My wife and I have a game we like to play. Well, actually, it's more me than my wife but anyway.We like to go to a movie theatre on a whim and see a random movie. We usually select the movie by what is the closest show time to when we're there that we both would like.
28 Weeks Later was out because Jen doesn't like gore. I could have seen Disturbia, but Jen wasn't in the mood to be scared. It came down to Fracture and The Ex. The Ex won by paper ballot (I wrote both movies down on their own piece of paper, folded them up, shook them around in my habe, and Jen picked the winner.).
How was it? Good. Not the best movie, but good. And it's all because of the acting. As a matter of fact, if the acting wasn't so good, the movie probably would have annoyed the heck out of me.
The movie was pretty much a a bunch of standard plots thrown together with a lot of weirdness. Basically, it's the story of two rivals (Zach Braff and Jason Bateman) whose rivalry covers both work and for the heart of Amanda Peet's character. There is also a fish out of water plot, dealing with strange people plot and bunch of slapstick comedy plots thrown in.
Braff does put upon shlub who can't seem to do anything right well. But Bateman kicks butt. His is full bastard mode here, like he was on Silver Spoons and It's Your Move. He is such a manipulative thug that you hate him every time he comes on the screen but can't wait until he on again.
Peet is good as the wife, and, to the scripts benefit, her character is portrayed as very believable. Charles Grodin, in his first role in 13, is great as Peet's father. The rest of the actors, and there are some big names, are relegated to cameos. Including Paul Rudd (40 Year Old Virgin, Clueless) as the owner of a snooty NYC restaurant and Romany Malco (40 Year Old Virgin, Weeds, Blades of Glory) as a doctor who helps out Peet when she gives birth. All of them acquit themselves well, but Poehler really shines in a small role as Braff's office confidant.
So, I would recommend this to someone who has a couple extra bucks in their pocket.
Now, the trailers:
- You Kill Me: This is a must see. It is a comedy where Ben KIngsley stars as a hitman with a drinking problem who is sent to San Francisco to sober up. There, he gets a job at a morturary and meets a woman, played by Tea Leoni. That might not seem that funny, but trust me, it's a lot better than that description. Jen and I turned to each other after the trailer ended and said "We have got to see that". One of the best trailers I've seen in a while. It really did it's job. I went from not knowing anything about the movie to wanting to go see it after one viewing. That's an accomplishment.
- I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry: I wonder, if I asked them nicely, would I be able to pay my 10 and just see the scene where Jessica Biel undress and/or her in the cat woman out fit over and over again? Because this is a different cut of the trailer and the new stuff in it really doesn't make the rest of the movie any better.
- Death at a Funeral: The weird film that seems like America trying to make a British comedy. It hasn't gotten any less weird, but I likie weird so I might just see it.
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