MOVIE REVIEW: NO HARD FEELINGS

 

On the brink of losing her childhood home, a desperate woman agrees to date a wealthy couple's introverted and awkward 19-year-old son before he leaves for college.

Director: Gene Stupnitsky

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales, Matthew Broderick

Release Date: June 23, 2023 

Genre: Comedy

Rated R for sexual content, language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use

Runtime: 1h 43m

No Hard Feelings is a throwback sex comedy that works because of strong turns from Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman.  Gene Stupnitsky's gives his film a breezy likable tone that makes it easy to like.  Anyone who's seen his previous film, 2018's equally raunchy Good Boys, will have a good idea of what's in store as it delivers the same mixture of raunchiness and sweetness throughout.  The plot uses a deceivingly simple set up to build into something a bit more character focused than you'd expect from this kind of film.  Jennifer Lawrence deserves a lion’s share of the credit as her natural charisma and talent make this film far more enjoyable than it should be.  Lawrence shows off some impressive comedic timing along with a real talent for physical comedy something on full display in one scene that's sure to have plenty of people talking.  Andrew Barth Feldman is more than up to the task as the doe eyed, nerdy introvert who Lawrence is tasked to bring out of his shell.  Together they share some fun, awkward chemistry together which generates the majority of the laughs especially early on as Lawrence sets the sex appeal to ten paired with Feldman's scared turtle.  The May December relationship manages to maintain a certain tenderness and sweetness even as the story takes some fairly predictable turns in its final act where it starts to lose some steam.  The script tries to give the character's a bit more depth but it only partially works since it’s not really fleshed out which makes for a clunker ending that feels a bit too air tight.  That being said No Hard Feelings is an enjoyable romp that brings more than its fair share of adult laughs to the screen.   

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE LITTLE THINGS

Deputy Sheriff Joe "Deke" Deacon joins forces with Sgt. Jim Baxter to search for a serial killer who's terrorizing Los Angeles. As they track the culprit, Baxter is unaware that the investigation is dredging up echoes of Deke's past, uncovering disturbing secrets that could threaten more than his case.

Director: John Lee Hancock

Cast: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto, Chris Bauer, Natalie Morales, Terry Kinney

Release Date: January 29, 2021

Genre: Crime, Drama, Thriller

Rated R for violent/disturbing images, language and full nudity

Runtime: 2 h 7 min

Review:

There’s plenty that will feel familiar about The Little Things, it’s a film that feels stuck in the past on multiple levels.  John Lee Hancock’s film is methodically paced and well filmed but all of it feels perfunctory and familiar.  The character’s all have specific quirks or demon’s they are dealing with but the story never gives us anything new or revelatory about these tortured men.  Instead its stellar cast is stuck making the best of this script which feels like it’s from another era, mainly because it is.  This script has been languishing in development since the 90’s and so much about it feels like it would have been fresh back then but now some of these tropes have been done multiple times over.  It’d be easy to get some Seven vibes here and there but its never as polished or refined as that film.  Denzel Washington leads the film ably and honestly he can play this type of character in his sleep so it’s not a challenging role for him.  That being said, he’s able make his character interesting enough to keep the proceedings engaging enough to keep you moving forward.   Rami Malek feels miscast as the young rising detective, something about Malek’s talents and this type of role just don’t mesh in a believable fashion.  Jared Leto’s performance here lacks any sort of subtly which takes you out of the film once he gets the spotlight.  The third act can be described as problematic without giving anything away.  The Little Things is saved from being a complete mess by top tier talent but even then it’s decidedly middle of the road.

C

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Little Things

My dear reader(s), this weekend the streaming services offered up a gift to the the homebound and weary: The Little Things, starring Academy Award (tm) winner Denzel Washington, Academy Award (tm) winner Rami Malek, and Academy Award (tm) winner Jared Leto. 

Spoiler level here will be...uh...mild, I guess. If you saw a trailer, there's not likely anything here you didn't see or guess from there. 

Two cops risk everything in the hunt down a serial killer. 

So, you got that the Little Things stars some ACADEMY AWARD (tm) winners, right?? All that hardware is the film's chief selling point, and, for my money, anything that has Denzel Washington's name at the top of the list is worth a look. I don't think the Little Things strains Denzel's exceptional skillset, but, as usual, he carries the picture with ease. I've fallen out of love with Rami Malek since his Oscar win, so if he's any better than serviceable here, it's lost on me. Jared Leto is laughably bad in a poorly-crafted role. I actively despised every minute he was onscreen, and I'm not normally a Leto-hater. I even liked his Joker. (Don't @ me.)

Outside of its acting heavyweights, the Little Things is a creepy but predictable procedural. The cops rough up persons of interest and deliver tone-deaf dialogue as reliably as if it were an old Starsky & Hutch episode. Everybody makes bad choices. You get a bad choice! You get a bad choice! And YOU get a bad choice! Where those choices lead may surprise you...or not...depending on how much of this sort of thing you watch. The Little Things looks, sounds, and feels suitably bleak, with muted colors and a grim score by Thomas Newman. Outside of Leto, it's a pretty well-crafted work that suffers only for feeling like it should be more, somehow. Maybe not worth subscribing to HBO Max, but if you're already a subscriber, definitely worth a look. 

The Little Things runs 127 minutes and is rated R for "violent/disturbing images, language, and full nudity." The Little Things is a passable yarn that features some nice work by Denzel Washington. In Covid times, we can't ask for much more...apparently. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Little Things gets six and a half. 

The Little Things is now streaming on HBO Max. 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: STUBER

When a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) picks up a passenger (Dave Bautista) who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer, he’s thrust into a harrowing ordeal where he desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life and his five-star rating. Directed by Michael Dowse, this action-comedy from 20th Century Fox also stars Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino and Karen Gillan.

Director: Michael Dowse

Cast: Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani, Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino, Karen Gillan

Release Date: June 28, 2019

Action, Comedy, Crime

Rated R for violence and language throughout, some sexual references and brief graphic nudity

Runtime: 1 h 33 min

Review:

Stuber is one of those stupid mindless action comedies that seemingly pops up every summer.  Michael Dowse’s film knows what it is and never really pretends to be anything else especially anything resembling serious.  The action is loud, kinetic and surprisingly bloody for some reason.  Still it all carries very little weight in terms of gravitas.  It’s all played for fun and both the leads are more than ready to go all in.  Dave Bautista, aka Mr Monotone, uses a schtick similar to his Guardians of the Galaxy routine which works well here.  His massive size compared to Kumail Nanjiani’s plays right into the film’s general hook.  Nanjiani is perfectly neurotic as the hapless uber driver who’s commandeered for the drive around the city.  Together they make for a fun pair delivering a low rent 48 Hrs. or Running Scared.  Ultimately, the film does sort of feel like a throwback to those 80’s buddy comedies even if doesn’t quite reach classic status.


B-