world, but there's still a summer's worth of unfinished business to resolve. At the centre of the action is the camp director Beth, who struggles to keep order while she falls in love with the local astrophysics professor. He is busy trying to save the camp from a deadly piece of NASA's Skylab which is hurtling towards earth. All that, plus: a dangerous waterfall rescue, love triangles, misfits, cool kids, and talking vegetable cans, The questions will all be resolved, of course, at the big talent show at the end of the day. 

In anticipation of the Netflix series WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER FIRST DAY OF CAMP, the Red Haired Amazona and I sat down to watch the 2001 cult classic WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER. I have to say, I don't remember why I never watched this when it came out, and after watching it I sat asking myself why it's taken me so long to watch it. That's not necessarily how I felt whilst watching it, but after giving it time to settle in and getting over the "WTF just happened" feeling, I worked out that I loved it.

The camp residents include the camp director Beth (Janeane Garofolo), a local astrophysics associate professor (David Hyde Pierce), a recently divorced art teacher (Molly Shannon), a whole bunch of horny teenage camp counsellors, inlcuding but not limited to Paul Rudd, Michael Showalter, Bradley Cooper and Amy Poehler, and the Vietnam Vet camp cook (Christopher Meloni). Each comes with their own ridiculous subplot, and somehow they all intertwine in a way that is somewhat magical.

WHAS camp counsellors all together - what a cast! 

WHAS is co-written by David Wain (who directs) and Michael Showalter (who co-stars in a number of roles), and the two have put together a parody of a parody, that is so on point that you can easily mistake this parody for the real deal, which is what leaves you with so much of a WTF just happened feeling. The strange deadpan tone that carries throughout the film is what makes it funny, even when the jokes don't quite hit the mark.

Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper are the Camp theatre counsellors - can you tell?

It's one of those movies where things happen; there are conversations, there's action, there's drama, there's funny, but at the same time nothing really happens. So when you sit there thinking "what is the point", just remember that there is no point, and that is the point. It's a movie for movies sake and it's funny for funnys sake. There doesn't need to be a point if it makes you laugh.

The casting in this film is fantastic, for starters, Paul Rudd as a moody, rebellious, teenage stud Andy might be one of my most favourite castings of all times. Watching him huffing and puffing around like the world's most hard done by fella reminded me so much of the Red Haired Amazona's SonOfAGun #1 that it's not funny!

Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks shirking their duties of child supervision

There's an amazing drug fuelled bender montage, awkward teenage romances, homoerotic scenes and of course a talent show. What really got me about this film, other than the ever delectable Paul Rudd of course, was Christopher Meloni is what can only be described as the greatest role of his career.  I had no idea he could possibly be so funny, I particularly liked the scene with the fridge. That's all I'm going to say about that, if you have seen it, you will know what I'm talking about and if you haven't you'll just have to wait to experience it yourself. Also, this...

Christopher Maloney dancing - what else could you possibly want in a film?!

It's hard to know exactly what to say about this film, it's a cult classic and I have recently come to see why. I now feel prepared to kick back with the Red Haired Amazona, some wine and Netflix to get into the WHAS First Day At Camp series.

film quality - 2 out of 5
film enjoyment and what the actual F factor - 4 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell

LAST CAB TO DARWIN - review

LAST CAB TO DARWIN
Director: Jeremy Sims
Cast: Michael Caton, Jacki Weaver, Ningali Lawford, Mark Coles Smith, Emma Hamilton

Synopsis: Rex is a loner, and when he's told he doesn't have long to live, he embarks on an epic drive through the Australian outback from Broken Hill to Darwin to die on his own terms; but his journey reveals to him that before you can end your life, you have to live it, and to live it, you've got to share it. 

I've been a bit slow on the whole review writing caper, sadly I've been busy with my real job and it has prevented me from spending time writing about what I'd actually prefer to be writing about - movies that I've seen. I went to see LAST CAB TO DARWIN about a week ago now, I took myself on a date (because lets face it, who better to take me on a date than me?) sans crochet as I was still on a no crochet ban thanks to Dr Life Ruiner, and just saw the next thing that was on which was this little gem of a film.

Michael Caton has a slew of films under his belt, a lot of them comdies, so it was wonderful to see him flexing his feels muscles in this heartfelt drama. LAST CAB TO DARWIN is based on a play by Reg Cribb, that was based on the life of a cab driver Rex Bell, a cab driver from Broken Hill who decides to drive to Darwin to die, because euthanasia is legal there (it isn't any more) and he would rather die on his own terms than wait for cancer to kill him. The play ran for three hours, which is plenty of time to tell everything, and at a mere 124 minutes, there must be some things that are missing from the telling of this story. It must be really tricky to get everything that can be conveyed in a stage play into a film script. It requires a much greater sence of immediacy, intimacy, and you have to belive that everything you're seeing is happening in the now. That being said, I think that Sims and Cribb did a pretty decent job of transposing this play into a film script. It isn't perfect, but they've done alright.

Michael Caton and Mark Coles Smith travelling the Oodnadatta Track

image via Icon Films

Rex (Caton) is told that his operation to remove the cancer that is eating away at him has failed and that he is going to die. He hears a Darwin doctor on the radio (Jackie Weaver), talking about a machine she has created that assists patients to die. Rex calls her on talk back radio (overheard of course by everyone in his town) and after that one call decides he's going to do it. No muss, no fuss, just get to Darwin and die. He says he's alone, so there's no one to worry about his decision, but he doesn't take into account that his mates (John Howard  and David Field), or his secret girlfriend Polly (Ningali Lawford). Polly is Rex's neighbour, and when there's no one watching they hold hands and spend their nights together, but it's not a relationship that is displayed in the open, it's their little secret. Rex sets off to die quietly, leaving those who love him behind.

Caton and Ningali sharing a secret moment on the porch

Image via Icon Films

On the drive Rex picks up a young Aboriginal man who is on the run from the world. Till (Mark Coles Smith) is a smart-arsed layabout who tries to rob Rex, but ends up being rescued by him and tags along for the ride to Darwin. They form a bond ont their journey and as they travel farther noth they pick up Julie, (Emma Hamilton) and English nurse who leaves the outback pub she works at to join them. Hamilton carries the emotions of this unlikely trio, and tugs at your heartstrings with her performance.

Arriving in Darwin the three of them meet with Dr. Farmer (Jacki Weaver) and begin the process of arranging Rex's death. For Farmer, Rex's death will be a medical breakthrough, he will be her first patient, but there are plenty of hurdles to overcome, signatures to get, people to convince before they can go ahead with Rex's plan to die, not least of all Rex.

The first meeting with Dr. Farmer

image via Icon Films

Caton really delivers an unforgettable performance in this film, and he keeps you drawn in with his incredible talents. The other members of this cast deliver as well, and Sims deserves credit for his direction of this piece. This film has probably bitten off a bit more than in can chew in 124 minutes, but it has both humor and heart and it will keep you captivated as you watch Rex, Tilly, Julie and Polly develop, grow and change. It probably doesn't kick all the goals it aims for, but LAST CAB TO DARWIN will be 20-something dollars you won't regret spending. Take some tissues though, if you suffer from the feels as I do, you're going to need them!

3.5 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell