Movie Review- Home Again

With all of our visitors and our move back to California, I've not seen a movie in over a month. I usually get itchy if I don't see a movie once a week, so over a month was positively soul crushing. This morning, I decided that enough was enough and I took myself to our local cinema.

The Village Theater is small and only had two choices. I really want to see It, but I'm alone in our house for the next week while Dan is away on a business trip, and not only that, but our neighborhood is nearly all rentals, so it's empty around here on week days. My imagination is already overactive and I don't need to add to it with It. My other choice was the latest Reese Witherspoon film, Home Again.

PLOT - Alice Kinney ( Reese Witherspoon) is separated from her husband Austen (Michael Sheen) and has moved back to Los Angeles with her two daughters. On her fortieth birthday, she goes out to dinner with friends and ends up meeting Harry, a handsome younger man (Pico Alexander). Harry and his two friends spend the night partying with Alice's group and they wind up back at Alice's house.

The next morning, Alice's mom (Candice Bergen)  stops by with Alice's daughters and sees the remnants of the party, including the younger men. The men quickly realize that Alice's father was a famous movie director and that her mother was an actress in his films. The men are trying to break into show business and they are blown away to be in the presence of such greatness. Alice's mom is flattered by their attention and convinces Alice to be a patron of the arts by letting them live in her guest house. Alice agrees, but is unsure about her feelings towards Harry and about letting the trio in her messy life. Will the arrangement lead to disaster or can taking a leap of faith change everyone's lives?

LIKE- Home Again made me laugh and left me with the warm fuzzies. It's a sweet story about opening up your heart to possibilities. I was surprised to discover that it wasn't completely predictable, especially in the way that Alice's relationship evolves with the men.

Alice is a wonderful character. What's more, she's relatable. At the start of the film, she's a mess. She is trying to jump start a new business and she feels very conflicted towards her ex-husband, with whom she has not made the leap to filing for divorce. Throughout the film, she slowly grows stronger and more self-assured. These three young men all play a role in getting her back on her feet. I liked that all of the men were flawed, but that they were essentially good people. As Alice mentions multiple times, they are only in their twenties and they are allowed the room to make mistakes. Growing from mistakes and experiences is a central theme of Home Again.

I'm a huge fan of Michael Sheen and he is a scene stealer in Home Again. When Austen decides to show up at Alice's house because he is concerned about the three men who are spending time around his daughters, it leads to some great comedic and tension-filled moments. 

The entire cast really shines, individually and as an ensemble. Particularly well-casted are the two actresses that play Alice and Austen's daughters, Isabel (Lola Flannery) and Rosie (Eden Grace Redfield). No doubt these two girls will go on to bigger careers.

DISLIKE- It's a tad sappy. I like sappy movies. Sometimes they are exactly what you need.

RECOMMEND- Yes. Home Again is a feel good movie. I'm not sure that it needs to be seen on the big screen, but it will definitely be a film that gets tons of repeat airtime on cable networks. It a film I could easily rewatch many times.  

Movie Review- La La Land

PLOT- Reminiscent of classic Hollywood musicals, Damien Chazelle's La La Land, is the story of  aspiring actress, Mia ( Emma Stone), and down on his luck jazz pianist, Sebastian ( Ryan Gosling). Can Mia and Sebastian continue to chase their dreams and grow their relationship? Or do they have to choose between passion and love?

LIKE- I was hesitant about La La Land. I love musical theatre, but general do not like movie musicals. Musicals are a different experience on the stage, I like the energy in the room. Movie musicals don't create the same type of energy. I always feel that they are awkward. The title worried me. I hate when people refer to Los Angeles as La La Land, because it is usually used as a slight, said by people who are not from LA. I've never heard a local use that nickname, and I've never heard it said in a positive way. Would La La Land be a slam on my hometown?

Very quickly my fears were put to rest, La La Land is a true love letter to Los Angeles. Sure, there is some gentle mocking: the opening scene involves a fantasy song/dance sequence during heavy traffic on the freeway. Mention of our lack of seasons and perpetual sunshine is a running joke. There is truth to these stereotypes. But just watching the date montage, where Mia and Sebastian tour the city, riding Angel's Flight and strolling across the Colorado Street Bridge in Pasadena, reminded me that there is no place that I love more.

 I quickly fell in love with the music. The songs are original and fresh, but most important, they serve the story. Thankfully this is a musical with songs, rather than singing dialogue. There are many pure music sections, without singing. There are elaborate dance sequences and fantasy scenes, but not every song is accompanied by flashy visuals. It all serves the story, and the story is so damn good.

Mia and Sebastian meet when they are both facing a crossroads in their artistic careers. They are each at a personal low, considering giving up on their dreams. Their intense relationship flourishes due to their passion, not so much as couple, but as muses. They each inspire the other to keep working towards their dreams. They are helped by the creative energy of the city. Los Angeles is very much its own character in La La Land.

The epilogue caught me off-guard and made me cry. Since leaving the theatre, I've been feeling melancholy and reflective. However, there was no better way to end the story. This was the only way it could have possibly ended. It was perfect. The ending supported a comment that Sebastian makes early in the film, when he is trying to explain his love of jazz to Mia, he talks about how jazz is all about improvisation, the different musicians placing their own stamp on the song, changing it. La La Land is about the people that drift into our lives and change us, sending us on an entirely new course. Life is constantly evolving, and we never know who will affect our lives or in what way.

The story is beautiful, such fabulous writing. Stone and Gosling have off-the-charts chemistry and each gives a really strong performance. All of the many things that I love about living in Los Angeles are made even more magical in La La Land. This story made my heart fill with joy and then shattered it, as the best movies manage to do.

DISLIKE- La La Land made me intensely homesick for Los Angeles. It reminded me of all of the beautiful and amazing things about living in LA.

RECOMMEND- Yes! Thinking back on all of the films that I've seen in 2016, I  believe that La La Land has been my favorite. It's flawless and affecting. As a bonus, I got to envy Stone's gorgeous costumes, and spend two hours with Gosling, one of my celebrity crushes. He's so hot!