LAST CHRISTMAS (2019)

Rated:  PG-13

STARS: Emilia Clarke, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Emma Thompson
DIRECTOR: Paul Feig
GENRE: Romantic Comedy

When I saw the previews for Last Christmas I thought great, here's a perfectly timed romantic comedy for the holidays inspired by the songs of George Michael! I like the holidays and I like George Michael--especially the now classic song from whence the movie takes its name. So I was looking forward to seeing it. I even thought it might have a Love Actually vibe to it (one of my all-time favorite films). But any similarity between Last Christmas and Love Actually was strictly the product of my overly optimistic and misguided imagination.

Last Christmas is a Lifetime channel movie all the way--except instead of being on your TV it's up on the big screen and you get to pay for the pleasure of luxuriating in its vacuous millennial-ness.

Emilia Clarke is Kate, who works as a Christmas elf in a year-round holiday themed shop in London. She's estranged from her family, and is homeless by choice, crashing wherever she can wangle a place for the night--male accompaniment (but not batteries) sometimes included. It gets her (and her wicket) in some sticky situations. She's spinning her wheels, much like the go-nowhere plot during most of this movie.

Then along comes Tom (Henry Golding) who takes a persistent interest in her. Before long he has broken down her wary resistance, imploring her to always LOOK UP! When she does, a bird craps on her face, much to the delight of the sniggering adolescent who lives on inside of me.

There is something off about Tom. He shows up, then repeatedly disappears, much to the chagrin and frustration of Kate. That's tied in with the BIG TWIST near the end, which I didn't see coming because I nodded off a couple of times and missed a few things. 

Clarke is just eye candy here, she's not going to win any acting awards. Emma Thompson, however, who co-wrote the screenplay, is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards. So you wonder why she'd want this stinker on her resume. She plays Kate's mother, with a sincere but not terribly convincing Balkan accent (the family are immigrants from the former Yugoslavia).

In the numerous ways that Last Christmas is disappointing, the biggest is that we only hear a snippet of the title song by George Michael over the opening credits. It returns near the end, performed in heartwarming fashion by Clarke and a cadre of "lovable" bums and eccentrics who frequent the homeless shelter where she volunteers. It's all warm and fuzzy, and it's the high point of the film, inspiring me to raise my rating one notch above what I could have given the movie. Because hey...it's Christmas!

Grade:  D

JILL'S TAKE

In all six years that I've been contributing to this blog, I don't believe I've ever graded a movie with an "F." Until now. Emma Thompson – a fine actress who has won 2 Oscars: Best Actress, Howards End, 1993; Best Writing, Screenplay based on Material Previously Produced or Published, Sense and Sensibility, 1996) –should be dipped in a vat of Christmas pudding for her involvement in this 'badbuster' bomb. Not only did she act (overact, really), she co-created the story (such as it was), co-wrote the script (such as that was) and produced the bloody film.

Inspired by George Michael's lyrics from Last Christmas, the words are worth quoting: Last Christmas...I gave you my heart...But the very next day you gave it away...This year...To save me from tears...I'll give it to someone special

Clearly Ms. Thompson and her English cronies thought taking those words literally would make an instant hit. (In cardiac circles, maybe.) But give me a break. Just for the hell of it, I looked up "Movies Based On Song Titles." Would you like to take a guess how many have hit the big screen? 138! That's right. Here are a few that built their film foundation on Christmas ditties: White Christmas (1954), Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer (1964), All I Want For Christmas (1991), I'll Be Home for Christmas (1998), Deck the Halls (2006), to name a few.

My advice? If you're looking for a mistletoe high, rent White Christmas. You sure as snowballs won't get it from Last Christmas!

Grade: F

LATE NIGHT (2019)

Rated:  R

STARS: Emma Thompson, Mindy Kaling, John Lithgow
DIRECTOR: Nisha Ganatra
GENRE: Comedy/Drama

To me, it's more interesting as to why the low-key comedy Late Night was made than what it's about--because the why determines what it's about in a fairly predictable way.

Emma Thompson gives a capable performance as Katherine Newberry, an older Brit who has broken the age, gender, and cultural barrier to host her own late night talk show on American TV. She's sufficiently stuffy and boorish, like those commercials for Lexus that feature a haughty sounding British voice-over artist to convey the idea that if you drive a Lexus you can feel superior to the rest of the peasants on the road. (A Ford truck spot will, of course,have a male cowboy/redneck voice, because you have to speak to folks in their own language!) 
In Late Night the language is decidedly "woman-ese." 

And while Katherine is a pioneer in the business, her attitudes are more of the Old Boy Network mentality. Her staff of comedy writers are all white males. It has to be pointed out to her that she should hire a woman for the sake of diversity and to shake things up. Enter Molly Patel (Mindy Kaling), a younger Indian woman with no previous professional comedy writing experience. But she fits our ethnic and gender profile. And shake things up she does in terms of getting through to Katherine on a personal and emotional level. 

The story crisis is that Katherine is in jeopardy of losing her show due to declining ratings, and ratings are everything in this business--trumping any human concerns about how folks should be treated. People are replaceable parts in the giant ratings=profits machine.

 Kaling, an attractive woman whom I've always liked, though she hides her light under a bushel with the self-deprecating roles she chooses for herself, is in reality in complete control here as the writer of the script and producer of the film. As to why Late Night was made, well, it follows in the footsteps of an increasing number of films conforming to the politically correct agenda that's in vogue these days--all portraying a strong woman who has to fight against the injustices of the glass ceiling. Only here we get two strong women for the price of one with both Thompson and Kaling. 

We're intended to root for each of them to overcome the odds--to tough it out and succeed. Sure, it's inspiring, but what I find so predictable these days (and I don't care for predictable) is that our eyes are being directed toward what we're supposed to be looking at. We're supposed to fall in lock-step with the agenda--get with the program, and especially you guys out there could use a lot more sensitivity training! 

Ugh...I think I'll go watch a Tarzan movie now.

Grade :  B -

JILL'S TAKE

I'm surprised (and pleased) by Tim's generous rating of "Late Night. When I first suggested reviewing this film, his reaction was "It's a chick flick." (Typed in a negative tone.) Strong woman that I am, I persisted. Promising to see Shaft next. The fellow I went to the movies with has a "thing" for Emma Thompson. So that helped. But like Tim, his reaction after seeing the movie was "I can't really relate but I guess you can." (Get with the program, you insensitive clods!)

What I really enjoyed about Late Night was the writing. Those one-line zingers were chortlingly delightful! No doubt Mindi Kaling, who wrote the screenplay, has had her share of pitching ideas to un-funny producers and self important agents. Even the bit parts—pushy managers, eager writers, twitter celebs, etc.—rang totally true. I was also impressed with fellow East Indian director Nisha Ganatra's work. (It just goes to show that humor is universal and not gender-specific.)

Perhaps Kaling's portrayal of all those callous, greedy, insecure white male writers was a bit over-the-top. Then again, the Emma Thompson character wouldn't have won any sensitivity awards either. The one thing I found extremely hard to believe is something I'm not going to reveal. Suffice it to say that this "incident" is crucial to the plot. But highly improbable. Oh well, every screenwriter is allowed one red herring....

If you want to escape the plethora of mediocre movies this summer, go see Late Night. And men? Even if you're not into metrosexuality, you might learn something.

Grade: B

MEN, WOMEN & CHILDREN (2014)

Rated: R

Stars: Adam Sandler, Rosemary DeWitt, Jennifer Garner, Ansel Eigort, Judy Greer, Kaitlyn Dever, Dean Norris, Olivia Crocicchia, Elena Kampouris, Emma Thompson

Director: Jason Reitman

Genre: Drama 

Two high-schoolers are texting each other in the hallway, standing close enough that they could have easily walked up and spoken in person. Just some of  the irony in Men, Women, & Children, which attempts to deliver a message about social media and its effect on our lives. But it does so by giving us caricatures instead of characters with any real depth.

The most exaggerated stereotype here is Patricia (Jennifer Garner), whose teen daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) just wants to lead a normal life-- have a boyfriend and so forth--but her every move is tracked by her overbearing and overprotective mother through the girl's cellphone. 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, we have stage mom Donna (Judy Greer), who is intent upon getting her own teenager into showbiz by hook or by crook, including a website featuring photos of questionable taste that the starstruck daughter (Olivia Crocicchia) is more than willing to pose for.  

Adam Sandler plays it straight (which is about as disconcerting as watching Steve Carell in a deadpan role) as a guy whose wife (Rosemary DeWitt), is bored enough to investigate an online site where married folk can hook up and engage in affairs  And like the story line of "The Pina Colada Song," hubby is looking for some extra curricular activity of his own with a working girl. 

Ansel Elgort gives one of the more thoughtful performances as Tim, a star high-school football player who quits the team because he thinks sports is meaningless, then gets hooked on the even less meaningful world of fantasy video games.

Other subplots also tie into the movie's central theme, which seems to be that social media has created a world that never existed before. A world that, in some cases, panders to the worst instincts in ourselves. But like nuclear energy, it's still up to us to use it for good...or for evil.   

Grade:  B -

JILL'S TAKE

Here's an irony for you. After seeing Men, Women & Children, I went home and my internet and cable TV had stopped working! Kaput. Nada. It's one thing to watch a film about the negative effects of too much social media. It's quite another to have it hit home so personally. They scheduled an appointment for me a day and a half later. By the time the guy arrived, I felt like a junkie in need of a fix. This made me appreciate even more the exaggerated characters' dilemmas in Men, Women & Children. It also made me realize how addicted all of us are to being connected to an invisible world.

For all the actors mentioned in Tim's review, the person I'd give the most credit to is the one in charge of graphics. Would that be Bruce Curtis, the production designer? Art Director Rodney Becker? Or the thirteen people listed under "Visual Effects By"? Whoever was responsible for putting text messages, emails, websites, Facebook pages up on screen while the live actors were doing their thing, deserves applause. (Or a smiling emoticon?) Still, I felt a bit sleepy in parts of this film. I also wondered how someone who wasn't computer literate (do they still exist?) would handle it.

Since Tim has scolded me for being too easy to please lately, giving an A and an A+ to the last two films we've reviewed, my grading for this one should make him happy.

Grade: C +

LAST CHANCE HARVEY

Dustin Hoffman as a romantic lead? Clark Gable must be saying, "There goes the neighborhood!" But yes, there IS on-screen magic between Hoffman's "Harvey" and Emma Thompson's "Kate," who finally collide-after several near misses--in a bar where each has come to take the edge off the crappy day they've just had.

Harvey, who creates jingles for commercials--but whose job is hanging by a thread--is in London to attend his daughter's wedding, which carries with it an encounter with his ex-wife and the next-in-line guy she's settled down with. Both his ex AND his daughter come off as real turds in the beginning--and that speaks to the level of estrangement that exists better than any flashbacks could. We immediately feel for Harvey, who seems like a decent but hapless sort who gets less respect than Rodney Dangerfield.

Kate is a lonely Londoner who is ripe for picking--even though romantic involvement is something she normally resists because, heaven forbid, it might make her feel like she's alive!
It appears that each of them might just have enough left in the tank for one more go at the romance game--IF they can survive the inevitable plot complications that are headed their way.

There's a cute little subplot involving Kate's seventy-something mom (or mum, we should say) and the sweaty new neighbor guy she's got the hots for...and mum's the word on the rest of this plot synopsis!

The music soundtrack by Dickon Hinchliffe (which can often make or break a film, in my opinion) is appropriately tender and sweet.

Last Chance Harvey hasn't gotten a whole lot of buzz, (but just like Elizabeth Perkins-- who thirty or forty years from now will be regarded as the Donna Reed of the 80's and 90's...she has that "certain something" that will be appreciated more by future generations) this movie will one day be thought of as one of the better representations of Hoffman's body of work.

GRADE: B+