2020-2029, Film Review

Anyone But You (2023)

Posted on January 6, 2024October 8, 2024 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

(c) Sony Pictures Releasing, SK Global, RK Films, Olive Bridge Entertainment and Columbia Pictures

Anyone But You – Film Review

Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, Bryan Brown, Rachel Griffiths

Director: Will Gluck

Synopsis: A blossoming romance between a couple quickly sours and takes a turn for the worse when they find out they’re both attending a destination wedding…

Review: Perhaps it is Disney’s influence and the warm fuzzy feeling that comes with a happy-ever-after tale, but there’s something refreshingly simple and effective about a good romantic comedy. They have an effortless appeal, which we as human beings lap up, because who doesn’t love a good romance when two people, after much will-they-won’t-they antics, finally come to the realisation they are destined for each other and fall in love? It definitely doesn’t hurt when the two people at the centre of this particular tale are two of the most attractive human beings on earth with an equally beautiful setting to go along with it.

Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell) randomly meet at a coffee shop and strike up a romance, leading them to spend the night together at Ben’s place. Despite what seems to have been a perfect first date, Bea decides to leave first thing in the morning before Ben has woken up. A change of heart leads her to head back, only to hear Ben verbally lash out at her for leaving without saying a word, to his friend Pete (GaTa), all while she is in earshot. The sparks which initially flew at their first meeting are soon replaced by uncomfortable frostiness when they find themselves again in each other’s company at a party several months later. The two are further dismayed when after being invited to the wedding of Bea’s sister Halle (Robinson) and Pete’s sister Claudia (Shipp) in Australia, they will be staying in the same house. Amid possible schemes from other wedding guests to get them together, Ben and Bea decide to pretend to be in a relationship to get the other wedding guests, as well as their parents off their backs. Who knows, maybe this will make them realise what made their initial connection so memorable?

Loosely based on William Shakespeare’s play Much Ado About Nothing, the script by Will Gluck and Ilana Wolpert does everything it can to channel the spirit of the Bard himself, as the central couple at the centre of this love/hate relationship sharing the names of the protagonists for good measure (Beatrice and Benedick). Seeing two people who would almost certainly prefer to be in anyone else’s company other than each other’s lends itself to some humorous moments. Despite this animosity, they try to make things as seamless as possible and avoid making a scene at the wedding of two people close to them. Shenanigans are had, with one particular highlight being when the wedding party is out on a hike taking in the scenery that the land down under has to offer, as well as a recreation of the iconic scene from Titanic while the wedding guests are having a party on a boat, what could be more romantic than that? Well until, it goes just a bit wrong and ends up with an unplanned dip while wearing fancy party attire.

It is a fundamental aspect that any rom-com needs chemistry between its leads. Luckily, when you have two of the hottest (literally) rising stars in the business, it counts for a lot as Sweeney and Powell’s chemistry sizzles like the hot Australian sunshine. Their charisma and charm are enough to carry the film practically all by themselves, and Gluck seems to recognise the easy on the eye appeal of his leading couple as much as possible, while cinematographer Danny Ruhlmann utilises the beautiful picturesque Australian scenery to his advantage. However, their blazing hot chemistry and on-screen charisma can only do so much to elevate the material, as it cannot escape the very formulaic nature of the plot. Despite their bittnerness and resentment they initially have, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that the hostilities between them will inevitably give way to a realisation that maybe these two have romantic feelings for each other after all.

While Sweeney and Powell dominate much of the screentime, Dermot Mulroney provides excellent comedy relief as Bea’s father, scheming with some of the others to get his daughter and Ben to realise what is staring everyone in the face. While they have the limelight stolen from them due to the antics of Ben and Bea, Alexandra Shipp and Hadley Robinson get their time to shine, and so they should what with them being the couple whose wedding is the reason for this gathering in the first place. It doesn’t break any new ground, but if you’re looking for some glorious sunshine, some attractive people and a simplistic but effective story of two souls taking a long time to realise what the audience knew from the beginning, it certainly ticks all the boxes. But be warned, you will not be able to get Natasha Bedingfield’s certified 2000s pop banger “Unwritten” out of your head for several days afterwards.

It does not win points for its orignality, but with Sweeney and Powell’s endless charisma, charm and attractiveness to swoon over, combined with the very picturesque backdrop elevate the material that will satisfy die hard rom-com fans.

2010-2019, Film Review

Long Shot (2019)

Posted on May 5, 2019May 5, 2019 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**Image is property of Lionsgate, Good Universe and Point Grey Pictures**

Long Shot – Film Review

Cast: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, O’Shea Jackson Jr, Andy Serkis, June Diane Raphael, Bob Odenkirk, Alexander Skarsgård

Director: Jonathan Levine

Synopsis: As she is preparing her bid for President of the United States, Charlotte Fields (Theron), recruits childhood acquaintance Fred Flarksy (Rogen), an outspoken journalist, as her speechwriter…

Review: In these very politically charged times, to make a film that is very politically orientated is an extremely brave decision to make. It is even more bold to take a genre that you wouldn’t normally associate with politics, like rom-com, and to add a bit of political spice into the mix. The final outcome is an interesting hodgepodge of genres, and while it is not quite a landslide victory, it isn’t too far away.

Fred Flarksy is an outspoken journalist who is down on his luck having just lost his job. As he bids to get back on his feet, he runs into Charlotte Fields, who he once knew as a child. While his life is somewhat in limbo, she is flying high in US politics as the Secretary of State. However, she has her eyes on a much bigger prize and is poised to officially announce her bid for the Presidency. A chance meeting reunites them both, and sensing she can use Fred’s writing skills to pep up her speeches, and boost her ratings, she offers him a job on her official campaign as her speechwriter. Of course, though they don’t seem like the most ideal couple, that doesn’t stop them falling for one another, and an unlikely romance starts to brew between them.

As with any romantic comedy, its primary objectives are to be both romantic and funny, and this film puts an X in both these boxes. Rogen’s background in comedy certainly helps with the comedic aspect as there are plenty of laughs to be found. As she has proved throughout her career, Theron, is effortlessly watchable as she brings class and sophistication to her performance, a polar opposite to the brash, loudmouth nature of Fred’s personality. However, when the situation requires it, she can also be extremely hilarious as she engages in some amusing shenanigans.

As a pairing, Rogen and Theron certainly seem far from a match made in political heaven, but the chemistry between the two of them is very strong and as the film wears on you completely buy them as a couple and hope to see, in spite of the difficulties of the situation, to make it work between them. Of all the excellent supporting cast, O’Shea Jackson Jr is by far the best of the bunch as Fred’s extremely entertaining, supportive long time best friend. Though it is for the most part extremely entertaining, not all of the jokes hit their targets, as some of them can be extremely cringey.

The world of politics is a very fraught arena right now, and the screenplay from Liz Hannah and Dan Sterling uses that to its advantage. It takes some not-so-subtle digs at certain news organisations, and their CEOs. In addition, it puts the current US political climate under a microscope, analysing a plethora of topics most notably, the intense scrutiny that political candidates, especially female ones can find themselves under. Though it does have plenty of things to say about numerous topics. However, the pacing is not perfect as it does lose its way about half way through the film. There are some familiar rom com tropes, yet the performances of the leading duo ensure that the film has charm and sets it on its way to success in the polls.

A blend of romance, comedy and politics is an unlikely mesh, but with the backing of the great performances of its leads, Long Shot gets the votes it needs to set it on its way to success.

2010-2019, Film Review

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Posted on September 23, 2018November 15, 2023 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**Image is property of Warner Bros. Pictures and Color Force**

Crazy Rich Asians – Film Review

Cast: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, Awkwafina, Ken Jeong

Director: Jon M. Chu

Synopsis: When an American woman is invited by her boyfriend to visit his family in Singapore ahead of his best friend’s wedding. Upon arrival, she soon realises that his family are insanely rich…

Review: Like almost any genre, the romantic comedy one is one that can provide audiences with films that tend to retread familiar tropes and don’t seek to bring something new to the market. Therefore when something does manage to be a delight breath of fresh air into the genre, it is undeniably wonderful to see. In recent years, two such films have met that criteria, namely last year’s The Big Sick and now, Crazy Rich Asians, have proved themselves to be massive hits that also break significant ground, the latter of which especially so since it is the first big budget Hollywood production to feature an all Asian cast in a quarter of a century.

At the centre of this romance is Rachel Chu (Wu) who is an Economics Professor at New York University. She has dated her boyfriend and fellow NYU Professor Nick Young (Golding) for around a year. Things get interesting for her when he invites her to Singapore to visit his family, ahead of the wedding of his best friend. What Rachel doesn’t know, and soon begins to fully comprehend, is just how wealthy Nick’s family is. This starts to put a strain on their relationship, particularly when she meets his family and they seem to have their doubts about whether Rachel is the right match for him. It is a very familiar set up for a rom-com story, but the with their extravagant wealth that they possess, it puts the genre in some uncharted territory.

As the main couple in this story, Constance Wu and Henry Golding both excel as Rachel and Nick respectively. There is genuine chemistry between the two and perhaps the most key ingredient of any rom-com is you want these two to make it work. However, of course, that isn’t going to be easy as Nick’s uber rich family pose a few problems, in that Nick’s mother especially (an equally excellent Michelle Yeoh) does not view Rachel as being wholly suitable to become a part of their family. Given how one member just casually splashes around a million dollars on a pair of earrings like it’s mere loose change, which to them, it probably is.

There are a lot of characters at play here, but there are some notably memorable turns from Awkwafina as Rachel’s best friend at college, Goh Peik Lin and Ken Jeong as her wacky but extremely entertaining father. With such a large cast though there is always a risk that some cast members are under-utilised, and Gemma Chan’s Astrid, sister to Nick, is one such character who could have done with a lot more screen time as there is a plot with her own family life that could have benefited from being fleshed out a bit more. Nevertheless the screenplay adapted by Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim manages to weave the family drama and the romance together tremendously well.

Where this film really shines is its visual splendour. The costumes on display here are very bright and colourful, and they perfectly illustrate the remarkable wealth that these people possess. The excellent production design also helps to really hit that point home, particularly when we get to the rather lavish wedding ceremony, one that would certainly give any member of any royal family around the world a run for their money. This is a very different film for director Jon M Chu, and while there are certain familiarities with rom coms of the past, he gives the movie a fresh vibe to it. It is somewhat surprising how it has been so long for a major Hollywood film to feature an all Asian cast, but with the success this film has had, more studios will hopefully soon follow suit.

Boasting some extremely resplendent production design, coupled with an extremely heart-warming tale that manages to breathe new life into the rom-com genre, whilst also being a landmark achievement for representation in Hollywood.

2010-2019, Film Review

The Big Sick (2017)

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**Image is property of FilmNation Entertainment, Apatow Productions and Amazon Studios**

The Big Sick – Film Review

Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Ray Romano, Holly Hunter

Director: Michael Showalter

Synopsis: Charting the true story of Kumail and Emily as they fall in love, but their differences in culture prove to be a tricky test for their relationship, which is compounded when Emily is hospitalised…

Review: As the famous Johnny Cash song Ring of Fire goes, ” Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring.” It kind of goes without saying that meeting someone and falling in love with them can be delightful, but it can also be an experience that can be very testing for everyone. It won’t be all sunshine and rainbows all the time, there will be tricky times and it is in those times, that people can really show who they are, and why they just might be worth spending the rest of your life with.

Based on the real life story of Kumail Nanjiani (played by the real Kumail Nanjiani) a comedian in Chicago trying to make his name on the comedy circuit. He runs into Emily (Kazan) during a gig, and the two begin a romance, but for Kumail, there’s one small problem. His very traditional parents want to set him up in an arranged marriage with a Pakistani bride, but Kumail is not interested in any of that. Unfortunately as their relationship hits a snag, Emily falls gravely ill and is forced into a medically induced coma and with the help of Emily’s Mum and Dad (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) the three of them sit by Emily’s bedside.

You would think in a film that is centred on someone falling into a coma, that the film’s script might be a bit bereft of laughter, but quite the contrary. The script written by Nanjiani and the real Emily V Gordon really packs plenty of laughter with some really funny jokes, especially considering one or two are quite dark in terms of the humour. Yet they don’t fall flat, and they almost always hit the mark and in quite some style too. Taking full advantage of modern technology to tell the story, the chemistry between our leads is very sincere and it feels almost like you’re watching the real lives of these people.

What’s more, as this clashing of cultures situation is becoming more and more common in our ethnically diverse world, the dilemma that Emily and Kumail find themselves in is likely a dilemma that many couples have felt at some point. In thia respect it feels that much more authentic. Thus when it is revealed that Emily has fallen ill, the audience shares Kumail’s concerns and you find yourself scared wondering if she’s going to make it.

Even after Emily is taken ill, the jokes do not stop, but this is thanks to Emily’s parents Terry and Beth. Romano plays Terry as your sort of lovable compassionate father who is funny and heartfelt all at the same time. Meanwhile Holly Hunter channels the fierce matriarchal spirit that she put into voicing Mrs Incredible (AKA Elastigirl) from the Incredibles so effortlessly. Though she doesn’t exactly take kindly to Kumail at first, to see the three of them go through their experience for the person they mutually care about so much is extremely heart-warming and they make an effective trio of comedy.

There are moments where the script does falter a little bit, particularly with a few of Kumail’s comedian friends that aren’t fleshed out at all really. It does make the film perhaps drag on for longer than it needs to be. Nevertheless, this film is a timely reminder of that even in a society that has become more and more diverse, controversy still surrounds cross-cultural relationships, which is ridiculous. Above all though, this film teaches that no matter what creed or colour you are, love knows no boundaries, and that should always be celebrated.