Weekly Watches
This week I have so much more to share with you! I was working from home Monday-Wednesday, as well as yesterday, so I was able to get to a lot more movies. This week mostly consisted of 90s comedies that lean into Romantic Comedy territory. Unfortunately, despite my love for the genre, most were bad. I also caught up with a couple of recent(ish) movies that I hadn’t seen yet. And, lastly, Colin and I have been making our way through the Harry Potter movies in order.
Baby Boom (1987)
This movie stars Diane Keaton (who is the best thing about it) as a hardworking career climber who inherits a baby from dead, distant relatives. The premise is ridiculous enough but about halfway through the movie she turns into Super Mom and moves from NYC to Vermont—from that point on it’s an entirely different movie. It’s almost two separate films stitched together. The first half I actually enjoyed quite a bit, even with its stereotyping and all the tropes. Diane Keaton is always hilarious and she makes it fun to watch. When the second half happens though, everything just gets so over-the-top and on-the-nose that not even Keaton can save it. For this one, I’d say skip unless you’re a Keaton Completist.
Fierce Creatures (1997)
A follow up to A Fish Called Wanda, which I saw last week, by and starring the same crew. I thought I should absolutely see this one since I LOVED AFCW, but I was left feeling only so-so. If you can only watch one of these two definitely go with AFCW. This one isn’t BAD, more just OKAY, however, the chemistry and comedic timing between the leads is nowhere near as sharp this time around. Fierce Creatures is about a giant capitalist mogul who buys out a zoo and three of his employees (including his idiot son) argue over how to manage and run it. Starting with removing all the cuddly animals and keeping only the fierce ones. If slapstick is your thing then why not watch it?
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Okay so I hadn’t seen this Meg Ryan classic in a really long time. My vague memories were of laptops, Joe’s golden retriever, and Meg Ryan reading children’s books. After watching it I was blown away. WHAT SELF RESPECTING WOMAN WOULD AGREE TO DATE THAT MONSTER? Spoilers but he ENDS HER 40 YEAR FAMILY BUSINESS ON PURPOSE AND THEN LIES TO HER AND MANIPULATES HER FOR LIKE A THIRD OF THE MOVIE. It’s really easy to watch, and as someone who loves cheesy (and actually good) romantic comedies I didn’t hate it while I watched it, I just hated that he was HORRIBLE for like 99% of their interactions and emotionally abusive and she’s down with it when she finds out. He only feels marginally guilty! It’s also a very Boomer movie. From the “political” discussions about technology, to the way business/customer service is conducted/talked about to the way the apartments are decorated. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s just a funny and slightly adorable way to view the past (MOVIES. ARE. TIME CAPSULES). Plus I enjoyed the nostalgia of hearing the dial-up noises, seeing large black blocks for computers, and the charmingly analog way the rest of the characters’ lives are conducted. Currently working on the millennial remake script in my head right now.
Soapdish (1991)
I had seen this movie before but I decided to rewatch it because it worked for a mini-Kevin Kline marathon and it also kind of fits into the romantic comedy territory—though less in the sappy You’ve Got Mail way and more in the slapstick A Fish Called Wanda way. There are parts of this movie, especially the last twist in the film, that did not age well. But Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Whoopi Goldberg, and Robert Downey Jr are all at the top of their comedic game as various employees on the set of a Soap Opera. The physical comedy is ALL there. I’d say watch this one if you’re looking for a 90s comedy with a romantic side plot.
I Love You To Death (1990)
Don’t watch this movie it’s really bad. I love Kevin Kline but I don’t love Italian caricatures, mismanaged tones, or Keanu Reeves with a nosering. In this film, Kline plays the spray-tanned, adulterous Italian family man version of Borat and his scorned wife hires incompetent hitmen to kill him. River Phoenix is obsessed with her so he helps. It’s supposed to be a black comedy but it’s a mess. Skip it.
He Said, She Said (1991)
NOPE. BAD. DON’T BOTHER. Okay, so, this one is Kevin Bacon as a conservative columnist and Elizabeth Perkins as a flaming liberal (I guess?) columnist. We start with their break up and see then see the story of their relationship in non-linear flashbacks through the eyes of each. The first hour we get Bacon’s view of things and the last hour we get Perkins’s view of the same events. What doesn’t work for me, well…a lot doesn’t, but the main thing is just how different the perspectives are. Not in a way where we see different interpretations of the same events but in a way where TOTALLY different actions (and in one case clothing) happen. It doesn’t make any sense and it’s less he said she said and more one of them is having delusions. The resolution isn’t satisfying either, as there’s no way to sit firmly in reality as a viewer. However, it is a cool idea that I wish could be reworked with a more interesting script and different directions. Also on that note, there was an interesting choice to have a man direct Bacon’s view of events and woman direct Perkins; despite the fact that it’s basically two short films shoved together this choice doesn’t interrupt any kind of flow it manages to have. That was cool.
Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019)
Hey man, what can I say? Clerks is my favorite movie and I like most Kevin Smith installments. Finally caught up with this, loved the meta stuff, loved the fan service, had a good time watching. If you’re not already a View Askiew fan I wouldn’t bother, but for me, this was really fun.
Now You See Me (2013)
I hadn’t seen this, somehow, and I finally go to it. Next month I’m doing a 31-day scavenger hunt for Letterboxd and the second one fits one of the requirements. I liked this for the most part, and I really liked the cast, but I have a problem with the twist. I don’t want to spoil anything so I won’t get too specific. Essentially, though, the problem is that there is no foreshadowing for this twist, no way to really figure it out storywise, so when it hits there’s more confusion or disbelief than realization.
Harry Potter 1-6 (2001-2009)
I only watched these because Colin has never seen/read any of them and we’ve been planning this marathon so I can share some childhood nostalgia with him. He’s liking them so far, and excited to see 7 and 8 since they break the formula. I will say there’s an interesting element to watching these all in a row over about four days, in order. The way the kids age, the story elements, how little things keep popping up, it’s all really cool to see. Three is still my favorite, four is still my least favorite. No word from Colin yet about which is his favorite so far.
For the most part, this week was just simply “okay.” For the upcoming week, I’m going to focus on watching acclaimed films and I’m also going to dive into that Scorsese Shorts Criterion Edition that I bought (IGTV review hopefully soon!) because I’m pretty sure I’ll be an official Scorsese completist after watching these shorts. I have watched the interviews already and I feel even more strongly that his point about Marvel was completely on point in a lot of ways (and I LOVE the Marvel films!) but that’s a topic to revisit some other time. Have a great weekend everyone, stay inside and watch some movies!