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Admission (2013)
Admission (2013)
Paul Rudd has been typecast in the same roles for the majority of his career. When Tina Fey is not on television, she is acting in cheesy romantic comedies. With this in mind, I figured that this movie would be very average, but I thought that I would give it a chance anyway.
The film is about an admissions officer at Princeton (Tina Fey) who is not very fond of children. After finding out that an applicant just might be her son that she gave up for adoption a number of years before, she puts her job in jeopardy trying to help him get accepted.
The movie was directed by Paul Weitz and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes Paul Rudd, Gloria Reuben, Wallace Shawn, Lily Tomlin, Michael Sheen, Nat Wolff, and Travaris Spears.
I would hardly classify Admission as a comedy. It is not even really a dramedy. It is a romantic drama, but mainly just a drama.
It seems like more and more movies these days have been released classified as comedy/romance/drama. It is deceiving because often times these movies are just not very funny or any good at all, i.e. The Guilt Trip (2012) and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012).
These types of movies take actors that are mainly known for their comedy and they try to stretch the parameters of their acting ability by making them do comedy, drama, and romance. The end result is usually a light hearted, dysfunctional concoction of cheesy and cheap humor, a formulaic story, and characters that seem out of place because they are out of their element and in over their heads. Admission is exactly this kind of movie.
I chuckled a few times, I was bored a little bit, and when the movie was over I knew that I would never have to see it again.
Rudd and Fey keep making the same movies and therefore will continue to make the same movies.
Tomlin was charming. Given that she has mainly been acting in television lately, it was nice to see her in a movie again.
This is not even a good “chick flick.” Don’t waste your time on this below average movie.
I rate this movie a 4 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Run.
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
Crazy, Stupid, Love. (2011)
Crazy, Stupid, Love. is one of the better “dramadies” that I have seen in a while.
Sweet-talking ladies man Jacob (Ryan Gosling) takes newly, almost single Cal (Steve Carell) under his wing and tries to help him get back out into the dating scene. This sets off a dysfunctional chain reaction in both of their lives and hilarity ensues along with craziness, stupidity, and love.
The film has just the right blend of laughs and drama. It may go a little overboard in one direction or the other at times, but that just helps to capitalize on the subject matter and keep the film exciting.
Carell does better when more comedy is involved and Gosling is more of a serious actor. Both actors’ styles complemented each other very well and I think that working together enabled them each to go a little bit out of their comfort zones as to what is usually the norm for them. Gosling pulled off being funny and Carell managed to get serious. Carell has proved that serious doesn’t usually work for him (i.e. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)), but it did in Crazy, Stupid, Love. Gosling didn’t become a comedian by any means. He has always managed to be pretty witty and clever, but he added funny to the mix.
The movie also has strong female characters played by Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, and Marisa Tomei. Each woman was able to bring a level of wholesomeness to their roles with a touch of quirkiness. This complemented the film quite well and helped to make it a bit unpredictable.
Other supporting cast includes Kevin Bacon, Analeigh Tipton, Jonah Bobo, Joey King, Beth Littleford, John Carroll Lynch, Josh Groban, and Liza Lapira.
Josh Groban proved that he should stick to singing and leave the acting to the actors.
The film was directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa.
If you are looking for a good date movie (whether you are married or not), look no further than Crazy, Stupid, Love. It is humorous and touching at the same time. It is not a “chick flick.” It is a film that both men and women will enjoy.
I rate this movie an 8 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Buy.
If you liked Crazy, Stupid, Love., then you will probably enjoy:
Top 13 Disappointing Current Redbox Movies
Top 13 Disappointing Current Redbox Movies
There are many terrible movies out there. I have avoided renting movies at the Redbox just because they looked bad. You know which ones that I’m talking about. The ones that rip off movies that are actually popular by giving them similar titles and making the cover art look remarkably alike, but are actually knock offs that nobody should have to suffer through. That being said, there are probably worse movies at the Redbox than what are on my list. My list however, is a compilation of movies that actually looked like they could be good in one way or another. Something about these movies made me go to the theatre and watch them, or go to the Redbox and rent them. I made this list to save you time and money. Don’t get duped like I did. They might have a good cast. They might look funny. They might look scary. They might look intense and full of good action. They might look like they have a nice touching story. They are none of those things (well, sometimes except for the cast). They are poor excuses for movies. Stay far away from these awful creations.
With my list I have included the cover art to the movies, so that you know exactly what to avoid. I have not posted any trailers, because you don’t even want to waste your time with those. They will trick you. I have also listed my ratings of each movie. My ratings are on a scale of 1-10. My full review will be available for some of the movies. If the title is highlighted, then you can click on it for my full review.
I do not claim to have seen all of the movies that are currently available to rent at the Redbox, but I have seen 76 of them. Of those 76 movies, my Top 13 Disappointing Current Redbox Movies are:
1. V/H/S (2012) My rating: 1
4. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
6. The Man with the Iron Fists (2012) My rating: 3
7. Silent Hill: Revelation (2012) My rating: 3
8. Deadfall (2012) My rating: 4
10. The Liability (2012) My rating: 4.5
11. Lay the Favorite (2012) My rating: 4.5
12. The Cold Light of Day (2012) My rating: 4.5
13. That’s My Boy (2012) My rating: 5
Now that you know what movies to avoid, Check out my other Redbox related material. Click on the links below:
Current Redbox Movie Reviews September 2013
Current Redbox Movie Reviews August 2013
Current Redbox Movie Reviews July 2013
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 2
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 3
Top 13 Current Redbox Movies Vol. 4
Are you a fan of Netflix? Click on the following links below for Netflix related material:
Netflix Watch Instantly Movie Reviews September 2013
20 Best Drama Movies Based on Real Life Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
20 Best Classics Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Mind-bending Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Romantic Comedy Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best War/Military Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
13 Best Gritty Action/Thriller Movies Available on Netflix Watch Instantly
Happy Movie Watching!
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
English: Steve Carell pauses for a moment to take in the grandeur of the 82nd Academy Awards, March 7, in Hollywood, Calif. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Review of: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (2012)
It is actually kind of a shame that this is the first review that I am going to post on my blog because the movie was really, quite utterly, less than mediocre. I am not going to bother with a spoiler alert, because I would not want you to waste your time watching this movie in the first place. Read the review. It will save you money and time, that is, if you were thinking about watching this movie in the first place.
The 40-year-old Virgin (2005) meets Armageddon (1998) except there is no comedy and no action. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is about a man (Steve Carell) who works as an insurance salesman in order to be prepared for the worst. He and his wife find out that the worst is actually on its way in the form of a 70-mile-wide asteroid on a collision course with the earth. The asteroid is set to end their world as they know it in 3 weeks time.
His wife immediately leaves him upon hearing the news. He is left with a job that no longer has any meaning. He has no family because his Mother has passed away and his Father ran out on them when he was a kid and he has no siblings. He detaches himself from his self-destructive friends.
Rules do not really seem to apply to anyone anymore because of the world’s impending doom. Everything around him turns to anarchy. His apartment building is set on fire and he is forced to leave.
Along the way, the man joins together with a much younger woman (Keira Knightley) neighbor whom he has never met before even though the two live in the same building.
English: Keira Knightley at the 2011 Venice Film Festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
They venture out into the now insane world, in order to find the man’s high school sweetheart. They fall in love along the way. She gets in touch with her family and he reconciles with his father.
He puts her in his Father’s plane in the middle of the night while she is sleeping and has his Father fly her home to her family.
He goes back to their apartment building and listens to her records in her apartment while waiting for the world to end. After a little while she returns to find him there and the two lie in bed and talk as the world ends.
I am a big Steve Carell’s comedy and even though this movie is not a comedy, I expected it to have a few laughs. I did not laugh once during the entire movie. Many scenes were on the verge of being funny, but they didn’t quite make it there.
The chemistry between Steve Carell and Keira Knightley’s characters did not really exist until almost the end of the movie. Knightley played her part well, but the story and writing left her with very little to work with.
The movie was very slow to the point of boredom. It started to pickup a little bit towards the end of the movie, but then it ended.
I think that Steve Carell should stick to comedies because that is definitely what he is good at. He was cast way against type in this role and it did not suit him.
I give this movie a solid 2 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? Run.
I’m glad that I watched this on DVD because I would have been thoroughly disappointed if I had seen it in the Theatre.
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