Posted in Film Reviews, tagged Alison janney, campbell scott, comedy, homage, Isabella Rossellini, oliver platt, Stanley Tucci, Steve Buscemi on January 23, 2024| Leave a Comment »
This is another film that I watched some years ago, and I loved it so much I wanted to watch it again. I hoped I wouldn’t be disappointed, and – I definitely wasn’t! Another firm favourite with Stanley Tucci and Oliver Platt doing a wonderful job as the two protagonists, but a special mention to Campbell Scott, who really proved his comedy acting chops as the hilarious and sinister Meistricht.
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged Dustin Hoffman, embay anthony, family, food, humour, john leguizamo, jon favreau, oliver platt, Robert Downey Jr, sofia vergara on May 14, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Chef, written by, directed by and starring Jon Favreau, is the kind of movie you need to watch if either (a) you’re a foodie, (b) you need a feel-good funny movie, or (c) both.
Favreau is Carl Casper, chef at a prestigious restaurant, has a public meltdown after a restaurant critic writes a savage review of his food, and quits his job. Initially bereft, he buys a food truck and travels through (part of) America, providing the opportunity for himself to get back to cooking creatively and to reconnect with his son.
It sometimes teeters on the edge of over-sentimentality, but never quite tips over. I loved the energy and colour. Carl is likeable even when he isn’t, thanks to Favreau’s geniality. A great supporting cast – Sofia Vergara as Carl’s ex-wife Inez, Emjay Anthony as his son Percy, and a brilliant turn from the fabulous John Leguizamo as Carl’s best friend Martin – add to the enjoyment. Also, watch out for a very funny turn from Robert Downey Jr.
My one slight criticism of Chef is that it may be slightly over-long. But it’s always enjoyable and good fun, and I highly recommend it.
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged alfred molina, allison janney, billy connolly, campbell scott, comedy, farce, hope davis, lili taylor, matt mcgrath, oliver platt, richard jenkins, slapstick, Stanley Tucci, Steve Buscemi, teagle f bougere, tony shalhoub on September 5, 2015| Leave a Comment »
Set in the 1930s, this comedy revolves around Maurice and Arthur (Oliver Platt and Stanley Tucci), two out of work actors who stow away on a cruise ship when they are wrongly accused of assaulting the famous actor Jeremy Burtom (Alfred Molina). However, Burtom is also on the cruise ship, along with a cast of colourful characters, which means that the situation goes from bad to worse for the two hapless heroes.
With a supporting cast including Billy Connolly, Campbell Scott, Allison Janney, Tony Shalhoub and Steve Buscemi, you might think that this couldn’t go wrong – and it doesn’t. Well, for the characters it does, but with hilarious results for the viewer.
Tucci and Platt are incredibly funny as Arthur and Maurice, looking for all the world like a modern day Laurel and Hardy (and by coincidence, played by actors called Stanley and Oliver too!) There is a lot of slapstick and the whole film has a very zany feel to it, with all the cast giving it their all. Campbell Scott was for me, the funniest character, as a German member of staff. I have admired him as an actor for a long time, but this is the first time I have seen him in an out-and-out comedy, and he totally stole all of his scenes.
I watched this film on my own, and when I do that, it’s rare for me to actually laugh out loud (very common apparently) but this film actually did make me do that on several occasions. I loved the farce, the cleverness of the lines and the absurdity of the situation. This film has definitely gone straight into my top ten films of all time.
Highly recommend, especially for fans of slapstick, or the old silent comedy films of Laurel and Hardy or The Marx Brothers. Brilliant!
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Year of release: 1998
Director: Stanley Tucci
Producers: Jonathan Filley, Elizabeth W. Alexander, Stanley Tucci
Writer: Stanley Tucci
Main cast: Stanley Tucci, Oliver Platt, Campbell Scott, Steve Buscemi, Alfred Molina, Lili Taylor, Tony Shalhoub, Teagle F Bougere, Allison Janney, Matt McGrath, Richard Jenkins, Billy Connolly
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Posted in Period drama/comedy reviews, TV/Film adaptation reviews, tagged 1600s, adventure, Charlie Sheen, chris o'donnell, comedy, gabrielle anway, hugh o'connor, intrigue, keifer sutherland, michael wincott, oliver platt, swashbuckling, tim curry on October 7, 2014| Leave a Comment »
This film is one of many based on Alexandre Dumas’s novel of the same name. I say ‘based on’ rather than ‘adapted from’ because this is really a very loose interpretation of the novel, with Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt and Charlie Sheen playing, respectively, Athos, Porthos and Aramis, and Chris O’Donnell as D’artagnan. Tim Curry plays Cardinal Richelieu, Julie Delphy is Constance, and Gabrielle Anwar is Queen Anne, with Hugh O’Connor as King Louis XIII. Count Rochefort was played by Michael Wincott, and Rebecca De Mornay rounds out the cast as Milady D’Winter.
I wanted to see this film out of curiosity, having recently read the novel, and also having very much enjoyed BBC1’s series The Musketeers (again ‘based on’ the novel, with new storylines for the characters). In all honesty, I was not expecting to enjoy this film as much as I did – I’m not a big fan of Charlie Sheen, but he was actually rather good as Aramis. Sutherland and Platt were the best characters, with Sutherland’s Athos suitably melancholy, and Platt’s Porthos typically boisterous and playful.
However, I did feel that O’Donnell was miscast as D’Artagnan. This is not a criticism of the actor – I’ve enjoyed his performances in other roles – but I did not feel that he was right for this part. I also did not really enjoy O’Connor’s portrayal of the King, although to be fair I was distracted by his awful hairstyle. Tim Curry camped it up magnificently as the Cardinal, and appeared to be having a thoroughly good time. I also really enjoyed Wincott as Rochefort – he stole several of the scenes in which he appeared (and what a fantastic raspy voice)!
The storyline revolves around the musketeers and D’Artagnan having to foil the Cardinal’s plot to form an alliance with England, and unseat the King, but it is really just an excuse for lots of swashbuckling, swaggering, and sword fights. There’s lots of humour too, and Porthos in particular had me laughing out loud a number of times.
Overall, if you are looking for a faithful adaptation of the book, this is not the film for you. If you are looking for an amusing adventure film, then you might well enjoy it.
Year of release: 1993
Director: Stephen Herek
Producers: Jon Avnet, Jordan Kerner, Roger Birnbaum, Ned Dowd, Joe Roth, William W. Wilson III
Writers: Alexandre Dumas (based on the novel by), David Loughery
Main cast: Keifer Sutherland, Charlie Sheen, Oliver Platt, Chris O’Donnell, Tim Curry, Hugh O’Connor, Michael Wincott, Gabrielle Anwar, Rebecca De Mornay
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Click here for my review of the novel.
Click here for my review of the 1973 film adaptation.
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Posted in Film Reviews, Period drama/comedy reviews, tagged 1700s, casanova, comedy, heath ledger, jeremy irons, Lena Olin, oliver platt, sienna miller, venice on July 30, 2011| Leave a Comment »
Before anyone watches this film they should probably know that it in no way attempts to tell the story of Giacomo Casanova; instead this is a fictionalised account of a specific period in Casanova’s life. It’s full of historical inaccuracies, but it’s clearly not trying to present any semblance of truth, and instead is more a comedy of errors, with plenty of visual gags.
In essense, the infamous seducer Casanova (Heath Ledger) is ordered to wed a virgin, or else be arrested on crimes of fornication. He quickly proposes to a young girl who is smitten with him, but then he meets the headstrong and intelligent Francesca Bruni (Sienna Miller) and falls for her. However, she is not aware of his true identity, and to complicate matters, she is engaged to a distant relative who she has never met. Casanova pretends to be the fiance, while in the meantime, the young girl who he previously became engaged to is the object of affection for Francesca’s brother – who also has no idea of Casanova’s real identity. Sounds complicated, but on the screen it all plays out well, with plenty of moments of humour. Throughout all this, Bishop Pucci (Jeremy Irons) is on Casanova’s tail and is also trying to find a famous heretical writer – but further identity mix ups get in the way…!
The film is strictly played for laughs and on the whole it works well. Heath Ledger looks nothing like how I would expect Casanova to look, but he plays the role well and with considerable charm – and looks like he’s having great fun doing it. Jeremy Irons seems to positively revel in playing the evil Bishop who wants to capture and kill Casanova, and Oliver Platt is also wonderful as Francesca’s unknown fiance. Omid Dajlili plays Lupo, Casanova’s manservant, and provides many laughs. Mention should also be made of Lena Olin, as Francesca’s mother. She was very funny and looked absolutely beautiful. The only slightly weak link in the cast was Sienna Miller, who was never really convincing enough as the feisty woman who Casanova falls for. However there was plenty enough in the film to make up for that.
Venice itself looked gorgeous, and is shown off to its best effect here (it made me want to visit there!), and the costumes were also terrific. The classical musical score, including some of Vivaldi’s work was perfect for the film, and so nice in fact that I would like to buy the soundtrack to the film.
This film is basically an old fashioned romp through 18th century Venice. Low on accuracy, but high on laughs with a smattering of romance (although the emphasis is definitely on comedy), and a nice twist at the end. Overall, an enjoyable way to pass a couple of hours.
Year of release: 2005
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Writers: Jeffrey Hatcher, Kimberley Simi, Michael Cristofer
Main cast: Heath Ledger, Sienna Miller, Oliver Platt, Jeremy Irons, Lena Olin, Omin Djalili
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