MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

Lily James     Amanda Seyfried     Meryl Streep     Dominic Cooper     Pierce Brosnan     Stellan Skarsgard

Christine Baranski     Colin Firth     Cher     Julie Walters     Jeremy Irvine     Andy Garcia

     I think the best things about this film are ABBA’s songs from the first Mamma Mia and Meryl Streep’s reprise at the end.  Oh, well, and yes, the local woman telling a young man where to get off after he “did a woman wrong” and then wanted to return to her arms. She is a lovable, wise character who makes you chuckle at her and cheer her on at the same time.  Although Benny Andersson, a member of ABBA, and two colleagues, Anne Dudley and Bjorn Ulvaeus (also involved in the first production), supply most of the music here, it doesn’t have the draw the earlier rendition had.  Part of the responsibility may lie with the director and co-writer, Ol Parker.

     The filmmakers have valiantly tried to recapture the moods, atmosphere, and humor of the first Mamma Mia! (2008) and even 2016's La La Land, but never quite achieve the lyrical magic of those productions.  Instead, I found it to be jarring in its disjointed cuts from one scene to the next without natural transitions; the songs appear to be inserted haphazardly, even though they’re clearly intended to wedge the viewer into an emotion of the moment.  The dialog is unnatural and even vacuous at times, such as, “Nothing is that simple.” “Everything is, when you break it down.”  Everything: really?  People fall in love instantaneously, and sometimes when they break up, the songs reflect a much deeper relationship than could possibly have occurred. 

     The story is a continuation of the first Mamma Mia!  Donna (Streep) has died, and her daughter Sophie (James, Seyfried) wants to refurbish Donna’s villa and stage a party that will honor her mother. She is still grieving her mother’s passing, and invites her three fathers (Brosnan, Skarsgard, Firth) and Donna’s closest friends (Baranski, Walters) to come to the villa on a Greek island for the special occasion.  Sophie is engaged to Sky (Cooper), whose business has stationed him in New York, leading them to the decision to suspend their engagement.  The party is all set up, but in the interim, there will be a storm that damages the villa and other distractions, namely, Sophie’s becoming involved with various suitors ([her engagement to Sky (Cooper) has been suspended.]  Somehow, even though Sophie goes on boat rides and long walks, she still manages to keep the villa intact, perhaps because of the efforts of one of her fathers, Sam (Brosnan).

     At any rate, the party does take place, old acquaintances/loves are renewed, and a surprise guest (Cher) suddenly appears, with a touching rapprochement between her and Fernando (Garcia).  In the end, Donna is duly honored, and everyone present feels gratified.  

This is a musical without the exquisite blending of fantasy, reality, and art that some of its predecessors (e.g., La La Land) have achieved.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

FIRST REFORMED

Ethan Hawke     Amanda Seyfried     Philip Ettinger     Cedric the Entertainer     Michael Gaston     Victoria Hill

     This is one of those independent films that you hope will be coming up regularly forever. It takes an issue and argues it with eloquence and passion, showing both sides.  That is, the audience is expected to take some responsibility for thinking about something important and reasoning through it to conclusion. Pastor Toller (Hawke) has a known past of having a son he talked into going into the military (generations of his family had attended VMI)—against his wife’s objections—and, unfortunately, Joseph was killed in Iraq.  The burden of this kind of guilt is the subject of the film, and it’s put into larger contexts related to political activism, religious beliefs and meaning, and, fundamentally, hope and despair.

     Pastor Toller seems to be experiencing PTSD (post-traumatic stress syndrome), and trying to work through it, using scripture and group therapy, and a diary that is to be destroyed in one year.  Adding to the pressure is that he is pastor of a 250 year-old church, which tries to survive by joining a much larger congregation, the Church of Abundant Life, led by Pastor Jeffers (Cedric the Entertainer).  They’re all gearing up for the celebration of the re-consecration of First Reformed.  Here, we see the issues of original conceptions of religion played out against the current capitalist conceptions of a religion paired with financial backing.

 The First Reformed Church has to collaborate with the Church of Abundant Life in planning.  At first, there doesn’t seem to be much of a problem; Pastor Toller has met with Pastor Jeffers a number of times, and they seem to be on the same page.  But the primary contributor to the Abundant Life Church is a businessman with a moral center that differs significantly from Pastor Toller’s.

     And inserted into all of this is a major complication in the form of parishioner Mary (Seyfried) asking for help from Pastor Toller for her husband, Michael (Ettinger).  He is an activist for the environment, and has strong feelings about bringing a child into the world.  (Mary is pregnant with their child.)  He wants to abort the child, but Mary does not.  

     Pastor Toller is drawn into this dilemma, which exquisitely connects with his own dilemma he is already dealing with; that is, a parent’s responsibility for a child’s life.  Michael is troubled that he is bringing a child into a world that will eventually kill him, because of environmental neglect.  (The oceans rising several feet, for instance.)

     Paul Schrader, the writer/director of this film, eloquently outlines the agonizing questions of our day related to climate change, personal responsibility, and political activism, and demonstrates how individuals and families can be affected.   The ending of the story is drawn out, culminating in a conclusion that may be dissatisfying for many.  

     First Reformed is an outstanding production overall.  Schrader is an expert in storytelling and visual effects.  He and cinematographer Alexander Dynan open the film with an old white-boarded church scene suffused in a pale blue light; and these colors are seen throughout, with accents of black, bright red or other colors inserted for maximum emotional effect in certain scenes.  Ethan Hawke—in his usual fine form—gives one of the best performances of his career, complemented by Amanda Seyfried as a sincere young parishioner and Cedric the Entertainer as an experienced pastor of a large, well-connected church.  

An impressive film in all aspects of filmmaking.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

GRINGO

Joel Edgerton     Charlize Theron     David Oyelowo     Thandie Newton     Amanda Seyfried     Sharlto Copley

     Ugly Americans and Mexican cartels go head to head in this crime story that also wants to be a comedy.  Richard Rusk (Edgerton) and Elaine Markinson (Theron) co-lead a company that is not averse to doing extra-curricular deals.  They have a product being sold in Mexico for them, but when it looks like U.S. states are going to legalize marijuana, they want to market Cannabax (ha-ha--Get it?) in the U.S. and hugely increase their profits.  That will leave no product for the Mexican trade.  Their middle manager Harold (Oyelowo) has been working with the Mexicans for a long time, establishing confidence and gaining their trust, but suddenly Richard and Elaine want to accompany him on the trip to explain to the Mexicans why they are going to stop selling to them.  Harold is left out of all these plans—and many others as the plot proceeds, all while Richard keeps calling him his best friend and making promises of untold wealth.  Call him a dupe.  Go ahead.

     The plot by writers Anthony Tambakis and Matthew Stone gets heavily convoluted by incorporating multiple betrayals, Mexican cartels, an amateur American trying to smuggle dope into the US from Mexico (no connection to the other operation), and the DEA into the story.  Oh, yes, and at one point, Richard’s brother Mitch (Copley), is called upon to abandon his altruistic activities in Haiti to help his brother reclaim the kidnapped Harold.  (This is not the only kidnapping that will take place.)

     The movie, directed by Nash Edgerton (Joel’s brother), attempts to be slick, funny, and entertaining.  And I think it does achieve the latter, but I was not impressed with the intricacies of plans and subterfuges; and the “funny” is successful in drawing chuckles at times, but it borders on stereotypical portrayal of blacks.  This is Oyelowo really trying to show his comedic chops, and he is funny until you stop and think…

     The acting is top-notch by Edgerton, Theron, and Oyelowo, with Edgerton being the profligate with a swagger, Theron with a cold, hard perspective using her sexuality and attractiveness to get what she wants, and Oyelowo with high ideals passed down from his father trying to be noble.  The supporting cast is noteworthy, particularly Amanda Seyfried (Les Miserables) and Sharlto Copley (Chappie), who are two of the only genuine figures in this production. 

     It’s puzzling why the amateurish drama of a reluctant, naïve drug carrier (Harry Treadaway) and his girlfriend (Seyfried) were included in the mix.  Their paths cross with Harold’s in a sometimes touching way, but they don’t really fit into this story.

For a lightly entertaining romp, Gringo might be your movie choice—just don’t plan to take it too seriously.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

LOVE THE COOPERS

Alan Arkin   Diane Keaton   John Goodman   Marisa Tomei   June Squibb

                                        Olivia Wilde   Amanda Seyfried   Anthony Mackie   Ed Helms   Jake Lacy

          And you probably will end up loving the Coopers in a film that many will see as a perfect holiday movie.  Although don’t expect to be immersed in warm fuzzy feelings throughout; this is a family that can throw barbs and “gotchas” with hardly a twitch of an eyebrow.  They all seem to have some gene that eventually and invariably alienates the person they’re talking to.  The script reads a bit like Little Miss Sunshine in its mixture of bittersweet, tender, and outright comedy.  The difference is that in Love the Coopers there’s a lot more bitterness in tone, especially in the beginning when everyone seems to be writhing with unhappiness—or maybe it’s just anxiety about the upcoming get-together.

         The drama mainly centers around couples—not necessarily the expected pairings.  The paterfamilias (Arkin) is alone in his old age, but has made a solid friendship with a young waitress at the local diner (Seyfried).  His daughter Charlotte (Keaton) has been married to Sam (Goodman) for 40 years, but it looks like the parting of the ways for them.  Their current issue is whether or not to announce their separation at the family celebration.  Son Hank (Helms) is going through a divorce, and he is not in good shape at all.  His other daughter Emma (Tomei) is alone not by choice, except maybe it has something to do with her not being able to form a bond with anyone and tending to feel sorry for herself in being alone.  We’re introduced to Charlotte’s and Sam’s daughter Eleanor (Wilde) in the airport where she has bumped into Joe (Lacy) who is headed out to report to duty.  Present at the Christmas celebration are also a number of grandchildren who are as quick-witted and verbal as their elders.

          Certain interchanges between characters in the drama really entertained and sparked my interest.  One was Eleanor and Joe doing a complex, often contradictory, mating dance that epitomizes budding relationships today.  Liberal meets conservative, but somehow, after many fits and starts, they find more common ground than conflict.  Another was that between Emma and the policeman (Anthony Mackie) who arrests her for shoplifting.  Being a life coach, she starts out asking him about himself, but when it ends up, he is giving her valuable advice.  They end up helping each other, and he is to be admired for insisting on appropriate boundaries. 

        The depiction of Sam’s and Charlotte’s relationship is not terribly interesting—it’s rather hackneyed—and although these are fine actors, I found myself yawning and fidgeting during their interchanges.  The best ones (Eleanor and Joe; Emma and Officer Williams) entertain us and make us think, and therein lies the best of this movie.

A soulful family Christmas with meaningful observations on mating.

Grade:  B                                                            By Donna R. Copeland

WHILE WE'RE YOUNG

--> Naomi Watts     Ben Stiller     Adam Driver     Amanda Seyfried     Charles Grodin     Peter Yarrow

-->

While We’re Young deals with the time when aging starts to get personal—personally meaningful.  Josh (Stiller) and Cornelia (Watts) are there and get side-tracked by a younger couple, Jamie (Driver) and Darby (Seyfried) whose lives seem so exciting, unlike another couple whom they’ve been friends with for years, who just had a baby.  Josh and Cornelia discuss how free they feel and lucky to start hanging out with the younger set interested in so many things—hip hop, mystical evenings with a shaman, bicycling, woodwork, music on vinyl, and so on.  Best of all, it seems, Jamie aspires to be a documentarian just like Josh and his famous father-in-law Leslie Breitbart (Grodin). 

      Josh has always preferred to work alone, but after exposure to Jamie’s apparent generosity, he attempts to be more collaborative, and they embark on a joint project, and Josh is forced to introduce Jamie to Breitbart.  Josh has always rejected his father-in-law’s attempts to advise him out of sheer determination to make his career his own.  Jamie has no such qualms; he freely borrows from others, charmingly pulling them into his circle, and making his way toward the top.

      Ever so gradually, it dawns on Josh what is happening, and he makes a scene at an inappropriate time, thinking that when he “exposes” Jamie everyone will feel just as he does.  It’s a crushing moment when it becomes obvious that no one sees anything wrong with what Jamie has done/is doing, and that even Cornelia sees him as overly suspicious.  She loves her husband, and this puts her in a bind, which she handles beautifully.

      In this sensitive part of the drama, Noah Baumbach, the writer/director, seems to be working through issues in his own mind about the nature of truth and films, particularly documentaries.  How does the filmmaker walk that fine line between being strictly truthful and ensuring that a film will be interesting, even entertaining?  Does it matter if the truth is hedged a bit or a lot if the point of the film is really about something else? 

He does make sure that the Josh character develops more insight into himself and others as a result of this painful experience, and by the end seems to be setting himself on a much more relaxed journey through life.

      Stiller and Driver have the meatier roles and play them very well.  I was sorry that the characters for the two main actresses, Watts and Seyfried, were written primarily as support for their husbands.  They are both highly talented and skilled, and it seems a waste to have them in such lackluster roles, although as usual their fine acting shows through.  Charles Grodin and Peter Yarrow in cameo roles demonstrate that age has its privileges, including professional seasoning.

      James Murphy’s score and soundtrack are truly enjoyable accompaniments to the film, particularly in its perfect pairing of the drama with sound in so many scenes. 

Overall, this is a fine update in Noah Baumbach’s career; I think his finest yet.

The best of Baumbach.

Grade:  B                          By Donna R. Copeland