Rio

OPENING: 04/15/2011

STUDIO: Fox

RUN TIME: 96 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
From the creators of Ice Age

Opening Statement
While Blue Sky Animation has provided top-flight animation work since their enjoyable debut feature Ice Age, their storytelling has always been a little run-of-the-mill. Sadly, that trend continues with Rio, a great-looking film with a forgettable plot and ho-hum characters.

Facts of the Case
Our central figure is a Blue Macaw (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network) who has unfortunately been given the rather on-the-nose name of Blu. For most of his life, Blu has lived in Minnesota with his good-natured owner Linda (Leslie Mann, Funny People). One day, an ornithologist named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro, Che) pays Linda a visit and informs her that Blu–who is the last male of his species–must come to Rio De Janeiro to mate with Jewel (Anne Hathaway, Ella Enchanted), who is the last female of the species. After coming to terms with the importance of the situation, Linda agrees to travel to Rio so Blu and Jewel can get it on.

Unfortunately, Blu and Jewel don’t really get along at first. To make matters worse, the two birds are then stolen by some human birdnappers and an evil cockatoo named Nigel (Jermaine Clement, Dinner for Schmucks). After escaping the clutches of their villainous abductors, the macaws receive assistance from a toucan named Rafael (George Lopez, The Spy Next Door), a slobbering bulldog (Tracy Morgan, 30 Rock) and two goofy music-loving birds (Jamie Foxx, Ray and Will.i.am, X-Men Origins: Wolverine). Will Blu and Jewel ever find their way home? Will they be able to continue escaping the savage Nigel? Will they fall in love somewhere along the way? Yeah, probably.

The Evidence
I realize that the folks at Blue Sky haven’t exactly demonstrated vast amounts of originality in their plotting up until now, but it seems they’ve already started borrowing from themselves. This whole “two central characters must mate or their species will become extinct” plot was the driving force of Ice Age: The Meltdown (not to mention plenty of dystopian pornography). It’s an odd idea for a children’s movie to begin with; a very odd one to use more than once. The gimmick is even less interesting this time around, serving as a springboard for a film which feels routine far too often.

There’s a brilliant animated short which precedes Rio entitled Scrat’s Continental Crackup, featuring the beloved creature from the Ice Age films. It’s a hysterical bit of cause-and-effect comedy which sets up cataclysmic events in a delightfully organic fashion. The short’s graceful execution only serves to accentuate the fairly wheezy plotting of the main feature. Far too often, it feels as if the characters are simply going through the motions because the screenwriters are forcing them to do so. Despite the fact that Blu and Linda are neurotic Americans who are a bit intimidated by the loud South American flair of Rio during Carnival, we know there’s going to be a moment near the end where both lose their inhibitions and shake their tail feathers. That’s fine, but the film doesn’t even bother to grant the characters a slow progression to that point, instead simply ordering their characters to do a complete 180-degree turn in the closing moments.

The romance between Blu and Jewel takes a similarly predictable path, as the two begin on a note of hostility, slowly begin to warm up to each other, engage in a stupid argument that leads to a stupid breakup and eventually wind up back in each other’s arms…er, wings. This romantic comedy formula is just about the most tedious cliché in the history of cinema, and yet filmmakers continue to embrace it on an alarmingly frequent basis.

Still, there are pleasures to be found in Rio, particularly in the technical department. The film is admittedly gorgeous to look at, as the animators have done a very impressive job of capturing the vibrant energy of the film’s location. Character design is excellent and there’s a lot of subtle physical comedy that works far better than much of the dialogue. I also quite enjoyed Clement’s big musical number, which offers the actor’s patented Flight of the Conchords charm (“Like an abandoned school, I have no principles,” he coos wickedly). The other numbers (chiefly performed by Foxx and Will.i.am) are less inspired, as they often resemble second-rate Black Eyed Peas tunes (“I wanna party, party, party,” goes one particularly underwhelming song).

The characters may have problems, but at least the voice work is excellent throughout. Jesse Eisenberg brings his Woody Allen-ish charm to the main character and interacts quite nicely with Hathaway (who doesn’t have many good lines but voices them with enthusiasm, anyway). Clement is delightful every time he appears (I love the way he chews on a phrase like, “bundle of burgled baubles”), while Foxx, Will.i.am and Lopez make the most of their generically wacky supporting characters. One of the best turns comes from Tracy Morgan, who brings a fun, loopy quality to his role as the slobbering bulldog. Somehow, he brings an endearing innocence to lines like, “Doesn’t watching birds fly make you want to chase them and bite their heads off?”

Closing Statement
Kids will enjoy Rio for the bright colors, cheerful music and lively pace, but most adults will find the film a little tiresome. With a creaky plot and superficial life lessons (I’m pretty sure “Get out of your shell and party” falls a few notches such old standbys as “Be yourself,” “Follow your dreams,” and “Listen to your heart”), Blue Sky’s latest only has surface-level pleasures to offer. Too bad there aren’t enough of them to make the film a rewarding experience for viewers of all ages.

The Verdict
6/10

Love & Other Drugs

OPENING: 11/24/2010

STUDIO: Twentieth Century Fox

RUN TIME: 107 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Love is addictive.

Opening Statement
Five years after Brokeback Mountain, Jake Gyllenhaal & Anne Hathaway have reunited to get naked (again) and have sex (again and again and again) in Love & Other Drugs. The film has already racked up Golden Globe nominations for the star duo, but should you pass on this prescription?

Facts Of The Case
Gyllenhaal stars as Jamie Randall, a young hotshot (and full-time Lothario) who takes a job as a sales rep for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer. Securing an older partner (Oliver Platt, 2012) and pushing Zoloft as an alternative to Prozac, Jamie doesn’t find much success until he bribes Dr. Knight (Hank Azaria, The Simpsons Movie). While shadowing the doctor, Jamie then meets one of his patients, the beautiful Maggie Murdock (Hathaway), an emotionally fragile woman suffering from early onset Parkinson’s disease. Following an awkward encounter later in the parking lot, the two eventually hook up for a date, leading to some serious sex…although Maggie insists they limit their conversation to avoid any kind of commitment. While continuing to see Maggie, Jamie is given a new drug to push on the market: a little blue pill called Viagra.

The Evidence
Renowned for mostly epic historical dramas (Glory) and action thrillers (The Siege), director Edward Zwick unexpectedly returns to his roots. In 1986, Zwick made his directorial debut with About Last Night…, a frank and provocative look at sexual relationships among young adults in Chicago. The similarities between About Last Night… and Love & Other Drugs are easily detectable, as the aforementioned ingredients are present here as well. The earlier film, however, had the good fortune to have dialogue written by David Mamet. Boasting a sexy attitude and a fair amount of romantic ambition, Love & Other Drugs is refreshingly adult and sure to appeal to the date crowd. Ultimately, however, it doesn’t add up to much.

The uneven, overlong script—by Zwick and two frequent collaborators—is inspired by a nonfiction book (“Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman”). I’m not sure how many rewrites there were but one thing is for sure: the final product tries and fails as a satire of the pharmaceutical industry in the economically-booming mid-‘90s. There are sloppy bits of comedy scattered throughout, mostly provided by Josh (Josh Gad, 21), Jamie’s obnoxious younger brother. Gad’s vulgar dialogue is off-putting, and his character seems more suited for a direct-to-video American Pie entry. The elimination of Josh would have shaved off a good amount of fat (no pun intended), yet we must still deal with a strain of embarrasingly dated jokes on Viagra and erections. When all is said and done, Love & Other Drugs is only sporadically funny, and the troubled romance between Gyllenhaal & Hathaway only works slightly better. In a weird way, Love & Other Drugs gets better as it goes along, as its attempts at humor suffocate halfway through to focus on the couple and their hot-and-cold relationship.

What makes Love & Other Drugs watchable are the good performances supplied by Gyllenhaal and especially Hathaway. Since they’ve worked together before, they must have been completely comfortable doing the numerous love scenes, although the carnal factor is surprisingly mild. I’m not denying both actors have their fair share of physical attributes, yet none of their sex scenes are as steamy or memorable as the ones in, say, Unfaithful or Bound. Nevertheless, both generate a playful, tender chemistry and play off each other well; you buy them as a couple even when the story gets lazy and predictable. They are credible enough and look great, yet I’m not sure about the Globe nods. Too bad the supporting cast is largely wasted, including veterans George Segal and the late Jill Clayburgh, barely seen as Jamie’s parents.

Closing Statement
If you’re still interested, I’d wait until it’s out on DVD. Just don’t expect any real substance or sexual fireworks.

The Verdict
5/10

Rachel Getting Married

OPENING: 10/03/2008

STUDIO: Sony Classics

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge
“I am Shiva the destroyer and your harbinger of doom for the evening.” — Kym (Anne Hathaway)

Opening Statement
After a string of documentary films, Jonathan Demme returns to fiction features with this chronicle of a weekend celebration in Rachel Getting Married. Shot on HD video and loosely staged from a script by Jenny Lumet, the movie has the intimate atmosphere of a home movie without looking cheap. Unfortunately, much like watching someone else’s home movies, individual moments that are dear to the participants are excruciatingly dull to the outside observer. Despite strong performances from an ensemble cast, I never felt enough of a connection with these characters to make me want to join in the party.

Facts of the Case
Having spent the last ten years in and out of rehab, Kym (Anne Hathaway, Get Smart) returns home on the weekend of her sister’s wedding. As preparations for Rachel’s big day come together, the siblings try to reconnect but unresolved issues keep Kym at arm’s length from the celebration. Working through a 12-step program to recovery, Kym seems to be stuck at the stage of making amends (though she may have cheated on the previous steps). Even after Rachel dumps her current maid of honor in favor of her sister, Kym can’t quite get into the spirit of the occasion. Her presence has brought back to the surface lingering feelings of guilt, blame and anger stemming from a family tragedy. But what’s a wedding without tears?

The Evidence
The smiles on the faces of the affluent Connecticut family at the center of this drama hide the scars of a devastated household. After the death of their son, Paul (Bill Irwin) and Abby (Debra Winger) have divorced and remarried. Their daughter Kym’s return casts a shadow over the happy occasion and she doesn’t look too enthusiastic about being there either. Paul continues to protect Kym even though he can’t trust her anymore. Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt, Mad Men) is distracted from the wedding preparations as she anticipates a confrontation with her sister. As the family tries to maintain its joyful façade by keeping busy with the wedding, conversations eventually drift toward Kym and what to do about her? Yet, no one in the family is really prepared to engage in the conversation they need to have. There’s plenty of yelling, slapping and storming out of rooms, but the only people with whom Kym can confide are the other members of her therapy group.

The family’s reluctance to revisit the tragedy is mirrored in Demme’s direction, which savors the activity of the wedding while only sampling the emotions coming to a boil. The camera loves the details in the background, populated with the director’s friends and colleagues as the wedding guests. Sadly, the lack of restraint in the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception make these set piece scenes too lengthy and dull. It is surprising that Demme doesn’t find a dramatic thread to take us through these moments. Instead, his documentary-style camera seems determined to record every detail. As the participants dutifully wait to take their turn in the spotlight, we’re left to endure countless uninteresting speeches one after another without feeling any connection to the speakers. Before long, I felt as alienated from the festivities as Kym, but I’m not sure it was Demme’s intention to create a long, long night for his audience while his friends delight themselves in the experiment.

The story is earnestly filled with colorful details at the expense of credibility. To establish the bride’s family’s cultural openness: Rachel’s fiancé is African-American, their multi-ethnic mix of friends are artists and musicians, they enjoy world music and they are having an Indian-themed wedding. Apparently these musician friends have nothing better to do than spend the entire weekend hanging around the family’s estate providing background music like wandering minstrels. The groom-to-be, Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe), is also a musician but you wouldn’t know it if he didn’t state the fact at the alter. As for the Indian-themed wedding, not one person in the wedding party is from India and no one hints of observing a faith other than Christian. While the colorful saris are a nice variation on the obligatory white wedding gown, their inclusion here feels less like cultural dress and more like dress up.

The script attempts to find unique moments of drama in the mundane activities around the house and the contest between Paul and Sidney involving the dishwasher is the most contrived. It’s a scene that goes on for too long before ungracefully arriving at its point. The quieter moments between the sisters are much more effective and it is unfortunately that those scenes are truncated just when they’re starting to get somewhere.

The parts are played well by the ensemble cast and Hathaway certainly holds her own among them. Kym is a confused young woman who doesn’t know where she stands with her family anymore. Hathaway’s performance contains the right quality for a shattered person on her way toward healing, but I wasn’t quite convinced that she had that deep-seated pain that haunts her character. Rosemarie DeWitt shines as Rachel, the sister who loves Kym enough to call her on her lies.

Closing Statement
The layered improvisational staging is reminiscent of Robert Altman’s ensemble dramas. But Altman’s controlled chaos involved fully realized characters, interesting dialogue and scenes that moved the story forward. Too often in Rachel Getting Married the ensemble moments are full of activity without a clear dramatic focus. The documentary sensibility of the camera reinforces the feeling that we’re watching someone else’s party. No presents for this couple; I don’t feel that close to the family.

The Verdict
5/10

Get Smart

Opening Date: 06/20/2008

STUDIO: Warner Bros.

TRAILER: Trailer

ACCOMPLICES: Official Site

The Charge

Missed it by quite a bit.

Opening Statement

Co-creators Mel Brooks and Buck Henry gave us a spy sitcom for the ages, spoofing The Avengers and Man from UNCLE-defined genre while laughing in the face of Cold War fears. Like most television comedies of its day, the jokes grew tired and the stories ran out of gas by the time the series concluded its five season run. But by the time Don Adams hung up his shoe phone, we were left with some great characters and visual imagery that remains strong to this day, thanks in part to the diligence of Nick at Nite.

Fast forward 35 years and Hollywood producers are feverishly mining every piece of TV nostalgia they can get their collective hands on. Bewitched was a bust, Rocky and Bullwinkle got frostbite, The Dukes of Hazzard never should have left the family farm, and Lost in Space should have stayed lost. The list of misses far out weigh the moderate hits found in the Addams Family, The Fugitive, and the Star Trek franchise (even number great, odd numbers awful). But we all know the movie business never learns from its past mistakes, and as punishment we are offered up summer “blockbusters” like Get Smart.

Facts of the Case

Maxwell Smart (Steve Carrell) is CONTROL’s best intelligence analyst. In fact, he’s so good at what he does — generating 800 page reports that detail the most intimate movements and emotions of the men and women who pose the greatest threat to America’s security — that even when he passes his field agent exam, The Chief (Alan Arkin) can’t afford to promote him. But when an unexpected attack threatens the lives of every top agent, it’s up to Max and a recently reconstructed Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) — who underwent massive plastic surgery following a compromised mission — to defeat KAOS and save the world.

The Evidence

Get Smart is one of those movies you sit through and when lights come up ask yourself, “Why did they make this?” There is nothing criminal about it, but the collective missteps that occur along the way sink the picture, and you end up walking away with nothing gained.

Let’s take the script, for example. Screenwriters Tom Astle and writing partner Matt Ember earned their stripes writing gags for standup comedian-centric television series like Grace Under Fire, Titus, and The Drew Carey Show. Their only other screenplay was for the much maligned Matthew McConaughey / Sarah Jessica Parker relationship comedy Failure to Launch. Now, this isn’t to say past experience predicts or defines current or future work, but in this particular case it holds true. Get Smart plays like a series of comedic set pieces strung together by an overarching plot that is neither original nor provides any sort of payoff whatsoever. In fact, the whole thing seems a bit schizo. Is it a comedy that uses action to propel the characters’ journey? Or is it an action picture that uses humor to temper its intensity? Unfortunately, it waivers back and forth so often you give up trying to figure that out.

I appreciate the fact that they chose not to remake the series for the big screen, but put in enough subtle references to the original to make fans smile — Bernie Kopell, Agent 13 (Bill Murray) in a tree, Hymie (Patrick Warburton), Fang, the shoe phone, the cone of silence, and even Max’s Sunbeam convertible. I also enjoyed how they attempted to grow the characters from their comedic origins — Max is one of those genuinely good guys who always seems to finish last, and 99 is a woman who has never been truly understood for the person she is beyond the career. But that is about the extent of my appreciation for the film. Much of it is hollow, contrived, and brutally long. What studio got it in its head that every movie should now be two hours long, and why does every filmmaker seem to be taking this as a mandate? They could have shaved off a good 20-30 minutes and nobody would have noticed.

The performances themselves are relatively solid, but falter under ridiculous circumstances and poor dialogue. Steve Carell does a nice job of evolving Max from the bungling hero Don Adams created into a sweet albeit naive guy who just wants to do the right thing. But the stuff this script gives him to work with is pitiful. There’s an entire sequence in an airplane lavatory where he repeatedly shoots himself with miniature crossbow arrows… and it goes on forever. Ember and Astle must have missed class the day they taught the comedy golden rule of three.

Anne Hathaway integrates a few of Barbara Feldon’s trademark voice patterns (“Oh, Max”) during what is a genuine portrayal of a woman out to rediscover who she really is after losing the only identity she’s ever known. Alan Arkin gets some classic moments playing The Chief, but everyone else seems to be filler — Dave Koechner, Terry Crews, Ken Davitian, and James Caan as a George W inspired President. Terence Stamp sleepwalks through the film as Siegfried, a role made delectably screwy by Bernie Kopell in the series. Stamp has more to offer with considerably less screentime in Wanted than he does here. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is intended to have more significance as the CONTROL superstar, Agent 23, but the way it’s written is probably the most unforgivable aspect of the script. It’s as if Astle/Ember lifted it right from some 1970s screenwriting text book. While in a bit of direct-to-DVD cross promotion, Masi Oka and Nate Terrence’s roles as CONTROL’s tech/weapons geeks Bruce and Lloyd get to spin off into their own feature-length film — Get Smart’s Bruce and Lloyd Out of CONTROL (get it?) — arriving on store shelves July 1. For the studio’s sake, Get Smart better be a huge box office success, or their going to be stuck with a whole lot of product on their hands.

Now, I’ve put a lot of emphasis on the script — and deservedly so — but Adam Sandler’s pal, director Peter Segal (The Longest Yard, Anger Management), ultimately shoulders much of the blame for the film’s disjointed ineffectiveness. It’s a beautiful looking film, playing on a world stage while being shot in America’s backyard (Montreal), but good looks don’t hold up when there’s nothing behind them. His pacing is nonexistent, resulting in a meandering cake walk from one set piece to the next. Worst of all, you could care less about the outcome and by the time it finally arrives it’s so ludicrous you just want the credits to roll so you can leave.

Closing Remarks

While treating the characters of this classic series with respect, Get Smart ultimately shoots itself in the foot by offering up a lame story that’s poorly executed. Sure, you’ll notice elements of Alias and James Bond peppered throughout (in fact the whole WWE’s Great Khali playing a Richard Kiel knockoff is downright blatant), but when there’s nothing for the audience to invest in, two hours watching fluff can be a bit painful.

Guilty as charged.

The Verdict

6/10