I have been waiting almost ten years now for a film to match the quality of The Good Girl for Jennifer Aniston. Yes she is the sweetheart of the romantic comedy (being fast approached by Katherine Heigl) and arguably the most successful of the 'Friends' cast, but for me her best perfomance to date is as downtrodden Justine who has a misguided affair with a tortured Jake Gyllenhaal in The Good Girl. If you've not seen it then I highly recommend it, if only to see a different side of Aniston and the chemistry I said was lacking in my review of Water For Elephants (there is a similar age gap between the protagonists).
So Management has satisfied this need to see Aniston in another quiet unassuming role, and she benefits again from a great co-star in the form of Steve Zahn. Actually to be fair to Zahn this is his movie, Aniston is the co-star. It follows Zahn as Mike, son of a Motel owners Trish and Jerry, who works for them as Night Manager and lives on site. He sees Sue (Aniston) check in, and takes a liking, deciding to pursue her with cheap wine courtesy of 'management'. Mike in turn intrigues Sue, who is passing through buying art for her company, and so she decides to have her way so to speak, not knowing what kind of reaction it sparks in Mike.
Now this isn't a scary stalker movie, but Mike does buy a one way ticket to where Sue lives, having fallen in love with her almost at first sight. This is where I see the true strengths of Aniston's acting as she copes with such an enthusiastic admirer without resorting to over the top gestures or facial expressions, its a quiet dignity and pragmatism that comes across from her character, which is what Sue is meant to represent in contrast to Mike's boyish charm.
Of course the relationship continues as it began, completely unconventional. Until he goes to find her once more after a long period of no contact and finds she has moved in with an ex boyfriend (played by Woody Harrelson) across the country, so naturally he pursues her once more!
Mike's pursuit of Sue is sweet and slightly crazy, she has tried not to get his hopes up at various points but obviously cannot help but be charmed by him. Ultimately though there is heartbreak on both sides, as Sue finally breaks his spirit Mike realises he has to grow up, and Sue also realises she has never taken any time for herself in her life. It has a very sweet ending, and though the plot is not itself entirely believable the ending is a show of strength of character. Though I am Atheist the ending brought back memories of a Catholic childhood and the story of Mary and Joseph, how one man stepped up to help a pregnant girl even though the child was not his. Though me saying this gives away the end I hope it does not prevent anybody watching it, some stories are woven so well they are worth watching despite knowing how it ends.
Both Zahn and Aniston are understated in their performances but entirely believable, especially Mike's relationship with his mother. Their support cast are tremendous, I rarely find fault with Woody Harrelsons performances, and Margo Martindale (Mike's Mother) I have loved ever since hearing her Southern twang speaking French in Paris Je T'aime.
First time director Stephen Belber does a good job, he also wrote the script, and though the film took a few twists and turns I did not expect it never compromised on the integrity of the characters or changed tone.
I am not honestly sure what I expected from this film except for it to be quirky, and I was rewarded handsomely in this respect. It has attributes of The Good Girl, Garden State and Junebug, with its own stalker type element. I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but have to say if you disliked any of the three movies I have just listed I don't think this is the film for you and perhaps you should stick to the more conventional Aniston rom-com.
Wednesday 30 November 2011
Friends With Benefits: a film I should have hated
Ok so considering how I kind of went to town on the car crash that was No Strings Attached it was odd of me to even contemplate watching Friends With Benefits. Yet I did, and I liked it.
A brief rundown of the plot then is required. Jamie and Daryl become friends after she headhunts him to move from L.A to New York for the artistic director job at GQ magazine. They have both failed miserably at relationships previously, so after watching Jamie's favourite Rom-Com Daryl suggests they become 'friends with benefits'. It then goes through the motions of happy sex times, back to 'just friends', odd 'are they falling for each other?' moment, bad break up, and ultimately the Happy Ending.
This film stars Mila Kunis (who has worked with both NSA stars Portman and Kutcher) as Jamie and Justin Timberlake as Daryl, who I have to say does rather well. Now this may be because I have not seen the Social Network (I know shock horror), but I don't have much in Timberlakes acting past to compare to except for Bad Teacher and Alpha Dog. Everybody tells me and the films reviewers also that this and Bad Teacher were such steps backward for Timberlake after the Social Network, but I think these were opportunities for him to try out characters and his comedic talents. Kunis by far and away is the star of the film, but Timberlake manages to hold his own which I think is due to a confident director and a decent script.
Said director is a man called Will Gluck who directed the fantastic Easy A starring Emma Stone. Again a gripe of the proper critic is that Gluck has done so much better before, but though I agree Easy A is far superior it also had the benefit of being based on a piece of classic literature. Gluck and several writers have worked with a generic formula and tried to put a bit of pizazz into it, mainly through a great accompanying soundtrack and some fantastically choreographed flash mob dancers.
Another reason why I think I prefer FWB to NSA is that it IS formulaic, the girl is the romantic who wants the fairytale ending, the boy wants sex. Yes they are both damaged in some way, yes their families compete in the crazy stakes (one glue induced the other altzheimers so legitimately 'crazy'), but these are what you look for and feel almost comforted that its going the way you expect. No Strings Attached tried to do something different with the formula (girl was emotionally unavailable and the boy was soppy) and fell on its face.
Support cast are also key to a rom-coms success, and Will Gluck has the fortune to be able to use Patricia Clarkson as Kunis' nutty mother who cannot seem to remember who the father of her child is. Woody Harrelson does a fine job as Timberlakes gay Sports editor at GQ magazine, Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg) is her usual charming self as Timberlakes sister, and their father is played with no fear by Richard Jenkins (
Six Feet Under). You are not overwhelmed by supporting cast, they all have clearly defined roles and stick to them, including a possible Prince Charming and a very brief cameo by Masi Oka (Heroes).
As with No Strings Attached, Friends With Benefits is a film largely about sex, so there is a lot of it. If you tend to shy away from films with gratuitous sex then please, don't watch either film. It is fairly explicit but tastefully done, you don't see much of the front of either actor, pretty much it is what you would expect from a film with this title.
Kunis and Timberlake have great chemistry, without it the film would have never worked, nor do I think Gluck would have made it with these two. It is funny, sweet, a little heartbreaking, exceptionally predictable and formulaic, but ultimately enjoyable. It doesn't matter how many romantic comedies are made, if they don't make you feel you wasted your time watching them they can be as predictable as the weather.
A brief rundown of the plot then is required. Jamie and Daryl become friends after she headhunts him to move from L.A to New York for the artistic director job at GQ magazine. They have both failed miserably at relationships previously, so after watching Jamie's favourite Rom-Com Daryl suggests they become 'friends with benefits'. It then goes through the motions of happy sex times, back to 'just friends', odd 'are they falling for each other?' moment, bad break up, and ultimately the Happy Ending.
This film stars Mila Kunis (who has worked with both NSA stars Portman and Kutcher) as Jamie and Justin Timberlake as Daryl, who I have to say does rather well. Now this may be because I have not seen the Social Network (I know shock horror), but I don't have much in Timberlakes acting past to compare to except for Bad Teacher and Alpha Dog. Everybody tells me and the films reviewers also that this and Bad Teacher were such steps backward for Timberlake after the Social Network, but I think these were opportunities for him to try out characters and his comedic talents. Kunis by far and away is the star of the film, but Timberlake manages to hold his own which I think is due to a confident director and a decent script.
Said director is a man called Will Gluck who directed the fantastic Easy A starring Emma Stone. Again a gripe of the proper critic is that Gluck has done so much better before, but though I agree Easy A is far superior it also had the benefit of being based on a piece of classic literature. Gluck and several writers have worked with a generic formula and tried to put a bit of pizazz into it, mainly through a great accompanying soundtrack and some fantastically choreographed flash mob dancers.
Another reason why I think I prefer FWB to NSA is that it IS formulaic, the girl is the romantic who wants the fairytale ending, the boy wants sex. Yes they are both damaged in some way, yes their families compete in the crazy stakes (one glue induced the other altzheimers so legitimately 'crazy'), but these are what you look for and feel almost comforted that its going the way you expect. No Strings Attached tried to do something different with the formula (girl was emotionally unavailable and the boy was soppy) and fell on its face.
Support cast are also key to a rom-coms success, and Will Gluck has the fortune to be able to use Patricia Clarkson as Kunis' nutty mother who cannot seem to remember who the father of her child is. Woody Harrelson does a fine job as Timberlakes gay Sports editor at GQ magazine, Jenna Elfman (Dharma & Greg) is her usual charming self as Timberlakes sister, and their father is played with no fear by Richard Jenkins (
Six Feet Under). You are not overwhelmed by supporting cast, they all have clearly defined roles and stick to them, including a possible Prince Charming and a very brief cameo by Masi Oka (Heroes).
As with No Strings Attached, Friends With Benefits is a film largely about sex, so there is a lot of it. If you tend to shy away from films with gratuitous sex then please, don't watch either film. It is fairly explicit but tastefully done, you don't see much of the front of either actor, pretty much it is what you would expect from a film with this title.
Kunis and Timberlake have great chemistry, without it the film would have never worked, nor do I think Gluck would have made it with these two. It is funny, sweet, a little heartbreaking, exceptionally predictable and formulaic, but ultimately enjoyable. It doesn't matter how many romantic comedies are made, if they don't make you feel you wasted your time watching them they can be as predictable as the weather.
Monday 14 November 2011
The Help: a great way to put yourself off chocolate
I have been looking forward to seeing this film since I read the book earlier this year. First I have to say is if you intend to see the film I highly recommend reading the book first, not because you need to for understanding the story but purely because the book is fantastic.
The film certainly does the book credit, Tate Taylor (who also directs) is a relative newcomer to the writer/director gig having only two previous credits (Pretty Ugly People and Chicken Party), but he adapted the novel well with few embellishments and tweaks to the storyline. This is entirely understandable, those who have read the book know there are over 400 pages to contend with, so some cutting was required to make it 146 minutes. Now you may think this in itself is far too long for a film about maids in Jackson Mississippi during the early Sixties, but you honestly don't feel the time passing. If you are like me when a film is over long and it drags, your bum becomes numb and your mind wanders. My attention was never drawn away from the screen.
A quick overview of the plot for those who have not had the chance to read The Help yet. It focuses on the lives of three women: two maids Aibileen and Minny, and one white woman Miss Skeeter.
Miss Skeeter has returned home from college to find her own maid Constantine gone, her friends married and blooming with children, her mother ill but desperate for her daughter to find a man, and her own views desperately different to those around her. Aibileen has raised white children for years while her own son went to college and then tragically died before he could make something of his education. And finally Minny is a loud-mouthed mother of many with a husband who beats her and an axe to grind with her former employers. She is also the reason I will be quite suspect of anybody giving me chocolate pie.
Miss Skeeter gains employment as a columnist for household cleaning, of course being white and privileged she has no idea how to answer the queries coming in so obtains the advice of her friend's maid Aibileen. During their discourses Skeeter realises the maids are being treated appallingly, especially with the introduction by her friend Hilly (played magnificently by Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron's daughter) of the health initiative to give all 'coloureds' their own bathroom so they don't pass on their diseases to the whites. It is obviously a highly intolerable time, one that I can't imagine living in and I thank the gods I have grown up largely unaware of racism in my own community.
And so Skeeter decides to write a book from the perspective of the help, to show the unfair treatment these women have received when they effectively raise the children of the rich and apparently useless.
The casting of this film is perfect. Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland) captures the essence (if not the height) of Skeeter as a keen writer appalled by the injustices toward the black women she sees; Viola Davis (Eat Pray Love) is exactly how I imagined Aibileen, a calm and loving figure but has a wealth of strength in her convictions; and Octavia Spencer (The Nines) is vivacious and has enormous strength of character but also displays her vulnerability in a touching scene between maid and employer after her latest bout of domestic abuse.
The supporting cast too are excellent and proof of the formidable talent among women both young and 'old' in Hollywood. Allison Janney (West Wing, Juno) is one my favourite actresses and is quite fantastic as Skeeter's 'dying' mother who interchanges her wigs but never her determination for Skeeter to get a man and forget about her former maid. It is hard to imagine that even as recently as the sixties it was still the main focus of a young woman to get a man and settle down and have babies, whereas now you are more likely to find someone like Skeeter who wants to have a career. Yet it has to be pointed out our Miss Skeeter is supposed to be a very tall gangly girl with crazy frizzy hair who does not fit the social norms of looks, so perhaps this is more likely to be the reason she pursues her education rather than focus on boys.
Bryce Dallas Howard is also on top form as the manipulative Hilly Holbrook, the Queen Bee of her clique who has put her mother in a home and ensures newcomer Celia (Jessica Chastain, Tree of Life) is shunned by the populous of women because she is 'white trash', but really because she married Hilly's former beau Johnny.
The relationships of these women are fascinating to read about and to watch, it is shame that more of the interactions between the men and women could not have more screen time as they are an important part of the book. Here I am referring to the romance of Skeeter and Stuart, a young southern gentleman who makes a less than perfect first impression on Skeeter. In the book there is an entire story of Stuart's previous relationship, his family and the differences between wealthy families in the South who have political power and those who do not. The revelations after the release of the book are entirely different from book to film, but both convey the same message and both are powerful in their respective mediums. I won't spoil this (as I won't spoil the relationship between Minny and why you may be put off chocolate forever) but I will say I felt just the same from book to film and there was welling of the eyes involved both times!
I was highly impressed with the film, being such a fan of the book I could have been bitterly disappointed had the story been played with too much or the characters been miscast. It has succeeded on both counts, the high calibre of acting along with a great script ensured this film was one of the most successful of the year.
I still strongly recommend reading the book but if you have no time or intention to do so this is a stand alone film, a great introduction to part of the civil rights process in the USA, and simply a genuinely good couple of hours of entertainment with a little education on racism thrown in.
The film certainly does the book credit, Tate Taylor (who also directs) is a relative newcomer to the writer/director gig having only two previous credits (Pretty Ugly People and Chicken Party), but he adapted the novel well with few embellishments and tweaks to the storyline. This is entirely understandable, those who have read the book know there are over 400 pages to contend with, so some cutting was required to make it 146 minutes. Now you may think this in itself is far too long for a film about maids in Jackson Mississippi during the early Sixties, but you honestly don't feel the time passing. If you are like me when a film is over long and it drags, your bum becomes numb and your mind wanders. My attention was never drawn away from the screen.
A quick overview of the plot for those who have not had the chance to read The Help yet. It focuses on the lives of three women: two maids Aibileen and Minny, and one white woman Miss Skeeter.
Miss Skeeter has returned home from college to find her own maid Constantine gone, her friends married and blooming with children, her mother ill but desperate for her daughter to find a man, and her own views desperately different to those around her. Aibileen has raised white children for years while her own son went to college and then tragically died before he could make something of his education. And finally Minny is a loud-mouthed mother of many with a husband who beats her and an axe to grind with her former employers. She is also the reason I will be quite suspect of anybody giving me chocolate pie.
Miss Skeeter gains employment as a columnist for household cleaning, of course being white and privileged she has no idea how to answer the queries coming in so obtains the advice of her friend's maid Aibileen. During their discourses Skeeter realises the maids are being treated appallingly, especially with the introduction by her friend Hilly (played magnificently by Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron's daughter) of the health initiative to give all 'coloureds' their own bathroom so they don't pass on their diseases to the whites. It is obviously a highly intolerable time, one that I can't imagine living in and I thank the gods I have grown up largely unaware of racism in my own community.
And so Skeeter decides to write a book from the perspective of the help, to show the unfair treatment these women have received when they effectively raise the children of the rich and apparently useless.
The casting of this film is perfect. Emma Stone (Easy A, Zombieland) captures the essence (if not the height) of Skeeter as a keen writer appalled by the injustices toward the black women she sees; Viola Davis (Eat Pray Love) is exactly how I imagined Aibileen, a calm and loving figure but has a wealth of strength in her convictions; and Octavia Spencer (The Nines) is vivacious and has enormous strength of character but also displays her vulnerability in a touching scene between maid and employer after her latest bout of domestic abuse.
The supporting cast too are excellent and proof of the formidable talent among women both young and 'old' in Hollywood. Allison Janney (West Wing, Juno) is one my favourite actresses and is quite fantastic as Skeeter's 'dying' mother who interchanges her wigs but never her determination for Skeeter to get a man and forget about her former maid. It is hard to imagine that even as recently as the sixties it was still the main focus of a young woman to get a man and settle down and have babies, whereas now you are more likely to find someone like Skeeter who wants to have a career. Yet it has to be pointed out our Miss Skeeter is supposed to be a very tall gangly girl with crazy frizzy hair who does not fit the social norms of looks, so perhaps this is more likely to be the reason she pursues her education rather than focus on boys.
Bryce Dallas Howard is also on top form as the manipulative Hilly Holbrook, the Queen Bee of her clique who has put her mother in a home and ensures newcomer Celia (Jessica Chastain, Tree of Life) is shunned by the populous of women because she is 'white trash', but really because she married Hilly's former beau Johnny.
The relationships of these women are fascinating to read about and to watch, it is shame that more of the interactions between the men and women could not have more screen time as they are an important part of the book. Here I am referring to the romance of Skeeter and Stuart, a young southern gentleman who makes a less than perfect first impression on Skeeter. In the book there is an entire story of Stuart's previous relationship, his family and the differences between wealthy families in the South who have political power and those who do not. The revelations after the release of the book are entirely different from book to film, but both convey the same message and both are powerful in their respective mediums. I won't spoil this (as I won't spoil the relationship between Minny and why you may be put off chocolate forever) but I will say I felt just the same from book to film and there was welling of the eyes involved both times!
I was highly impressed with the film, being such a fan of the book I could have been bitterly disappointed had the story been played with too much or the characters been miscast. It has succeeded on both counts, the high calibre of acting along with a great script ensured this film was one of the most successful of the year.
I still strongly recommend reading the book but if you have no time or intention to do so this is a stand alone film, a great introduction to part of the civil rights process in the USA, and simply a genuinely good couple of hours of entertainment with a little education on racism thrown in.
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