INCREDIBLES 2

Craig T. Nelson     Holly Hunter     Sarah Vowell     Huck Milner    Eli Fucile

Catherine Keener     Bob Odenkirk     Samuel L. Jackson     Brad Bird     Isabella Rossellini

     I am always partial to Brad Bird, and think that his production of Incredibles 2i s just that—impressive enough to be regarded as incredible, and a film that is likely to appeal to all ages.  One of Bird’s strengths is in mixing lavish visual and special effects with an entertaining story of substance. Beyond the entertainment, values come through with respect to “doing good”, fulfilling civic duties, living up to one’s potential, and being a good parent (at times being equated with having super-powers—which I found very amusing andrealistic).

     The Parr family is a trifle at sea since super-powers have been outlawed (you get a real sense of loss of purpose from them), and their reputation is on the decline after their last job not turning out very well—at least in the public eye. Helen (Hunter) is flexing and saying they need to adapt, but her husband Bob (Nelson) is protesting.  Then something unexpected happens; a wealthy man, Mr. Deavor (Odenkirk) who is convinced super-powers are needed, has a plan for getting the law changed, and approaches the Parr family.  Well, specifically, he is asking for Elastigirl (Hunter), observing that she does less collateral damage in her heroics than her husband.  

     Of course, this creates a crisis in the Parr household.  Bob (Mr. Incredible) has trouble getting his head around the fact that someone would be preferring his wife over him, and Helen feels torn about leaving her family, even though it’s to save them.  Moreover, she and young Violet (Vowell) question the wisdom of breaking the law, even if it is to do good.  But Bob (to his credit) urges his wife to take up the mantle and perform a heroic act to save people and demonstrate the usefulness of super-powers.  After much soul-searching, all she needs is a fancy motorcycle delivered to her garage, and she is off.

     Mr. Deavor is in partnership with his sister Evelyn (Keener), who has designed new suits for the Parrs that have cameras installed, as a way to publicize their achievements.  What they do can be featured on the news, thus everyone will see their value, and public opinion will be successful in effecting change.

     There will be any number of major challenges to the Parrs, close calls, and a significant betrayal, which make the movie entertaining and provoke thought all the way through.  In the process, important contemporary issues are dealt with about men vs. women and their roles, about adherence vs. protest of laws, about trust vs. betrayal, about inventors vs. sellers of a product, and even about kids vs. parents.  I liked the way kids are portrayed, both needing guidance and nurturance and being listened to for their opinions.  

     A number of clever and humorous scenes are incorporated, revealing writer-director Bird’s ingenuity, such as inserting the role that he himself voices of Edna, the woman Bob turns to when parental duties have worn him out.  The interactions between her and the baby with emerging super powers, Jack-Jack (Fucile), are hilarious and heart-warming.  The cartoon figure looks exactly like Linda Hunt (NCIS-LA), who is the wise and supportive leader of undercover operatives with a blunt-cut pageboy hairdo on CBS TV. Jack-Jack, who is gleefully playful, manages to don just such a hairdo to win her heart.

An enthralling animation that will keep the whole family spellbound.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE BIG SICK

Kumail Nanjiani     Zoe Kazan     Holly Hunter     Ray Romano     Anupam Kher     Zenobia Shroff

     Kumail (Nanjiani) is a standup comedian who gets heckled one evening by a young blonde woman in the audience.  It annoys him, so he confronts her later at the bar, and she argues with him—“Well, what if I said…” and she names something he couldn’t argue with.  In no time at all, he knows she is Emily (Kazan), and they spend the night together.  What transpires after that is an on again off again connection in which they initially make it clear that they’re not dating, and they agree on a two-day rule (never see each other more than two days in a row), and of course they do become attached. 

     Enter family(s).  His parents are traditional Pakistani who are working diligently to find him a nice Pakistani wife.  He loves his family and knows that he will be disowned if he doesn’t agree to an arranged marriage, so of course he doesn’t tell them about Emily.  Nor does he tell Emily about them.  She finds out, is incensed, and dumps him.  Moreover, she’s a daughter who tells her mother everything, so her parents are well informed about Kumail.

     Some time later, Kumail receives a frantic call from Emily’s best friend telling him that Emily is in the hospital, and she and their friends can’t wait any longer because of finals at school, and would he please go to the hospital and see that she gets home.  He has been well brought up and does the compassionate thing, only to be rejected once again by Emily, but greeted by the attending physician who is sure he is the husband who must give consent for Emily to be put into a coma to treat the infection.  (This scenario wouldn’t happen in a real hospital, but for the sake of comedy, it transpires.) 

      By this time, Emily’s parents have been notified and appear at the hospital.  Emily is already in a coma, so Kumail must deal with them directly.  Initially, they brush him off and let him know he is “off the hook” and can go home.  But something keeps him there.  As time goes on, and Emily is in a coma longer than expected, they do what caring people do when they’re thrown together by life-threatening circumstances, they begin to relate to one another as humans.  The question is, how will Emily react when she is out of a coma.

     Nanjiani and his real-life wife, writer Emily V. Gordon, wrote the script based on their experiences in getting together.  He is Pakistani from a traditional family, and she is American.  They wrote it as a comedy of a couple from two cultures trying to make it together, and are successful in presenting a realistic picture that is funny as well as poignant. 

      Nanjiani (a veteran of “The Daily Show” and currently on “Silicon Valley”) plays himself well as a sincere but flawed character trying to make it in comedy, but not always able to separate himself from that and be a real person.  Comedy slips in when he is anxious, as for instance when he is asked (rudely, because of his looks) about 9-1-1, and makes a dark comedy joke about it.  Zoe Kazan adeptly portrays Emily as a young woman trying to establish her independence and maintain control over her life.  After being over-parented by a solicitous mother, she is wary of commitments, and needs space.

      Holly Hunter and Ray Romano add significantly to the drama as Emily’s parents, colorful and a little flamboyant.  Both actors make real and appealing portrayals of their characters in their fights, expressions of love, and quirkiness.  Showing the contrasting personalities and values of Kamail’s parents, (Kher and Shroff), is an essential component of the cross-cultural dynamics, and the actors and script succinctly highlight the issues involved.

    Director Michael Showalter and the writers have created a movie that is wholesome in its wit, bringing out the humor and complications involved in people from different cultures trying to make it together, along with present-day ambivalences about commitments.

Pakistani and American families trying to unite around a love relationship.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BATMAN V SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE

Ben Affleck   Henry Cavill   Amy Adams   Jesse Eisenberg   Diane Lane  

Laurence Fishburne   Jeremy Irons   Holly Hunter   Gal Gadot

          It’s a common human failing to mistake proximity for causality, and that is how the action in Batman v Superman begins.  Superman (Cavill) has been present in or associated with tragic events in Metropolis, so he is being regarded by some as a pariah, taking the law too much into his own hands and needing some oversight.  Senator Finch (Hunter) feels so strongly about it, she heads up a committee to investigate Superman.

          Bruce Wayne (Affleck) is also convinced Superman is a danger to society and feels honor bound to set things right.  Thus develops a fierce rivalry between the two. Wayne’s trusted technician/adviser Alfred (Irons) tries to dissuade him from taking on such a battle, but Wayne seems to be a tormented soul who frequently feels he hasn’t done enough to protect humankind. 

           Another figure on this complicated chessboard is Lex Luthor, a megalomaniac, who is seeking to extend his power in the world by absconding with precious metals and engaging in other nefarious activities.  Wayne senses he is up to no good and does some investigating at his company. 

       Shadowing in the background for much of the story until the very end when she suddenly appears as a fighter for the good is Wonder Woman (Gadot).  What brings her out is a Kryptonite monster seemingly capable of destroying anything, including Superman. 

         One should go to this film expecting that it is mostly about the CGI accompanied by deafening sound effects with repeated urban devastation, fierce battles that seem to go on forever (Batman v Superman, and both of them with Wonder Woman v the monster), and near death experiences for Lois Lane (Adams) and Martha Kent (Lane).   It is filled with a jumbling hodge-podge of scenes that make it hard to follow the storyline. 

       Remarkable to me in this rendition is the number of self doubts voiced by its two heroes, Batman and Superman, which made me wonder if perhaps their differences with one another would have been lessened if each were more confident.  But that is me in fantasy; I think Director Zack Snyder and the other filmmakers purposefully set up this struggle because they thought it would make a better story for those who favor action movies.

A CGI spectacle with hand-to-hand combat scenes going on for 40 minutes or so nonstop.

Grade:  C-                        By Donna R. Copeland

MANGLEHORN

--> Al Pacino     Holly Hunter     Harmony Korine     Chris Messina

-->

 Manglehorn is a love letter to Al Pacino, according to director David Gordon Green, and will be a delight to Pacino fans and to people who have soft hearts for old men and cats.  Manglehorn (Pacino) is a mess; he’s a cantankerous old coot who can’t change with the times, has no insight into why people see him the way they do, and worst of all, doesn’t have the foggiest notion about how to make himself lovable.  He has deep-seated anger that causes him to lose his temper and destroy things.  He can only show love and concern to animals, and they’re the only ones who can love him.

            The thrust of the story is interesting, in that most of the film is about him and his problems, but it gets very tedious.  He nurses some hope in a relationship he develops with a younger woman at the bank (Hunter), and even manages to go out with Dawn a couple of times.  But his conversations with her are lessons in what not to do.  He talks about himself almost entirely and only asks perfunctory questions about her.  He goes into detail about a woman he was in love with years ago, which didn’t work out.  Needless to say, this relationship with Dawn does not go anywhere.

            Manglehorn and his son barely know one another, but make tentative approaches to connect from time to time.  These are inevitably unsatisfying, and the son always leaves abruptly in disgust.  Manglehorn does behave differently toward his granddaughter, more like how he does with his cat.  But even when his son comes to him in a real crisis, Manglehorn is unsympathetic and withholding.

            I usually like David Gordon Green’s productions in particular (George Washington, Prince Avalanche), but this one didn’t capture my interest so much, perhaps because it’s written by someone else (Paul Logan) or perhaps because Al Pacino plays a character he has essentially played many times before.  And since this character is so obnoxious to me, that could bias me about the film.  Pacino is, of course a premium actor, and his performance is up to that quality here.  Pacino fans will no doubt applaud Manglehorn as a result.

            Holly Hunter’s performance is up to her usual standards of quality, and the film really picked up for me when she was in a scene.  Her distress at one point is truly moving, and will make many women in her circumstances identify strongly with Dawn.  Messina, as Manglehorn’s son, is believable and shows flair in this and other performances.  It is puzzling, though, why the character Gary (Korine) was included.  It looks like a sequence that was patched in simply to give him a role.

Pacino as you very well know him.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland