DOLITTLE

Robert Downey, Jr.    Antonio Banderas    Michael Sheen    Jim Broadbent    Harry Collett    Carmel Laniado

Voices of:  Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Kumail Nanjani, Octavia Spencer

Tom Hollans, Craig Robinson, Ralph Fiennes, Selena Gomez, Marion Cotillard

     Talking to the animals and having them respond back.  This movie is surprisingly convincing in making you think it is possible. Dr. Dolittle (Downey) has been holed up in his house, not doing much of anything but talking to his animals after he lost his love Lili on her adventure at sea.  He lives with these creatures, and seems to be gradually going nuts.

     In the meantime, there is young Tommy Stubbins who can’t bear to shoot animals on his family’s hunting expeditions (much to the puzzlement of his father) and one time, he accidentally wounds a squirrel named Kevin (Robinson).  Desperate, he runs to the animal doctor’s house to get him to save him.  Now, Kevin is outraged and deeply resents Tommy, vowing throughout the story to get his revenge.   

     On his way to Dr. Dolittle’s, Tommy runs into Lady Rose (Laniado), Queen Victoria’s niece.  The queen is gravely ill, and has specifically asked for Dr. Dolittle’s help.  But the doctor is still grieving for Lili and is insufferably cranky, just wanting to be left alone.  After reluctantly reviving Kevin, he’s talked into (after being told that if the queen dies, his house will go to the Treasury and he’ll have to find another place to live) going to the palace, riding ostrich Plimpton (Nanjiani).  Unbeknownst to Dolittle, Tommy has stowed away in the carriage with Lady Rose, consistently begging the doctor to take him on as his apprentice, but always denied. Nevertheless, Tommy tries to be as useful as he can and learn to talk to the animals on his own.  It will take a long time for the distracted Dr. Dolittle to recognize Tommy’s value.

They arrive at the palace, Dolittle quickly diagnoses the queen’s problem (by most unorthodox but entertaining means), and decides that the antidote can only be found at a remote island.  To reach it, Dolittle must steal Lili’s diary with directions to the island from her father, King Rassouli (Banderas), king of the pirates.  This requires detailed planning, because the king is not pleased with his son-in-law.  

     Adventures begin on the high seas, with the Dolittle party in one boat, and jealous rival Dr. Blair Müdfly (Sheen) in hot pursuit.  Seems there is some palace intrigue, and Müdfly has received certain instructions to sabotage the Dolittle party.  In addition, the crew will have to either sneak into the palace and retrieve the diary or confront King Rassouli directly. The struggles on the ocean and within the palace provide enough tension and interest to qualify for a kid’s action movie.

     In this whole saga, Robert Downey Jr., is in his element, being playful and crafty at the same time (one of his trademarks).  Martin Sheen is a worthy adversary, with greedy eyes and rude hoots when he thinks he has won a battle.  Antonio Banderas plays the more cosmopolitan figure with exotic appearance and inflated entitlement to redress perceived wrongs against him. All the other supporting actors—including those who lend their voices to the animals—are superb.  They’re given wonderful lines that perfectly capture their individual personalities, such as one with self-esteem problems, one with daddy issues, one inclined to bury his head in the sand when the going gets rough, and one suffering psychological aftereffects from stomach problems.  Much to the character’s credit, Dr. Dolittle at times functions as a therapist by encouraging these animals through their trauma, along with being a brilliant diagnostician and surgeon.  

     The production design (Dominic Watkins) and sets (Lee Sandales) are beautiful, backed up by an intelligent script by director Stephen Gaghan and his co-writers.  Danny Elfman’s music and Guillermo Navarro’s cinematography likewise contribute a great deal to this delightful production.  

     The production has much of value for children in modeling teamwork (“Teamwork makes the dream work”), the value of persistence in reaching a goal, recognizing that individuals need to be encouraged through their difficulties, and the efficacy of forgiveness in making everyone feel good about what they are doing.

A delightful action movie for children about how animals and humans can work together for mutual benefit.  

Grade:  A                             By Donna R. Copeland

BRAD'S STATUS

Ben Stiller     Austin Abrams     Jenna Fischer     Shazi Raja    

Michael Sheen     Jermaine Clement     Luke Wilson     Mike White

     Brad (Stiller) is having a very bad time as he and his son Troy (Abrams) go visiting university prospects.  It brings to Brad’s mind his own college days, his beloved mentor, and four close buddies.  As he reminisces, he becomes more and more agitated, comparing himself and his life to his imaginings about his friends’ lives.  It seems that they have all been more successful than he (he’s focusing solely on the financial aspects), although he has a happy marriage and his son is looking at top-notch colleges. 

    This part of the film is difficult to sit through because Brad’s self-preoccupation and competitiveness keep us from empathizing with what he is going through.  But this is also where writer-director Mike White’s insight and perception into the human mind and his social sensitivities make his films (e.g., The Good Girl, Beatriz at Dinner) a step above so many.  Across the course of the film, Brad will have a number of illuminating conversations that will help him resolve his midlife crisis. 

     Each conversation is very different, but always on the right track and relieving to us as characters say to Brad what we would like to.  Two surprising ones are the encounters he has with his son’s young friend Ananya (Raja).  She is not cruel, but to the point in giving him feedback about himself.  “You still think the world was made for you.”  Then she goes on to talk about white privilege and male privilege, and how fortunate Brad is to have what he does.  His other conversations are with his college buddies, Craig (Sheen), Billy (Clement), and Jason (Wilson) in which he gets status updates on their lives.  A much anticipated dinner with Craig fills him in on the other friend, Mike (White in his own cameo). 

     I like that Brad is not portrayed simply as a wienie; he has a successful company, is able to use his connections to help Troy make up for a missed appointment, and stands up to his principles in the final conversation.  He seems to have made a turn-around by the end of the film.  He does remind me of Doug (John Lithgow) in Beatriz at Dinner; privileged and annoying at times, but not a really bad person; in fact, Brad’s rapid changes show a strong character with values underneath.

     This is probably one of Stiller’s best performances, and the rapport between him and Abrams as his son and Jenna Fischer as his wife is optimal.  Brief appearances by Sheen, Clement, Wilson, and White add richness and heighten interest; and Shazi Raja is so good, I expect a bright future ahead for her.  Music by Mark Mothersbaugh and cinematography by Xavier Grobet reflect their talents and experience as artists.

A painful but ultimately rewarding trip into the mind of a man having a midlife crisis.

Grade:  B+ By Donna R. Copeland

NORMAN

Richard Gere     Lior Ashkenazi     Michael Sheen     Charlotte Gainsbourg

Dan Stevens     Steve Buscemi     Josh Charles     Hank Azaria

     A fast-talking con artist, Norman Oppenheimer (Gere) never takes “No” for an answer and always seems to manage to get his foot in the door one way or another.  He dreams up more ruses for getting his way than any normal person could, always working on the premise that he can be of help to the other person—usually by introducing them to someone else.  He calls himself a businessman, but the exact nature of this business is never clear.  He whips out his ambiguous business cards continuously, urging the other to call on him anytime. 

     Through a fateful encounter that Norman exploits at just the right time in the life of one of his marks, Israeli Eshel (Ashkenazi), a strange friendship is formed, and Eshel remains grateful to Norman for an act of kindness even after he is elected Prime Minister of Israel.

    Norman continues to work his machinations on his nephew Philip (Sheen), a wealthy man’s aide Bill (Stevens), his rabbi (Buscemi), and Alex (Gainsbourg), an attorney in American-Israeli affairs.  He lies continuously, but manages to keep everyone on the hook, and occasionally is successful in his strategies to get people together.  But most of the time, he gets kicked out of homes, offices, and even the synagogue. 

     Much of the movie is uncomfortable to watch, as Norman spins his tales and we see him lying without compunction; but then, the story takes a turn when Eshel and Alex come to the forefront and the movie becomes a thriller, at the heart of which (surprise!) are ethical questions and dilemmas. 

   Which is more honorable?  To betray a friend in the interest of peace for millions of people, or to refuse to betray a friend, no matter the cost?  This rewards us for sitting through the extended set-up that appears at first to be a typical story of a con game, but turns out to be a study in character with ethical/moral considerations. 

    Writer/director Joseph Cedar (Campfire, Beaufort, Footnote), is not well known in the U.S., although he was born here, then moved with his family to Israel when he was young, returning at some time later to attend film school at New York University.  His Norman screenplay contains the elements one hopes for in this genre—three-dimensional characters, complexity and thoughtfulness in plot, intrigue, suspense, and just enough ambiguity in the ending.  His direction is sound in pacing, focus on story elements, and achievement of a unified whole.

   This may well be one of Richard Gere’s best performances, where he is almost continuously onscreen and must show subtleties in his character, convincing us of his conflicted goals and aspirations and, above all, revealing the poignant loneliness underneath.  In apposition to Gere, Lior Ashkenazi plays the experienced yet naïve politician whose goals are honorable, but needs forces of discipline close to him to keep him on track.  His compromise is worthy of discussion after the film.  I always love Charlotte Gainsbourg’s acting skills, and here she provides the mysteriousness and real threat needed.

     Norman is a bit slow in the beginning, but that may be necessary to adequately set up the intrigue and drama to come.

The art of the con and its sometimes strange and surprising consequences.

Grade:  A-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

PASSENGERS

Jennifer Lawrence     Chris Pratt     Michael Sheen     Laurence Fishburne     Andy Garcia

          The movie opens with the majestic golden space ship Avalon gliding through space with a canopy of stars all around and asteroids flying by.  We don’t know it yet, but it will be 90 years before its arrival on Homestead II, the planet waiting to be populated by the 5,000 passengers aboard who are seeking a new beginning in life.  They are all asleep in glass cocoons, “in hibernation”, until four months before the planned arrival.  But if this film makes one eminent point clear, it is how challenging it is to imagine and plan for all possible eventualities in a complex organization.

          It seems like every circumstance has been anticipated and planned for.  The ship is equipped with all replaceable parts, and computers solve just about every problem that arises.  There’s also a library with manuals seemingly covering every operation.  Ah, but something mysterious is about to take place:  One passenger is awakened 90 years too soon.

          Try to imagine waking up in a sleek, ultra-modern ship with absolutely no one around.  Voices of robots speak to you, but are obviously not programmed to answer the all-important question of “Why am I awake?”  Your memory is fine, and you well remember signing up for the journey, but gradually it dawns on you that you are way too early.  Fortunately, Jim Preston (Pratt) is a mechanical engineer who has the skills to explore the ship and figure out how to push the buttons that will provide food and other necessities.  But he has no idea why he is awake.

         Time goes by, and Jim’s one social salvation is the android bartender Arthur (Sheen)—always cheerful, chatty, and attentive—but still robotic, unlike the AI Ava in Ex Machina, who has the ability to reason.   So Jim gets very lonely, even desperate.  He gets curious about the other passengers and starts reading up on one, Aurora Lane (Lawrence).

        Norwegian director Morton Tyldum knows how to portray intrigue, as in his previous films, Headhunters and The Imitation Game.  Both are nuanced and pace the story well for thrillers, as he does in Passengers.  He, and in this case with writer Jon Spaihts, illustrates so well human reactions in confronting these kinds of dilemmas.  When Jim wakes up, we are there with him in his disorientation; when one character experiences extreme betrayal, we feel it; when there are progressive malfunctions on the ship, we’re mystified and on edge.

        All this is supported and enhanced by the noteworthy performance of the two lead actors, Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence.  He evinces befuddlement, abhorrent reaction, left-brain problem solving, boyishness, and tenderness in just the right degrees.  And Lawrence is a consummately skilled actress bringing wide dimension to every character she portrays.  She can be flirty, puzzled, or assertive in taking charge, and just as well show the thrusting pangs and anguish of having been betrayed or of deep emotional involvement. 

        It’s too bad that reviewers are giving away much of the plot that makes Passengers exciting.  I liked that we didn’t know the reason for Jim’s waking up early until two-thirds of the way through the story or how it came about that Aurora was awake.  Isn’t it ironic that studios confiscate phones before a screening to guard against divulging the plot, and then critics come out with key points on opening day or before? 

          This is a harrowing journey that puts us in a strange milieu where we wonder what we would do in similar circumstances.

A thrilling space adventure that shows humans forced to cope with unanticipated events.

Grade:  B                                    By Donna R. Copeland

FAR FROM THE MADDING CROWD

--> Carey Mullligan     Matthias Schoenaerts     Michael Sheen     Tom Sturridge     Jessica Barden     Juno Temple

-->

            “It’s my intention to astonish you all”, announces the heroine in Far from the Madding Crowd to her newly hired farm hands.  And Bathsheba (Mulligan) does just that in the rest of the film based on Thomas Hardy’s classic novel.  In the artful hands of Director Thomas Vinterberg, and screenwriter David Nicholls, the movie lives up to standards of the dogme95 manifesto in which Vinterberg and Lars von Trier stood up for artistry by reacting to the big studios’ emphasis on action films with overloaded special effects and other technological advances.  Now, it is ironic that Vinterberg’s film is being released almost simultaneously as The Avengers:  Age of Ultron, and, sadly, the masses are flocking to the action film.

            Gratifying to many of us wanting to see more comprehensive—and realistic—portrayals of women in films, Bathsheba appears to us as one who values her independence, wants to compete with men on their own terms, and is sensible in wanting to know as much about her business as possible.  Despite this, she is a woman of her time (turn of the century), and a complex mixture of intelligence, assertiveness, and naïveté.  Her teasing and the variability of her affections make her even more alluring to the men around her.

            Three men rush to woo her and make her his own, promising her devotion and caring for the rest of her life.  First is Gabriel, the level headed neighbor farmer who ends up being in her employ; second is the well-to-do neighbor farmer, Boldwood (Sheen); and then Sergeant Troy (Sturridge), a handsome man and a master of swordsmanship, who sweeps her off her feet despite warnings about him from Gabriel.  High drama ensues with all the characters, and Bathsheba will undergo many trials.  These episodes have tinges of both drama and comedy, and we appreciate once again Hardy’s understanding of human nature.

            It’s wonderful to see Carey Mulligan ace this complex role with glittering, sometimes contradictory, facets to her personality.  Matthias Schoenaerts is a perfect contrast/counterpart for her, and the electricity between them really zings at times until she highhandedly puts him in his place.  He never wavers, however, in his loyalty to her.  Michael Sheen is a standout particularly in one scene where Boldwood confides to Gabriel his complete adoration and love for Bathsheba, and at the same time acknowledges her lack of passion for him, along with the astute observation of Gabriel’s and Bathsheba’s hidden attraction.  Tom Sturridge is dashing as a military officer, and easily slips into the posturing of a weak man using foolish means to underscore his masculinity.

            Thomas Vinterberg has once again directed a stellar cast in an absorbing and thoughtful story about thoroughly human characters with traits familiar to all of us. 

A refreshing visit into classical literature.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland