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Gringo (2018)
Gringo (2018)
I did not expect much from a movie titled Gringo. From the trailer it appeared like it would be a fun, goofy, action, dark dramedy. Sometimes it is OK to watch dumb humor and that is what I expected with Gringo. How many other movies where the title is a racial slur would you expect to be any good?
With a cast that includes the likes of Charlize Theron, Joel Edgerton, Sharlto Copley, and Amanda Seyfried, it would be hard to go wrong, right?
The movie is about how an average business trip to Mexico for Harold Soyinka, quickly takes a turn for the worse and he finds himself in a tangled mess between a drug cartel, the police, and his backstabbing boss.
The movie was directed by Nash Edgerton and the rest of the noteworthy cast includes David Oyelowo, Thandie Newton, Alan Ruck, Kenneth Choi, Melonie Diaz, Harry Treadaway, and Yul Vasquez.
This is one of those movies that overcompensates in the trailer to make the movie look a lot more entertaining than it actually is.
I has its comedic moments, but not very many of them. If has some action, but not very much of it. You get to like the characters, but on a little bit. I was actually shocked at how not funny this movie was.
How do you assign the comedy genre to a movie that is not very funny? This has become more and more common for Hollywood, these days. There are too many subgenres. This is an example of a movie that is trying to be too many of those subgenres at once. It wants to be a comedy (dark, stupid, witty, goofy), drama, and action. You cannot always have your cake and eat it too. You cannot lump all of those genres in to a film and always expect to pull it off.
This movie bleeds with underused talent. It is a comedy for actors that are not known for comedy and it shows because they have a lot of trouble actually pulling off humor of any kind.
Sharlto Copley stole the show. He managed to bring the most amount of comedy and entertainment to the film, even though it still fell short.
The movie was just not very fun. I found myself a little bored about two thirds of the way through.
Overall, Gringo is a poorly written “dramedy” with a little bit of action. Even the cast cannot save this film. It is worth a rental if you are curious about the movie, but do not waste your money in the theater unless you have a MoviePass.
I rate this movie a 4 on a scale of 1-10.
If you liked this film then you might also enjoy:
Masterminds (2016)
Keeping up with the Joneses (2016)
The Hangover (2009)
The Hangover II (2011)
Horrible Bosses (2011)
Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)
Hall Pass (2011)
Office Christmas Party (2016)
Bad Words (2013)
Due Date (2010)
Due Date (2010)
Due Date engulfed me in laughter. It was one hysterical moment after another. Just when I thought I could not laugh any longer, I giggled and then laughed harder and longer than before.
The film is a sort of new-age Planes, Trains, & Automobiles (1987). Peter (Robert Downey Jr.) is leaving Atlanta and trying to return to his nearly birthing wife (Michelle Monaghan) in Los Angeles. Everything is going smoothly until Peter bumps into Ethan (Zach Galifianakis). Peter ends up stuck traveling across the country with Ethan desperately trying to be in the delivery room when his baby arrives.
The chemistry and timing between Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis is hysterical. The way that their personalities play off of each other is brilliant. Robert Downey Jr. brings a slick, suave, seriousness to his character and Galifianakis is everything but. The duo was a perfect casting match. I think that this movie is easily my favorite Robert Downey Jr. movie and could be the best movie that Zach Galifianakis is in.
Jamie Foxx, Juliette Lewis, Danny McBride, RZA, Matt Walsh, and Todd Phillips all have small cameo-like appearances.
The humor is clever and raunchy and about everything else in between. But, it is all mostly just well-crafted. The writers: Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedman, Adam Sztykiel, and Todd Phillips, took a very basic idea for a story and screenplay and let their imaginations run wild.
Due Date is directed by Todd Phillips. He continues his trend of directing and being a part of hilarious movies. I didn’t realize that he also directed The Hangover (2009), The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover Part III (2013), School for Scoundrels (2006), Starsky and Hutch (2004), Old School (2003), and Road Trip (2000) among others. That is a heck of a comedy resume! If you liked any of those movies, than you will definitely like Due Date.
If you have not seen this movie, I implore you to do so. It is available to rent on Netflix, or just go out and buy it. It is not currently available at the Redbox. I have probably seen it 5 times now and it was highly amusing every time. You will not be disappointed.
I rate this movie a 9.5 on a scale of 1-10.
Buy, rent, or run? BUY!
If you liked Due Date (2010), then you might enjoy Identity Thief (2013).
Note: I did you a favor by only posting the teaser trailer for this movie. The full-length preview shows way too much.
Trailer for The Hangover Part III (2013)
The Hangover Part III (2013) (click on the title for my full review)
Here is the first look at the teaser trailer for The Hangover Part III. It supposedly all ends with this third piece of the trilogy.
Hollywood loves sequels. They want to see how much money they can squeeze out of basically one story. Honestly I am pretty fed up with sequels, but a movie like this is guaranteed to have moments of uncontrollable laughter. The Hangover (2009) was hilarious. The Hangover Part II (2011) was really funny, but not as good as the original. I have a feeling that The Hangover Part III will probably be about as good as Part II. Maybe we will be pleasantly surprised and it will be better than the original, but for the most part with few exceptions, the original is always the best and the sequels never add up.
Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, and Justin Bartha are all back again for another go round. Ken Jeong, Heather Graham, Sasha Barrese, Jeffrey Tambor, Mike Tyson, and many more from the first two parts are back again along with the addition of John Goodman.
Hollywood is sure to rake in a lot of cash once again, and I’m sure there will be some laughs along the way.
The movie is set to release on Memorial Day, 5/27/13.
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