You People

Director: Kenya Barris
Starring: Jonah Hill, Lauren London, David Duchovny, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Eddie Murphy, Sam Jay, Travis Bennett, Molly Gordon, Deon Cole, Andrea Savage, Elliot Gould, Rhea Perlman, Mike Epps, Bryan Greenberg, Matt Walsh
Running Time: 118 min.
Rating: R

★★ ½ (out of ★★★★) 

Say this for Kenya Barris' Netflix culture clash rom com, You People: It's funnier than not and many of the jokes land. There's also an inspired premise at its center that positions the film as a more unruly, pessimistic Guess Who's Coming To Dinner. Because it's efficiently made and you grasp the intent, it really comes down to your willingness to be bludgeoned with different variations on a similar joke for the sake of enduring an occasionally awkward sit. Barris (who created TV's Blackish) and co-writer and star Jonah Hill would probably tell you that's the point, and while it scores for not holding back and being refreshingly un-PC, this was never going to be the smoothest ride given its material.

Anyone in need of a harsh reminder that marrying someone means marrying their family, just imagine spending two hours with the wacky, ignorant in-laws here. But considering the lengths the script goes in depicting their self-righteous prejudices, the ending amounts to the proverbial wave of a magic wand. And therein lies the film's conundrum of attempting to reconcile its humor with more serious social commentary. There's this feeling it doesn't quite get there, even if its talented cast does admirable work in balancing the tone. We're at least reminded how good Hill is, creating a relatably insecure character with noble intentions who contends with a bunch of nonsense that brings him to his breaking point. Unfortunately, it's possible viewers might reach theirs first. 

When thirty-five-year-old broker and cultural podcaster Ezra Cohen (Hill) meets fashion designer Amira Mohammed (Lauren London) after mistaking her for his Uber driver, they go out to lunch and embark on a relationship, sharing a mutual attraction despite dissimilar backgrounds. Ezra's family is Jewish, with parents Shelley (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and Arnold (David Duchovny) outwardly enamored by the fact their son's dating a Black woman, a point they embarrassingly hammer home to display how open and tolerant they are. That they do this while holding up lesbian daughter Liza (Molly Gordon) as an example of their progressiveness only magnifies their tunnel vision.

Amira's parents Fatima (Nia Long) and Akbar (Eddie Murphy) are devout Farrahkhan supporting Nation of Islam followers, with him far preferring his Black daughter to date a Muslim. After Ezra and Amira move in together and he contemplates proposing, a joint family dinner goes spectacularly wrong, leading to increased tensions when the engagement is announced. With Akbar publicly humiliating Ezra at every turn, Shelley cluelessly and disrespectfully parades Amira around town for diversity cred, oblivious to how uncomfortable it's making her future daughter-in-law. As the wedding approaches and the tension of their parents' behavior weighs on Amira and Ezra, both start wondering if what they have together is strong enough to withstand their feuding families.

Most of the best moments come from Hill's flustered, deadpan reactions to the constant ribbing and humiliating abuse his character receives from Murphy's Akbar. And while the latter is too humorless a character to even mildly empathize with, there's still a lot of mileage in seeing two talents like Hill and Murphy bounce off each other for the first time. Similarly, there's no telling how much worse this could have been without actors the caliber of Murphy and Louis-Dreyfus, who put their own unique spins on what could have easily been walking stereotypes. Lauren London is likable and engaging as Amira while an opening credit montage featuring Ezra's Black culture podcast with friend Mo (Sam Jay) is an early highlight.  

With the exception of an early gag involving Duchovny's Xzibit obsessed Arnold doing his best John Legend, he and Nina Long are curiously sidelined, their characters lacking personal agency, merely taken along for the ride with their respective spouses. Well directed by Barris with solid performances all-around, it has a repetitive quality that starts to wear thin in the second half. Much of that can be attributed to Shelley and Akbar, whose antics are rooted in the same kind of misunderstandings and everyday prejudices that drive issue oriented sitcoms. But then it keeps going, with characters less resembling real people than lightning rods for controversy. And once the film starts tackling racism and anti-semitism head-on, it feels tonally off, especially when Barris has to take this in for the landing. 

Regardless of how much rumored work was required getting Hill and London on the same page as a believable couple, they're mostly fine together, as any lack of chemistry isn't the film's biggest problem. They share an easygoing rapport that does seem more platonic than romantic, but it's really the chaos surrounding them that wears thin after a while. Following a surprisingly strong start, the concept just seems to run out of gas before reaching an easy conclusion. In aiming to function as a fun, socially relevant time capsule, You People marginally succeeds, but with the pieces of a better movie strewn and scattered about. 

Don't Look Up

Director: Adam McKay
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, Rob Morgan, Cate Blanchett, Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Mark Rylance, Tyler Perry, Timothée Chalamet, Ron Perlman, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Himesh Patel, Melanie Lynskey, Michael Chiklis
Running Time: 138 min.  
Rating: R 

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)

The loudest conversations surrounding Adam McKay's sci-fi satire, Don't Look Up, might center on the likelihood of an event as cataclysmic as what's threatened in the film actually occurring. But that depends on what you consider the real tragedy. A comet potentially wiping out the planet or the hilariously awful ineptitude in which that information's handled by the supposedly smartest, most capable in our society, entrusted to make decisions for humanity's well-being. Could any of this happen? The quickest answer is that it just did, only not with a comet, and this is what gives McKay's film so much power, lifting it from social commentary into something far more scathing and relevant. But that's only half the story, as it takes aim some of the biggest, timeliest targets imaginable, rarely missing.

Having already directed the polarizing The Big Short and Vice, McKay's no stranger to walking a tightrope that sometimes frustrates as many viewers as it delights, but this is operating on a much higher plane. What's most surprising about is how he manages to repeatedly hit these impossible marks, bringing the laughs for almost two and a half hours straight. You sit there expecting it to completely run out of steam because it's just so broad and of the moment, but the truth just keeps funneling through, exposing self-interested government and society that have no idea how pathetically clueless they are. Not that they'd care anyway.  

Whatever divisive reactions exist to the the film itself, it's much harder to claim Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence or even Meryl Streep have ever tackled the kinds of parts they're given here. It feels like a real first, witnessing performers of their caliber strongly playing against preconceptions to juggle some really difficult material they likely jumped at the chance of challenging themselves with. Uncomfortably hilarious, it holds a harsh, revealing mirror up to a society many will recognize as pitifully identical to the one we've been living in for the past couple of years, if not far longer.

When Michigan State University astronomy doctoral candidate Kate Dibiasky (Lawrence) discovers a previously unseen comet hurling toward Earth, her mentor and professor, Dr. Randall Mindy (DiCaprio) comes to the frightening calculation that it'll hit in six months, resulting in an "extinction level event." Joined by NASA's Planetary Defense Coordination head, Dr. Dr. Teddy Oglethorpe (Rob Morgan), they're summoned to the White House to present this information to disinterested President Janie Orlean (Streep) and her obnoxious son and Chief of Staff, Jason (Jonah Hill). With midterm elections on the horizon and a scandal involving a Supreme Court Justice nominee breaking, Orlean selfishly advises them to just sit on it to avoid more bad press.

Shaken by the President's apathy, Kate and Randall leak the news to the media at Oglethorpe's urging,  soon discovering that the public may also not be as receptive to this information as they thought. But with Orlean's popularity dipping amidst further scandal, she realizes her team may be able to use this impending catastrophe and the scientists to her political advantage. With the help of billionaire tech CEO and key donor Peter Isherwell (Mark Rylance), Orlean's plan for handing the comet crisis is put into motion, dividing the nation and sowing unneeded doubt about its very real danger. It'll be up to Kate and Randall to convince the public what's really happening, but it might be too late, as the rapidly approaching comet remains on course to take out human civilization. 

From the very start, there's an anti-science sentiment Kate and Randall have to battle that quickly chips away at everything they knew about themselves and how the government, media and public view their work and competency. Or more accurately, people just don't like bad news and will come up with any excuse not to receive it. Undermined and humiliated from the moment of discovery, they're  now in over their heads, sucked into a machine intended to dismantle and destroy them for stating facts. While it appears one of them is more capable of handing this, even that doesn't end up being true, with the situation understandably rattling them both to their core in very different ways. 

The astronomers have unknowingly entered an arena where Earth's impending demise is laughed off and mocked by fluff morning TV hosts Brie Evantee and Jack Bremmer (Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry), whose phony banter, goofy jokes and insistence on "keeping things light" result in some of the film's funniest, but most depressingly realistic moments. Blanchett and Perry are so good in these scenes, perfectly capturing the kind of annoying, celebrity and social media obsessed camera hogs flooding the air on every major "news" outlet. With hosts far more interested in music star Riley Bina's (Ariana Grande) recent breakup with DJ Chello (Scott Mescudi) than a comet wiping out Earth, the scientists start realizing the level of stupidity they're up against, which extends far beyond just the political spectrum.     

The journey DiCaprio takes Randall on is really something, as this seemingly nerdy, Xanax popping, numbers-obsessed scientist has to find his media sea legs after being thrust into the spotlight. A simple man enjoying a comfortable, if pleasantly mundane life back home with his devoted wife June (Melanie Lynskey) and grown kids, he's suddenly a huge celebrity pressured into telling everyone what they want to hear. And as those drawbacks and rewards push back against his principles, he'll have to make some tough moral choices. As a weakened Randall teeters on the verge of implosion, DiCaprio has what might be his best scene out of many, completely snapping as he channels Peter Finch's Howard Beale in Network with a breakdown that feels like the culmination of everything this guy and the country's been put through.

As Randall adjusts to becoming a media sensation, it's Kate taking the brunt of the backlash, framed as a fear-mongering psycho despite being more well-adjusted and sensible than most. Publicly demeaned by everyone from her journalist boyfriend (Himesh Patel) to the President herself, she's the character who earns the most amount of empathy, as even the naming of the "Dibiasky Comet" feels like an intentional slap in the face, putting an even bigger target of unjustifiable blame on her back. 

With an seemingly permanent look on her face conveying utter disbelief at this insanity, Lawrence's "comeback" performance after a three year break ranks as one of her most nuanced and fascinating, reminding us all what we've missed. Between the President's cruel categorization of her as a poster girl for "disaffected youth and mental illness" and her son's sarcastic cheap shots at Kate's looks and intelligence, Lawrence conveys her character's boiling impatience and frustration with often just a single, piercing glance that speaks volumes. Beaten down through much of the film, she never makes Kate a doormat, imbuing her with the strength and resourcefulness to curb this corrupt hypocrisy, regardless of the consequences.

McKay also incorporates all these smaller details into the script that make for a surreal viewing experience, like the fact this narcissistic, power-hungry President has her own incompetent son serving as Chief of Staff, adding nepotism and cronyism to the list of malfeasance. And if it's going to still be a long running complaint that Streep's nominated for anything, why isn't she even being discussed for this? It's one of the rare recent examples of her taking a huge unexpected leap with this blistering portrayal of a delusional Commander in Chief that may contain some Hillary Clinton mannerisms, but by the actress's own admission, is entirely based on Trump. What's most impressive is the nonchalant arrogance with which Streep plays Orlean, who never once considers the option that anyone will hesitate in doing exactly what she says while happily kissing her ass at the same time. And sadly, she's completely right.

Mark Rylance is weirdly brilliant as BASH cellular CEO Peter Isherwell, a nightmare hybrid of Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs, Richard Branson or any other eccentric, self-absorbed tech billionaire promising to better everyone's lives. There's an expected way to play someone like this, but McKay has Rylance throw that rule book out the window, instead giving him these delightfully strange quirks that add so much to the persona. From Isherwell's odd accent to the creepy calmness, he's either mumbling unintelligibly, leaving out words or staring into space while talking, often making no sense whatsoever. It would have been so easy and predictable to play him as this kind of evil overlord, but McKay's smarter than that, knowing it's the disingenuous benevolence that makes this character resonate. Rylance goes all in, providing his own bizarre take on how these very recognizable personality types behave. 

There have been complaints about film's length, but in this particular case it feels strangely warranted, and that's coming from someone who cringes at any comedy or drama going beyond the two-hour mark. As with any picture, you could probably find areas to trim and tighten, but there's nothing egregiously obvious here. If pressed, even the two weakest sub-plots involving Ariana Grande's pop star character and Kate's relationship with a skateboarding shoplifter named Yule (Timothée Chalamet) don't unnecessarily extend the proceedings. The former is given brief, proportional screen time while you could argue Lawrence and Chalamet's performances help land that latter storyline land in a much better, more meaningful place heading into the third act. As for supposed issues with tone, given the material needs to alternate wildly between laugh-out-loud satire and dramatic events that suddenly seem a lot less fictional now, McKay remains remarkably consistent.               

Just when you think this has run out of people and ideas to skewer or went as far over-the-top as possible, its ending moves the goalpost. But none of it would work if there wasn't something real there with characters who are invested with a depth that make them work as both parodies and people. Comparisons have inevitably been made to Dr. Strangelove, but a more accurate reference point might be the similarly misunderstood, even less easily digestible Southland Tales, in which an eclectic, all-star cast of actors are placed inside an ambitiously imagined universe on the brink of socio-political collapse. Don't Look Up allows us to laugh at all the absurdity, relieved that someone finally had the guts to just say it, and this entertainingly well. With an evergreen quality likely to hold up over repeated viewings, it's the ultimate time capsule, providing a crazy snapshot of a world where the truth's become convenient to dismiss, but even easier to ignore.        

The Wolf of Wall Street

Director: Martin Scorsese
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie, Matthew McConaughey, Kyle Chandler, Rob Reiner, Jon Bernthal, Jon Favreau, Jean Dujardin, Cristin Milioti, Christine Ebersole, Shea Whigham, Jake Hoffman, Joanna Lumley, Spike Jonze, Ethan Suplee
Running Time: 180 min.
Rating: R

★★★★ (out of ★★★★)
 
You know a film did something right when the discussions, arguments, and controversy surrounding it completely take over, deeming the director's motivations and intent for the project almost irrelevant. But I'll be honest. I didn't think Scorsese had it in him. I didn't think that at age 71 he'd still be able to make a film that's ignited as much controversy and debate as The Wolf of Wall Street already has, or feel as timely and pertinent to the world we live in now. And isn't that what all movies should do? Get us talking. Of course, this could be accomplished and the film still be terrible. It's what many believe of the similarly themed Spring Breakers, with which this would make an interesting, if exhausting, double feature. But the real evidence backing it up is on the screen.

It's not Scorsese's job to "punish" Wall Street crook Jordan Belfort or hold our hands and tell us what he and his cohorts did was wrong. Anyone needing guidance or reassurance in determining their actions are deplorable would likely require help beyond what Scorsese can offer. But that doesn't mean those actions and these characters can't be entertaining as hell when it's presented as a dark, twisted tragicomedy of wretched excess. We're meant to laugh at their idiocy, or not laugh at it, because the ball's in our court. It's a satire, but an unusually savvy one that manages to be both hilarious and horrifying in equal measure.

It's 1987 when young, wet behind the ears Queens native Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes a job as a gopher at a prestigious Wall Street brokerage firm before passing the Series 7 and earning his broker's license. When "Black Monday" hits he goes to work for a dumpy Long Island boiler room that specializes in penny stocks, using his master pitching skills to net a fortune and eventually strike out on his own with new friend Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) and a ragtag group of local marijuana dealers. Jordan quickly polishes them up, transforming the newly christened Stratton Oakmont into a major industry force, reeling in millions. Then comes cocaine, quaaludes, sex, strippers, and a descent into hedonism that would make it easy to mistake the firm for a 24-7 orgy. He soon leaves his hairdresser wife (Cristin Milioti) for former model Naomi (Margot Robbie) and begins a rocky marriage, but the firm's illegal practices and suspected securities fraud catch the eye of FBI agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler), who makes it his number one priority to bring Jordan down.

Jordan started by screwing over the poor, then moved on to screwing the rich, and then before all was said and done, he eventually screwed himself and got what was coming to him. Well, not really. And that's the big bone of contention and controversy within the film that never really leaves our minds as we're watching, despite it being entirely faithful to the true story detailed in Belfort's memoir.  From the first frame, Scorsese takes us deep into this world and forces us to hang out with these people and attempt to understand their behavior, as impossible as that seems. There's great use of narration and breaking the third wall right away as Belfort addresses the camera and rattles off all the money he's made and the drugs he had to take just to make it through each day. With his confident, charismatic swagger, he'd seem to be the very definition of an unreliable narrator, if not for the fact that everything he's telling is actually true.

When a senior broker takes him under his wing on his first day and lays out the rules for success on Wall Street (which involves some magical combination of greed, coke and masturbation) over lunch, the speech is so well written by Terence Winter and delivered pitch perfectly by king charisma himself, Matthew McConaughey (in yet another scene-stealing turn), it's easy to see how Jordan fell for his intoxicating pitch of wealth and power. We totally get it. And when Jordan turns around and uses those same motivational tactics on his employees, we're sucked in again. Scorsese and DiCaprio dare us to cheer and laugh at it because it's ridiculous, scary, and also fun. Everyone who takes the bait won't be happy about it, but aren't supposed to be. That's the point. The notion that Jordan could be any one of us or someone we know is tough to face because it's true. That's why the film's three hour running length works to its advantage in a way rarely experienced. We're completely immersed in this world of debauchery, moving a mile a minute from one uproariously memorable sequence to the next, each seemingly more shocking than the last. It's excessive because it needs to be and the party never feels like it'll never stop, making the length seem just right and setting the stage for their inevitable fall. I didn't feel the time at all, a feat the editing Oscar was seemingly created to honor.

In what might be the performance of his career (if not certainly his most rewarding Scorsese collaboration yet) DiCaprio is given the rare opportunity to display his physical comedy chops with in a role that's as funny as it is dramatic. We know he can handle the heavy stuff, but who ever thought him capable of being this hilarious? There's never a moment that feels false or put on and it's unusual to see to the actor lose himself in a character to this extreme, burning the candle at both ends as Jordan appears to be having the time of his life while simultaneously wrecking it to pieces. That he seems completely like this man we don't know and possess so little knowledge of is a credit to how much DiCaprio pours into a performance that makes for an interesting companion piece to his work as Jay Gatsby earlier in the year. A more modern, outsized version of that character, Belfort has even even less of a soul and conscience. It's absolutely thrilling to watch and, nomination or not, will likely be appreciated and revisited for a while, squashing complaints from those down on all the frequent Scorsese-DiCaprio projects.   

Right alongside DiCaprio's tour de force is Jonah Hill's sociopathic, side-splitting turn as Jordan's boisterous associate and best friend, Donnie. Complete with buck teeth, bulging eyes and a colorfully hideous wardrobe even by 80's standards, he offers up what's less a performance than a grotesquely brilliant comedic creation so painfully funny and pathetically tragic you may not even believe it's him delivering it. Ironically it's in this, Hill's most prestigious role, that his gifts as a comedian seem best utilized as he makes Donnie almost uncomfortably real in his desire to fit in and make something of himself. Before things goes horribly awry.

Every line delivery, joke, or physical stunt Hill executes, he hits out of the park, causing me nearly uncontrollable laughter with each appearance. He's been exceptional in other things like Moneyball, but this is on another plane entirely. He and DiCaprio share what's sure to go down as the iconic sequence involving the delayed effects of quaaludes that defies description. Let's just say you'll never want to snack on cold cuts ever again. Actually, there are a lot of scenes like that, walking the razor's edge between comedy and drama to almost absurd extents while still somehow remaining within the boundaries of reality.

At the crux of Jordan's sort of downfall is his tumultuous marriage with "The Dutchess" Naomi and the instant Margot Robbie shows up, I wrongly braced myself for a terrible performance based on her appearance, assuming Leo requested they cast a supermodel for the role. For all I know that could have been entirely true, if not for the fact this is Scorsese we're talking about and the Australian Robbie absolutely nails it, going toe-to-toe with DiCaprio in every scene, while consistently maintaining a Brooklyn accent that never wavers. She clearly hit the jackpot in snagging this role but no one can claim it's a squandered opportunity.

Scorsese also provides director Rob Reiner with an entertaining supporting part as Jordan's trigger-tempered father and security head, "Mad Max" while other fellow directors Jon Favreau and Spike Jonze impress respectively as the firm's legal counsel and a hapless Oakmont employee. Recent Oscar winner Jean Dujardin is also really fun as a slick, Swiss banker with whom Jordan enters into business. Always hanging around the periphery is Kyle Chandler's FBI agent who makes Jordan aware of his presence in one of the best written, unexpected exchanges, and since he's played by "Coach Taylor," we're instantly on his side and know Belfort doesn't stand a chance outsmarting him.  It's fitting that what eventually trips him up is so randomly absurd and ridiculous considering how idiotic his behavior was up until that point. It was only a matter of time before it all caught up with him, and when it did, he still refused to just cash in his chips, even at the expense of losing his family and the firm he built.

Just as it seems Belfort will finally be punished, Scorsese subtly turns the camera on us, showing how the problem's much bigger than he is, with a culture that not only condoned, but often encouraged these behaviors and practices. We still do. He knows the only way to do that is by actually showing us, not telling us. Giving us a morality tale that punishes the character would have been far easier in every respect, but it wouldn't be truthful, nor would it be as dramatically interesting. There's a point where even Jordan worries that the law will come down hard on him, before coming to the realization that he's rich and the rules are different for him. We'll buy his books and go to the motivational seminars where audiences are entranced with the knowledge he has to share. Chandler's FBI agent has won only a very small battle, if he's won at all. He'll still have to ride the hot subway to work, integrity intact. But it's Belfort who will be remembered. Scorsese was stuck between a rock and a hard place in how strong a stance should be taken. If he condemns Belfort he's accused of being preachy, but if he doesn't then he's somehow glorifying his actions. Despite popular belief, he made the right choice in showing an uncensored account of what happened and leaving the judging to us.  

While baring most of the hallmarks that categorize a modern day Scorsese movie, it's still hard to recognize it is one since it feels edgy enough to have been made by a young, hungry filmmaker with something to prove. I've heard DiCaprio describe the film as being "punk" and it's easy to see how that adjective fits with the action, comedy, breakneck pacing and especially the Robbie Robertson supervised soundtrack, which takes the director's penchant for seamlessly incorporating classic rock and flips it on its head with lesser known covers of famous songs. Truthfully, it's strange to be on the side defending him since I'm usually never as excited about his work as everyone else, often respecting rather than flat-out loving his output. Not this time. I was on board all the way. At this point in his career no one would think any less of him if he just took it easy and cashed some paychecks so it's impossible not to greatly admire what he did here, delivering a work that carries all the urgency and reckless energy of his most respected titles.

By all accounts, the real Jordan Belfort and his associates certainly had fun doing this stuff so the damage needs to be shown, even if the result is as close to an NC-17 as it gets. The drugs. The hookers. The money. The strippers. The drugs. The government didn't punish Belfort so it's unfair to ask the filmmaker to do it. But the larger question might be whether the very act of making this picture is in some way irresponsible or signs off on the behavior. As if he's supposed to be a moral policeman for audiences and critics who can't make decisions for themselves. The film is whatever the viewer brings to it, as the best one usually are. And obviously anyone coming out of this thinking Belfort is some kind of anti-hero is welcome to that. But that's their decision, not Scorsese's. His job was to make a great film. It's ours to live with it.

This is the End

Directors: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Starring: Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, David Krumholtz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, Martin Starr
Running Time: 106 min.

★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

Sometimes it can be freeing for viewers to be given a break from the rigid constraints of what we've come to expect from comedies. To be filled with the feeling that literally anything can happen at anytime and what we're watching isn't dependent on a specific formula that's been tried before. This is the End provides that tantalizing proposition, as a group of talented, likable actors are given the opportunity to just cut loose and poke fun at their own celebrity by playing versions of "themselves." It's a golden idea from the minds of Superbad co-writers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, even if it looked more enticing on the page than it ends up being on screen. I kept wondering if maybe these guys setting just a few ground rules would have done the film some good, as it starts out promising until devolving into kind of a mess about midway through.

The admittedly inspired central conceit starts running on fumes after a while, with all the actors in on a joke that wears out it's welcome. And it's a shame because what starts so promisingly eventually amounts to a bunch of actors hanging out on set smoking weed and cursing at each other for almost two hours. What nearly rescues this are all these performers since it can't be overstated how big a fan of theirs I am, only making this disappointment sting just a bit more.

When actor Jay Baruchel arrives in L.A. to meet up with his old friend Seth Rogen, he sees it as an opportunity to get high, eat junk food and play video games. But Rogen has other plans, dragging his unwilling and visibly uncomfortable pal to James Franco's debaucherous housewarming party, which includes celebrity attendees such as Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Rihanna, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Emma Watson, Mindy Kaling, Jason Segel, Aziz Ansari, Kevin Hart, David Krumholtz and Martin Starr. But when Baruchel goes out for cigarettes with Rogen, the two discover mass chaos on the streets, with explosions, fire, and a strange blue light shooting pedestrians up into the sky. It isn't long after they return that a massive crack opens in the earth, swallowing most of Franco's famous partygoers while leaving Baruchel, Rogen, Franco, Hill and Robinson hauled up in his house hoarding supplies and waiting for help. Franco also has an uninvited houseguest in Danny McBride, whose belligerent behavior and glutenous consumption of food and drink is making survival extremely difficult. As tempers flare and tensions escalate at the Franco compound, Jay's bold prediction that the biblical Apocalypse is upon them is looking more more believable by the second.

To call a movie like this "self-indulgent" is not only beside the point, but possibly a high compliment. We wouldn't expect anything else from these guys and would worry if they didn't take every opportunity to lampoon their own images with tongues planted firmly in cheek. That's by far the film's strongest aspect and it's made very clear within the opening minutes with Michael Cera's extended cameo a self-absorbed, drug-addicted celebrity man whore who heinous acts include blinding Christopher Mintz-Plasse with cocaine and sexually harassing Rihanna, The movie never quite repeats it's magic once he departs (in the most spectacularly hilarious way possible). All the dirty, filthy comedy with Cera works because it's truly shocking to see him specifically act like a spoiled Hollywood brat and he just throws himself into it with reckless abandon. And of course there's his unbelievably colorful windbreaker, which should really have its own movie.

When they try to repeat much of Cera's over-the-top hijinx with everyone else it doesn't work as well. We completely expect Rogen, Franco, Hill, McBride, and Robinson to do the craziest things possible, but what's most surprising is just how much of a slog the middle portion of the picture is, with the six of men under lockdown in Franco's house hurling insults at each other and doing drugs for almost an hour straight.  While an "end of the world" scenario with these actors should be exciting, the premise actually turns out to be creatively limiting, almost as if Rogen and Goldberg didn't know what to do once the party stopped and they had to switch gears into Apocalyptic action-comedy. There's this nagging feeling that a real-time movie that revolved entirely around this party would probably be superior to much of what follows. 

That's not say this still doesn't have its moments, most of them coming in smaller doses when the actors spoof their own reputations. Franco is the pretentious "artiste," with his living room doubling as a gallery adorned with Freaks and Geeks paintings and a basement containing a Spider-Man 3 cardboard standee and an Harvey Milk sign. And that's not even mentioning what happens with his prized pistol from Flyboys. Really clever. Jonah Hill is re-imagined as disinengenous and strangely effeminate, competing with Baruchel for Rogen's attention. Craig Robinson's "Mr. Robinson" hand towel never leaves his shoulder while Danny McBride is, well, Danny McBride. Or more accurately, he's Kenny Powers. He also appears in an epic breakfast montage sure to make Walt Jr. and Ron Swanson jealous, as well as a homemade Pineapple Express sequel trailer with Rogen and Franco you almost wish were real. While it's hard to categorize these as "performances," they really are in every sense. Even that's a joke in itself when in one of the film's first scenes Rogen is harassed at the airport by a papparazzo asking why he always plays the same role over and over. That these guys all definitely seem in on it and clearly don't take themselves seriously in the slightest is at the crux of all the best scenes.

They have the right lead in Baruchel, who's great as a socially awkward hipster struggling to hang on to his friendship with Rogen despite his disdain for L.A. and everyone in it. It was smart making him the only semi-normal character in the movie, giving the audience an eyes and ears, not to mention someone really likable to root for. That everyone now gets to see just how good the former Undeclared star is may end up being this movie's biggest contribution. There's definitely a lack of female presence, with the exception of Emma Watson's extended cameo that puts her at the center of a joke that really isn't funny. While I can't say it directly contradicts with the rest of the film's tone, something about it does seem especially mean and tone-deaf. While it's arguable this joke could have even worked under any circumstances, they're undeniably way off with the execution, revolving the film's cruelest joke around an actress that whose presence instantly makes the situation seem horrifyingly uncomfortable rather than comical.

Very little needs to be said about the apocalyptic aspect of the story because if it were excised entirely I'm not sure you'd be left with something that's all that different. The special effects strike the right balance in that they're cheap enough looking to be funny, yet impressive enough looking to pass off as disaster movie worthy. But the actual apocalypse is the weak link in this, taking a backseat to all the meta references and existing primarily as the creative catalyst to strengthen Rogen and Baruchel's bromance. So by those standards it does undeniably succeed, especially at the finish line.

If I could pick a project from these actors that this most reminds me of in terms of tone it would probably be the Franco-McBride starring lowbrow comedy Your Highness, only with the Apocalypse standing in for a medievel adventure. It's ironic they justifiably trash that during this, and while actually comparing the two may be stretching it, there are definite similarities in terms of the style of humor. This is the End is much smarter and funnier, but gets most of its leverage from extremely likable actors just having a blast together, even as the audience is sometimes left out in the cold.                   

21 Jump Street

Directors: Phil Lord and Chris Miller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson, Dave Franco, Ellie Kemper, Rob Riggle, Ice Cube, Nick Offerman, Jake Johnson, Chris Parnell, Holly Robinson Peete, Johnny Depp
Running Time: 109 min.
Rating: R

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

It's early on in 21 Jump Street when rookie officers and former high school classmates Morgan Schmidt (Jonah Hill) and Greg Jenko (Channing Tatum) are drolly informed by Capt. Hardy (Parks and Rec's Nick Offerman) that they've been taken off bicycle park duty and reassigned to the recently resurrected "Jump Street" project. He then goes on a rant about how the department lacks creativity and must pathetically recycle their old programs because they've run out of ideas. It was right about there that I sensed this could work. But I couldn't have guessed it would rank amongst the very best recent mainstream comedies, sharing only its title and (briefly) Johnny Depp with the cheesy 1980's FOX cop drama. Gut-bustingly hysterical from start to finish, it's the rare comedy where everything works and the laughs are firing on all cylinders. Subversive and smart, it executes what's actually a very clever premise to its fullest potential and then some. Eyes may have rolled when this project was announced, but the result isn't what you'd think. Not only does it avoid the creative fate of so many failed TV to film adaptations like the The A-Team, Miami Vice or Starsky and Hutch, but it wouldn't surprise me if it shows up on more than a few top 10 lists at the end of the year. Including mine. It's that good, ingeniously merging both the cop buddy movie and high school comedy formula for maximum enjoyment.

Reporting to the Jump Street chapel, Schmidt and Jenko are informed by the hotheaded Captain Dickson (Ice Cube) that, due to their youthful appearances, they've been selected to go undercover at a local high school to infiltrate a drug ring that led to a student's death. Posing as brothers, their intended fake identities are accidentally switched, forcing them to take each others' classes. But when they discover the dealer is popular student Eric (Dave Franco), both must make it a priority to take him down, even as Schmidt's falling for the  Molly (Brie Larson), a pretty girl in his drama class who's also Eric's girlfriend. Jenko hangs out with the nerds in AP Chemistry as his sexually frustrated teacher (Ellie Kemper) tries to put the moves on him. Mesmerized by their chance to re-live high school and engulfed in its social hierarchy, they're often so distracted that they forget they have a drug supplier to find and a potentially dangerous case to crack in order to be taken seriously as cops.  

The movie's best comedic moments are situational and the clever script by Michael Bacall is surprisingly high concept in how it marks the huge difference for these two characters from the first time they went through high school way back in 2005. In an embarrassingly hilarious and endearing opening flashback sequence we see Schmidt, with hair bleached blond like Eminem, attempt (and fail) to ask a popular girl to the prom as dumb jock Jenko mocks him. Years later they're helping each other get through police training, but when they arrive to go undercover they can't help but wonder if they'll settle right back into their teen roles again, with Jenko as the popular jock and Schmidt the nerd. But here's where the film's really smart in its execution. From the second they arrive, it's clear things aren't what they used to be. Bullying is now a serious offense, the jocks aren't as high on the social ladder, and drama class is actually considered cool. The explanation given for all this: "Glee." And ironically it seems the very same overbearing, sincere qualities that initially made Schmidt a loser his first go-around around make him insanely popular in this new environment.

With their switched identities, both are forced to do things we wouldn't expect from either the characters or actors playing them, which create most of the laughs. Just the thought of seeing Channing Tatum (who classmates justifiably think is about 40) giving a chemistry presentation or Jonah Hill playing Peter Pan in a school production would be funny enough on its own, but because the story actually gives us a  reason for it, these scenes play even funnier than they should. Taking this role was the best move Tatum could have possibly made, erasing the stigma that he's wooden and uncharismatic. He's definitely the straight man to the noticeably slimmed-down Hill, but his comic timing is impeccable, showing range as an actor beyond what was assumed. Pairing him with Hill was a masterstroke precisely because of how different they are physically and otherwise. You wouldn't expect them to have great chemistry together but once they get going, it's such a home run that it seems crazy someone didn't think of teaming them sooner. Hill has the trickier role, having to play up his emerging popularity while still viewing himself as somewhat of a loser because of his history. He's especially effective when he gets a taste of that unfamiliar, previously unattainable respect and it goes straight to his head, causing him to get so involved in this world that he practically forgets he's undercover. And as he does, we do as well because directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller do such a good job depicting this environment and everyone's place in it.

Brie Larson's Molly doesn't feel like your typical love interest and a far better written character than we're used to seeing in a comedy like this. Her relationship with the popular Eric isn't really even much of a relationship at all and that's fully acknowledged, giving her a real presence and personality that exists outside of her being on a guy's arm. But the biggest credit to the maturity and wit Larson brings to the role is that we're genuinely rooting for Hill's character to win this girl over and laughing too hard to even consider the moral or legal ramifications of an undercover cop picking up a high school student. Granted we know the actress is older and it's a comedy, but that's still impressive and proves the directors and actors really have a airtight grip on tone, allowing nothing to get in the way and somehow sidestepping any creepiness (the same applies to the sub-plot with Tatum and his teacher). It also helps that many of Larson's dialogue exchanges with Hill are authentic and funny. Just based on her work here, she seems primed to travel a route similar to Emma Stone, receiving the same massive, well deserved bump that actress experienced starring opposite Hill in Superbad. The impression she makes is just as strong.

Dave Franco, James Franco's younger brother, looks and acts exactly how you'd expect Franco's little bro to look and act, which can't be viewed as anything but a compliment. It's almost inaccurate to call his character a bully since he's a new kind of bully: The wuss. Eric doesn't exactly fit the standard teen movie profile of a jock with a hot girlfriend, and he's only slightly unlikable, allowing Franco to do something a little different with what's usually a tired character. As strong as Hill and Tatum are as a tandem, it's hard to envision the film being of the same quality with actors other than Larson and Franco opposite them. Comedian Rob Riggle also manages to really bring the sleaze as a scumbag gym teacher.

It probably seems like I've given away too much, but in actuality it's nothing. The real joy is in watching this clever story out and witnessing the chaotic and hysterical scenes unfold. Whether it's a wild drug trip, Schmidt's house party gone bad, a high speed car chase, a school play gone very wrong, or the exciting prom night climax, the movie rarely steps wrong and is consistently funny all the way through. And as for the expertly placed Depp cameo, he comes off more entertaining and energized during these brief moments on screen than he was on the original show that launched his career, and probably most of his recent movies. But this is Hill and Tatum's show. They own it, together comprising one of the more unusual and likable comic duos in a long time. Supposedly, the wheels are already in motion for a 21 Jump Street sequel, and if this film's quality is any indication of what's in store, it can't arrive soon enough.

Moneyball

Director: Bennett Miller
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Chris Pratt, Robin Wright, Kerris Dorsey
Running Time: 133 min.
Rating: PG-13 

★★★ ½ (out of ★★★★)

What struck me most while watching Moneyball was how little I knew about the events that occurred, and whatever I did know, I had problems remembering.  That's sure to be the reaction of anyone watching who's only a casual baseball fan and that's exactly the point. History is written by the winners and the Oakland Athletics didn't win the 2002 World Series despite setting a new Major League record with their 20 game winning streak. In fact, they didn't even make it there. Those aren't spoilers, just statistics in a film that's all about statistics. At one point A's GM Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) says that people only ever remember your last game and he'd be proven right since what happened that year feels like fresh news to anyone who didn't follow the sport closely or read Michael Lewis' 2003 book that provides the film's basis.

Strapped for cash and unable to compete with other teams, Beane improvised and challenged the way those inside baseball thought about and evaluated the sport, even if many didn't feel like admitting it. Interesting and analytical rather than emotional, it's an incredibly welcome change in a genre prone to sentimental grandstanding where it all comes down to the "big game." There's none of that here. Crisply told and featuring two outstanding  performances, this is rousing entertainment at its best. While it'll probably still play best for fans of the sport, it's everybody else who needs to see it and experience the joy of a story told well enough to convert them.

After having star players Johnny Damon and Jason Giambi snatched from the deep pocketed Red Sox and Yankees, Beane is faced with the daunting task of assembling a competitive team despite being the poorest in the league. In a clubhouse full of old school scouts, he's told the answer's what it's always been: Evaluate talent based on their strengths and weaknesses, while factoring in some other intangibles like "look"and "marketability" to obtain the best talent within their price range. It isn't until a trip to Cleveland and an encounter with Yale economics grad Peter Brand (Jonah Hill) that Beane's introduced to a sabermetric method of scouting created by former factory worker Bill James that relies on objective statistics and data rather than a subjective evaluation of a player's perceived strengths and weaknesses. Objectively, only numbers matter. After hiring Brand away from the Indians as his new assistant GM, Beane devises a plan to recruit players based on their on-base percentage and the radical idea causes an uproar amongst his seasoned scouts and enrages manager Art Howe (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Creating an "island of misfit toys" with players no one wants or would take a chance on, Beane and Brand must overcome a rough start and harsh criticism to turn the Athletics into a winning team again.

The film was co-written by Oscar winning Social Network screenwriter Aaron Sorkin and you can tell. He seems to be on a role lately with adapting non-fiction material and making it crackle on screen, injecting excitement and suspense into conversations about baseball strategy and statistics just as he did for computer programming and courtroom depositions. He does this by not only letting us know the people having the conversations, but conveys what's at stake for them. Billy Beane's own disappointing Major League playing career informs the story through flashbacks since the scouting system he's pushing almost seems to be a bittersweet retaliation at the one that failed him. Pegged as a can't miss prospect he missed big when the Mets drafted him in 1980 management looking at perceived intangibles instead of numbers.

The idea that Beane's ultimate destiny was never to be a player but do this informs every scene, particularly his interaction with the players. There's one involving his attempts to get through to a 37-year-old David Justice (played memorably by Stephen Bishop) that epitomizes the uphill battle he has and the honesty with which he approaches the challenge. Who knows if the conversation even took place but the magic in their exchange is in wondering how great it would be if it went down just like that. Art Howe comes across as the fool of the picture to the point that even calling him the team's manager is a stretch since all he cares about is a contract renewal as Beane handles much of the coaching. You can't watch without wondering how pissed the real Howe must be about this portrayal. On one hand you sympathize with him being undermined at every turn, yet there's no denying it's hilarious, more so with an angry, deadpan Hoffman playing him. The media attributing the A's remarkable turnaround to his brilliant managerial mind provides the biggest laugh of the movie.

This is Brad Pitt's show, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, he gives one of his best performances and is pretty much a lock for a Best actor nomination. While his role earlier in the year in The Tree of Life may have technically been more challenging from a craft perspective, this is the kind of big movie star turn Academy members will be foaming at the mouth to nominate and there's even a good chance he'll win. Charismatic, likable, sympathetic, funny and carrying the entire film with seemingly effortless charm, the full scope of Brad Pitt has never been as prominently displayed as it is here, and in a big studio picture to boot. The level of difficulty hardly matters since it's a virtual highlight reel of all the talents that make him a star, much like Clooney in Michael Clayton, Cruise in Jerry Maguire or Redford in anything during the '70's. The role seems tailor made for him and and watching how everything turned out it's clear he deserves a lot of credit for trusting his instincts and sticking with a project lingering in development hell for years that many didn't think would see the light of day.

While you can use a permanent marker to write in Pitt for a nomination, it wouldn't surprise me if Jonah Hill goes along for the ride in the supporting category as Paul Brand (who's based on real life A's assistant GM Paul DePodesta). After only testing the dramatic waters a little in smaller films, this is Hill's first full plunge into a serious role and it's a pleasant surprise how excellent he is in it and what an oddly effective pair he and Pitt make. Entering a lion's den of locker room traditionalists, Hill plays Brand as extremely knowledgeable, yet overwhelmed and intimidated by the experience. What's neat is how it does contain some of the comic moments you'd expect from him, but restrained in a completely different context. It's easily the best work he's ever done and the true definition of a supporting performance, anchoring the film and Pitt the whole way through as his right-hand man..

In the far smaller but still fairly important role of A's 1st baseman Scott Hatteberg, Parks and Recreation's Chris Pratt is perfectly cast as the shocked and scared premiere pick of Beane and Brand's who has to step up and become the on-field poster boy of their statistical experiment. The little time spent on Beane's personal life is there to advance the sports story that's unfolding and get to know him, which is how it should be. There's just the right amount of emphasis on that and his ex-wife (Robin Wright) and daughter (Kerris Dorsey) that it doesn't feel like an intrusion meant to soften the character or show how his life is in shambles as a lesser script might.

Director Bennett Millers' handling of the material is tremendous in how he visually simplifies what could have been a dense watch for non-sports fans, with the playing scenes only bolstered by Mychael Danna's anthemic score. At 2 hours and 13 minutes the film arguably could have used a snip or a trim, but it's difficult to feel that way watching it. If anything, it's so level-headed and straightforward it's biggest problem may be that it's the type of film easier to respect than love, but time will tell.  When Beane says "it's easy to be romantic about baseball" we expect nothing less than an easy, inspirational conclusion. Instead we get one that leaves you to consider what constitutes "winning" and wondering whether Beane could have been toppled by the very approach he helped popularize. When the title card appeared on screen revealing what became of him since that '02 season, I heard audible gasps of shock from the audience, perhaps a testament to how few still know what he accomplished in a sport primarily concerned with who won the last game.

Get Him to the Greek

 

Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Elizabeth Moss, Sean Combs, Colm Meaney
Running Time: 109 min.
Rating: R

★★ 1/2 (★★★★)

Russell Brand's hedonistic, self-destructive rocker Aldous Snow from 2008's mostly forgettable Forgetting Sarah Marshall probably wouldn't top my list of supporting comic characters I'd like to see spun off into their own film. That he's joined again by Jonah Hill still doesn't do much to raise my excitement level, at least on paper.  On the bright side, neither of them were close to being the most annoying aspect of that film, or even its most unlikable character so thankfully Get Him to the Greek isn't a direct sequel to that. Here again, both actors are far from the problem and do a terrific job fleshing out parts that should have propelled a great comedy. At times it shows glimpses that it could be, but despite being a slightly smarter effort than Sarah Marshall and considerably more ambitious, it suffers from nearly the same exact problem that film had: A tonally awkward mix of comedy and drama. One second this film's a riff on celebrity pop culture, only to turn around the next and actually try to make some kind of serious social commentary on it.  It all comes to a head in a messy third act where you can literally sense two separate movies fighting for onscreen dominance, with neither winning side winning and the audience suffering slightly for having endured the battle. Because of this, and a tired satirical target, it's only sporadically amusing. There are some bright spots but just too much is thrown together in a haphazard way for it to be considered a comedic success.

This time around, instead of playing an obsessive resort employee Hill is Aaron Green, an entry-level talent scout for a major recording company that's rapidly losing money. When his boss, egotistical Segio Roma (a very funny Sean "P. Diddy" Combs) needs a game-changing idea, Aaron comes up with the idea of Aldous Snow (Brand) and his band Infant Sorrow playing a show at L.A.'s famed Greek Theater commemorating the tenth anniversary of their most famous concert. Now Aaron has to travel to the U.K. and find a way to get him there, which is more difficult than necessary considering the hard-partying Snow's 'round-the-clock schedule of sex and drugs. That's only escalated by the depression surrounding his recent break-up with longtime girlfriend, pop star Jackie Q. (Rose Byrne), and his shaky relationship with his estranged father (Colm Meaney). As a longtime fan, Aaron's investment is also personal as he tries to repair the career of a faded rock star who's last single, the politically incorrect and offensive "African Child," was blasted by music critics as the "worst thing to happen to Africa since the apartheid." He also has a relationship problem of his own with a rift growing between him and his overworked live-in girlfriend, Daphne (Mad Men's Elizabeth Moss) who he rarely gets to spend any time with because of her busy schedule.

This entire premise is about as thin as it gets but I was surprised just how much mileage writer/director Nicholas Stoller gets out of it. Maybe too much.  He takes a big risk trying to spoof something that's already a spoof of itself and choosing a starring actor in Brand who's essentially portraying a character indistinguishable from whom we perceive him to be as a celebrity. Try as you might to avoid it, this guy (and many other celebrities like him) are shoved in our faces everyday no matter what channel you flip to or magazine you read and it's puzzling to think why anyone would want to see a comedy revolving around a subject already overexposed to death as it is. This is one of those cases where you have a timely concept but also a stale one since there's no way to possibly approach it from a fresh angle.  And as ridiculous as the Aldous Snow songs and videos are, they're still much less ridiculous than a lot of the pop/rock stuff that's being put out today and probably of higher quality, so what's this spoofing exactly? They're making a joke out of something that's already a big mockery and didn't need much help to begin with.  Far from the most inspired, original idea for a comedy, for a while it at least knows enough not to take itself too seriously, which is when it works best.

The biggest mistake comes when it stops goofing around and actually asks us to feel sorry for Brand's character. This continues the tiresome trend in all these Apatow-produced comedies of trying to teach moral lessons about guys having to grow up and take responsibility. It was much more tolerable in films like Role Models and I Love You, Man which never lost sight of their mission to provide laughs and knew not to take its message seriously. But as he already proved with Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Stoller can't juggle tone at at all so every crude joke seems to be followed by semi-serious scene trying to apologize for it. By the last third of the movie everything completely flies off the rails and turns into a misguided mish-mash of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Almost Famous, even going so far as to crib a scene directly from the latter. The shame is whether they're just playing variations on their own personalities or not, Brand and Hill make a great comedy team and do gel really well together on screen, with Brand proving he's capable of going to darker, more interesting places as an actor if he's called on to do it. This shouldn't have been that time and requests for us to feel any kind of sympathy for such a flimsy, one-dimensional character should have been off-limits. As surprisingly good as Brand is here, he can't be expected to work miracles or act in two entirely different movies at once. Rose Byrne is frighteningly dead-on as his pop star girlfriend but she's another character who suffers in the laughs department because she actually seems respectable compared to current talentless music stars making headlines. Unsurprisingly, Elizabeth Moss is likable and funny as Aaron's girlfriend but Stoller's script undercuts her efforts with a creative decision in the third act so ill-conceived and tonally out of place I had to check and make sure I was still watching the same movie.

At only 109 minutes the film feels overlong, as if many of the jokes were simply repeated to stretch out the running time (How many times do we really need to see Jonah Hill drunk and puking?) Scarier still, when it was over I discovered I actually viewed the theatrical version, not the EXTENDED Unrated director's cut. What more could possibly added to something like this? Why would you want to add anything? And therein lies the problem. So many of these comedies are just too ambitious, trying to do a million things at once when just providing some laughs is good enough. The script does occasionally cut loose and do that really well  (particularly during a "Today Show" sequence and a bad drug trip in Vegas involving Diddy's character) but Stoller's desire to "say something" is always annoyingly present, ready to intrude. But even as messy and unfocused as Get Him to the Greek is, it's still slightly better than Forgetting Sarah Marshall. I'd rather see a likable comedy fail to work as a drama than a depressing drama posing as a comedy.

Superbad

Director: Greg Mottola
Starring: Jonah Hill, Michael Cera, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bill Hader, Seth Rogen, Martha MacIsaac, Emma Stone
Running Time: 114 min.
Rating: R

**** (out of ****)

It's sometimes not so easy to admit, but it can be tough going into a movie that's been hyped up to the level Superbad has. When I keep hearing from everyone that it's the funniest movie they've ever seen and television and the internet build it up to no end it's almost makes me afraid to see it. I mean no film can be THAT good….can it? It becomes harder to go in with a clear mind because there are "expectations." It's times like these where I wish I could lock myself in a room until the film opens so I don't have to hear anything about it. I can go in completely fresh without a single preconceived notion about the film's quality. In this media obsessed universe that notion is beyond impossible, but that's okay. I like to think (perhaps naively) that I can put all that other junk aside when the opening credits roll and judge for myself. A movie has to sink or swim on its own because hype and publicity can only take you so far. It has to, you know, actually be a good movie. It seems since the start of 2007 Superbad was crowned as the comedy event of the year and the word "McLovin" took its place in the pop culture lexicon long before the film actually ever opened.

So, is Superbad the teen sex comedy to end all teen sex comedies? I won't answer that because there have been many more before it and I'm sure they'll be even more after, but it is the first teen sex comedy in years to recapture the magic of something like Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Porky's or Dazed and Confused. There won't be another Superbad. You won't ever again see another Evan, Seth or Fogell unless we get a sequel. What you will probably get is rip-off versions of them in inferior comedies for years to come. When that happens we'll then really be able to look back and realize just how cleverly Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg wrote those characters. Those characters, by the way, are themselves and they co-wrote this film when they were only 14. And yes, it's hilarious. The f-bombs drop like crazy and the dick jokes fly like never before, but there's a lot more there. If it there wasn't it would still be a great comedy, but because there is, it becomes a great movie. It perfectly captures the awkwardness of being in high school and growing up in even the smallest moments, while at the same time nearly slaying you with its dirty humor. Like most comedies these days it probably could have been cut by about 15 minutes, but that's a minor complaint against a mostly perfect movie. After all, it's not often you can say you spent quality time with movie characters who act like real people and whose company you actually enjoy.

Like any teen comedy the plot concerns the two things that are most important in any high school guy's life: beer and girls. Not necessarily in that order either, but in this film they happen to be. Overweight, obnoxious Seth (Jonah Hill) and his awkward best friend, Evan (Michael Cera) are inseparable high school seniors facing impending separation when they go off to different colleges in the fall. Even if, up until now, the biggest problem in their universe was which type of porn to order. The opportunity of a lifetime presents itself when school hottie Jules (Emma Stone) organizes a party and Seth volunteers to provide the alcohol, actually giving him a chance to score while providing Evan the opportunity to close the deal with longtime crush Becca (Martha MacIsaac). It's a deal he has big problems closing since he's scared to death.

The potential keys to this kingdom reside with the only "friend" they know with a fake i.d, the socially inept geek Fogell (Christopher Mintz-Plasse). That i.d., much to Fogell's delight, misidentifies him as a 25 year-old organ donor from Hawaii named "McLovin." The film follows the three over a one-day period from when they arrive at school to Jules' big party later that night. Their mission to get the alcohol and arrive at the party in one piece is the fun of the movie. It doesn't seem like much on paper but director Greg Mottola (The Daytrippers) suggests the possibility of these kids scoring at the party is right up there with the discovery of the Holy Grail. If you think about it, when you're in high school, it really is.

There are about a dozen laughs a second in this, but if I had to pick some of the biggest for me they'd include a dream sequence (or rather three of them) in a liquor store, an unfortunate accident on Seth's leg at a party and a flashback involving his very unhealthy drawing obsession when he was younger. I'm not even scratching the surface though. There are many more, but what's most impressive is how the movie succeeds in the little scenes that shouldn't be funny but are because they so accurately capture that awkwardness of growing up. There's one scene in the hallway with Evan attempting to have a conversation with Becca, but he reacts just the wrong way to everything she says and is oblivious to her blatantly obvious cues that she likes him. Rogen and Goldberg's script just nails it. It also helps that Evan is played Michael Cera, who's basically transporting his small screen George Michael character from Arrested Development to the big screen with nothing lost in the translation. He has to be the king of the awkward pause and stammering delivery. Is he capable of playing any other character? I have no idea, but I'm not eager to find out since he does this one so well.

Unlike Evan, Seth is detestable, but what most seem to have missed is that he's annoying and vulgar because he's just projecting his own self-hatred. He doesn't think he stands a chance with any girl (must less a hot one) unless she's completely trashed so he hides behind his insults and sex jokes. Is he right? We find out at the end and the answer will surprise us and him. Even funnier is his extreme possessiveness of Seth, really the only friend he has, who he risks driving away with his insane behavior. If there's ever a live action South Park movie you can bet Jonah Hill's going to be the first to read for Cartman.

Fogell represents Seth's worst nightmare: a threat to his friendship with Evan and the ultimate deal killer for any slim chance he may have with a hot girl. He wouldn't even have him around if not for that fake id. and even with that he still treats him like crap. When Fogell first appears on screen and memorably delivers the line, "Hey Gangstas. What's up?" we know we're being treated to the birth of an iconic movie character and a star-making performance from Christopher Mintz-Plasse. He's a geek, but one you'll recognize from high school, not a cartoon. That's a delicate balance to strike, but Plasse finds it. A big deal has been made about the scene where Fogell, after being victimized in a liquor store robbery, is forced to reveal his fake identity to two bumbling police officers played by Rogen and Bill Hader. What's funnier though is the cops' reaction and how they deal with "McLovin" for the rest of the picture. It was something I didn't expect to work well at all and seems out of left field, but it clicks because of the chemistry that exists between Rogen, Hader and Plasse. At First glance, the cops seem just incompetent and stupid, but later we're given an explanation for their behavior that I was actually really happy with. It makes sense in a crazy sort of way, at least for this movie. These cops may be completely reckless and irresponsible, but they're not stupid. No one in this movie is stupid, just hilariously unique.

The film's epic running time (at least for a comedy) kind of works in its favor toward the end as the suspense of what will happen to these guys at the party becomes almost unbearable. Sure, lessons are learned and realizations are made but how it happens and what is actually learned couldn't be more surprising. It's not only an unusually strong ending for a comedy, but one that's entirely believable and makes sense. It's also the rare film that treats its female characters with respect and intelligence. Neither love interest here is the typical "popular bitch" stereotype prevalent in nearly every teen movie. They actually look and act like real high school girls, not actresses or supermodels. They're smart and have actual opinions and feelings about what these guys are doing, which is never clearer than in the final minutes. They're not just props and are just as important to the story as the guys are.

This movie pushes the envelope about as far as it can go in terms of language and crudeness, but it's not gratuitous. Anyone will tell you this is how high school kids talk…all the time. It's here where you realize how much it means to have Judd Apatow attached to this project as a producer. The man just gets it and it's clear he's operating at an entirely different level than anyone else in Hollywood when it comes to comedy. This may go down as the year Apatow saved comedy as we know it. Just the thought that there could many more movies starring this core group of talented actors and writers is reason enough alone to be excited about the future of the genre. John Hughes can stay in retirement. Comedies don't get much funnier or smarter than this. Any way you look at it, hype or no hype, Superbad qualifies as super great.

Accepted

Director: Steve Pink
Starring: Justin Long, Jonah Hill, Blake Lively, Lewis Black, Adam Herschman, Columbus Short, Maria Thayer, Hannah Marks
Running Time: 90 min.
Rating: PG-13

**1/2 (out of ****)

Accepted is an excellent example of what separates a good comedy from a great one. It raises the interesting question of whether you judge a movie on what it is or what it could have been. What it could have been was the best college set comedy since Animal House, but what it ends up being is entertaining and efficiently funny. The premise is so strong and the movie so close to greatness you can almost smell it, but it makes stupid little mistakes that were avoidable. It was probably a script rewrite away from really being something. There are still a lot of good things in it but not enough to earn a mild recommendation.

Bartleby Gaines (Justin Long), known to his friends as B., isn't going to college. He just couldn't get in anywhere. So what's he going to do? Make one up. With the help of his rotund friend Schrader (Jonah Hill, who steals the entire film) they create a web site for a fictional college named the South Harmon Institute of Technology (S.H.I.T.-get it?) and produce a fake acceptance letter for his parents. Surprisingly, and to the movie's credit, the S.H.I.T. joke doesn't get old as they constantly find inventive variations on it throughout the movie. Of course, his folks want to see the place, so with some help, they renovate an old run down mental hospital, get some fake students for show, and they're in business. The only problem is every student who couldn't get in to any college anywhere applied online and were accepted. Now they're all showing up at the front door for class and B. has to figure out how to run a college. They also face the threat of eviction from nearby prestigious Harmon College, where Schrader and Monica (Blake Lively), the girl of B.'s dreams, are enrolled.

You probably know how this is all going to end. What you don't know, however, is that this film actually does kind of have something to say and is enjoyable much of the way through. It's not laugh out loud hysterical (although parts are) but it's definitely funny and the characters are memorable. Sometimes an actor is given a line that may seem mildly amusing on paper, but when delivered onscreen it just hits a home run. I must have seen the scene with Schrader dressed as a hot dog telling everyone to "ask me about my weiner" at least a hundred times before seeing the film and laughed every time. When I saw it in the context of the movie I was still on the floor laughing. The sincerity and idiocy with which Jonah Hill deivers it with is perfect and he does the same for just about every other single line he's given in the movie. The guy is just hysterical and it would be worth seeing this if only just for his performance. What I like about the Schrader character is that he does stupid things, but he's not stupid. He knows how illegal this whole operation and against his better judgement goes along for the ride. It was also great to see comedian Lewis Black finally get a role worthy of him as the bitter, grumpy shoe salesman who acts as the fake dean of the college.

Justin Long (the guy in the Apple commericals) is nearly pushing thirty yet I still found him believable as a college freshman and he made a good straight man to all the ridiculousness that sorrounded him. I really liked how they handled his relationship with Monica as they've known each other for years, but never really knew each other at all. There's a great scene where B. thinks she's asking him to the prom, but she's really asking him if he could mow her lawn. She's a nice person who just really isn't aware of his existence through no fault of her own and I liked the way Blake Lively played her. She doesn't do anything actorish and is just really natural as a normal, pretty girl. One of the best performances of the movie comes from Hannah Marks as B.'s wise way beyond her years little sister who knows everything her brother is up to and is easily smarter than every character in the movie.

With all these things the movie does right it almost does as many wrong. Why is it PG-13? If there was ever an opportunity to make a good, old fashioned R rated college comedy it was this. With kids creating their own college the opportunity for gross-out hysterics and over the top comedy was limitless. Instead it's limited, like the filmmakers were too afraid an R rating could hurt the box office. Also, way too much screen time is given to a very annoying character named Glen who's head looks like an eraser. Nothing he does is funny and he's given an amount of screen time that should qualify as cruel and unusual punishment for the viewer.

The script often throws common sense out the window. I know we're supposed to suspend disbelief to the max in a comedy like this, but the movie doesn't even try to make any of this the slightest bit believable. That this stunt would require students with a college education to pull off I'm willing to forgive. Or that no one has anywhere to sleep or eat I can deal with. I mean, it is college. What I can't handle (spoiler warning!) is the students being in complete shock late in the movie that this wasn't a real college and feeling upset and betrayed. Gee, what gave it away that it was a fake college guys? Plus, why would they care as long as they're having fun? This goes against the spirit of the whole movie.

The film contains some really good ideas about higher education such as that colleges don't really do anything to prepare you for the real world and you should always just follow what you're interested in. I liked the idea board they came up with where students create their own classes. Unfortunately, the movie grandstands at the end painting the issue in black and white with evil Harmon College up the road killing education and suffocating students with structure and discipline. The villains are caricatures, the issue isn't that one-sided and the final courtroom scene is embarassing, even for a comedy like this. The movie deserved better.

This is the directing debut for Steve Pink who co-wrote Grosse Pointe Blank and High Fidelity with John Cusak. He just directed it. There's no way a man who co-wrote those movies could have had any hand in writing this, I would hope. This is not even close to being in the same leasgue as those two films. It sounds like I hate the movie, which I don't. It's actually pretty good and at least worth a rental. Even with all it's problems, I still may have enjoyed it more than Old School. When it was over though, I couldn't help feeling that, like the applicants to this college, this movie just failed to reach it's full potential. That's a shame because Accepted had all the ingredients to be the best collegiate comedy in years.