The Nut Job

The Nut Job - Dir. Peter Lepeniotis (2014)

The first few months of the year are considered a dumping ground for studios who generally release subpar titles with very little fanfare. The winter can also be slim pickings when it comes to family friendly entertainment. In 2013, Dreamworks capitalized on the slow market with The Croods, a gorgeously animated picture that went on to do over $587 million at the box office. There's no such luck this year as parents would have to settle for taking their kids to see The Nut Job.

Set during the 1950's, The Nut Job follows one Surly (Will Arnett), a misanthropic squirrel who only looks out for himself. Surly's only friend is Buddy (Robert Tinkler), a rat who looks like a grungy and emaciated version of Remy from Ratatouille. None of the other animals in picturesque Liberty Park like him though Andie (Katherine Heigl) seems to be slightly sympathetic. Autumn is nearly over, but the food supply is short for the coming winter. Andie and the exceedingly heroic Grayson (Brendan Fraser) clash with Surly over the nuts from a vendor cart. Their argument accidentally ignites the propane tank and burns down the tree that everyone calls home. Under the stern leadership of Raccoon (Liam Neeson), the animals vote to banish Surly from the park.

Surly and Buddy are left to fend for themselves in the big city against pigeons and sewer rats. As luck would have it, they stumble upon a nut store with a bountiful supply to feed them for ages to come. The store happens to be the staging ground for a quartet of gangsters led by King (Stephen Lang). Their plan is to tunnel into the nearby bank and replace all the bags of money with sacks full of nuts so no one will notice the cash is missing. Surly and the other park animals forge an uneasy alliance to gather the nuts and avoid detection by the humans.

The Nut Job has a clever premise with a bank heist concurrent to the cute critters pulling off one of their own in the background. The filmmakers certainly aimed high by attempting to imbue the manic energy of the classic Looney Tunes shorts with an allegory straight out of Animal Farm. However, the movie never lives up to those lofty goals. The script suffers from the same lazy pitfalls of other second-rate animated flicks, riddled with fart jokes and contrived pop culture references. Angry Birds? Seriously? Despite being a period piece, The Nut Job prominently features the novelty hit "Gangnam Style." Its familiar techno beats play over a celebratory sequence during the film and an animated version of PSY pops up during the end credits for the requisite dance party. Perhaps, it was included because Nut Job was co-produced by a South Korean studio. In any event, the song's popularity died out long before "Nut Job" saw the light of day and was buried alongside other one-hit wonders like the Macarena and "Whoomp! (There It Is)."

It also seems like the writers couldn't be bothered with creating names for every character. Well, this squirrel is surly, so let's call him Surly. What about his buddy? Buddy. And the raccoon and mole? Raccoon and Mole. Job well done.

The Nut Job was budgeted at $42.8 million, which is a fraction of what Pixar works with, but other studios have done much better animation with not much more. Disney's knockoff Planes looks worlds better than Nut Job on a budget of $50, despite a screenplay that was just as uninspired. The movie is certainly colorful, but the designs and the movements appear to have been animated a decade ago.

If anyone was expecting the celebrity cast to bring some sparkle to the proceedings, you will be disappointed. Aside from the baritone voices of Will Arnett and Liam Neeson, none of them are recognizable and only Maya Rudolph as an affectionate pug has any charm.

The concept of The Nut Job is a bit similar to 2006's Over the Hedge, which shared a co-writer in Lorne Cameron. None of the furry fauna in either movie were all that memorable. Even the zany interludes of Scrat from the Ice Age series were more fun. As Pixar has done again and again, you can create an animated film with enough intelligence and heart to appeal to adults and children alike. The Nut Job might win over the youngest of age, but it will make others fall into an early hibernation.

Rating: * (*****)

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids - Dir. Paul Feig (2011)

Bridesmaids is a rare species, an R-rated, female-driven comedy. More importantly, it's one that scored big with audiences and critics alike. Bridesmaids is a product of the Judd Apatow comedy machine and directed by Paul Feig, who worked as director and producer on Apatow's short-lived (but much loved) TV series Freaks & Geeks. The script was written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, who first met as members of famed improvisational group, the Groundlings. This is the first starring role for Wiig, who remains one of the few bright spots on the otherwise stale Saturday Night Live.

Life has been rough on Annie (Wiig), a single woman living in Milwaukee. Her bakery went out of business and she's stuck living with an oddball brother and sister (Matt Lucas and Rebel Wilson). Her only relationship consists of self-destructive booty calls to a douchebag playboy (an uncredited Jon Hamm), who kicks her out the morning after. Annie enters a new level of hell when she becomes the maid of honor for the wedding of BFF, Lillian (Maya Rudolph). This role is far more involving than best man. As maid of honor, Annie is in charge of planning luncheons, fittings, the bachelorette party, and the bridal shower.

Poor Annie hardly has her own shit together so mounting Lillian’s pre-wedding escapades is a daunting task akin to the Twelve Labours of Hercules. Her job is made all the more difficult when she meets the eclectic bridal party consisting of Lillian’s cousin Rita (Wendi McLendon-Covey), an embittered housewife; Becca (Ellie Kemper), a naïve, whitebread newlywed, and Lillian’s soon-to-be sister-in-law Megan (Melissa McCarthy). But, the one Annie has to watch out for is Helen (Rose Byrne), the trophy wife of the groom’s boss. Helen is everything Annie isn’t. She’s rich, glamorous, well-connected, and appears to be gunning for Annie’s spot as best friend.

Bridesmaids acts as a counterpoint to Apatow’s male-dominated comedies, which some (Katherine Heigl, I’m looking at you) have described as “sexist.” However, the film is more than just the same Apatow formula with the genders switched. Neither is it simply a female version of The Hangover. It's a poignant story about the turbulent relationships between women and the disillusionment of middle age. The protagonists are well-rounded characters antithetical of the general stereotypes like the idealized object of lust or the domineering shrew. Take for example, Megan, who is played with gusto by Melissa McCarthy (Gilmore Girls, Mike & Molly). At first, she appears to be a crude and oversexed caricature of the overweight person. It doesn't help that she's wearing a golf cap like Homer Simpson in that episode where he purposely gains weight (at least, she skips the flower-print muumuu). But, she has one of the more touching scenes during a third act confessional that forces Annie to re-examine the decisions in her life. By the way, McCarthy deserves major kudos for fearlessly putting herself out there to portray this character. She gets some of the biggest laughs during the movie.

Wiig has previously shined in supporting roles in movies such as Knocked Up, Ghost Town, and Adventureland as well as a meatier role earlier this year in Paul. Here, Wiig displays a wide range of talents beyond mere comedienne. She excels at low-key humor, over-the-top zaniness, and physical humor, all of which are on display here from exasperated facial expressions to a wild meltdown after Helen steals her thunder one too many times. Wiig has also shown she is capable of more dramatic roles as evidenced by her turn as the den mother to a team of rambunctious roller derby girls in Drew Barrymore's Whip It. As Annie, Wiig imbues a sense of pathos not commonly found in a raunchy comedy.

This being an Apatow production, Bridesmaids has its fair share of salty language and gags built around bodily functions. The most uproarious sequence takes place at a snooty dress shop after Annie and the gals unknowingly ate tainted meat at a strip mall Brazilian restaurant. There's plenty of vomit and poop, but none of it is more amusing than Wiig's quiet and sweaty desperation as she vainly pretends to not be sick. Wiig is even funnier during an airplane sequence when she suffers a bad reaction to a mixture of Valium and Scotch. She also has great chemistry with former SNL castmate Maya Rudolph and it makes you wish they do buddy comedy to establish themselves as a 21st century Lucy and Ethel.

Symptomatic of other Apatow pictures, Bridesmaids runs over two hours, which is about fifteen to twenty minutes too long for a comedy. Despite some much needed trimming, Bridesmaids is funny, insightful, and stands as one of the best comedies of the year.

Bridesmaids marks the final role for Jill Clayburgh, who appeared briefly as Annie's mother, before passing away in November of 2010 due to a long-time battle with leukemia.

Rating: *** (*****)

Grown Ups

Grown Ups - Dir. Denis Dugan (2010)

I may be a cinephile, but I'm no stick in the mud. I admire the works of Bergman, Tarkovsky, and Carl Theodore Dreyer. Yet, I can also laugh at the genius of Billy Madison, Happy Gilmore, and The Waterboy. Sue me.

Over the years, Adam Sandler has attempted to stretch his acting muscles in roles that are drastically different from his usual shtick. Some are successful (Punch-Drunk Love) and others not so much (Reign Over Me). In Funny People, Sandler lampoons himself and his on-screen persona to surprisingly poignant effect. As the star and co-writer of Grown Ups, Sandler appears to fall back on old habits while mixing in a touch of the family friendly fare like Bedtime Stories.

Sandler reunites with his former Saturday Night Live cast mates as standout basketball players in junior high who have drifted apart over the years. Sandler is Lenny Feder, a big-time Hollywood agent. How do we know he's a Hollywood agent? Because when we first see him, he's shouting into his cell phone that he's a big-time Hollywood agent. Lenny is inexplicably married to Salma Hayek as Roxanne, a high class fashion designer. They've got three kids with the older sons being a pair of snotty, spoiled brats. Kevin James (in a role originally intended for the late-Chris Farley) is Eric Lamonsoff, the obligatory, fun loving fat guy. His wife, Sally (Maria Bello), still breastfeeds their son despite the fact that he's four. Chris Rock is Kurt McKenzie, the domesticated, stay-at-home husband to wife Deanne (Maya Rudolph). Rob Schneider is Rob, a vegan hippie with a fetish for older women, much older women. He's in a grotesquely risqué relationship with the septuagenarian Gloria (Joyce Van Patten). David Spade is Marcus Higgins, once again playing the smarmy ladies' man.

The old buddies are reunited following the death of their coach. Lenny rents a lake house for the Fourth of July weekend so they can reminisce. Meanwhile, the gang deals with the repeated challenges of their now adult opponents in the big championship. All sorts of shenanigans happen as everyone learns valuable lessons about life. The script co-written by Sandler and Fred Wolf (Joe Dirt) sets the tone for mawkish sentimentality right off the bat with a scene where Lenny's cutesy daughter tries to use the GPS to find heaven. Yet, they still have time to break out old-fashioned scatological humor. We get fart jokes, dog poop smeared into people's faces, adults peeing in a community pool, and Maya Rudolph sprayed with breast milk. The rest of the gags feel like in-jokes between the lead actors that the audience isn't let in on. Sandler and company insult and rib each other throughout the film, but it comes off as self-indulgent when Dugan continually cuts to reaction shots of the actors as they provide their own laugh track.

The film is built around immature humor, which is ironic for a film titled, Grown Ups. Still, the movie isn't a total loss thanks to a hilarious Steve Buscemi who pops in for a couple scenes. There's also an amusing exchange between Chris Rock and Tim Meadows as they argue over who is the town's black guy and who is the other black guy.

Rating: * ½

MacGruber

MacGruber - Dir. Jorma Taccone (2010)


"Fifteen seconds, MacGruber..."

Who ever thought Saturday Night Live would be a fertile source for movie ideas? The Blues Brothers and Wayne’s World have been the only decent films based off SNL characters. You can go on and on about the show’s failures, such as Night at the Roxbury, The Ladies Man, and Superstar, just to name a few. Despite numerous failures, they try again with MacGruber, a parody of the 80’s television series MacGyver. Like MacGyver, MacGruber (who was revealed to be his illegitimate son) attempts to defuse a bomb using common household items, but is always done in by his own incompetence and insecurities.

The film opens in Rambo III fashion with MacGruber (Will Forte) living a life of peace in a monastery in Ecuador. He is approached by his former commander Col. Faith (Powers Boothe) after the villainous Dieter von Cunth (Val Kilmer) has stolen a nuclear missile. Cunth is also responsible for murdering MacGruber’s wife (Maya Rudolph) on their wedding day.

Returning to action MacGruber recruits an elite team of WWE wrestlers to combat the terrorists. Only MacGruber accidentally blows them up with some homemade explosives. Instead, he’s stuck with Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig), an old friend now working as a songwriter who holds a torch for our hero, and the straight-laced Lt. Dixon Piper (Ryan Phillipe). Together, they must overcome their differences and stop Cunth from destroying Washington, D.C.

MacGruber was basically a one-note joke played over a series of three 90-second skits on his native show. The script for the film was penned by Will Forte, SNL staff writer John Solomon, and director Jorma Taccone who also helmed the digital shorts, Lazy Sunday and Dick in a Box. The creative team doesn’t try to stretch out the thin concept of the character. They pad it out by turning the picture into a parody of 80’s action films and 80’s culture in general.

MacGruber seems to be stuck two decades ago. He’s perennially clad in a checkered work shirt, khaki vest, mullet, and big aviator sunglasses. There’s a running joke with him carrying around an old school tape deck from his car. MacGruber makes love to Vicki in a Top Gun-esque montage set to Mr. Mister’s “Broken Wings.” The soundtrack also includes Toto’s “Rosanna” and Eddie Money’s “Take Me Home Tonight” for all the one-hit wonder fans. Unfortunately, the minds behind the movie don’t have the wit to maintain a continuous tone.

One moment MacGruber is portrayed as an utter stumblebum who is completely delusional about his prowess. The next moment, he’s ripping people’s throats out. Other jokes give lowbrow a whole new meaning. One gag involves MacGruber distracting his enemies by prancing around nude with a celery stick jammed up his ass. No, seriously. To their credit, the writers keep the obvious Cunth jokes to a minimum.

Kristen Wiig brings her usual nonplussed brand of humor to the film and Powers Boothe is always dependable as a character actor, but there’s not much either actor can add to the moronic proceedings. Poor Maya Rudolph is completely wasted. At least, Val Kilmer seems to have some fun.

Rating: *

Away We Go

Away We Go - Dir. Sam Mendes (2009)

Sam Mendes made his feature film debut with the Academy Award-winning American Beauty, a film that is practically the dictionary definition of the suburban malaise subgenre. Mendes would return to that subject matter with the relentlessly dour Revolutionary Road. Mendes decided to follow that up with lighter fare while still touching on similar topics with Away We Go. The screenplay was written by the husband-and-wife duo of Dave Eggers and Vendela Vida who likely tapped into their own lives for this dramedy about the anxiety of raising a family.

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph star as Burt and Verona Farlander (get it?), an insurance salesman and a medical illustrator who await the birth of their first child. The couple is in their mid-30’s and live a low-budget Bohemian lifestyle in their ramshackle home. Verona’s parents passed away while she was in college and is apprehensive about becoming a mother. She worries that they are “fuck-ups” as she stares at a piece of cardboard where a window should be. They look towards Burt’s parents (played by Jeff Daniels and Catherine O’Hara) for help with impending parenthood until Ma and Pa Farlander announce they’re moving to Belgium. With an anchor no longer tying them down, Burt and Verona head off for a road trip to find the perfect place for their unborn child’s upbringing.

Their quest first brings them to Phoenix where they meet Verona’s former boss, the loud and abrasive, Lily (Allison Janney), and her subdued and henpecked husband, Lowell (Jim Gaffigan). Their next stop is Madison, Wisconsin, where they stop by to see Burt’s old college friend, Ellen (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who is now an ultra-pretentious, New Age hippie professor known as LN. Along with her pony-tailed husband, LN still breast feeds her children and her whole family sleeps in one, big bed. She believes in having sex in front of them, but not in strollers. ”Why would I want to push my child away?” The trip takes a positive turn when they hit Toronto to visit Tom (Chris Messina) and Munch (Melanie Lynskey) who seem to be the most well-adjusted and content of their friends. They’re happily married and raising a large family of adopted children, but there’s pain hidden beneath their otherwise blissful exteriors.

Away We Go is like the Voltron of bad indie films. It’s as if they took five smaller independent films and combined them into one. Away We Go is full of self-consciously quirky situations set to a soundtrack of college radio folk rock. Almost everyone the Farlanders meet in the first half of the film are caricatures. Burt’s parents are self-absorbed and bourgeois, the others are wacky for wacky’s sake. When LN is introduced, the story veers way off course and into a whole other picture. Her character is so ridiculous it breaks any boundaries of believability. She also throws the film off-balance when the story shifts towards a more grounded and melancholy approach. The acting is strong across the board with Allison Janney being particularly funny as the obliviously obnoxious Lily. Krasinski displays the same goofy charm he does on The Office here and gives some of the film’s best moments during a pair of mock arguments in an attempt to get the fetus’s heart rate up. Maya Rudolph is the revelation of Away We Go. Most people will know Rudolph for her comedic talents on Saturday Night Live. Here, she displays a subdued sense of humor and a knack for the more dramatic scenes. But, the cast just isn’t enough to support the weight of a weak, derivative script that lacks any genuine emotion.

When Mendes departs from the suburbs, he can make some great films (Road to Perdition, Jarhead). He’s currently working on an adaptation of the Preacher comic book series with screenwriter John August. The project has been in development for years and I hope they can pull it off.

Rating: * 1/2