planetdan.net movies

Sunday, August 21, 2005 :::

The 40 Year Old Virgin

Rating:

Why I saw it: I like Steve Carell.

What I think about it: In spite of it's raunchy premise, and even raunchier execution, The 40 Year Old Virgin is actually a funny, sweet-natured, and realistically-observed movie that made me warm and happy throughout the entire course of its two-hour running time. I mention the running time, because unlike The Wedding Crashers, The 40 Year Old Virgin has no lulls or slow spots. It's consistent and balanced from beginning to end, and never sacrifices its character development in favor of far-fetched sight gags with convoluted set-ups. The humor comes from the characters and their realistic quirks as well as from its astute observations about human interactions when it comes to sex and dating. In a surprisingly good and understated performance, Steve Carell makes the main character so likable and endearing that it actually does come as a funny shock to hear him swearing like a sailor during a chest-waxing scene that in any other movie would have been annoyingly cloy. He never takes his performance over the top, like Will Farrell seems so desperate to do lately, and the result is less shallow and more impressive. I think Andy The Virgin is one of the most humanly endearing characters to grace the big screen in a really long time. I'm sure no one will agree with me, but I would even venture to say that the performance, if not the entire movie, is award-worthy.

I love how rated-R comedies are finally back in style. All that boring PG-13 crap was really starting to bore me. *cough* meet the fockers *cough*

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::: posted by dan at 10:48 PM :: #

Monday, August 15, 2005 :::

Wedding Crashers

Rating:

Why I saw it: I was hoping it would be funny.

What I think about it: Although it's not a bad comedy, The Wedding Crashers is the type of movie that you can easily script out in your head before you even enter the theater. There is no room for surprises. So for the first half of the movie, you sit in dread, enjoying the humor, but just waiting for the inevitable bubble bursting scene where our hero's lies are finally revealed to his recently smitten romantic interest, thereby making him lose the love of his life, or of the last 24 hours anyway. The cliche is unavoidable, and when it finally does happen, right on schedule with the script you've already written in your head, it lands with a huge thud, and the movie never recovers. And then, just to make the disappointment sting even worse, the movie drags on for another half an hour in a protracted pity sequence that almost completely buries all of the pleasure you got out of the first half. Don't get me wrong, The Wedding Crashers is quite watchable and starts out as an above average modern comedy, if only because the chemistry and timing between the two main characters is so perfect. It's just that the last half, especially the absurd and poorly written climax, is so damned disappointing.

Wedding Crashers is MILES ahead of the last major comedy to make a billion in the theaters, though: Meet the Fockers. Yuckers.

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::: posted by dan at 2:50 PM :: #