Archive for May, 2011

YATES: “Hangover 2,” the Wolpack is back

This week should be fun as Anna and I take on two comedies squaring off at the box office in “Bridesmaids” and “The Hangover Part II.” When I first saw the trailer for “Bridesmaids,” I turned to my wife and said, “this is the hangover film for women,” so it is apropos the He Said/She Said blog offer a split review of the two films this week. Much like the plot of “The Hangover,” just getting to the movie was a challenge. Although we arrived 20 minutes early, the theater turned us away when the evening showing on opening day sold out. I wasn’t completely shocked as the first film was wildly popular, and the buildup to this film has been sizeable, beginning with an ambiguous teaser featuring the Wolfpack wandering the streets of Bangkok with Jay-Z’s “Reminder” setting the stage. Additional trailers would follow, but it is the short teaser that will be remembered. Thanks Jay-Z, I guess we did need a little reminder.

Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) — or the Wolfpack as Alan lovingly calls the gang — reunite two years after the Vegas incident for Stu’s wedding in Thailand. When the Wolfpack is joined by an outsider — Stu’s soon-to-be brother-in-law Teddy (Mason Lee, son of film director Ang Lee) — Alan takes steps to take Teddy out of the equation. In typical Hangover fashion, Alan’s plan goes awry and the boys find themselves in Bangkok, retracing their steps after a wild night that includes kidnapping a monk, reuniting with Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), and of course, Stu’s Mike Tyson-inspired face tattoo. With Teddy missing and Stu’s wedding a day away, the group slowly begins piecing the evening together while searching for Teddy in a race against the clock.

The biggest challenge for director Todd Phillips (“Old School”) was to keep the sequel fresh while using the exact same formula. Phillips seems to embrace this by including a grim rooftop scene where Phil has to let his wife know, “It happened again.” Anyone who ever woke up with a terrible hangover trying to piece together events from the previous evening no doubt says to themselves, “I won’t do that again,” until it happens again. And it usually does, typically in the same fashion that it does in Part II — with old friends getting together for a night of fun. While the plot may be formulaic, Phillips manages to make the film somewhat distinct with new locations, situations, and minor characters.

The cast shines once again, with tremendous chemistry between Cooper, Galifianakis and Helms. Though the exposition is a bit heavy with silliness from Galifianakis, he has his moments with a repeated mispronunciation of Thailand (thigh-land) and constant quoting of mundane Thailand statistics researched in preparation for the trip. He also utters what could be the line of the movie with, “I wish monkeys could Skype.” Helms’ off-screen musical prowess shines while summing up the trip with an improv version of Billy Joel’s “Allentown.” Helms also utters the classic one-liner, “All I wanted was a bachelor brunch!”

The film’s soundtrack provides just as much fun as the plot. Midway through the film I asked myself when Phillips would work in the 80’s one-hit wonder “One Night in Bangkok” (look it up, kids). He makes the audience wait for it, but it finally arrives in a most spectacular fashion. Music fans will also love the Billy Joel motif throughout the film. Who else could provide the musical backdrop for the Wolfpack? Also keep an ear open for a Ska Rangers cover of A Flock of Seagull’s “I Ran” and a muzak version of Jim Croce’s “Time in a Bottle.”

Critics have been pretty harsh in their reviews of “The Hangover Part II.” They are complaining that the film is a carbon copy of the original. I argue that while some films break new ground artistically and some go as far as to create a sub-genre, sometimes a film exists solely for entertainment and laughs. That’s exactly what “The Hangover Part II” is, and given the fact that the first film was the highest grossing R-rated comedy ever I say that Phillips was right to give us more of the same. Judging by the $61 million part II took in during its first two days, audiences agree. The Wolpack IS back, and as funny as ever.

Travis Yates

WIEGENSTEIN: “Bridesmaids” — funniest movie all year

“Bridesmaids” is a two-hour film. My first thought upon leaving the theater was that I wished it were longer — not due to any of the typical critiques that often implies, but because the world the movie created was one that I’d love to spend more time in. The script, co-written by Annie Mumolo and leading actress Kristen Wiig, creates a lived-in feel to the characters instantly, and that feeling of easy-going comfort remains for the entire runtime.

Oh, and I should probably mention — it’s the funniest movie I’ve seen so far this year.

It’s both a blessing and curse that the critical response to “Bridesmaids” has become wrapped up in its questionable designation as a “chick flick,” typically among the most dismissive insults a film can have thrown its way. Using a comparison such as “The Hangover — WITH GIRLS!” is akin to summarizing a film like “Star Wars” as “Cowboys — IN SPACE!” There are girls, yes, and several hangovers, but “Bridesmaids” is entirely its own film, and it’s a great one.

Annie (Wiig) is named maid of honor for her closest childhood friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph). Alongside her in the bridal party: Megan, the bluntly spoken sister-in-law to be (Melissa McCarthy, undoubtedly the breakout star of the film); Rita, who longs for a respite from the trials of parenthood (Wendi McLendon-Covey); Becca, a newlywed herself, who suggests things like a Pixar-themed bachelorette party (Ellie Kemper). But most importantly, there is Helen (Rose Byrne), who’s bonded with Lillian in recent years and would like nothing better than to take over the MOH duties and color-coordinate them, maybe toss in some butterflies for effect.

Though the promos have presented “Bridesmaids” as an ensemble comedy, it’s Annie who provides both the comedic and emotional center of the movie. Wiig, who has previously been identified by her prominence in “Saturday Night Live,” leaves all over-the-top zaniness at the door to create a fully-rounded character, albeit one whose life is constantly teetering on the verge of collapse. However, this focus results in the latter-half disappearance of both Kemper and McLendon-Covey’s characters — the biggest flaw in the film’s storytelling, as earlier scenes prove that their actresses are more than up to the job.

The conflict between Byrne and Wiig is perfection; it says something when a tensely quiet fight between the two is able to take place alongside a physical comedy moment as terrible/funny as any “guy-centric” movie (hint: it involves food poisoning), and come out just as hilarious. Wiig is also able to show her colors in her scenes alongside love interest Chris O’Dowd, and their tentative stop-start romance is a lovely counterpoint to the chaos that surrounds much of the film, not to mention a number of awesome scenes featuring Wiig’s friend-with-benefits, a dapper gent you may recognize from “Mad Men.”

I really loathe using standard critic-ese phrases like “humor and heart,” but with a film like “Bridesmaids,” it’s difficult not to. It’s rich in both, and is able to deftly move between the two. “The Hangover: Girl Version” it’s not, thank God — if it were busy being a redo, it wouldn’t have time to be the stellar film that it is.

Anna Wiegenstein

YATES: Film questions what we are willing to accept as entertainment, while ignoring what goes on behind the scenes

“Water for Elephants” is a classic romance and coming of age story set in the depression era with the world of the traveling circus as a backdrop. The film is based on the 2006 novel of the same title by author Sara Gruen. Film adaptations are nothing new to director Francis Lawrence, who did the same in 2007 with Richard Matheson’s “I am Legend.” This is a completely different genre, however, and I was curious to see if Lawrence could pull it off.

Jacob (Robert Pattinson, “The Twilight Saga”) is a semester away from finishing school and becoming a veterinarian when receiving the news that his parents have died in a wreck. Leaving his old life behind, he takes to the road and becomes a vet for the Benzini Brothers traveling circus. It is on the cross-country journey that he falls in love with Marlena (Reece Witherspoon, “Walk the Line), the star attraction and wife of hard-nosed circus owner August (Christoph Waltz, “Inglourious Basterds”). Jacob and Marlena bond over Rosie, the newly acquired elephant who will join Marlena as part of the star attraction, and soon find themselves facing a choice – abandon the Benzini Brothers circus and face the unknown together, or continue living under the thumb of August.

The movie teems with verisimilitude. Throughout the film, Jacob has opportunities to do the heroic thing, but cannot summon the courage to pull it off. It is refreshing to have a protagonist appear as an everyday man, especially in a plot that attempts to encapsulate a magnificent journey. Sure, Jacob always seems to be in the right place at the right time, but he doesn’t always do the right thing. As far as Jacob’s traveling counterparts, the film effectively drives home the desperation the men feel in giving up their lives to find work with a touring circus during the depression era. Though only minor characters, you find yourself rooting for them as much as the protagonist.

Much of the film takes place in the cramped quarters of the traveling circus train, where special effects are traded in for gritty mise-en-scene. The overall production design of the circus world is beautiful, accompanied by sweeping cinematography that pulls you right into the big top as if you were a circus mark being thrust by the crowd towards one of the carnival attractions. Pattinson was an excellent choice as Jacob as the role required much brooding, and Waltz shines as a complicated antagonist character with ample depth.

The film’s early character development is a bit questionable. Lawrence seems very rushed to get Jacob on the Benzini Brothers train, offering a convoluted opening scene to show us how close Jacob is to his parents. When we first view Marlena and August together as a couple, she actually seems rather smitten with her husband, who is presented to us as a callous, heartless business man. I don’t expect obvious foreshadowing, but in sticking with the film’s verisimilitude it would have been nice to see Marlena struggling with the relationship she is trapped in rather than enjoying it. There are also some rather awkward ongoing dinner scenes with just August, Marlena and Jacob that seem unnecessary and beg the question – how surprised should August be of their affair after continually forcing onto his wife the company of a handsome young man who shares her love of animals? Perhaps the folly of the shrewd businessman is that he cannot see past his own wallet.

While the film doesn’t serve as a circus biopic, it does peel back the tent canopy somewhat on the working conditions of the three-ring spectacle. It is a cerebral film that features heavy themes such as abuse, imprisonment and interdependence and casts somewhat of a spotlight back on the audience. Much like the circus atmosphere surrounding reality television and celebrity and athlete worship of today, the film makes you question what we are willing to accept as entertainment while ignoring what goes on behind the scenes.

“Water for Elephants” is a film about friendship, love and perseverance, and captures the despair of our society during a time of great unrest with the depression and prohibition. The tagline of the film is “Life is the most spectacular show on earth.” It does certainly get you thinking about your own journey — both the one you’ve taken and the one that lies ahead. Much like “The Notebook,” the film reminds you that we’re living the journey every day, and before we know it, the journey comes to and end, so we should enjoy it while it lasts.

Travis Yates

WIEGENSTEIN:

Sara Gruen’s “Water For Elephants” is a novel that was fated to be a film from its first printing. It’s a period piece that gets to work in the historic-yet-glum atmosphere of the Great Depression, while its setting in the midst of a traveling circus maintains the needed glamour perfect for a pageturner — or a movie.

(Fittingly enough, my screening was prefaced with a trailer for the upcoming film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett‘s Southern-fried-fable “The Help,” perhaps the second-most obvious page-to-screen transition of late.)

Placing the action in a circus basically requires the film to be gorgeous, if only on the surface. And in the end, that shallow level of enjoyment is all that director Francis Lawrence is able to give a story that deserves far better.

Tragedy befalls aspiring vet Jacob (Robert “I’m Not Edward Cullen” Pattinson), and sends him crashing into the railway path of the Benzini Bros. Traveling Circus. He learns the ropes slowly from the traditional array of clowns, burlesque dancers, and sideshow barkers. But the true stars of the show are the quintessential top-hat-and-tails ringmaster August (Christoph Waltz) and his wife, Marlena (Reese Witherspoon), who controls show horses, does acrobatics and looks great in a sparkled leotard, to boot.

Jacob eventually finds himself among the group’s upper echelons once his skill with animals is revealed – a path that leads him directly between the husband and wife at the heart of Benzini Bros. There are a number of static shots attempting (and failing) to showcase the unspoken passion boiling between Marlena and Jacob, an underwritten subplot about Jacob’s ailing friend, and an elephant. Not nearly enough of the last, I’m sad to report.

Despite the flack that Pattinson has gotten (and will continue to receive until something happens to overshadow the behemoth of “Twilight” in his career), his performance in the film is quite serviceable, though it’s hard to imagine him growing into the salty older version of himself later played by Hal Holbrook. Reese Witherspoon, on the other hand, turns in a remarkably stilted and dull performance. Her character is intended to be even more of a firecracker when not on the back of a show horse; instead, the fake smile she puts on under the lights of the big top is about as meaningful as any of the other expressions she gives.

As is so often the case, the truly interesting bits of story in “Water For Elephants” are hovering on the outside of the thoroughly boring romantic core. Christoph Waltz won an Academy Award for the combination of flamboyance and evil he brought to “Inglourious Basterds,” and that same level of intensity is felt in his ringmaster persona here. That August suffers from sort of psychological issue is hinted at, but not delved into the way it should.

The close of “Water For Elephants,” book form, is a look into all the research Gruen painstakingly went through to craft a world capturing both the glitz of the traveling show and the reality of the work behind the spectacle. Those stories are fascinating and would be amazing to explore onscreen. It’s a shame that “Water For Elephants” ends up diluting its true intrigue with such snoozeworthy performances.

Anna Wiegenstein