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 Adam Sandler, allison strong, chris rock, comedy, family, jim barone, roland buck iii, Steve Buscemi on November 15, 2018| Leave a Comment »
Kenny Lustig’s (Adam Sandler) daughter and Kirby Cordice’s (Chris Rock) son are getting married and in the week leading up to the wedding, the two men and their families have to spend all their time together. Tensions rise, tempers flare and things get messy.
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Year of release: 2017
Director: Robert Smigel
Writers: Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel
Main cast: Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Steve Buscemi, Rachel Dratch, Allison Strong, Roland Buck III, Jim Barone
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Genre: Comedy
Highlights: Very few! Steve Buscemi
Lowlights: The whole thing. I love Steve Buscemi and I love Chris Rock, but even they couldn’t save this one. I don’t generally find Adam Sandler funny but thought with the rest of the cast it may be worth a go. It all feels disjointed and every attempt at a joke falls pretty flat.
Overall: I’ll give this 4 out of 10 because some of Rock’s scenes without Sandler were quite funny, and Steve Buscemi made the most of his role. But generally, I’d say don’t bother.
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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 Film Reviews, tagged addiction, alan tudyk, alcoholism, azura skye, dominic west, drugs, margo martindale, marianne jean-baptiste, rehab, Sandra Bullock, Steve Buscemi, viggo mortensen on August 22, 2013| Leave a Comment »
After ruining her sister’s wedding and crashing a limousine, Gwen Cummings (Sandra Bullock) is sentenced to 28 days in a rehab centre, to work through her alcohol and drug dependency. Initially resistant to the idea, Gwen eventually realises that she does have a problem, and starts to re-examine her life.
I admit that much as I like Sandra Bullock, I expected this film to be riddled with cliches, and only watched it because Dominic West is in it, and that in itself makes a film worth watching! However, the film itself was a pleasant surprise. Sandra Bullock, who is usually so likeable and sweet, played the part of Gwen really well, and the process of coming to accept and learn how to beat her demons did not unfold at the breakneck speed which I anticipated. Having never been in a rehab centre, I cannot truthfully say how realistic it was, but it felt believable.
West plays Gwen’s boyfriend Jasper, who is almost certainly as dependant on drugs and alcohol as she is, but not being the one who is sentenced to rehab, does not take any time to look at his own life. If there is a villain of the piece, he is probably it, but in truth, Jasper is not so much a bad person, as irresponsible and unrealistic about what a sober life means for Gwen. I thought West did a very good job in a not especially likeable role. Viggo Mortensen also provided great support as Eddie, a professional baseball player who is also in rehab, and Steve Buscemi was excellent (if slightly under-used) in an uncharacteristically sombre role as a counsellor at the centre.
The story bounced along nicely, and there were a few genuinely moving moments (I definitely had tears in my eyes a couple of times). The only character who I felt was over-the-top, and who seemed to be there only to provide comic relief was Gerhardt (Alan Tudyk) as an apparently sex-obsessed fellow patient. Although his monologue about forks in the road and forks in general was quite funny – more so when you realise that Tudyk actually improvised that scene.
Overall, well worth watching – it’s an entertaining, sometimes moving film, with a great cast.
Year of release: 2000
Director: Betty Thomas
Producers: Jenno Topping, Celia Costas
Writer: Susannah Grant
Main cast: Sandra Bullock, Viggo Mortensen, Dominic West, Azura Skye, Steve Buscemi, Alan Tudyk, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Margo Martindale
Posted in Film Reviews, tagged bowling, hilarious, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi on July 21, 2009| Leave a Comment »
I’ve seen this film many times, but I don’t think I’ve ever blogged about it, which is unusual, as it is definitely one of top 5 films of all time (and definitely my favourite comedy). Not only that, but it stars my all time favourite actor, Jeff Bridges.
He plays the Dude, a lovable slouch, who loves bowling, drinking White Russians (which, by the way, is a very tasty drink), and smoking joints. After a case of mistaken identity, which causes the Dude to try to gain retribution for a ruined rug (“that rug really tied the room together”) he finds himself, together with his best friend Water (a Vietnam obsessed veteran, who definitely needs anger management lessons) embroiled in a case of kidnapping, trying to save the life of a young ‘lady’ – and I use the word lady in the loosest sense of the word! – who may or may not have been kidnapped by a group of nihilists. The Dude is thrown from one hapless adventure into another, but all he really wants to do is go bowling…
I don’t want to give too much away about the plot; suffice to say that this is the funniest film I can remember ever seeing, and every time I watch it, I get something new out of it. Jeff Bridges puts in an Oscar worthy performance, and all of the supporting cast are also fabulous.
Year of release: 1998
Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Main cast: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Julianne Moore
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