Newspaper: Winter Break Movie Catch Up

Winter Break Movie Catch Up
I admit I didn’t get to the movies quite as often as I would have liked to over winter break, but here’s a peek at the few that I did manage to catch.

Yes Man: A-

I admit, I was charmed the moment I saw a trailer for this film. I thought it looked light, funny, and stupid. Just another addition to Jim Carrey’s long list of comedic movie credits. And it was exactly that, mostly. It managed to surprise me, however, with how engaging and inspiring it was, and there were some truly laugh out loud moments that nearly had my side splitting. The most surprising thing was it did not rely solely on Carrey’s penchant for goofy faces, or his ability to contort his lanky frame in fantastical ways. In fact, it was rather subdued in all that, focusing instead on the story and the interactions to build its comedy.

Of course, Jim Carrey was hilarious. He did ride a motorbike in a hospital gown, with his bare backside open to the wind, and he did fall down more than a couple of times. He did wrap his face in tape and do a few strange voices. He also played a man who was struggling with his lot in life, and allowed the audience to go with him as he embarked on a quest to turn it all around.

By agreeing to say ‘yes’ to everything, instead of his usual ‘no’, Carrey’s character Carl encountered experiences that were wonderful, sad, and everything he needed. He also found the lovable Allison, played by Zooey Deschanel. Zooey literally lit up the screen with her effervescent smile and brilliant eyes, and provided Carrey with a charming talent to act off of. Together they created a chemistry that not only kept the audience laughing, but invested in this new, strange relationship.

One of the most hilarious moments involves Carl, a guitar, a suicidal man, a window ledge, and a chorus of onlookers down below. Yes. A chorus. The scene can be viewed online, but it is truly at its funniest in the context of the film. That scene, alone, is enough for me to go see it again.

The Tale of Despereaux: B

A dark, but interesting animated movie about rats and mice. There are chefs and soup and misunderstandings, but I’m not one to buy in to the dire need of comparing it to Ratatouille. In fact, that will be the last time I mention it.

Despereaux, the mouse himself, is a strange little creature with a big heart and a need for adventure, devoting himself to ideals of truth and honor he gleaned for a story book he was supposed to be eating. He gets himself banished from his home in Mouseworld and finds himself in Ratworld instead, where he meets the kind hearted Roscuro and their interwoven, yet separate, journeys unfold.

The plot is a bit convoluted, with side stories for a number of characters, but it all weaves together in the end. There is something profoundly interesting in the plot, and I shamelessly never found myself bored as I watched. Of course, it was far from perfect. A bit clunky, the scenes don’t flow as effortlessly as might be required for fairy tale story telling such as this.

Matthew Broderick has a strange way of delivering his lines, playing the voice of Despereaux, that leave the little mouse seeming constantly confused rather than interested and passionate. Dustin Hoffman makes up for it, providing a charming and thoroughly endearing voice for Roscuro the rat. In fact, the story opens and closes with Roscuro, making the film’s title almost deceptive when you think about who the main character really is.

Seven Pounds: C

Seven Pounds focuses on the story of a man with a tragic past, devoted to the goal of changing the lives of seven strangers for the better.

Will Smith stars in this movie that wants to be as potent as The Pursuit of Happyness, but falls short. Ultimately, it just comes off as self serving, which is more than a little irritating. The fact that this isn’t an aftertaste that the viewer is left with at the credits says a lot. Oh no, this feeling of haughty, “I’m making a point here” pretension is prevalent in every scene of the movie, courtesy of Smith’s constant mugging. His facial expression caught me a little of guard, considering I’ve considered him a pretty natural actor for a while now. Here, however, he seems plagued by this Chaplin-esque need to paint his feelings so clearly on his face, it seems almost amateurish.

Rosario Dawson, on the other hand, has a charming and endearing smile, and gives off a truly lovable attitude. When the two are sharing scenes it becomes much more of a love story than the outlandish plot enveloping it allows. Too bad the scenes have to shift to other parts of the plot. Woody Harrelson is surprisingly effective in what little he is given to do, playing a blind man that Smith’s character has decided to help. He and Dawson are saving graces, and Smith is at his best when playing against him.

The movie loses track of itself by the end, and the final plot twist is so absurd, and yet at the same time completely predictable, that it considerable weakens what might have been a good film. In the end, it’s just another forgettable endeavor that did not quite meet the high bar it had set for itself.