I'm an avid Netflixer, but I will never be one of those people who reviews the DVD on the site. However, last night I promised you a movie review and so a movie review you shall get.
Actually three.
We never actually made it to Penelope last night, but I've seen it before so I'll go on what I remember. I remember that I didn't think Christina Ricci's pig snout was that abhorrent, that Reese Witherspoon's character is spectacular, and that Mr. Tumnus from Narnia played the male lead. Did anyone else pick up on that? I thought the kiss at the end was swoontastic, and the mother was ridiculous. I give it 3.5 stars.
I think I'm pretty bad at reviews.
27 Dresses is cute. I love the bar/Bennie and the Jets scene complete with the "I cried like a baby at the Keller wedding." Michelle and I agreed that the best part is when James Marsden (who really can sing, can you believe that?) orders Katherine Heigl to "get over here." My favorite laugh out loud moment is when Kevin (Marsden) asks Jane (Heigl) if she has any needs of her own, since she is always looking out for everyone else. She looks at him with a very serious expression and says, "No. I'm Jesus." I give it 3.5 stars.
Many people oppose Moonstruck simply because it boasts Cher as the leading lady. Which I can understand... I won't watch anything with Will Ferrell in it (although I did recently try Stranger Than Fiction and found it delightful). However, if you have family that is Italian, or from New York, or both (like mine), I don't see how you can not like this movie. It's like being Greek and hating My Big Fat Greek Wedding (I have a Grecian friend and she told me that it's dead on).
I think Cher does a great job as Loretta. Her father reminds me of my grandfather, down to the hand gestures and tone of voice. Olympia Dukakis is brilliant as Loretta's mother, Rose, especially in her scenes with John Mahoney (more famously known for his role as the father on the sitcom Fraiser). And you get to see Nicholas Cage before he got dental veneers and really honed his acting chops.
The similarities to my family makes the movie heartwarming for me. I like the easy pace of the film, and the detail of the familial interactions that pull me in. The only drawback for me is that there are some downright ridiculous lines, i.e. "She is filled with more promise than moonlight in a martini." But there are some downright hilarious lines too, that are oft repeated between Joshua, Michelle, and myself: "What's the matter with you? Your life's going down the toilet!" Five stars.
3 comments:
Boo. 2 Stars for that last one. Maybe 1.5.
That's funny you liked the "Benny and the Jets" scene because I left you a phone message singing that before I even read this... and He moves, in mysterious ways; mysterious ways... I wish I could add a music note but I don't know the HTML code for that. ¶ is close I suppose
Also, never been a fan of half-star ratings. Think about it: if you had a half-star in the solar system it would collapse on itself, sucking it and everything it supported into a blackhole of which we don't know what would happen. Maybe we would get transported to another dimension, or the past, or the future. Or maybe the connection between the physical and spiritual planes would become tangible. Either way I think half-stars are too dangerous and should be avoided.
But you should see 21. I give it 3 and a half stars.
I think Penelope deserves more than 3.5. I thought it was fabulous, and I totally agree with the swoontastic kiss. Love love loved it!
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