I was hesitant about seeing this movie, because to be honest, the premise was a little unappealing. I'm not a fan of people thinking that they're better than others and mocking them to their face, so I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this film.
The story centers around Tim (played by Paul Rudd) a financial analyst looking to make a move for the better within his company. The opportunity arises, and he seizes it, but there's a catch. Apparently, the big wigs at the firm (played by Bruce Greenwood, Ron Livingston, and Larry Wilmore, among others) like to have dinner once a month where they invite "idiots" to attend, make fun of them, and award the biggest idiot a prize at the end of the night. Tim is a little appalled, but again, wants to get ahead, so he agrees.
Just as Tim struggles to find someone to bring to dinner, he runs into (literally... like with his car) Barry (played by Steve Carell), an IRS agent/mouse taxidermist who has very little common sense or social awareness. As Tim starts prepping for this dinner though, he finds out Barry's story, which is quite sad, and begins to feel like an ass for using him this way.
Again, I wasn't a huge fan of the plotline, but I laughed a lot, which is always a plus. Paul Rudd plays a great everyman, blundering his way through his job and relationships. Steve Carell's character reminded me a great deal of Michael Scott, his character from the office, in the social awkwardness category. My favorite character was Jemaine Clement (of "Flight of the Conchords" fame), who plays an artist working with Rudd's girlfriend. He was hysterical, and the fact that people thought he had such animal magnetism was fascinating. Plus, at one point, he was dressed as a satyr, which is always a bonus.
So on the CWeave scale, I rate this movie a 6. Probably not going to be one that I own, but it was definitely enjoyable. I was glad that I saw it during the discounted times at the movie theater though. I don't think I would have wanted to pay full price for it.
Showing posts with label Steve Carell. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Steve Carell. Show all posts
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
"Despicable Me" - in theaters
I love going to see animated movies as an adult. You get to pick up on all of the subtle references that you fly over your head when you're younger.
That being said, "Despicable Me" didn't disappoint. I pretty much laughed throughout the entire film (including one part where I was the only one laughing, as my friend pointed out, because it was somewhat inappropriate, but whatever), and I even shed a tear or two towards the end.
The story centers around Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), whose an aging supervillain looking to get back in the game in a big way. His big idea is to shrink the moon and then steal it. Sounds easy right? The only problem is that the shrink ray that Gru needs to use gets stolen from him by Vector (voiced by Jason Segel), an up and comer whose out to prove himself. To get the shrink ray back, Gru has a somewhat brilliant idea to use three orphaned young girls who sold cookies to Vector. So, Gru adopts these girls, just so that he can put cookie-sized robots into the boxes that will steal back the shrink ray. Of course, once he has used the girls for this purpose, he fully intends on abandoning them.
But, inevitably, Gru falls in love with these three children, and finds parting with them to be somewhat harder than he thought.
There are several parts of this movie that I enjoyed beyond belief. The first is when the line "It's so fluffy!" comes into play. The second is any part that involves the minions. The minions live to serve Gru, and they speak a language that only they and Gru seem to understand. They're also funny as hell, and tend to giggle a lot. I was sold on them during the preview.
So on the CWeave scale, I give this movie an 8. I admit, it was probably awesome to see in 3D, but again, I didn't shell out the extra $4 to see it. But, this movie had heart, humor, and a little sadness mixed in. Overall, a great cinematic experience.
That being said, "Despicable Me" didn't disappoint. I pretty much laughed throughout the entire film (including one part where I was the only one laughing, as my friend pointed out, because it was somewhat inappropriate, but whatever), and I even shed a tear or two towards the end.
The story centers around Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), whose an aging supervillain looking to get back in the game in a big way. His big idea is to shrink the moon and then steal it. Sounds easy right? The only problem is that the shrink ray that Gru needs to use gets stolen from him by Vector (voiced by Jason Segel), an up and comer whose out to prove himself. To get the shrink ray back, Gru has a somewhat brilliant idea to use three orphaned young girls who sold cookies to Vector. So, Gru adopts these girls, just so that he can put cookie-sized robots into the boxes that will steal back the shrink ray. Of course, once he has used the girls for this purpose, he fully intends on abandoning them.
But, inevitably, Gru falls in love with these three children, and finds parting with them to be somewhat harder than he thought.
There are several parts of this movie that I enjoyed beyond belief. The first is when the line "It's so fluffy!" comes into play. The second is any part that involves the minions. The minions live to serve Gru, and they speak a language that only they and Gru seem to understand. They're also funny as hell, and tend to giggle a lot. I was sold on them during the preview.
So on the CWeave scale, I give this movie an 8. I admit, it was probably awesome to see in 3D, but again, I didn't shell out the extra $4 to see it. But, this movie had heart, humor, and a little sadness mixed in. Overall, a great cinematic experience.
Monday, April 12, 2010
"Date Night" - in theaters
As I was watching this movie, I half expected Tina Fey to bust into her Sarah Palin impression while in the midst of a high-speed chase, but alas! No such luck.
The premise of "Date Night" is based on the relationship of the Fosters, played by Fey and Steve Carell. They are the typical upper-middle class family from New Jersey whose marriage has gone according to plan, even if it is a little boring and predictable. Their relationship is in a rut, i.e. the bed is not a'rockin' so the kids always come knockin'. When close friends of theirs disclose that they're getting divorced, the Fosters attempt a date night shake-up. Instead of going to their usual "Texas Roadhouse" style restaurant, they head into New York City to dine at a new Manhattan seafood restaurant called "Claw". (Seriously, when they answer the phone they say, 'Claw. You're welcome." It's fantastic.) They don't have a reservation, and on an impulse, they steal a no-show's. And then, of course, mistaken-identity-corrupt-official-chaos ensues.
There were some super funny moments in this movie, mostly due to the awkwardness of Fey and Carell. Mark Wahlberg shows up as a past client of Mrs. Foster who helps them out, and does it with a certain sense of shirtless flair. But the standout bit part goes to William Fichtner, who plays a DA with an appetite for loose women, both feminine and androgynous.
I could have used a little more humor with the two "cops" that were chasing the Fosters. They were a little too serious about hunting them down than they should have been given the type of movie that "Date Night" proclaims to be. I enjoy Common (who played one of those cops) and wish he had been given juicier material.
I also have to say that some of the highlights were the previews beforehand. It seemed every action-comedy that was coming out this summer previewed before "Date Night", and they all seemed pretty funny. Plus, I've got to admit that the previews are always my favorite part.
So, on the CWeave scale of 1 to 10, I rate this movie a 7. I seem to be giving out a lot of 7's lately, and no, it's not a conspiracy. I just keep enjoying every movie I go to see. This was no exception.
The premise of "Date Night" is based on the relationship of the Fosters, played by Fey and Steve Carell. They are the typical upper-middle class family from New Jersey whose marriage has gone according to plan, even if it is a little boring and predictable. Their relationship is in a rut, i.e. the bed is not a'rockin' so the kids always come knockin'. When close friends of theirs disclose that they're getting divorced, the Fosters attempt a date night shake-up. Instead of going to their usual "Texas Roadhouse" style restaurant, they head into New York City to dine at a new Manhattan seafood restaurant called "Claw". (Seriously, when they answer the phone they say, 'Claw. You're welcome." It's fantastic.) They don't have a reservation, and on an impulse, they steal a no-show's. And then, of course, mistaken-identity-corrupt-official-chaos ensues.
There were some super funny moments in this movie, mostly due to the awkwardness of Fey and Carell. Mark Wahlberg shows up as a past client of Mrs. Foster who helps them out, and does it with a certain sense of shirtless flair. But the standout bit part goes to William Fichtner, who plays a DA with an appetite for loose women, both feminine and androgynous.
I could have used a little more humor with the two "cops" that were chasing the Fosters. They were a little too serious about hunting them down than they should have been given the type of movie that "Date Night" proclaims to be. I enjoy Common (who played one of those cops) and wish he had been given juicier material.
I also have to say that some of the highlights were the previews beforehand. It seemed every action-comedy that was coming out this summer previewed before "Date Night", and they all seemed pretty funny. Plus, I've got to admit that the previews are always my favorite part.
So, on the CWeave scale of 1 to 10, I rate this movie a 7. I seem to be giving out a lot of 7's lately, and no, it's not a conspiracy. I just keep enjoying every movie I go to see. This was no exception.
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