Movie Review- The Night Before

PLOT- After a drunk driver kills his parents close to the holidays, Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) starts a tradition of spending Christmas Eve with his two childhood friends, Isaac (Seth Rogen) and Chris (Anthony Mackie). The tradition has been going on since their teens, but now in their early-thirties, they have decided that this will be the last year that they celebrate together. Isaac is about to have his first child and Chris is a famous Athlete. Only Ethan remains stuck in life, heartbroken over his recent break-up with Diana (Lizzy Caplan) and working odd-jobs while his music dreams stagnate. Isaac and Chris hope to spend this last Christmas Eve having a serious talk with Ethan regarding his future, while Ethan has other plans; he has stolen tickets to the top-secret Nutcracker Ball, a party of mythical legend. 

LIKE- This time of the year, a lot of fantastic, Oscar-worthy films are released. The Night Before is clearly not in that category. Admittedly, I was a little loathe to see this in place of a "better quality" film, but it just fit into our plans on Sunday. We needed something light and fun. The holiday theme was also a bonus. 

I come from a really small family and all of my relatives have passed away. I very much connected with the spirit of this film, the idea of friends being family. I didn't expect The Night Before to have such a strong, sentimental current, but it does. 

Although much of the humor falls flat, there were several parts that made me laugh out-loud. I liked the product placement humor with Chris, as an athlete with a recent endorsement contract from Redbull and a phone company ( can't remember the carrier). It's clever and funny.

DISLIKE- The Night Before is a little too outrageous and silly. It might have been funnier, if they had reigned in some of the more outlandish portions. The outrageous didn't mesh well with the sentimental, making for a disparity in the overall tone of the film. I have to fess-up that I even fell asleep during the middle. It failed to hold my interest.

RECOMMEND- Definitely not in cinemas. The Night Before is a typical Seth Rogen movie. If you like his stuff, wait until it's a rental. 

Movie Review- About Time

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About Time is a movie involving time travel where the emphasis is not on the ability to travel through time, but on the concept of time itself and more specifically, how one spends their allotted time in life.

Tim, our narrator, is twenty-one when his father decides that it is time to let Tim in on a very peculiar family trait, all of the male family members can time travel. They can't travel to anywhere that they haven't already been, but they can redo moments in their own lives.

Tim is a bit shy and awkward, so he decides that the best use for time travel would be to use it to obtain a girlfriend. As Tim tests out his newly realized power, he mostly uses the gift for mild endevours, like making a move on a girl during a New Years Eve Party. Tim starts to see real consequences with his abilities when he falls in love and marries an American girl named Mary. Tim needs to make difficult decisions with regard to his future and time travel.

This is a heavily reflective and introspective film. It's about learning to move forward in your life, even when you want to hold on to your past. The story has some very nice sentiments regarding how to appreciate and love the life that you are given. It speaks a lot to not taking a moment for granted. 

Besides having a very solid script, even the time travel bits, the movie has wonderful characters. Tim's family is a bit quirky, but not in a way that is unbelievable. The family is like a light version of the family in The Royal Tennenbaums. They are eccentric without being over-the-top. I really loved Bill Nighy and Lindsay Duncan as Tim's parents. Domhnall Gleason as Tim, drove the movie and was such a likable character that it was easy to go along for the ride. I always love Rachel McAdams in films and she had a lot of chemistry with Gleason.

It's labeled a romantic comedy and although there are many comedic moments, this movie is far more of a drama. It hit me hard, especially the themes of having to make big life changes and moving forward. I found the film to be a cathartic experience. 

I highly recommend this beautifully done film.  

Movie Review- The Way Way Back

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Every summer has that one movie release that is a sweet and poignant alternative to the slick, over-produced blockbusters that flood the cinemas. Last summer it was Moonrise Kingdom, this summer it's The Way Way Back. 

I loved The Way Way Back. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, that I can't think of a 2013 release that has been a better movie.  

The Way Way Back is the story of Duncan, a quiet and sensitive teenager, who is spending the summer at his mother's new boyfriend's beach house. The tone is set immediately at the start of the movie with an uncomfortable conversation between Duncan and the boyfriend while they drive to the beach house. The boyfriend takes the opportunity to belittle Duncan under the guise of being a caring adult, as Duncan's mother and the boyfriend's daughter sleep in the car, completely unaware of the tense conversation.

Steve Carell plays the boyfriend, Trent and he is truly a despicable character. Trent takes every opportunity to belittle and bully Duncan. Trent is envious of the close relationship that his girlfriend, Pam has with her son and that he lacks with his own shallow daughter, Steph.  

Duncan withdraws from the situation and find solace at the local water park, Water Wizz. Owen, the fun-loving owner of Water Wizz, recognizes that Duncan is having problems and offers him both a job and friendship. Owen steps up to the plate and acts like an older brother to Duncan, giving him much needed adult guidance and concern.

The movie is billed as a comedy and although it has some funny moments, it's definitely a drama. The story deals with weighty issues such as divorce, child abandonment, infidelity, alcoholism and generally what it means to be a grown-up.

A majority of the adults in the movie are so involved with their own problems, that they don't realize that they are setting a very poor example for the next generation. The kids in the movie are teenagers and the parents have shifted their priorities away from parenting, leaving the kids to finish growing up on their own. One of the kids in the movie mentions that spending the summer by the beach is a bit like spring break for the adults, giving them the excuse to misbehave. 

One particular poignant conversation involves Duncan and his older girl crush, Susanna. Susanna is telling the Duncan about catching Ghost Crabs on the beach. The story about the crabs and how they can see everything around them, except up is a good parallel to the adults in the movie. They can't see that their children watch and absorb everything. The adults are so singularly focused on their own lives, that they don't realize that their actions have direct consequences for their children. Some of the teenagers, such as Trent's daughter, have already begun to mimic the bad examples set forth by the adults. The problems roll into the next generation.

The movie has hope though, as some of the adults realize the impact they have on the kids. Owen is basically a good guy, but prior to his interactions with Duncan, he shirks his responsibilities and pushes away the one woman who is good for him, fellow Water Wizz employee, Caitlin. He doesn't want to grow up. It's subtle, but throughout the movie, you see a shift in Owen and it's easy to root for him to change. 

Aside from having a story that is filled with great dialogue and rich subtext, the movie has a fantastic cast. This movie is an ensemble piece, with Liam James as Duncan at the heart of it.

I fell in love with Sam Rockwell as Owen. Having spent many years working at a theme park, I can verify that all of the types of Water Wizz employees rang true. I loved Maya Rudolph as Caitlin, the Water Wizz employee who only intended to work the job for one summer. I get that! Toni Collette as Duncan's mom was perfect. I just wanted to shake her character.  AnnaSophia Robb was great as the daughter of a raging alcoholic, played by Allison Janney, in a cringe worthy, scene stealing role. I never thought Steve Carell could carry off such a horrible character, but he did and was well cast. 

I hope that this little movie is remembered when awards season rolls around. The Way Way Back is really that good!