Rumor Has It…

Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 96 minutes
Directed by: Rob Reiner
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Mark Ruffalo, Shirley MacLaine

Rumor Has It… is a movie playing with fire. It directly refers to, and furthermore, builds from Mike Nichols’s penultimate 1967 classic, The Graduate – a film deservingly ingrained in cinematic history as an integral representation of the medium. Messing with a masterpiece often results in utter failure (Gus Van Sant’s remake of Hitchcock’s Psycho), but can prove a brilliant success (Peter Jackson’s remake of King Kong). While this movie is neither a remake nor a sequel, it does manage to fall relatively close to victory and the end result is fairly pleasing.

Sarah Huttinger (Jennifer Aniston) is disillusioned at not fitting in with her family. She’s recently engaged to (and not so certain about it) Jeff (Mark Ruffalo). She tells us of a local legend involving Beau Burroughs (Kevin Costner), a college guy who’s seduced by an older woman, then proceeds to have an affair with her daughter shortly before her wedding day. This was written into a book and later adapted to a movie, The Graduate. The truth comes to be that Sarah’s family is the basis for this tale. Sarah deducts that Burroughs must be her father, sets out to find him, discovers he isn’t, and ends up sleeping with him, thus beginning this whimsical and complicated dramedy.

This is a character piece, so it’s good that Ted Griffin’s script has diverse and genuinely likeable ones with witty, original dialogue. The story flows, but stutters on occasion, and is wholly predictable. Rob Reiner’s (Stand By Me, A Few Good Men) direction is nothing exceptional – he focuses on characters, letting the camera unobtrusively capture the events.

Aniston is exuberant and radiates an affectionately gentle charm that keeps the audience at her side even through self-inflicted debacles. This might be her best performance outside of Friends. Costner is charismatic as the guy who manages to bed three generations of women within the same family. There’s a bittersweet innocence to his character that’s endearing. Mark Ruffalo shows his range as an actor in an authentic transition from loyal fiancée to scorned lover. But the standout to me was Shirley MacLaine as Sarah’s crass, cynical, tooth-and-nail grandma. She’s as devilishly entertaining as they come.

There’s more heart to the movie than you might expect. While funny, it ultimately surfaces all sunrises and romance, however unconventional. If you’re looking for a modest date flick or like significant age differences in your love triangles, you might wanna check it out.

My Rating: B-

Fun With Dick and Jane

Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 90 minutes
Directed by: Dean Parisot
Starring: Jim Carrey, Tea Leoni, Alec Baldwin

In Fun With Dick and Jane, a remake of the 1977 comedy of the same name, Jim Carrey plays Dick Harper – a conventional everyman with a seemingly docile existence in modern suburbia. When his boss (Alec Baldwin) tanks his company with an insider trading scheme, Dick and his wife Jane (Tea Leoni) find themselves on the harsh side of a reversal as they lose everything and resort to selling furniture to scrape by on the bills. So they do what every honest, diligent married couple would – don ski masks and water pistols and hit the town to steal back an altered version of the American dream.

The movie, directed lackadaisically by Dean Parisot (Home Fries, Galaxy Quest) is somewhat hit-or-miss. The jokes prove adequate, but occasionally unenthusiastic. There’s moderate physical humor from Carrey, but it never goes the extra mile. There are scenes of hilarity in Dick and Jane’s attempts at armed robbery, particularly the early stages where vignettes unfold in delightfully awkward montages. And the moments prior to crimes committed, where the Harpers finds ways to exist without money (particularly, soaping up in their swimsuits and running to a neighbor’s lawn sprinkler as a means of showering) are quite witty.

 The opening scenes play out as if ripped from the books. Dick is introduced amidst a freeze frame reading “This is Dick.” We then see him running a red light with another freeze frame: “Run, Dick, Run.” It’s for lack of a better word, cute. But soon this tongue-in-cheek style is discarded for a formulaic storytelling template with a moderate amount of heart to it (which at times overshadows the comedy in a somewhat disjointed way).

The characters are likeable enough. Carrey is good throughout, exerting a fair amount of charisma. But the material seems too easy for him and what results looks like David Copperfield performing at a 4-year old’s birthday party. Tea Leoni gives a good performance, managing to hold her own against Carrey, who often dominates the screen in his films. Their chemistry is effective, too.

When it boils down, Dick and Jane is an entertaining comedy with an incomplete story and some admirable, but flat attempts at politically savvy humor. It’s not necessarily a bad movie, it’s just not particularly magnificent in any way. For a comedy comfortable in mediocrity, you could do worse.

My Rating: C

The Family Stone

Rated: PG-13 (for some sexual content including dialogue, and drug references)
Runtime: 102 minutes
Written and Directed by: Thomas Bezucha
Starring: Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Dermot Mulroney, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Luke Wilson

The Family Stone is a star-studded underdog that’s completely mislabeled. All the advertisements make it look like a straightforward romantic comedy with a decent cast that will ultimately prove formulaic if not moderately charming. In actuality, it’s more of a heartfelt family drama with a pinch of romantic subplot. And it takes risks in delivering a conclusion that isn’t fully expected.

The story starts with Everett Stone (Durmot Mulroney) on his way home for the holidays with girlfriend Meredith (Sarah Jessica Parker), who will be meeting his family for the first time. The problem is that the Stone family is quite possibly the most antagonizing, dysfunctionally functional family imaginable. Add to the mix Meredith’s obsessive, bossy eccentricities and Everett’s intent to ask for his grandmother’s wedding ring to bestow upon his would-be fiancée and you have a recipe for disaster.

As the plot develops (I’d rather leave it unsaid), this uncomfortably funny situation transcends into a genuine human drama that offers a universal definition of family, that it can come in any shape or size. Here it comes in the form of a malicious sister, a pot-smoking brother, a gay brother and his African-American partner (both in the midst of adopting a child), a pregnant sister, and two parents who unconditionally love their family with every fiber of their being.

The script is solid, only the second feature from writer/director Thomas Bezucha. With such an impressive collection of actors in one picture, it would be easy for an unseasoned director to succumb to intimidation and insecurity, resulting in a muddled, unconfident film. But Bezucha steps up to the plate and utilizes his characters to their full potential. The cinematography is simplistic, leaving focus to the humanity of the story.

These are some of the richest characters I’ve seen in a movie of this variety in a long time. Every performance is carefully nuanced and executed brilliantly – the entire ensemble has an incredible dynamic. Diane Keaton shines as the liberal mother of the family, spouting a bevy of emotions. Rachel McAdams (my favorite rising starlet) is a force to be reckoned with as Amy, the sister, holding her own amongst some very seasoned talent. And I was impressed by Sarah Jessica Parker. I had low expectations, as I never got into the whole Sex and the City craze (sorry ladies, whiny oversexed metropolitans just don’t do it for me). She manages to give just cause to taunt her with the Stones at first, then immediately sympathize with her plight for acceptance.

This is by no means a revolutionary flick. But it is a pleasant surprise to see such nobility and heartfelt originality from something working within a tried formula. It’s moving, witty and seemingly authentic. Definitely worth your time.

My Rating: B+

King Kong

Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 187 minutes
Directed by: Peter Jackson
Starring: A 25-foot Gorilla, Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis

Peter Jackson has a lot riding on this picture. It’s his follow up to the incomparable Lord of the Rings trilogy – the last installment earned him 11 Oscars including Best Director and Picture. He’s also stated the original 1933 King Kong is what made him want to direct. So is it worth it? Honestly, King Kong is flat out the most amazing thing I’ve seen on screen this year.

In a nutshell, Kong is the story of Carl Denham (Jack Black), a desperate filmmaker trying to get his latest movie produced. After deceiving aspiring actress Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) into joining his entourage, Denham and his crew set out to Skull Island, a prehistoric land thought only to exist in myth, where Ann is offered up as a sacrifice to Kong, a 25-foot primate, thus beginning the journey.

This movie has already earned Jackson a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director. And deservedly so - his direction is pitch-perfect. He takes this three-hour ride and keeps the pace brisk, yet restrained. He manages to portray the most magnificently complex images and make it look easy. His blood and sweat are in every frame, and his passion for the material is evident.

There’s a profound romanticism to this film. The bond between Kong and Ann is awkward, yet wholly believable. Kudos to Watts for projecting such chemistry with a computer generated ape. Her Ann is a gorgeously complex starlet – you can almost see the stars twinkling in her eyes. Black is decent as the sleazy director who’ll stop at no length to sell a ticket. Adrien Brody is excellent as he channels a classical Hollywood leading man in Jack Driscoll, Denham’s screenwriter and Ann’s love interest. But the real star is Kong. You can read every line in his subtle facial expressions – words are rendered irrelevant.

The script (co-written by Jackson) is among the better adaptations I’ve seen of late. It nearly doubles the length of the original Kong, filling in story and characters with vivid development. The dialogue proves effective, but the unspoken moments are the real jewels.

A scene with Kong and Ann sitting on a cliff, gazing into the sunset is hauntingly beautiful. Once trapped in New York, Kong goes ballistic and destroys half of the city, frantically searching for Ann. Then she appears as if from the fog of a recent dream, soothing the beast. On a frozen pond the two of them share a borderline awkward, yet much welcomed and sweetly evocative moment as Kong playfully slides across the ice, spinning Ann lovingly in his palm. It’s one of many calms throughout the storm and my favorite scene of the movie.

While the action pieces come often and consistently impress (of particular note is the T-Rex brawl), the prime force in this film is its heart. There’s a poignant splendor to this Beauty and the Beast tale, one that swoons and easily wrenches sympathy. You’ll go expecting action, but don’t be surprised if chills run down your spine one minute, and tears well up the next.

Kong is pure magnificence – an utterly beautiful film. Its profound spectacle and grandiose action fuse with rich characters and a heartfelt story to elevate it from its already blockbuster status. To sum up, this is the best Christmas present you could get from Hollywood.

My Rating: A+

Syriana

Rated: R (for violence and language)
Runtime: 126 minutes
Written and Directed by: Stephen Gaghan
Starring: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Chris Cooper, Jeffrey Wright, Amanda Peet

Syriana is a difficult movie to peg. It’s a film existing not for entertainment’s sake, but rather to provoke thought and weave a realistic tapestry of debatable events. Generally, these are among my favorite types of films, but Syriana wears flaws equal to the success it strives for.

In a very vague nutshell, the flick’s about a group of individuals playing an integral part in the ongoing corruption of the global oil industry. CIA operative Bob Barnes (George Clooney) is one of them, blending in throughout the world’s underbelly as an underspoken assassin. Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) is another, a broker who suffers a tragic loss only to find himself aiding a prince from the Persian Gulf, who’s striving for control over his Westernized, playboy brother.

Two of the other central plotlines involve a lawyer, Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright), caught up in the titanic merger of two oil companies, and a frustrated Middle Eastern teenager who finds refuge in the cause of an extremist ideal. (This is among the most impacting of storylines – it’s a sympathetic portrayal of the genesis of someone who finds redemption in terrorism).

The movie is suggested by Robert Baer’s book “See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism.” Stephen Gaghan, who won the Oscar for his brilliant adapted screenplay for Traffic, writes and directs (only his second directorial effort).

Gaghan’s film is shot entirely handheld, giving a pseudo-immediate documentary quality. My complaint is that his techniques on Syriana feel like a ripoff of Steven Soderbergh’s impeccable direction on Traffic (in fact, Gaghan almost exclusively emulates his style). So from a technical perspective, Syriana lacks originality.

Also, there are too many undeveloped characters and plotlines in too little a timeframe. The story jumps locales a lot, and relies on title cards to let us know where we are every five minutes. The narrative unfolds through very quick scenes, sometimes with only a few spoken lines. While ambitious, the whole thing feels rushed and way too dense. There’s a lot of highbrow, crowded dialogue and you have to pay attention or you’ll find yourself lost and annoyed.

Gaghan’s script is at times brilliant. His dialogue is precise, and he shows a knowledge for the material. The developed characters are interesting, and the acting is quite good. Clooney is completely lost in his performance and is a delight to watch (he already won a Golden Globe for this). Damon gives an honest performance as an everyman, someone we all might know.

When I think about Syriana, I like it. It’s a smart, provocative, politically-charged thriller that feels intriguingly urgent in today’s world. It’s a movie that makes your mind work for two hours, rather than lay stagnant through something like say, oh, Big Momma’s House 2. But I can’t get past the feeling that it’s incomplete. It’s a shame... with more attention, it could have been a masterpiece.

My Rating: C+