Category Archives: Comedy

2010, Comedy, Corny, Feel Good For All, Flirting, Love Story, Mediocre, Slapstick

Morning Glory (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Whiz-kid producer Becky Fuller (Rachel McAdams) finds her abilities put to the test when she’s charged with bringing a network morning show back from ratings purgatory. Her first job: getting the show’s feuding, acid-tongued co-hosts (Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton) under control. Jeff Goldblum co-stars as Fuller’s network-exec boss and Patrick Wilson is Becky’s put-upon boyfriend in this comedy from the writer of The Devil Wears Prada.

“Why don’t we formerly successful actors get together and make some money by making a B-film?” Perhaps I am overly critical, but with a cast consisting of Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton, and Jeff Goldblum would you expect more ? Rachel McAdams seems to carry every film in which she appears. And of course there is the requisite handsome boy friend, this time barely played by Patrick Wilson.

Since playing Ira Buchman (alongside Helen Hunt) in “Mad About You”, John Pankow has had a few lean years.

You have seen Matt Malloy just about everywhere and I bet you do not know his name. As a secondary character actor he has been incredibly successful. In this film he plays Ernie Appleby and provides the best belly laughs of all. If for no other part of the film, it is worth waiting for his scenes late into the film. Hint: “amusement”.

Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed this fun feel-good that is probably OK for kids (ignore the F-word). Don’t let me scare you off from this easy to watch film.

2009, Comedy, Gay theme, Lawyers, Love Story, Prison, Scam Artists, Sex Scenes, True Story, Vulgar

I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)

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From NetFlix:

When upstanding Texas cop Steven Russell (Jim Carrey) realizes he’s gay, he changes his entire life and pulls a series of bold con jobs that lands him jail — where he meets his one true love, cellmate Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor). When Morris is transferred to another prison, lovesick Russell mounts a series of jailbreaks just to be with his beloved soul mate. Glenn Ficarra and John Requa direct this comedy based on a true story

Only someone as nutty as Jim Carrey could pull off this tour de force. Although the plot seems absurdly impossible, it is extraordinarily accurate. Please read the Wikipedia article on the amazing life of the real Steven Russell. That article only briefly mentions Phillip Morris whereas the major theme of the film is the homosexual relation between the two men.

Gay films are getting more and more mainstream. Just as heterosexual films continue to push the boundaries of acceptable explicit sex scenes, so too does this film contain some few explicit scenes and dialog. There are many scenes of tenderness, dancing, and kissing between the two partners.

At one point in the film the plot seems to bog down into a tear jerker of a disappointment. Do not be fooled! At times, however, I worried that Jim Carrey might be trying to do some serious acting. God forbid!

Be sure to read the final captions that explain his fate. It seems he was an embarrassment to Texas and to George Bush.

Have fun!

2010, Based on true facts, Comedy, Drugs, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Feel Good Not For Children, Flirting, Love Story, Medical Theme, Mostly About Sex, Nudity

Love and Other Drugs (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Pharmaceutical representative Jamie Randall (Jake Gyllenhaal) becomes a player in the big game of male-performance-enhancement-drug sales and, along the way, finds unexpected romance with a woman (Anne Hathaway) suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Based on the real-life Jamie Reidy’s memoir, Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman, this satirical look inside the culture of Big Pharm is directed by Edward Zwick.

Sex, sex, sex, what fun!

However, there is a bit more to the film. For one thing, the film takes a huge satirical swipe at Big Pharm (most notably Pfizer-Zoloft versus Eli Lilli-Prozac) and especially the antics of its salesmen. More sadly the film highlights the plight of those suffering from Parkinson’s for which presently there is no cure.

Which brings me to ask if this story is just a fairy tale for grownups. Jamie’s encounter with the husband of a Parkinson’s victim in Chicago is frankly brutal and really impressed me about the difficulty of having a partner with Parkinson’s disease. Is it realistic to believe that the womanizer Jamie could settle down to care for Maggie in what could be a horrific future ?

Unfortunately the Wikipedia article does not tell us whether the author Jamie Reidy was involved in any way with Parkinson’s disease.

When this film was made in 2010 Anne Hathaway (“Rachel Getting Married”, “The Devil wears Prada”) was 28 years old and Jake Gyllenhaal (“Donnie Darko”, Brokeback Mountain (2005)) was 30 years old.

At any rate just enjoy the sex scenes, the ribald script, and the feel-good nature of the film. Viagra, anyone ?

2006, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Trash, Comedy, Computer geeks, Flirting, Slapstick, Vulgar

The IT Crowd (2006)

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From NetFlix:

Enter the glamorous offices of Reynholm Industries, then take the elevator to the basement, where you’ll find the decidedly unglamorous IT support team: slacker Roy (Chris O’Dowd), social misfit Moss (Richard Ayoade) and technically ignorant supervisor Jen (Katherine Parkinson). Together, they find nerd-tastic adventures in this hilarious British sitcom from the producer of “The Office.” The program won a 2008 International Emmy for Best Comedy.

British slapstick is its own type of humor (or should I say “humour”): lots of yelling, pratfalls (although strictly speaking a “pratfall” is a fall to one’s buttocks), and references to excrement. But it is worth waiting for some really funny moments that make me LOL (for those of you on Medicare, “LOL” means “laugh out loud”).

One serious note: I marvel at the wonderfully clear speech enunciation of Chris O’Dowd and of British actors in general. O’Dowd is Irish.

Children might giggle at the bathroom humor.

I LOVE TRASH !

2010, Acceptable Trash, Car Chase, Comedy, Conspiracy, Cynical, Detective, Police Story, Vulgar

The Other Guys (2010)

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From NetFlix:

While an elite pair of New York City cops (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson) nabs headlines for their amazing heroics, fellow boys in blue Allen (Will Ferrell) and Terry (Mark Wahlberg) toil in obscurity as lowly desk jockeys, until a big break finally gives them a chance to tackle real police work. Rob Riggle, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton and Steve Coogan co-star in this action-packed comedy directed by Adam McKay.

Even NetFlix suggests on their page for this film that the R13 rating is really iffy for 13 year olds. Much of the script is just plain sophomoric or embarrassingly coarse. That being said, through much of the film I just laughed my head off. Clever sight gags always work for me. But more than that, it is the inane and unexpected dialog written for Ferrell and Wahlberg that was at times really very funny. Wahlberg is more or less the straight man to Ferrell’s off the wall speeches. Could any other actor have substituted for Ferrell (after all, it’s the script that counts) or does he have some special comic talent ?

There is a serious subtext running throughout. Using satire, the film is poking fun at the current corrupt financial culture of the United States. Names like AIG and Goldman Sachs keep popping up. Pay attention to the final credits which present an animated lecture showing just how much the financial CEOs profited from the losses of the “little people” (that’s most of us, folks!).

2010, Based on true facts, Comedy, Complicated, Computer geeks, Docudrama, Drugs, Lawyers

The Social Network (2010)

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From NetFlix:

Director David Fincher’s biographical drama chronicles the meteoric rise of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (Jesse Eisenberg) from Harvard sophomore to Internet superstar, examining his relationships with co-founder Eduardo Saverin (Andrew Garfield) and Napster founder Sean Parker (Justin Timberlake). Winning Golden Globes for Best Picture and Best Director, the film also racked up Oscar nods in the same categories and for lead actor Eisenberg.

Despite some comments that I have heard about the difficulty of following this fast-paced, fast-talking plot, you don’t really have to understand any of the geek talk to appreciate the film.

You owe it to yourself to read at least the “Reception and Response” section of the Wikipedia article which basically says we should take this film more as an entertainment than as accurate history. In fact, the Wikipedia page praises Zuckerberg through quotes of people who really know him. And forget the “Harvard as one big sex orgy” picture that tries to come through: Hollywood strikes again!

But in the end the film is a fun roller coaster ride with tinges of sadness.

2008, Comedy, Drama, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay theme, Love Story, Sex Scenes, Swedish

Patrik Age 1.5 (2008)

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From NetFlix:

After moving from the city to a small town, gay couple Sven (Torkel Petersson) and Goran (Gustaf Skarsgård) adopt a child. But when Patrik (Thomas Ljungman) arrives in their lives, it turns out he’s not 1.5 years old as they were told by the adoption agency — he’s a rebellious, homophobic 15-year-old. While the couple houses the angry boy until the mix-up is resolved, his presence causes them to reassess their lives.

Gay-themed films have come a long way from being centered on the AIDS epidemic to a more realistic involvement with society in general. After watching this film, I would like to know if you thought the story portrayed was realistic, that is to say, could happen.

So what do you expect from a “straight” film: sex, violence, comedy, mystery, romance, sports, war ? Ignoring the gay theme, this film offers romance, non-explicit sex, some rough stuff that could hardly be called violence, comedy, social issues, an orphan needing a home, etc. Sound familiar ?

Although I did not expect much at first, I was pleased to find that this sane and warm film tells a story which is finally a feel-good. Each character is well-cast and well-acted, including their well-honed facial expressions. Look for a variety of neighbors, for better or worse.

Swedish with optional English sub-titles.

Is Sweden any different from the US&A ?

2006, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Trash, Comedy, Flirting, Made For TV, Sci-Fi

Eureka (2006)

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From NetFLix:

The premiere season of this quirky sci-fi series kicks off with stranded U.S. Marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) wandering into a remote town populated by geniuses, a not-so-sleepy hamlet harboring a slew of government secrets and bizarre mysteries. Assuming the duties of sheriff, Carter navigates the strange goings on in Eureka, including alien abductions, control-freak computers, poisonous pollens and more.

NetFlix offers 4 seasons in 5 packages. Season 3 has parts A and B. Season 1 was a package of 3 DVDs.

Think Warehouse 13 (2009) and you get the flavor of a mixture of (probably very bad) science and comedy. In Eureka Sheriff Jack Carter does friendly battle with his rebellious daughter following his separation from his wife. And he flirts with the not-yet-divorced wife of the directory of the science foundation. There are lots of funny comments: “Do you dream of world domination ? – Well, not all the time.” Not to be taken seriously. It’s just fun sci-fi from the SyFy channel.

Note that Saul Rubinek, who was one of the main characters (Artie Nielson) in “Warehouse 13”, has a part in one of the Season 1 episodes.

2010, Chick Flick, Comedy, Love Story

The Back-Up Plan (2010)

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From NetFlix:

When Zoe (Jennifer Lopez) tires of looking for Mr. Right, she decides to have a baby on her own. But on the day she’s artificially inseminated, she meets Stan (Alex O’Loughlin), who seems to be just who she’s been searching for all her life. Now, Zoe has to figure out how to make her two life’s dreams fit with each other. Alan Poul directs this hilarious, heartfelt tale of confusion, confession and romantic slapstick.

As “Chick Flicks” go, this film offers some funny slapstick as well a worthwhile theme. Basically the film is about trusting other people, something with which Zoe has real problems. Stan is a very sympathetic character who sincerely does the best he can with the situation at hand.

2009, Comedy, Drugs, Feel Good For All, Unusual

The Men Who Stare At Goats (2009)

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From NetFlix:

Journalist Bob Wilton (Ewan McGregor) latches onto an unbelievable story in Iraq when he meets Lyn Cassady (George Clooney), a man of mysterious origins who reveals he was a “warrior monk” trained by the U.S. Army to develop psychic powers. Jeff Bridges co-stars as Lyn’s mentor, the man who dreamed up the top-secret operation. Kevin Spacey and Rebecca Mader co-star in this Grant Heslov-helmed wild spoof.

Depending on your sense of humor, you might get some occasional good laughs out of this spoof. Ewan McGregor and George Clooney carry almost the entire show, with a little help from other actors. The story line is often weak. There are lots better films to watch. Not every film is a triumph for an actor. Sorry George.