Tag Archives: comedy

10.03.22
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Ticket to Paradise

Two divorced parents, David and Georgia Cotton, travel to Bali after learning that their daughter, Lily, is planning to marry a man named Gede, whom she has just met. They decide to work together to sabotage the wedding to prevent Lily from making the same mistake they made twenty-five years ago.

Ticket to Paradise is a welcome reunion for two legendary stars, George Clooney and Julia Roberts, years after they worked on the Ocean’s films, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind, and Money Monster together. They elevate a film that occasionally threatens to fall into generic territory by breathing fun and charm into the film, even when they’re ripping each other to bits with insults. Clooney’s performance is certainly the glue here, as he embraces his comedic chops and his character often pokes fun at himself while being grumpy and over-the-top. Speaking of reunions, fans of Booksmart will love to see Kaitlyn Dever and Billie Lourd sharing the screen again — Dever is great as their daughter Lily, and Billie Lourd is a scene-stealer as her best friend Wren, a character that the plot maybe could’ve done without but when Lourd is so entertaining, the movie suddenly feels infinitely more upbeat with her in it.

The movie can sometimes fall into cheesy territory especially with some obviously scripted lines and an exaggerated ending, as well as some unclear themes about who is more right about what, but it never sinks the film’s heart and sweetness. It’s a film that means to charm and show the nature of flawed parents getting over their own immaturities while loving their daughter, and when the parents are played by two of the most charismatic people in the world, you’ve got yourself a winning film. Though it’s nothing you’ll be urged to watch more than once, or even the best comedy out right now, given how much more memorable and hysterical Bros is, Ticket to Paradise is certainly a harmless and heartfelt good time, especially for today’s rom-com standards, with laughs, vacation-y settings, and charming performances.

09.28.22
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Bros

Bobby Lieber (Billy Eichner), a podcast host and museum curator creating the world’s first LGBTQ museum, attempts a relationship with lawyer Aaron — but they must overcome their commitment problems first.

Not only is it celebratory for a major studio to release a gay rom-com, but it’s a breath of fresh air to see a movie about the LGBTQ community that isn’t gloomy or traumatizing but rather entertaining and optimistic. Through through the museum Lieber is creating, the movie is very much about embracing the queer community and undoing the centuries of history that’s been erased. Though Bros rejects the idea that gay and straight relationships are exactly the same by having its lead character claim that “Love is not love!”, as gay male relationships have their own nuances and issues, the romance will be gripping for all audience. But just as important as its representation is the fact that it’s fun, uplifting and hysterical.

Billy Eichner is a fantastic leading man who’s loving yet stubborn nature comes off as warm as it does occasionally frustrating to see him stumble and figure out his way. Eichner, who also co-wrote the movie with director Nicholas Stoller, gives even the side characters their place to shine and make the audience laugh. There’s some incredibly funny moments that will stick with you and come to mind whenever you think of this movie, and lines that are too good to spoil but are worth the laughs in a theater with an audience. Luke Macfarlane is also a breakout star and is endearing as the more “macho” gay man as opposed to Eichner’s “flamboyant”-labeled character, but as the movie mentions, the queer community is not a monolith and the film embraces lesbian, gay. bisexual, and trans characters, including those of color, in its supporting cast. Though the plot occasionally lacks direction, and it may be a few minutes too long, it’s the dialogue and humor that keeps the audience engaged, and the romance that more than gets the audience to root for the leads that grounds the whole film.

As a comedy, Bros will give you stomach-inducing laughs, and as a romance, it’s more than sweet. It’s the positive celebration of diversity that audiences, both queer and straight, will feel uplifted by, and enjoy the sweetness, silliness, and raunchiness the film has to offer.

08.16.22
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Nope

OJ and Emerald Haywood are siblings who own a ranch in a lonely gulch of inland California, where they train and handle horses for movie and TV productions. Soon, they bear witness to an uncanny and chilling discovery. 

To call Jordan Peele a unique filmmaker of our time would be an understatement — he’s blended genres and used them to incorporate thoughtful social commentary into the most mainstream popcorn entertainment, all while giving audiences films that can satisfy, challenge, and entertain. Nope is no different. It’s a science fiction-horror-thriller-comedy with a modern infusion of likable characters and borderline surrealist world-building, and Peele’s filmmaking is at the level of the most respected auteurs like Stanley Kubrick. It’s got moments of shock, laughter, brutality, and terrifying humanity that adds so much astonishment to a film that starts with what could’ve been an overused premise in anyone’s else hands. Daniel Kaluuya has evolved into a modern film star of his generation — though he’s starred in Black Panther and won an Oscar for Judas and the Black Messiah, it was Peele’s debut Get Out that guaranteed his stardom. He’s a master at being funny but showing a character confront with real and inner “demons” in a silent way but always being a fun character too. Keke Palmer has a contagious, bubbly energy and I’m sure the entire cast and crew had plenty of laughs due to her fantastic delivery of her lines that often sneaks up on you in hysterical ways. But she’s also a genuine hero, not to mention Steven Yeun and Brandon Perea who are scene stealers.

Peele’s style always challenges genre, structure, and how the audience expects to react to things. His stylistic energy in Nope invokes eyes staring in awe, jaws dropping, and mouths smiling all at once. Due to this, Nope transcends accessibility for fans of horror, and is a top-notch film for all fans of big-screen spectacle, because it never settles for just being a horror movie. In it’s own way, Nope is a piece of art, that’s not meant to give you easy answers or leave you comfortable. Like Peele’s last movie Us, there’s so much to debunk as the thematic elements often drive the filmmaking in his movies. This one addresses many things, but among it, humanity’s flocking to images chaos and danger, and our obsession with getting as close to death and trauma as we can while wanting to arrogantly cheat the effects they may have on us, should our endeavors to harness danger go wrong. The movie is also a tribute to filmmakers and crew members in positions we don’t often acknowledge, and the achievements of black contributions to cinema that aren’t always celebrated. In a way, Peele uses this movie to celebrate the invention of cinema but also warn about our roles as audience members and monetizers of content that’s both real and adapted from truth. With it, he creates the most daring and awe-inspiring summer blockbuster possible that I’m sure will inspire many to create and challenge the world of films the way he has.

07.13.19
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Yesterday

Jack Malik is a struggling singer-songwriter in a tiny English seaside town whose dreams of fame are rapidly fading, until a freak bus accident during a mysterious global blackout, after which Jack wakes up to discover that nobody except him can remember The Beatles. Soon Jack makes a life-altering decision that sends him to fame as he starts taking credit for the band’s forgotten songs.

Yesterday is a movie with a fantastically original premise, compared to the same recycled formulas in a lot of genres. Though it does sometimes get stuck in mediocre rom-com tropes, like a cheesy romance in the second act that doesn’t know where it’s going until the very end, this movie takes advantage of its genius idea and makes for a fun, humorous, and interesting two hours. Himesh Patel is not only fun and charming but also sings really well and was well-cast — he hasn’t been in much before but may soon make a name for himself after his starring role here — and also entertaining are Lily James as his best friend, and Ed Sheeran as himself — the singer who helps Jack skyrocket to stardom. However, one character I found to be annoying was his manager played by Kate McKinnon, whose comedic turns I usually enjoy on Saturday Night Live, but here her character was simply irritating and unlikable. It’s no surprise the music is so enjoyable — they chose the best band to make this movie about, and as a huge Beatles fan myself, it’s great to hear them all through the film, and luckily they cast a great actor who can sing as well. There’s also plenty of humorous moments I didn’t expect and the jokes almost always land. Like I said, the second half does lose a little bit of steam but once you see where it all ends up, you get to take in some of the themes the movie is going for. There’s also another sweet theme about how the most iconic of pop culture is what touches people’s hearts and should be kept alive. As one character says, “A world without the Beatles is a world infinitely worse.” So I have to applaud director Danny Boyle and writer Richard Curits for creating one of the most original films of the year that sometimes doesn’t avoid genre tropes but the fresh plotline makes for some truly great moments, and there’s also plenty of excellent musical moments as well. When everything that’s out has to do with killer toys, superheroes, and animated animals, why not try something new for a change and support this one-of-a-kind film I bet you won’t regret seeing in theaters.

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06.16.14
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Blended

My rating: ratings3

After a disastrous blind date, single parents Jim (Adam Sandler) and Lauren (Drew Barrymore) agree on only one thing: they never want to see each other again. But when they each sign up separately for a fabulous family vacation with their kids, they are all stuck sharing a suite at a luxurious African safari resort for a week, where their attraction grows as their respective kids benefit from the burgeoning relationship.

You might agree with my that most of Adam Sandler’s recent comedies are just plain dumb. Most of them had terrible jokes and failed to make me laugh while also having some heart. Blended is more like last year’s comedy The Internship (which did not involve Adam Sandler at all, for your information), which had a lot of heart and comedy at the same time, and felt like a fun feel-good comedy, than Adam Sandler’s last project, Grown Ups 2. Grown Ups 2 had too much slapstick comedy and eventually started to get dumb. Blended is funny, has a good plot, and isn’t much like any of those dumb recent Sandler movies. Some parts of the movie did remind me of a comedy I saw a very long time ago called Parental Guidance. Here’s why: First of all, one character named Espn (Jim named her after his favorite channel) has an imaginary friend, who is her deceased mother. That reminded me of a character from Parental Guidance named Barker, who had an imaginary kangaroo friend named Carl. Blended also had some weird family traditions like Parental Guidance. 

In conclusion, Blended is a feel-good comedy that is fun to watch and it cracked me up. I would recommend this movie for any comedy fans.

Blended (2014) Poster.jpg