Film Review: Vacation

Belated comedy franchise film Vacation has bawdy humour in spades. The film is passably amusing and sufficiently diverting.

With nostalgia for his childhood vacation, grown-up Rusty Griswold tries to recreate the trip with his own family. Rusty takes his wife Debbie and their two sons on a road trip to the Walley World theme park in order to bring the family closer together…

Reference to the National Lampoon series on films is made early on in Vacation, and as Rusty remarks, it is not imperative to have seen the franchise of films to appreciate this latest offering. Vacation is suitably entertaining viewing, functioning appropriately as an independent title.

Writer-directors Jonathan M. Goldstein and John Francis Daley combine a comedy with the road trip format. The majority of the action takes place as the Griswold family embark on their long drive to Walley World. Overlaying comedic aspects of the film is an emphasis on family and the relationships between the main characters in Vacation.

The main themes in Vacation suggest a family adventure feel to the film. Nevertheless, much of the humour is unmistakably adult. Comedy in the film is often crude, and the language frequently colourful. More often than not, jokes hit the spot, even if the film does have viewers cringing.

This juxtaposition of lewd humour and reflective family moments could easily have felt jarring. Nonetheless, in the hands of Goldstein and Daley, Vacation has a amiable tone. The film charms to a certain extent, despite the toilet humour. Pacing in the film works well, and characters are suitably developed given the set up.

Ed Helms is finely cast as nice guy Rusty Griswold. Christina Applegate is amusing as Debbie, whilst Skyler Gisondo is suitably awkward as eldest son James. Chris Hemsworth, Leslie Mann and Charlie Day are decent in supporting roles.

Vacation is not family viewing, but adult viewers are sure to have a laugh. An entertaining distraction.

Film Review: Horrible Bosses 2

With Horrible Bosses 2, director Sean Anders offers more of the same in this crime caper sequel.

Sick of dealing with awful bosses, Nick, Dale and Kurt decide to launch their own business. Things look promising, until an investor pulls out leaving the trio in a desperate situation. With limited options, the group turn to crime…

Horrible Bosses 2 is undoubtedly a silly movie. However, this is not to say that the film is not entertaining. The humour continues in the same vein as Horrible Bosses. Those left unimpressed by the first instalment will find this film equally unappealing.

The comedy in Horrible Bosses 2 often appeals at the basest form. The jokes can be a bit hit and miss, but the spirit of the film is amiable. What makes Horrible Bosses 2 enjoyable is the camaraderie between the main characters. The actors clearly have good chemistry, and this shines through into the film.

Director and co-writer Sean Anders keeps the action moving at a good pace. Plotting in the film is not exactly convincing, but this aura of unlikeliness adds to the film’s zany nature. The plot twists are predictable, but there is enough humour to negate this.

There are a few overt reference to a particular point of view that Horrible Bosses 2 takes. The stance is not particularly groundbreaking, but offers more of a message than the first film. Nevertheless, for the most part, Horrible Bosses 2 concentrates on comedic elements. The insinuation at the end of the film harks back to an aspect of the first film that some viewers found questionable.

Jason Bateman, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis reprise their roles with the same energy as the first film. Jennifer Aniston pushes further into crudeness with Julia, setting the character as an even starker contrast to the roles she is usually associated with. Chris Pine is a good addition to the cast.

With a good soundtrack and enviable cast, Horrible Bosses 2 is a decent comedy sequel that should satisfy its intended audience.

Film Review: Pacific Rim

Wilfully silly but continually entertaining, Pacific Rim should satisfy audiences craving mindless blockbuster fun.

In the near future, humanity comes under attack from aliens which rise from the ocean. To fight back, humans create giant robots to fend off the invaders. These are piloted by people such as Raleigh, who has seen his share of tragedy…

Guillermo del Toro’s Pacific Rim follows the formula laid out by many previous apocalyptic blockbusters. The film ticks all the expected boxes – tragedy spurring the hero on, the archetypal characters, fate being left in the hands of the underdogs and so on.

Where the film excels is in its execution. The action sequences offer fantastic spectacle. These scenes are immensely entertaining. Pacing is good for the most part, although there is a slight lull in the middle.

There is a real diversity to the characters in Pacific Rim. There is an emphasis on the crisis bringing humanity together rather than creating division. It is here that del Toro’s film deviates from the norm. Nevertheless, it is always apparent that the young, chiseled, white American male is going to have a pivotal role. It is a shame that the film does not follow through on its heterogeneity.

The premise of Pacific Rim seems like something the Syfy Channel would produce. However, it works as a big-budget film. High concept in the extreme, the film plays on the silliness of the idea. This generates some welcome humour.

The cast performs well in Pacific Rim. Charlie Hunnam certainly looks the part of the hero, and Idris Elba seems to be having fun. Meanwhile, Charlie Day appears to channel Rick Moranis in a gratifying manner.

Pacific Rim faces limitations in its unwillingness to diverge from the template. The fact that it does not take itself too seriously is what makes the film enjoyable.

Film Review: Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses is a fun comedy that entertains throughout. All is forgiven, Jennifer Aniston. Well almost all. Not The Bounty Hunter.

Friends Nick, Kurt and Dale all hate their bosses. Nick’s boss Dave has psychotic tendencies. Kurt’s new boss Bobby is a habitual drug user. Dale’s boss Julia makes unwanted sexual advances towards him on a daily basis. The trio contemplate killing their bosses, but things don’t go according to plan…

Horrible Bosses works very well as a 15-rated comedy. The humour is sometimes lewd but never descends too far into crassness. There are some very amusing site gags as well as a script that is punctuated with humour throughout. The comedy has a universal appeal. It is not too close to the bone as to offend people, yet there are some darkly humorous jokes.

Seth Gordon’s film is well paced, and provides some tension (although this is never without humour). Given the premise, the narrative seems quite predictable from the outset. Nevertheless, the film features a number of small twists, making it more difficult to predict the outcome. Horrible Bosses does some of the things expected of it, but subverts other elements.

Considering that there are several main characters, it is unsurprising that the film relies on stereotypes to a certain extent. The trio of friends are sufficiently developed and have a believable relationship. However, the screenwriters have made the bosses into caricatures. This may sound like a negative, but it reality it is not. Given the genre, these over-the-top characters are responsible for much of the film’s humour. The bosses are given the freedom to be as outlandish as possible, making them far worse than the average nasty employer. As well as creating humour, this gives credence to the murder plot.

Horrible Bosses boasts great performances from its stellar cast. Jason Bateman is as watchable as ever as Nick, playing the straight guy to the more comical friends. Jason Sudeikis is a lot of fun as Kurt, while Charlie Day once again shows off his comedy chops as Dale. Jamie Foxx is amusing in a small role.

As Dave, Kevin Spacey appears to be playing a more heighten version of himself. Colin Farrell is wildly amusing as Bobby, but is sadly underused. Jennifer Aniston is great as Julie. It is refreshing to see her in a different type of role, which goes some way to redeem her recent film choices. Aniston also seems to be having a lot of fun with her character.

Horrible Bosses is highly recommended for mainstream comedy fans. Although it is unlikely to win any awards, it should prove very enjoyable for audiences.

Horrible Bosses is out in UK cinemas on 22nd July 2011.

Film Review: Going the Distance

Drew Barrymore and Justin Long prove their chemistry works as well on-screen as it does off in this likeable and surprisingly funny romantic comedy.

Erin and Garrett meet in a New York bar and hit it off. As Erin is due to return to her San Francisco home, the couple agree to keep things light. Once they fall for each other, Erin and Garrett embark on a long distance relationship…

On the surface, Going the Distance shouldn’t work. The premise is hardly thrilling; it is the type of love story that has been done numerous times before. However, Going the Distance works pretty well. It is the combination of the humour and the chemistry between the two leads which make it a very enjoyable movie.

Whilst both Barrymore and Long are good comedic actors, much of the humour is derived from the support cast. Dan and Box, best friends of Garrett, bring a lot of the crude but funny but jokes, whilst Erin’s sister Corinne and her husband Phil work equally well as the married odd couple.

The chemistry between Barrymore and Long will leave the audience rooting for the couple. In the initial scenes between the pair, the writing excels, making their initial attraction appear realistic and authentic. Whilst some aspects of the romance and the humour are not the most original, Going the Distance is one of the better recent entries in the rom-com genre because it successfully balances frequent comedy with believable romance and drama.

Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis are well-cast as Garrett’s best friends. There seems to be a natural camaraderie between the pair and Long, which makes their scenes genuinely amusing. Christina Applegate once again shows her flair for comedy as Erin’s highly-strung older sister. Jim Gaffigan compliments Corinne perfectly as her under-the-thumb husband Phil, showing more subtle, but equally effective, comedic style.

Director Nanette Burstein has added a nice touch to Going the Distance by mixing the traditional with the modern. Whilst Erin and Garrett use modern technology to communicate (text messaging and online chat, for example), there are also elements of their courtship that have a more retro feel. The couple meet whilst playing an arcade game, and Erin writes her phone number down on a napkin for Garrett, rather than typing it into his phone. This, coupled with a soundtrack that features The Cure, makes the relationship appear quaint, in a positive sense.

If you are looking for a romantic comedy that is actually lives up to its description, Going the Distance might be just the ticket.