"The People We Hate at the Wedding" -- Movie Review

 

This week, I streamed Amazon Studios new Prime Video comedy, “The People We Hate at the Wedding”, starring Allison Janney and Kristen Bell.  

Synopsis

When a dysfunctional blended family reunites for a wedding abroad, can they avoid triggering each other to prevent the nuptials from turning into a disaster?

Story

In her youth, Donna (Allison Janney) met and married Henrique (Isaach De Bankolé); they lived in London with their daughter Eloise (Cynthia Addai-Robinson) – but unfortunately, they did not live happily ever after.  A few years later, Henrique began cheating on Donna; they ultimately divorced and Donna returned to the United States with Eloise.  Eventually, Donna remarried and had two more children with her new husband:  Alice (Kristen Bell) and Paul (Ben Platt).  They all lived together until Donna’s husband passed away.  Once the children were grown, they went their separate ways – Eloise left for London and the once-close family was now distanced both geographically and emotionally.

The day that everyone was secretly dreading has finally arrived:  Eloise announces that she’s getting married and she wants her mother and half-siblings to attend.  Although Donna is happy for her oldest daughter, she doesn’t look forward to making the long trip to London, especially since she will inevitably wind up having to see Henrique once again after all these years.  Likewise, Alice and Paul find this to be a significant interruption to their own life; feeling rather detached from their half-sister, the rigmarole is nothing but a nuisance – not to mention bad timing. 

Reluctantly, they agree to attend (as if they had a choice!).  Alice, who is having an affair with her married boss, heads to London on her own; her “boyfriend” agrees to meet her there just in time for the ceremony.  Paul and his partner also fly out, only to eventually learn that their own relationship is on the rocks when they meet up with another man.  Following a raucous and chaotic pre-wedding party, Eloise then informs her mother and half-siblings that they are uninvited from the wedding.  On the day of the ceremony, Eloise has a meltdown and starts to panic.  Can the family finally come together to help her save her special day?

Review

Based on the book by Grant Ginder, the R-rated movie adaptation of “The People We Hate at the Wedding” seems to be going for the same audience that made the film “Bridesmaids” such a huge (and well-deserved) hit.  The problem is that despite terrific performances by both Kristen Bell and the consistently excellent Allison Janney, the humor is not quite sharp enough, even though it does make many attempts to rely on the same style of ribald jokes.  One gets the sense that the screenwriters may have downed many glasses of Chardonnay as a prelude to getting their words into the script.   

If you are considering streaming “The People We Hate at the Wedding” on Prime Video, it may be worth it more for seeing Janney and Bell rather than the film itself.  Janney provides the necessary credibility for her character while Bell seems quite comfortable playing the quite outlandish daughter from the second marriage; speaking of outlandish, Ben Platt’s character has one scene where a gay three-way is threatened to ensue – that scene alone is conceivably what earns this movie the R-rating it justly deserves.  Definitely not a family-friendly film unless your family is as twisted as the one portrayed here. 

Coming in at less than two hours, “The People We Hate at the Wedding” is not a very demanding investment of your time – in fact, at a little over an hour and a half, it’s just about the perfect length for a comedy.  More mildly amusing than actually laugh-out-loud funny, this movie can serve as something of a lighthearted distraction if that’s all that you’re in the mood for – but if you’re in need of more substantial entertainment, it may be necessary to look elsewhere.  There aren’t too many serious scenes in this film, so don’t expect anything terribly profound.  In fact, it’s a motion picture that will likely be easily forgotten not too soon after it’s been viewed.    

 

"The Son" -- Movie Review

 

This week at Film At Lincoln Center, I attended an advance screening of “The Son”, a new drama by writer/director Florian Zeller; it features Hugh Jackman, Laura Dern and Anthony Hopkins. 

Synopsis

When a divorced father learns of his teenage son’s emotional problems, can he save him before the boy does something drastic?

Story

Peter (Jackman) is a successful, ambitious businessman in New York City – he’s even fielding an offer from a United States Senator who wants to hire him for his upcoming presidential campaign.  After his divorce from Kate (Dern), he’s remarried to Beth (Vanessa Kirby) and started a second family with their newborn son Theo.  His plans get interrupted when Kate informs him that their 17 year old son Nicholas (Zen McGrath) has been having some problems; with Nicholas skipping school and displaying a variety of behavioral issues, Kate implores Peter to intervene.  When he meets with his son, Nicholas requests he move in with Peter and Beth – despite Beth's concerns, Peter relents. 

Nicholas takes a spare room at Peter and Beth's apartment; Beth maintains a watchful eye on him due to his unusual demeanor.  Peter registers him in a new school so he can have a fresh start.  Soon after, however, he discovers that Nicholas is a “cutter” – he makes cuts in his arm occasionally, causing bleeding and leaving scars.  When confronted about this, Nicholas admits to his father that he’s been having difficulty dealing with his parents’ divorce, especially after witnessing his mother's reaction; he feels that both he and his mother have been abandoned, discarded and completely forgotten. 

Eventually, Peter finds out that Nicholas has been hiding the truth from him – he hasn’t been attending classes at his new school and he’s continuing to cut himself with increasing frequency.  One of his cuttings results in a failed suicide attempt, which causes him to be hospitalized; once his physical health is stabilized, Nicholas remains in the psychiatric ward for observation.  The psychiatrist tries to convince Peter and Kate to let Nicholas remain there because of his severe depression and likelihood of another suicide attempt.  Despite the recommendation, they decide to sign out Nicholas and take him home, believing that if they shower him with enough love and attention, he will improve.  But will this plan truly work?

Review

With such a great cast, you would think that “The Son” would be a terrific motion picture – unfortunately, the performances can’t elevate its quality.  It couldn't be saved even if Hugh Jackman transformed into Wolverine at the end.  There is just too much of a melodrama feel to garner much interest.  “The Son” is basically a made-for-TV flick that only got greenlit as a feature because of the cast attached to the project – not to mention the director’s previous success with “The Father”.  After Zeller made “The Father”, he followed-up with “The Son”.  Will his next be “The Holy Spirit”?  That would make quite the trinity.           

Much of the script is rather curious, making you wonder what the characters are doing and why they are making the choices they have made (or haven’t made, as the case may be).  While the intent behind the film seems to be heartfelt, it’s difficult to muster much compassion for these characters.  Even the distressed son can be a bit irritating with his passive aggressive behavior.  One thing to note is that while Anthony Hopkins is in “The Son”, he only has the one scene, which is quite good; so if you’re considering seeing this for another stellar Hopkins portrayal, you may want to reconsider. 

There was an interview with the star of “The Son”, Hugh Jackman, after the screening.  Jackman said that Zeller’s approach to shooting the film was to not have any rehearsals, nor did he allow the cast to watch the monitors after a take.  As a result, Jackman felt that he had to put complete trust in his director.  The final emotionally intense scene of the movie was shot only three days after Jackman’s own father had passed away; he said it took a total of 17 takes and the entire time, he felt his father’s presence on the set.  The play on which the motion picture is based was set in France, but Zeller put the adaptation in New York City because he believes that New York is the crossroads of the world and that the story could be set anywhere because it’s so universal.      

"Aftersun" -- Movie Review

 

Recently at Lincoln Center, I attended a screening of the new drama, “Aftersun”. 

Synopsis

When a little girl goes on vacation with her father, will they be able to bond despite the fact that he is now separated from her mother?

Story

As the summer winds down and a return to school approaches, Calum (Paul Mescal) negotiates with his ex-wife to take their 11-year-old daughter Sophie (Frankie Corio) to Turkey for a brief (and cheap) vacation.  The weather is hot and the sun is unremitting, so Calum is dutifully applying plenty of sunscreen to his daughter.  Sophie appears to be enjoying herself – or at least, she’s enjoying having time to spend with her father; a rare thing these days since her parents separated.  Short on cash since he’s had difficulty earning a living, Calum does his level best to show Sophie a good time. 

Sophie’s sources of entertainment are somewhat limited because there aren’t too many children at this resort that are around her age; the few young people she encounters are in their late teens.  Since they are mostly interested in hanging with peers their age so they can imbibe virtually unlimited alcohol, pretty much the only thing they can do with Sophie is play pool.  Sophie, however, is left to look on enviously and forlornly as her vacation pals engage in some romantic pursuits.  Pretty much the best Sophie can do is to befriend a boy at a nearby arcade as they spend the afternoon playing games together. 

Tension sets in during their stay when Sophie’s interests diverge from Calum’s; she wants him to join her in karaoke, but he refuses.  Later, he suggests retiring to their room, but she resists.  Seeking out her own adventures, Sophie finds the boy she met at the arcade; seeing as how they are close in age and neither one of them has yet fully embarked on the tremulous adventure known as adolescence, they make an awkward attempt at a tryst.  When it gets late and Sophie grows tired, she finally decides to return to the room she and Calum share – but when she discovers that she’s been locked out, will this imperil the remainder of their otherwise pleasant trip?       

Review

Although “Aftersun” played at the recent New York Film Festival, this screening took place after its official release.  The movie has received widespread critical acclaim; there is good reason for that given the stylistic choices made by director Charlotte Wells and the performance by Frankie Corio in the role of Sophie.  Despite “Aftersun” becoming something of a critic’s darling, it is a bit of a letdown in terms of the emotional impact which it attempts to deliver; much of what we learn comes at the end of the film and it is ultimately left up to the imagination of the viewer to figure out everything at that point. 

Where the directing somewhat falls apart is in the actual framing of the story.  Clearly, it is a coming-of-age tale told through the eyes of an 11-year-old girl; what we as an audience don’t immediately know – and are left to assemble the pieces of the puzzle at the conclusion of the film – is that this is told in the form of a flashback by the now-adult Sophie (who is apparently also a parent herself).  This “reveal” and the way it is done is both awkward and confusing; given the seeming intent by the filmmaker, it might have been made clearer (and more satisfying) to inform the audience upfront about how this story would unfold. 

Ultimately, “Aftersun” is more style over substance.  Unfortunately, this style obfuscates the substance, which is the reflection of the adult on her complex relationship with her father during her childhood now that she has also assumed the role of parent.  While the relationship between daughter and father in her childhood is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking, without the context behind this story we cannot establish the deeper meaning behind adult Sophie’s reminiscences.  Perhaps that is the most heartbreaking part of the motion picture – knowing that it could have been so much better than its final version. 

The 60th New York Film Festival

Here's a photo dump from the screenings that have been reviewed at this year's New York Film Festival.  

Opening Night "White Noise"

 

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 "Master Gardener"

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"Till"

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"Triangle of Sadness"

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"Stars At Noon"

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Centerpiece screening:  "All The Beauty And The Bloodshed"

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"Decision To Leave"

 

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60th Anniversary Celebration Screening:  "Armageddon Time" 

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Closing Night:  "The Inspection"

 

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"The Inspection" -- Movie Review

 

On the closing night of the 60^th New York Film Festival, I attended the U.S. premiere of the drama “The Inspection”.

Synopsis

When a gay Black man joins the Marines, will this help to repair the relationship with his mother?

Story

Ellis French (Jeremy Pope) is a young Black man who has been homeless for nearly a decade – this is because his mother (Gabrielle Union) has disowned him for being gay.  As a last resort, he decides to join the Marines, hoping that will finally give his life some meaning and value.  Boot camp is brutal, but when French’s sexuality is discovered, it becomes even worse.  Determined to make a go of it no matter what, French takes the abuse and stands up for himself whenever necessary.  What he doesn’t know at first – but eventually learns – is that there are many like him already in the military.

While French’s fellow recruits are anti-gay (and specifically anti-French), his drill sergeant Laws (Bokeem Woodbine) is openly anti-Muslim as a result of serving shortly after the events of September 11, 2001.  As a result, Laws is particularly harsh on a recruit who is a devout Muslim when he spots the young man praying.  The other recruits decide to gang up on French and try to sabotage his training so he will be discharged from boot camp.  This doesn’t stop French from having an attraction to some of the other Marines, with whom he believes he has found some affinity. 

As boot camp draws to a close, it is beginning to look like French might successfully graduate, despite the lack of support from either his fellow recruits or his own mother.  But will French’s mother be proud of him?  Will she even attend the final graduation ceremony when he actually becomes a Marine?  For weeks now, he has been writing her but hasn’t gotten any response.  Not knowing if she is alright or simply ignoring him, and despite knowing she may be irked, French decides to call her to find out why she hasn’t corresponded with him.  Eventually, he summons up the courage to beg her to attend his graduation ceremony.  Will she attend or continue to ostracize her son?  

Review

As Elegance Bratton’s first narrative feature film, “The Inspection” is certainly meritorious, albeit flawed.  One might assume that the expectation and intention of the film is for the audience to feel that this mistreated character has a triumphant conclusion to his story; however, under further scrutiny, this inference might be questionable.  For one thing, French does not find his own way – it takes the grueling discipline of the Marines (i.e., the federal government) to transform him into a killing machine in order to provide structure in his life and convince him he has purpose.  French’s change is not of his own doing; he doesn’t change himself, the Corps forces the transformation on him. 

It would not necessarily be unfair to characterize “The Inspection” as the gay version of “An Officer And A Gentleman”; in the latter movie, the Zack Mayo character declares, “I got nowhere else to go!” – the exact same thing can be said for Ellis French.  Unlike “An Officer And A Gentleman”, there is no romantic subplot – instead, there are moments where there are allusions to sexual situations.  On a positive note, there are good performances by both Jeremy Pope and Gabrielle Union.  Pope is quite successful at making French a sympathetic character for whom an audience can root; Union’s performance as a cruel homophobic mother is courageous. 

In a post-screening conversation, writer/director Elegance Bratton discussed the autobiographical nature of “The Inspection”.  He said that the portions of the movie concerning his mother were true but most of the other incidents are not.  Bratton regrets that he was never able to actually reconcile with his mother in real life; the film was green-lit in mid-February of 2020 and she passed away just four days later.  Following his time in the Marine Corps, he went on to study at Columbia University, then took filmmaking courses at New York University’s Tisch School of The Arts; while there, he made a short film which got him some television work, essentially launching his career.