(from left) Maya Hawke and Ca Mendes star in Jennifer Kaytin Robinson’s Do Revenge. Photo: Netflix With its inclusion of sassy slanguage and its indictment of progressive culture, Do Revenge is a movie for the modern era—but it plays like a love letter to the savage and sweet teen-themed movies of the 1980s,...
- 9/16/2022
- by Courtney Howard
- avclub.com
When in a romantic relationship, it’s never a good time to break up, nor to be the one getting dumped. The hilarious cold open of director Jason Orley’s rom-com “I Want You Back” begins with much promise, highlighting the indignities of the separate but equally humiliating fracturing of our two protagonists’ long-term loves. And while the premise of these two broken-hearted strangers finding each other and hatching a foolhardy scheme to win back their exes is quick to ramp up, the midsection plateaus when it should percolate with the pair’s plan taking form, or rather not quite manifesting correctly. Still, despite some pacing issues and predictable plotlines, the film keeps us wholeheartedly engaged with well-drawn, well-performed characters, grounded shenanigans and sweet, sentimental commentary on heartache.
Thirtysomethings Emma (Jenny Slate) and Peter (Charlie Day) both thought they were headed towards the next big step with their respective partners,...
Thirtysomethings Emma (Jenny Slate) and Peter (Charlie Day) both thought they were headed towards the next big step with their respective partners,...
- 2/9/2022
- by Courtney Howard
- Variety Film + TV
A good comedy pairing is always a joy to watch, almost regardless of the material. When a comedy’s premise can be high quality as well, laughs are inevitable for those watching the film. Such is most certainly the case with The Lovebirds, a very funny new movie that is hitting Netflix this week, after seeing its original release by Paramount delayed. A sale to the streaming giant ensued, and now, the embargo has lifted. Powered by a dynamic comedic duo of Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, The Lovebirds is always an enjoyable watch, even when the plot gets a little bit ridiculous. The film is an action comedy, centering on a couple’s wild night. Jibran (Nanjiani) and Leilani (Rae) are an always arguing couple. A documentary filmmaker and an advertising executive, they’ve gotten to the point where they plan to break up. En route to a party,...
- 5/20/2020
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani generate big laughs and a sense of genuine connection as a New Orleans couple on the skids who find out what they really mean to each other when a bunch of psychos try to kill them. Why? Screenwriters Aaron Abrams and Brendan Gall strain hard to bring clarity to a tale based on mistaken identity. Luckily, director Michael Showalter (The Big Sick, Wet Hot American Summer) keeps the action percolating even when the holes in the plot could swallow a tank.
Since The Lovebirds unfurls...
Since The Lovebirds unfurls...
- 5/20/2020
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
This modern romantic comedy about stand-up comedians generates a genuine warmth about people, the ones-who-need-people kind. Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon’s comic dramatization of the way they became a couple is a big winner, with heart-tugging performances from Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, and fine characterizations by Holly Hunter, Zenobia Shroff, Ray Romano, and Anupam Kher.
The Big Sick
Blu-ray + DVD
Lionsgate
2017 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 120 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / 39.99
Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, Adeel Akhtar, Bo Burnham, Aidy Bryant, Kurt Braunohler, Vella Lovell.
Cinematography: Brian Burgoyne
Film Editor: Robert Nassau
Original Music: Michael Andrews
Written by Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani
Produced by Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel
Directed by Michael Showalter
These days even caustic mainstream comedies are trying to rediscover sentimentality, without being sentimental. The Big Sick succeeds in generating genuine warmth even though it’s set in the middle of stand-up culture,...
The Big Sick
Blu-ray + DVD
Lionsgate
2017 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 120 min. / Street Date September 19, 2017 / 39.99
Starring: Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, Adeel Akhtar, Bo Burnham, Aidy Bryant, Kurt Braunohler, Vella Lovell.
Cinematography: Brian Burgoyne
Film Editor: Robert Nassau
Original Music: Michael Andrews
Written by Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani
Produced by Judd Apatow, Barry Mendel
Directed by Michael Showalter
These days even caustic mainstream comedies are trying to rediscover sentimentality, without being sentimental. The Big Sick succeeds in generating genuine warmth even though it’s set in the middle of stand-up culture,...
- 9/12/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Sally Field bounces back in this story of mismatched love - or a romantic delusion... that is 3/4 charm and 1/4 wishful thinking. The May-October romance isn't an outright farce like Harold and Maude, so a few of the comic situations are somewhat wince-inducing. Or am I just feeling my own 'October' discomfort? Field fans should love it anyway. Hello, My Name Is Doris Blu-ray Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 2015 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date June 14, 2016 / 26.99 Starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Tyne Daly, Beth Behrs, Elisabeth Reaser, Peter Gallagher, Stephen Root, Wendi McLendon-Covey. Cinematography Brian Burgoyne Film Editor Robert Nassau Original Music Brian H. Kim Written by Laura Terruso, Michael Showalter, from her short film Doris & the Intern Produced by Daniel Crown, Kevin Mann, Riva Marker, Jordana Mollick, Daniela Taplin Lundberg Directed by Michael Showalter
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I've always liked Sally Field. Her personality made a dumb 'sixties TV show...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I've always liked Sally Field. Her personality made a dumb 'sixties TV show...
- 6/7/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Movies about friendships being tested by new romantic interests are nothing new, but Life Partners just about manages not to let that familiarity grate. Credit writer-director Susanna Fogel and her co-writer Joni Lefkowitz, who punch up a rather commonplace premise with honest scripting and a warm sense of humor. Their unidealized depiction of the relationship between long-time friends Sasha (Leighton Meester) and Paige (Gillian Jacobs), is interesting to watch, and that realism also helps Life Partners to navigate some trickier, though no less conventional, narrative territory in its latter half.
In terms of plot, what’s on offer is undeniably standard. Sasha and Paige are close friends of the nail-painting, bed-sharing variety, who have their relationship altered and in some ways threatened by Paige’s blossoming romance with Tim (Adam Brody), a badly dressed but incessantly charming guy who quickly wins Paige over. As much as they have in common,...
In terms of plot, what’s on offer is undeniably standard. Sasha and Paige are close friends of the nail-painting, bed-sharing variety, who have their relationship altered and in some ways threatened by Paige’s blossoming romance with Tim (Adam Brody), a badly dressed but incessantly charming guy who quickly wins Paige over. As much as they have in common,...
- 11/17/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
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