EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE

Michelle Yeoh     Stephanie Hsu     Ke Huy Quan

James Hong     Jamie Lee Curtis     Jenny Slate

            Everything can happen everywhere in a cartoon, and this is the wackiest one ever done.   Real people are acting out in a way that is only seen in cartoons doing impossible feats.  It’s funny at times, insightful or mysterious at other times and often confusing.  More than a few critics plan to see it at least one more time to pick up on things missed in the first viewing.

            The story is about a Chinese-American family with tax woes.  They run a laundry, but the mother Evelyn (Yeoh) is a Jack/Jill of all trades, so they have other businesses as well.  It’s a bickering family with the mother way too stressed and often harping at family members, consisting of her husband Waymond (Quan), daughter Joy (Hsu), and her dear old father Gong Gong (Hong)—who must be pleased at all costs.  Waymond has just informed Evelyn that he is thinking about divorce.

            Before the family’s visiting IRS agent Deirdre (Curtis), Waymond starts acting strange and pulling Evelyn into an other-universe reality, which is not only confusing for her, but to us the viewers as well.  Then the script changes drastically at the IRS.  We’re switched to the broader world of multiverses.  Waymond transverses between himself and someone from the alpha universe.  He seems to have some awareness of what is going on and tries to counsel his wife, telling her she has abilities of which she is completely unaware and needs to develop.  This is very different from his usual persona, and she is thoroughly mixed up, not even recognizing herself and the feats she can suddenly perform.  This switching around happens to everyone.

            It’s almost impossible to describe, certainly without giving too much away.  The more naïve one is about the plot, the more delightful the surprise.  And it’s not all fun and games, some serious work is accomplished both in the husband/wife relationship and in the mother/daughter relationship, and ultimately there is even a certain amount of understanding achieved between Evelyn and Dierdre who have been antagonistic to one another throughout.  

            Michelle Yeoh is a wonder here, richly deserving of her centerpiece place in a film after accruing so many accolades in supporting roles.  She has had an impressive journey.  From emigrating from Malasia to the UK, training for ballet, getting a part with Jackie Chan that eased her way into action movies, serious injuries from doing her own stunts, and gaps in her career.  But at 60, she finally has a starring role that proves once again her talent and skill in acting.  Joining her in fine performances are Ke Huy Quan, Stephanie Hsu, and James Hong.  Jamie Lee Curtis shines in her portrayal of a cheeky IRS agent, in which she is almost unrecognizable.  Slate’s cameo role is very effective as well.

            The Daniels (Kwan and Scheinert) prove their merit in writing and directing this unusual production which pulls the viewer so neatly into altered realities and then  selecting a cast that fits seamlessly into their characters.  

            Everything Everywhere All at Once is clearly a landmark in moviemaking, both in action and in comedy films.  Sprinkled throughout are little witticisms such as, “What is the truth?...Nothing matters”, “You’re living the worst you”, a bagel representing a halo, a raccoon perched atop a chef’s toque, and perhaps the best of all:  wiener fingers.

 

As a testament to the movie’s relevancy, Michelle Kwan says, [nowadays] “I think all of us feel like we [are] everything everywhere all at once.”

 

Grade:  A                              By Donna R. Copeland

I WANT YOU BACK

 Charlie Day     Jenny Slate     Scott Eastwood     Gina Rodriguez     

Manny Jacinto     Clark Backo     Luke David Blumm

            This is a smart comedy—laugh-out-loud funny in places—well written (Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger) and suspenseful because it’s unclear just how everything will be worked out.  In some ways, it’s a series of funny disasters, but it’s more than that in its touching on the difficulties in long-term relationships and the hazards of scheming to achieve an aim.

            Much of the credit for its spontaneity and set-ups goes to an excellent cast of actors experienced in the art of comedy.  Peter (Day) has a serious relationship with Anne (Rodriguez), and Noah (Eastwood) and Emma (Slate) have been together (happily from her point of view) long enough to consider taking the next step.  The two couples’ break-ups take Peter and Emma totally by surprise, and they feel the stings of being dumped.

            It turns out, they work in the same multi-story building, and when they meet unexpectedly in a stairway after individual meltdowns in meetings, they commiserate with one another, and decide to get together after work.  While trying to work through their grief by drinking and singing about their troubles at a karaoke bar, they come up with an ill-conceived plan to break up their former mates’ new relationships.

            This leads to sometimes hilarious situations in all kinds of settings with additional characters thrown in, the most touching of which is Emma coming across 12 year-old Trevor in her work as a “volunteer” for a middle-school drama, directed by Logan (Jacinto), Anne’s new love.  Trevor is filled with rage about his home situation, and Emma is able to do some amateur (but helpful) counseling to steer him onto a better track.

            Other funny scenes come up with paunchy Peter attempting to befriend Noah, a physical trainer.  Noah trains Peter in physical activities he never dreamed of doing, much less mastering.  In the process—exhausting as it is—Peter discovers a new side of himself.  

            Jason Orly directs I Want You Back admirably.  The timing of the scenes in telling a story and balancing out the comedic and “truthy” elements skillfully sustain interest and engagement of the viewer.

 

A comedy that will make you laugh out loud while making some insightful statements about people and relationships.

 

Grade:  B                              By Donna R. Copeland

ON THE ROCKS

Bill Murray     Rashida Jones     Marlon Wayans     Jenny Slate

     On the Rocks succeeds like Sofia Coppola’s films usually do; they are well composed with fine actors, music, and cinematography.  They are also low-key, although excitement does build here with the detective elements and fine locations spicing things up.  Even though it is somewhat predictable, it is enjoyable and would make a fine date movie.

     Laura (Jones) is a writer and young housewife whose young children occupy a good deal of her time.  Her husband Dean (Wayans) is often away from home, trying to build up a new company that has a lot of promise.  They seem very happy together, but when a couple of odd things happen, Laura confides in her father (Murray), a debonair art dealer who seems to engage every woman he meets in whatever circumstance—even ordering a meal at a restaurant.  Not only that, he is a world traveler and has made contacts everywhere he goes, from concierges to wealthy prospective and past clients.  He’s a lesson in making sure one keeps track of and remembers everyone crossing his path. Even when he is stopped by a traffic policeman in his red sports car, this information comes in handy.

     When Laura talks to her father about the “odd things” happening, in his response, as well as his philosophy about men and life, we see a tinge of self-projection in his perceptions, and that becomes part of the mystery of the film. As he drags his daughter around to all kinds of luxurious settings, we’re like Laura in wondering where reality ends and fantasy begins.  But whereas we can enjoy the experiences, she is usually on edge and in doubt.

     Rashida Jones portrays the young woman very well; indicating the sense of responsibility that Laura grew up attaining, but not having fully developed a sense of self-worth and confidence that would tide her over in writing blocks and questions of trust.  Murray plays his role like the pro he is with the ability to charm/wheedle/reason his way through any situation while still listening attentively to another point of view. Marlon Wayans does an excellent job in portraying a husband mostly oblivious to the emotional turmoil around him, but clearly having a zest for life.  His good looks and affability feed into the possibility that he has other things on the side.

     I loved the insertion (for comedic relief, I guess) of the Jenny Slate character, Vanessa.  She serves essentially as a stand-up comedian capturing Laura in the line to take their kids into school, pressure-talking about her own interests without regard to anyone else, even her own children, who seem to be an after-thought.  I figure that’s an experience everyone will recognize.

     Additional aspects of the film that are impressive include the musical score by Phoenix, always capturing the mood, and the cinematography by Philippe Le Sourd. Some of Le Sourd’s urban images—especially at night—reflect thrilling creativity.  Also, the mixing up of the races within a family was refreshing to see.

 

An enjoyable escapist film for ones isolated during these trying times.

 

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland 

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2

Voices of:  Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Harrison Ford, Patton Oswalt, Eric Stonestreet

Jenny Slate, Lake Bell, Hannibal Buress, Nick Kroll, Dana Carvey, Ellie Kemper

      Whereas in the first rendition of The Secret Life of Pets, a relatively simple story with lots of excitement is told, in Secret Life 2, the filmmakers opted to have three loosely related story plots alternating with one another.  One story is about the main character Max having to adjust to his owner’s new baby and going for a visit to a farm where he encounters an intimidating bigger dog named “Rooster” (Ford), although Rooster isa dog.  Another is about Max’s friend Gidget (Slate) trying to retrieve Max’s favorite toy, “busy bee”—which he entrusts her with while he is out of town—when it bounces away and ends up in a cat-filled apartment.  The third story is about Snowball (Hart) feeling like a super hero when his owner dresses him up in an action figure costume, and his friend Daisy (Haddish) asks him for help in rescuing a circus tiger from its abusive trainer Sergei (Kroll).  

     In my opinion, this structure becomes a near fatal flaw, because it fragments the plot and literally lurches through three very different settings and intrigues. Max is trying to brave it up on the farm; Gidget and her friend Chloe (Bell) are frantically trying to wrest “busy bee” from one huge snarling cat in a house full of cats, and Snowball and Daisy become action figures in outwitting and outfighting the evil Sergei for the tiger. Try as the filmmakers might, the three stories don’t really come together in the end; we just get a sample of endless chases modeled after adult action movies.  Bravery seems to be the element tying all this together, but by the end, we feel like we’ve seen three different movie shorts.

     The actors voicing the animals do a great job highlighting their characters’ personalities (Harrison Ford, Tiffany Haddish, and Nick Kroll are welcome additions to the first team), the animation and special effects are entertaining, and Alexandre Desplat’s music is an apt accompaniment.  

     Children in the screening I attended giggled and laughed at expected times and seemed to enjoy the film overall; I just wonder how well the younger ones especially followed and kept track of the three plots.

Another peek into the pet world, where challenges and intrigues are aplenty.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

HOTEL ARTEMIS

Jodie Foster     Sterling K. Brown    Sofia Boutella     Jeff Goldblum

Jenny Slate     Dave Bautista     Charlie Day     Brian Tyree Henry

     There is no honor among thieves—true most of the time.  But that adage is disproven now and again in Hotel Artemis.  The hotel was created as a gesture of honor years before 2028 when this story takes place, one among many interesting twists in the narrative about a kind of hospital for wounded criminals, administered by The Nurse (Foster). Riots about the shortages of water are flaming in Los Angeles, which makes the hospital very busy.  But a few clear-cut rules have been designed to establish order, e.g., only paid members admitted, no cops admitted, no weapons allowed, no serial killers or pedophiles admitted, no real names used, etc.  Each person is called by the name of his/her room, e.g., Waikiki, Honolulu, Acapulco, Nice. (One of the clever little features that elicits a smile from us.)  Nurse runs a tight ship aided by her trusted Everest (Bautista), who towers above everyone else, is completely devoted to his job and to Nurse, and is handy in managing the electrical generators and being a bouncer when called upon.    

     On a particular Wednesday night during the riots, only one room is vacant when Nurse is handed a dilemma that will cause her to break one of her own rules, and coincidentally, other infractions happen for various reasons, and then suddenly a call comes from the owner of the establishment needing to be admitted. This happens to be Wolf King (Goldblum), crime boss of the city.  Beyond the main events, sub-plots are interwoven involving activist Waikiki (Brown) and his brother Honolulu (Henry), the assassin Nice (Boutella) and her fluctuating relationships with Waikiki and Acapulco (Day), a loud-mouth American full of bluster and entitlement, and a mysterious patient (Morgan) with a significant past connection to Nurse.

     Drew Pearce, writer/director, and his team have produced an unusual take on a crime story with elements of mystery, suspense, and intrigue; colorful but entirely believable, complicated characters (the most complex being Foster’s “Nurse”); Cliff Martinez’s expressive score; Chung-Hoon Chung’s guiding cinematography; and all the others involved in making the film a work of art.  And we must not omit the many, many modes of humor and plain laugh-out-loud moments sprinkled in here and there. Quotable quotes run rife. “You work with what you got; not what you hoped for.”  [My dad] lives in Florida; life took him out already.”  “They bought your death; don’t give them your dignity for free.”  And finally, “Getting out is always tougher than getting in.”

     This is likely to be another star in Jodie Foster’s star-studded acting crown, easily measuring up to a host of award-winning performances in Silence of the Lambs, The Accused, Taxi Driver, and Contact—just to name a few.  It was personally gratifying to see her physical appearance reflecting her life of grief and servitude rather than her being “prettied up.”  Gray-haired and wrinkled, and relying on inspirational tapes to manage her anxiety, asthma, and other maladies, Foster delivers on-point perfection in giving us an in-depth look at her character with a significant past.

     Also notable are Sofia Boutella (always mesmerizing), Sterling K. Brown as an honorable “criminal” loyal to his brother to a fault, Dave Bautista as a bouncer with a heart, Charlie Day as an American stereotype who talks too loudly and too much, and Jeff Goldblum as an astute crime boss who’s disappointed in his youngest son for being too soft.

Hotel Artemis:  A place like you’ve never seen before, with goings on that thrill, chill, pull the strings of your heart, and make you chuckle.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

GIFTED

Chris Evans   Grace McKenna   Lindsay Duncan   Jenny Slate   Octavia Spencer

     Gifted is a film for the masses in that it has charm in the form of a super-smart, sassy child; a sincere guardian who is doing his best, although he’s a bit myopic; a soulful neighbor; a sincere, sharp schoolteacher; a villain in the form of an ambitious mother/grandmother; and a plot with suspense.  It could be—and is—dismissed as a bunch of froth, but it does bring up important issues about the needs of truly gifted children and how the courts handle child custody cases.

     We first get a picture of the child in a normal school (preferred by the uncle/guardian of the child in trying to respect his deceased sister, the child’s mother, who was a genius with resentment toward their mother).  It’s clear that Frank (Evans) is trying to guide his niece Mary (McKenna) in social skills, but she is only six years old and still has a way to go.  She has been home schooled previously, but is now in first grade in a public school.  After a bit of cheekiness on Mary’s part, her teacher (Slate) is confounded at first, then realizes that she has a super smart child on her hands.  She immediately talks to the principal, and of course, they recommend a school for the gifted and talented—with a scholarship.  But Frank knows from experience what his sister went through with an over-involved mother and is adamant that Mary have a normal childhood and friends.

     When the grandmother (Duncan) appears on the scene, all her frustrations about her gifted daughter surface, and she is determined to take over and see that her granddaughter achieves what her daughter gave up on.  She haughtily dismisses her son and his living conditions and sues to get custody of the child.  She doesn’t succeed, and a compromise is made, but that’s not the end of the story.

     Writer Tom Flynn and Director Marc Webb do a reasonably good job in illustrating the challenges of bringing up children with extraordinary intelligence.  There is a lot to be said for presenting them with experiences that will be challenging; at the same time, giving them the opportunity to have a childhood, relate to normal people, and deal with everyday problems is just as crucial.  We see a bit of both approaches in the film, which is not terribly exciting, but it’s realistic, and I think it’s helpful for the general audience to see both sides of the issue.

     Part of the suspense of the film is to hear the arguments in court and wonder how custody will be resolved.  Of course, it’s not too hard to predict, but just how it happens is interesting.  Loose ends are left hanging, such as what happens to two particular people who were essential players in the drama.

     Chris Evans steps out of his Captain America role to become a rather ordinary Joe, but one with a past worth noting.  Lindsay Duncan brings all her British Thespian skills to bear in playing the aristocratic grandmother, confident of her considerable resources.  Grace McKenna is delightful as the pugnacious Mary, and Jenny Slate as her devoted teacher are both entertaining.  Their interactions with Frank give the film its soul.  It’s more than refreshing to see a person of color playing an essential role in normalizing Mary’s life, and Octavia Spencer is just the ticket.  Her character gives Frank the common sense he needs for grounding.

     Gifted could have probed into the child and family issues with more depth, but for its intended audience (mainstream America), I would guess that it will serve as thoughtful, meaningful entertainment. Although they may not have dealt with a gifted child, they are likely to have experienced child custody issues.  The filmmakers definitely should have omitted the romantic interludes, which are not only unnecessary, but in poor taste.

A challenging case of a gifted child caught up in a myriad of family history and dynamics.

Grade:  C+                                    By Donna R. Copeland 

THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS

Voices of:  Louis C.K.     Eric Stonestreet     Jenny Slate     Kevin Hart     Albert Brooks  

          Loveable?  Playful?  Mischievous?  Loyal?  Sometimes possessive?  All pet owners know their darlings are all of these, but in The Secret Life of Pets, they are these and more—adventurous, spiteful, heroic, and really comical.  Basic credit should go to the directors (Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney), the writers (Ken Daurio, Brian Lynch, Cinco Paul), Production designer (Eric Guillon), and art director (Colin Stimpson).  And of course to all the actors, especially Louis C.K., Hart, Slate, and Brooks.  Everything comes together seamlessly, to make it a colorful and even exciting experience.

         In the beginning, we’re given a picture of the “normal” life of these pets after their owners leave them during the day.  Max (Louis C.K.) particularly misses his owner, and waits patiently by the door just pining for her to return and wondering where on earth she goes.  But horror of horrors, she comes in one day with a HUGE dog named Duke (Stonestreet), who proceeds to edge Max out of his bed, his feeding bowl, and his special status.  They begin to vie with each other repeatedly, and on one of their excursions outdoors get caught by dogcatchers and taken to the pound.

          This is where the heroics begin to surface, as Snowball (Hart) and his rascal following spring them from the pound and take them to the city sewers where animals who hate their owners band together and look down on pets as wimps and betrayers of the animal kingdom.  “Revolution!” they yell when they are “liberating” household pets.  This is where the challenge comes for Max and Duke, because as part of their initiation, they have to recount how they killed a human enemy. 

        Fantastical escapes, chases, and run-ins follow chaotically, which constitute the exciting and funny parts of the story.  Some of it is led by the complexity of the cat Gidget’s (Slate) having a giant crush on Max, and when he disappears, she enlists the help of many others to find him and save him.

         The music of the composing wizard Alexandre Desplat pumps up the intrigue and playfulness throughout.

         The Secret Life of Pets is not all fun and games, and the loyalty and heroics shown are good models for children to see.  The ending is the pièce de résistance, though, when the most vengeful character finds solace in a warm embrace.

An animation that animates…delightfully.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland