New Years Eve

The timing of seeing NYE Friday December 30, the night before celebrating New Years was perfect. Anne and I saw the movie in Sherwood in a packed theater. I was fairly impressed with the longevity of the movie's run, it was released December 9th. Garry Marshall has become The director of the celebrity ensemble rom com. The how-many-celebs-can-they-get-in-one-flick sub genre. There actually were more actors than the trailer even showed. Several well known actors delivered one line in one scene. Marshall also directed Valentine's Day and Ashton Kutcher and Jessica Biel appear in both. I was not excited for Valentine's Day when it came out, though I did enjoy it after encouragement to see it. I was much more enthused for NYE. The review that there were too many characters and little time with each that Anne shared with me before the movie started served as a warning that helped me to enjoy the movie more. I am a strong believer in the idea that if you hear something negative about a movie, it can often lead to enjoying it more than you would have without the bad review. If you are looking for a light and fun movie and you are a fan of these types of movies, you will enjoy New Years Eve. It actually did not even seem like that much of a romantic comedy to me. Clearly it is but I was more concerned with what was going to happen to some of the characters than if certain couples were going to get together. Those were a given with this type of movie.

Moments that stick out: Kutcher's character does not like New Years and has a line about why and how New Years Eve is amateur night. I turned to Anne and said, that is what Cupcake ALWAYS says about New Years!! There is another scene that I can make no specific comments about but as soon as it happened, I knew I would reflect favorably upon this movie no matter what. If and when you have seen the movie, please lets talk and savor that together.

Snow White with Julia Roberts as the Evil Queen was one of the trailers before NYE. Looks fantastic and Roberts seems to be hilarious and amazing in the role. I think I may actually like her for real now (she has always seemed somewhat non genuine to me, a quality that tends to be my main reason for not liking an actor).

Celebrating New Years Day the Katie Way, I will be meeting Emily for George Clooney's the Descendants tonight.

Movie Night 11/4/11 Something Borrowed

If asked if I would rewatch Something Borrowed before Friday I believe my answer would have been an overconfident no. Well it was the movie selection at this week's movie night.

Primed by my non-endorsement of the movie I am confident that the other members of the movie night crew enjoyed it much more. Hearing what someone else thinks about a movie before watching it can shift your expectations. We even discussed how someone saying that they do not like a movie, can make you want to like it. I also enjoyed my second viewing much more than my first. Like my first, Kate Hudson and John Krasinski are the best parts of the flick.

I am also intrigued by discussions I have had with two friends who have read the book the movie is based on. It is actually a series of books. On that note, be sure to watch the entire credits if you watch Something Borrowed.

Crazy Stupid Love

I finally saw Crazy Stupid Love with Emily on Labor Day. A week ago. It was an excellent movie. The press I had read after it premiered was what prompted my Rom Com list a few weeks back. Crazy Stupid Love is beyond the mold/genre/stereotype of what a romantic comedy is. 

In less adept hands, with sub par writing and a different execution, this movie would not be as heartfelt, hilarious or believable. I will not spoil with details but I was impressed with America for keeping some surprises a secret.

I am not a fan of the main poster, but I very much enjoy this series of promotions.

Ultimate Romantic Comedy lists

I have not had a chance to see Crazy Stupid Love yet, but anticipation for it and all the rom coms that I have seen this summer movie season led me to contemplate the best, the worst, and those that fall somewhere in the middle. The middle is a loose concept. Some in the middle are considered the best by others and even though I know that they are well liked. Others are ones I love that I know other people do not. Some are highly regarded by the masses but to me have fatal flaws. Immorality and unethical behavior tends to be a mark against in my book. The cheese factor and overwrought cliches also play into judging a rom com.

My favorites:
When Harry Met Sally
The Wedding Singer
50 First Dates
The Object of My Affection
Sleepless in Seattle
French Kiss
You’ve Got Mail
Bridget Jones’ Diary
Love Actually

Friends With Benefits and Going the Distance have not yet stood the test of time, but so far are strong contenders for favorite status.

Are they technically rom coms? Maybe not, but they are really good:
It’s Complicated
Something’s Got to Give
Where the Heart Is
In Her Shoes
Funny People
Knocked Up
40 Year Old Virgin
About a Boy
Sex and the City
Away We Go
Sunshine Cleaners
Clueless
Circle of Friends
Fried Green Tomatoes
Morning Glory

Worst:
Maid in Manhattan
Just Go With It
Bride Wars
Something Borrowed
The Ugly Truth
The Back-Up Plan
Sex and the City 2
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Runaway Bride

Bad but good, fun to watch:
The Wedding Date
Must Love Dogs
Kate and Leopold
Did You Hear About the Morgans?
My Best Friend's Girl

Somewhere in the middle. Entertaining and not fatally flawed, just not the very best. Some of these I love very much, many I own. For one or more reasons they are not what I consider to be the ultimate, best of the genre. There are also varying degrees here. I starred my top five of the "middle."
Good but not ultimate:
Pretty Woman
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Return to Me
Picture Perfect
10 Things I Hate About You
Someone Like You
Four Weddings and A Funeral
Keeping the Faith
The Proposal
While You Were Sleeping
Hope Floats
Bye Bye Love
Forget Paris
The Holiday*
Adam
Practical Magic*
No Strings Attached
Leap Year
Jumping the Broom
Maid of Honor
The Switch
How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days
Valentine's Day
He's Just Not That Into You
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Life As We Know It*
Sweet Home Alabama*
The Jane Austen Book Club*
Two Weeks Notice

The AFI Top Ten:
1) City Lights
2) Annie Hall
3) It Happened One Night
4) Roman Holiday
5) The Philadelphia Story
6) When Harry Met Sally
7) Adam’s Rib
8) Moonstruck
9) Harold and Maude
10) Sleepless in Seattle
Contemporary movies are in short supply on the top ten, for what is a contemporary genre. When the Top Ten of Ten Genres lists came out in 2008, my confusion and disagreement with the list was immediate. One of which is Moonstruck. It is a great movie. Not what I would categorize as a rom com, nor do I think it was marketed as such. My most significant compliant is that When Harry Met Sally is without a doubt the best Romantic Comedy of all time. It is the mold from which all other Romantic Comedies are built from but rarely live up to.

Upcoming releases:
What's Your Number? looks funny, though depending on the delivery, might be headed to the average list. Could be cute.

Apparently there is going to be a third Bridget Jones movie. The first was true to the spirit of the book and even though it took some liberties it was a great movie. The sequel was so different from the second book, much to its detriment. There is no third Bridget Jones book, so this could be troubling.

The trailer for New Years Eve looks Ah-Mazing. It was announced after the successful box office draw of Valentine's Day in February 2010. NYE is directed by Garry Marshall like VD and features at least two of the same actors with a whole new slew of them, including Sarah Jessica Parker. And thankfully, it would appear, no Taylors. The movie releases on December 9th of this year. It is also significant that I think the trailer looks so promising because I did not want to see Valentine's Day originally (Laura convinced me). Even though I enjoyed Valentine's Day, I was cautious when the production of NYE was announced when VD was still in its theatrical release. Not a rom com but SJP's new flick I Don't Know How Does She It.



My lists were completed in no particular order. I tried to keep the movies in the order in which I thought of them. I worked on the lists over several days. Of course, these are my opinions and I fully realized that some I have said were the worst or not the best, will be the opposite for others. Please take no offense, but do please comment your opinions!

Friends With Benefits

Bottom line, FWB more than passes my rom com test. The movie successfully takes jabs at the cliches romantic comedies are often saturated with. The raunch of the language and obvious subject matter works because there is humanity behind it. The characters are well developed and have back-stories and families. Plus, the two leads live glamorous bi-coastal lives that they work hard for so they still seem attainable and relatable. And they are hot.

Though I appreciate the Black Swan/That 70s Show connection that binds them beyond their subject matter no end, there is no contest, Friends With Benefits is far superior to No Strings Attached. When the time comes for a cliched moment in FWB, it does so by winking at the audience. You get your cake and to eat it too.

Rom coms get a bad rap but they are among my favorites. When done right. Unfortunately for every stellar one, there are dozens of bad ones. Something Borrowed is the worst one I have seen in recent memory. Not every one can be When Harry Met Sally.

Many lines and elements have remained memorable in the days since I saw the flick Saturday. Not specific to FWB, to all movie marketing, some of the best lines are ruined because I had heard them repeatedly beforehand. I even fast forward through the clips shown when actors are on talk shows, I do what I can to keep it fresh. I refuse to go to movies less or not arrive in time to the trailers. There were a couple of jokes I was surprised to hear laughter after, merely because I knew them so well by the time I saw the movie. Hollywood really needs to take notes from JJ Abrams and Super 8, less is more people, less is more. In this summer movie season, I can not wait to re-watch Bridesmaids and Friends With Benefits.

Something Borrowed

As much as I delight in Emily's fabulous ability to score movie passes (and her generosity at sharing with me) Something Borrowed is not a good movie. In the words of Emily, I am glad it was free.

It was not a matter of too many romantic comedy cliches, it was a matter of bad people who were bad friends to one another. John Krasinski is the best thing it. Kate Hudson does what she can with a thankless role.

I was so underwhelmed by this screening, that I saw it last Thursday and am just now blogging about it. I am still getting the word out there before the movie comes out tomorrow. I am waiting for Bridesmaids, it looks to be the much better of the genre.

Life As We Know It

The great thing about the home viewing of flicks, is the re-set in expectations. I was originally very excited about seeing this movie but for one reason or another did not make it to my local multiplex. When Life As We Know It was in theaters this fall, I heard mixed reviews. To my recollection it did not do super-well at the box office. Available via Netflix for the first time this week, I was excited to watch it this afternoon. I thought it was very well done. Very funny and heartfelt, it was well plotted. I couldn't help but wonder, did the manner in which I watched it make all the difference in my enjoyable viewing experience? The onslaught of previews and clips on talk shows that is standard practice for the marketing of all major movie releases, often does the movies a disservice. While home viewing has much less of a delay than back in the VHS era, the time between theatrical release and OnDemand/DVD/Redbox/Netflix, certainly helps. In this case, I was entertained.

Just Go With It

Well, I had high hopes for this movie. Happy Madison Productions was apparently hellbent on cramming as many stupid sight-gags as they could into what was actually a very funny movie with a lot of heart. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston were hilarious together and had great give and take in their scenes together. The stupid stuff, just ruined it. What could have been a Wedding Singer or a 50 First Dates, was two competing movies. One good and one bad. Now I can look the other way at a few items of humor that are not my thing and still appreciate or even love a movie despite those things (eg the androgynous aquarium worker in 50 First Dates). I would like to own the Non-Stupid-St8t edition of the DVD (or the Non-Devlin edition to use a phrase/joke from the movie). Not my Valentine's pick...stay home and watch a double feature of Wedding Singer and Object of My Affection for some quality Sandler and Aniston. Though I do hope they work together again, they are great together.

The music throughout the movie was excellent. Lots of Sting and mash-ups of Sting songs, as well as less commonly used Beach Boy songs. And there were several excellent cameos in the movie. I won't ruin the surprise (though, I don't recommend seeing this one in theaters, wait for DVD) but one typically serious actress is wonderfully wicked and funny in the film. In a way, I think it shows she has a sense of humor about herself (one hint, she is nominated for an Oscar this year). As the fabulous Miss Katy Hagert observed, Adam Sandler's wife Jackie Sandler, is in the opening scene of the movie. After a little research to confirm, the two were introduced by Rob Schneider after she appeared in Deuce Bigalow, and she has been in several other Adam Sandler movies.

One interesting thing I noticed in the credits, was that the movie was based on Cactus Flower. Cactus Flower is the 1969 movie with Goldie Hawn (she won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her film debut in it), Walter Matthau and Ingrid Bergman (and that movie, was first a play).

Also, amid the eight or so trailers before the movie, I really laughed out loud at the preview for the Arthur remake starring Russell Brand (who is hosting SNL tonight). I would like to state for the record that long before Brand was with Katy Perry, before he was in Forgetting Sarah Marshall or hosted the MTV Video Awards, I knew who he was. I am a loyal viewer of the Graham Norton Show on BBC America and Brand was a frequent guest before making his hop across the pond and into Hollywood movies. Looks good. Hope its not just the trailer.

Anyone else hate the creepy music in the Battle: LA trailer?! Blah, not seeing that.

The Switch

I thoroughly enjoyed the Switch. I've read about the poor opening box office, I attribute that to the fact that people just didn't go to the movies that weekend. The parking lot was noticeably empty for a Saturday night, and yet the theater I saw the Switch in, was full. Just saying.

The movie is laugh-out-loud funny. Much to the credit of Jason Bateman. His scenes with Jeff Goldblum in particular are hilarious. Bateman's rapport with the young character, Sebastian, played by Thomas Robinson, are sweet and humorous. I don't understand the backlash often directed at Jennifer Aniston. I like her, I enjoy her, I won't defend or convince why others should like her.
Amid the rom-com antics, there is genuine emotion and this flick passes my most stringent romantic comedy gage, it didn't make me gag and has no "too cheesy to tolerate" moment. Also, I think the Switch is better than the Back-Up Plan. I think its cool that unconventional ways to make a family are being portrayed in mainstream movies. There was nothing specifically wrong with the Back-Up Plan, but it wasn't great. The Switch is funnier, in my opinion, and has less set-ups for the laughs; my laughs came during the Switch from the dialogue.

I think my next movie will be Going the Distance, so the romantic comedy blogs continue!