Bad Words

Expectations:
You show me a funny child actor, and I will probably watch your movie... You show me a funny, Indian child actor, and I will probably long for you movie! Before I even watched Bad Words, I knew that Rohan Chand's role as Jason Bateman's 10 year old best friend would probably keep me laughing. If you haven't seen the trailer for Bad Words, watch it here, and take note of the hilarity of Chand's Chaitanya. Nevertheless, the idea behind the film is just so clever, and I hoped that Jason Bateman's directorial debut would deliver on the clever story. In my opinion, Bateman is one of those unfunny funny-guys, who always picks perfect roles for their talents (also see: Paul Rudd, John Stewart). I love Bateman films, but I just don't think he is that funny. Hopefully I'm not the only one who sees him in this way, but, if I am, just trust me...

Plot:
Unfortunately, the potentially clever storyline was quite scattered, and the film couldn't quite figure out which direction to go. At times, there was a lot of emotion and father-drama. At times, there was a lot of goofy, PG-13ish comedy. At times, Bateman was cursing like a sailor, which felt more R-rated, for sure. If only they had focused in on one type of comedy, then the film probably would have been great. Thankfully, Chand and Bateman were still able to deliver a number of laughs and, somehow, salvage what could have been a disastrous film. Hopefully, in the future, Bateman will get a little more organized. The screenplay involved a large number of hilarious moments, but they were just thrown together, which really hurt the film. From beginning to end, everything felt so random, and some scenes felt quite useless.

Characters:
As I said above, Jason Bateman is in a unique realm of comedy (to me at least), and, in Bad Words, he didn't shift away from his typical performance. He was good for the role, and the role was funny. However, he contributed very little to the funny. He just read his lines in his normal way and BOOM! he got paid!

Negatives:
I first fell in love with Kathryn Hahn in the very underappreciated Wanderlust, where she showed just how crazy she could be. Throw in her performances in We're the Millers, The Dictator, and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, and you have someone who could quickly become the next Melissa McCarthy, in my opinion. Unfortunately, considering she didn't make me laugh not a single time in Bad Words, she's going to have to wait a little while longer before garnering that Melissa McCarthy award. I know her character, Jenny Widgeon, wasn't designed to be as goofily funny as a typical Hahn character, but there were times when she was trying to be funny and the laughs did not come. On top of the Hahn disappointment were two big disappointments from Allison Janney, who's Dr. Deagan was forced into the film, and Ben Falcone, who's Pete Fowler was never given the opportunity to make me laugh. So much talent was wasted on this film! It is just sad!

Positives:
Rohan Chand's Chaitanya Chopra made me want to go out and adopt a random Indian kid, immediately. He had to be the cutest kid ever, and his dorkiness just made everything even better, since I aspire to have dorky children. Without Chand, Bad Words fails miserably, and, when I say miserably, I mean it. Bateman may have been the lead, but Chand carries the film further than Bateman has ever carried anything.

Conclusion:
While Jason Bateman's directorial debut did struggle along a good bit, it was a great film for him to give it a try. However, if the scattered nature of Bad Words is not improved upon greatly, Bateman should probably just stick with acting. Thankfully, we do get Horrible Bosses 2 this year! If you haven't seen Horrible Bosses, please go watch it immediately! If you want random laughter, you might really enjoy Bad Words. I just prefer a good, organized storyline, and Bad Words has nothing even close to that. Regardless, kudos are much deserved for Rohan Chand, and I certainly hope that the youngster continues to shine in the future. I give Bad Words 2.03 out of 5 stars.

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty

Expectations:

The very first time that I saw the trailer for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, I was hooked! And, there were only like three word in the entire trailer! Although I am a fairly straightforward and blunt, I do enjoy self-reflective films, and Walter Mitty promised an amazing opportunity to look at life from a different perspective. I know I have written, in the past, about the lack of imagination in the modern world and how that lack of imagination has tightened the gap between the fantasy that is found in film and the fantasy that is found in reality. What was once thought to be imaginative and unreachable is now a part of our everyday life, making it hard to see a fictitious story without any peak at reality. With the day dreaming of Walter Mitty, played by Ben Stiller, I was extremely hopeful that I would be able to grasp at and appreciate imagination for a couple of hours, regardless of how creatively and imaginatively challenged I may truly be...

Plot:

A number of the mixed reviews that I have seen for Walter Mitty were critical of the film's inability to create a great story to go along with the obvious theme of complacency that Walter struggles with. In my opinion, the simplicity of the story allowed the audience an opportunity to truly soak in the message of the film, which encourages us to go out and do, rather than live in a constant state of "what if." Although many folks may not have the same issues as Walter, I think the story is certainly entertaining and relatable, to say the least. On a personal note, to say that Walter Mitty was relatable would probably be an understatement. Whether or not it's obvious, deep inside me, there is a lot of ambition, and, because I tend to dwell on logic and money, that ambition rarely manifests itself in my life. Going in to the film, I expected Walter to be some sort of social outcast who feared human interaction. Instead, he was just a quiet guy who had a lot on his mind. Basically, he was Tanner Jones in a movie.

Characters:

I know that I already spent a lot of time of time talking about Walter Mitty, so I will try to avoid dwelling on Ben Stiller's character too much. However, Walter was the complete and total focal point of the film, so he deserves the attention. Stiller's performance was good, but the character carried the film further than Stiller's acting, by far.

Negative:

While she may be ridiculously crazy, Kathryn Hahn is quickly becoming one of my favorite comedic actresses, and I have come to expect her to be hilarious in every single film or TV show in which she might appear. Although the story was about Walter, I though Hahn should have been given a bit more time to shine, as Walter's sister, Odessa. I would have liked it better if Walter's mom, played by Shirley MacLaine, had been removed from the picture and Walter was more involved in caring for Odessa. But, you can't always get what you want! Additionally, I didn't care for Adam Scott's performance as businessman Ted Hendricks. The rude nature of Hendricks was not at all typical for Scott, and it just didn't sit right with me.

Positives:

The over-zealous eHarmony guy, Todd Maher, (played by Patton Oswalt) was easily the greatest minor character in the film. I wasn't expecting quite as many laughs as came along with this movie, and many of those were brought out by Todd, who helped move along Walter's relationship attempts with Kristen Wiig's Cheryl Melhoff. I really enjoyed the relationship between Walter and Cheryl, although it was over-dramatized a bit. Without Wiig's normalcy, I don't know if Walter would have been able to come across as relatable as he did, which was my favorite aspect of the film.

Conclusion:

Over the past few weeks, my post-trailer optimism for Walter Mitty had begun to fade. After hearing mixed reviews and seeing the vague trailer over and over and over, my high expectations became mediocre. Luckily, the film was able to reach my originally high expectations and deliver the self-reflective moments that I truly love. Walter's imagination wasn't quite as bold as I had anticipated, but that just made the movie even better, to me. In fact, I could actually see myself daydreaming in the same way that Walter did (minus the blanking out). This year has contained very few films that I will be able to watch over and over, but I think The Secret Life of Walter Mitty may be this year's "Most Likely to Stay On Repeat," much like 2012's The Perks of Being a Wallflower and 2011's Midnight in Paris. However, it could be quickly dethroned by Inside Llewyn Davis, if that film would just hurry up and get to Hattiesburg! Regardless, Walter Mitty was a pleasant surprise that I would certainly encourage each and every reader to check out. Plus, it's family friendly, so grandma can come too! Plus, the music was amazing (had to get that plug in there)! I give The Secret Life of Walter Mitty 3.68 out 5 stars. 

We're the Millers

 

Expectations:
Aside from watching Will Poulter sing Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls, there was pretty much nothing that interested me about the trailer for We're the Millers. However, the week before, I made my girlfriend watch Elysium with me, and I needed to return the favor and watch a movie for her, because I'm such a romantic. Last year, in my Notscars, I claimed that The Campaign had wasted Jason Sudeikis's funny, but I've come to realize that he just doesn't have very much of it. Honestly, I find neither Jason Sudeikis nor Jennifer Anniston funny at all. Sure, they have been in some very funny movies (Horrible Bosses, Bruce Almighty) and tv shows (Friends, SNL), but they are not funny all by themselves. Also, Emma Roberts just gets on my nerves, and she recently beat up Evan Peters (I'm on Evan's side). Regardless, I was clinging to the fact that Nick Offerman would probably bring some laughs, and, eventually, Will Poulter would sing Don't Go Chasing Waterfalls. I hadn't planned on writing a review for We're the Millers, but, with its staying power at the box office, you may still need to hear my opinion...

Plot:
The entire "fake drug-dealing family" idea that We're the Millers employed was potentially hilarious. Honestly, I could see some of my favorite comedic actors taking on this storyline and making something great. Unfortunately, the concept was stuck with mediocre comedians, which kept the laughs a bit more contained. Also, I didn't enjoy the whole "We're being chased by evil drug lords" concept, especially after witnessing the similar concept driven into the ground by 2 Guns just a few weeks prior. Not only was it stupid, but it led to Ed Helms's funny being wasted, and he is ACTUALLY funny... I promise!

Characters:
The addition of Nick Offerman's RV-loving, sexually-experimental family, the Fitzgeralds, was absolutely fantastic, as they just wouldn't stop messing up the plot. Without the Fitzgeralds, my laughs would have been limited solely to Will Poulter, so kudos to Offerman and Kathryn Hahn for taking on two great roles.

Negatives:
Not only did Jason Sudeikis manage to keep me from laughing, but he also failed to fit in his role of drug-dealing-fake-family-creator, David Clark. I just didn't buy it one little bit! At the beginning of the film, Clark was just a bum, which didn't really fit with what we are used to seeing from Sudeikis, making it hard to take seriously. Then, as the film went on, Sudeikis began acting like his usual self, which we had already established was NOT how he was supposed to be acting, furthering the disaster that was this performance.

Positives:
If you have seen We're the Millers or heard anything about the film, I'm sure you are of the opinion or belief that Will Poulter's Kenny is the character that carries the entire film, which is the absolute truth. I felt bad for Poulter, who gave a great performance in a mediocre film, but I know that he will have a bright future ahead of him. If you watch this film for any reason, let that reason be Will Poulter!

Conclusion:
While I will admit to a bit of laughter throughout We're the Millers, I do not understand how it has grossed well over $100 million. That goes to show you just how powerful Jennifer Anniston remains in this Friends re-run filled world that we live. I mean, come on, We're the Millers has even out-grossed This is the End (the summer's greatest comedy), and it is still rolling, finishing in third place at the box office this past weekend. I guess I probably shouldn't be quite so bitter or baffled... It really wasn't THAT bad. My only hope is that, one day, people will give their money to a good comedy, rather than one carried by Anniston and Sudeikis. I've held it until this point, but, yes, Jennifer Anniston does do her stripper thing quite nicely. Unfortunately for her, however, she's getting a bit old. Don't get me wrong, I was not at all deterred from looking her way. But, had she made We're the Millers fifteen years ago, her stripping probably would have engulfed this review! I give We're the Millers 2.36 stars, along with Anniston's stripping.