Gary Wolcott's "Mr. Movie" column has appeared in the Tri-City Herald since 1992. The Tri-City native now lives in Portland, Ore., and watches about 250 movies each year. This member of Portland's association of movie critics, Far From Hollywood, believes movies are made to be seen on theater screens and should be seen there and not on television screens. Have a question for Mr. Movie? Click on "Add Comment" below. Mr. Movie has joined Twitter. Follow him here.
Young Adult re-teams director Jason Reitman with Juno writer Diablo Cody. They craft a semi-serious, semi-comic tale of a struggling, self-absorbed 30-something woman.
Charlize Theron is marvelous as Mavis, a woman on a quest to find truth, happiness and a personal and self-focused holy grail.
Mavis is unhappy. Realization has set in that she has failed to live up to her true potential. Mavis is not the successful novelist she set out to become. Her current gig is ghostwriting a popular but pulpy series of teenage novels. Mavis drinks too much and can’t hold on to relationships. That hits home when she learns her high school beau and one true love is now a father.
Her hometown is the last place Mavis remembers at least thinking she was truly happy. A plan forms in her alcohol-addled mind. Go home, seduce the ex-beau and win him back. Presto. Instant happiness.
When she finally lets the ex-boyfriend in on her plan, he’s less than thrilled. He politely tells her he’s happily married, is a new father and loves life in his hometown. Her answer is a stone-faced, “I know we can beat this thing, together.”
That’s just one great line in a film packed with fun characters and pitch-perfect performances. It takes an actress as gorgeous at Theron to pull this character off.
And it doesn’t hurt that the lady is also a great actress. She’s good. So is everyone else.
However, it is comedian Patton Oswald who steals the show. He’s Mavis’ former high school non-friend and sad sack; a man forever crippled by a gang of popular jocks who thought he was gay.
Reitman’s films — Juno, Thank You for Smoking and Up in the Air — are a breath of fresh air in a movie world packed with stale sitcom plots, over-amped action movies, vegan vampires and worshiped wizard fantasies. Reitman sticks ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances and pitches plots packed with narcissism, nicotine, negatives and booze.
As the self-absorbed Mavis finishes up her last ghostwriting gig — and in wonderful narration from Theron — Cody’s script gives tremendous insight into how a 30-something with everything to live for can end up like Mavis. It poses interesting questions about that most precarious of human conditions — the reluctant journey into adulthood.
Mr. Movie rating: 4 1/2 stars
Rated R for mature themes, language, drug use. It opens Friday, Jan. 27 at the Carmike 12.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it's your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on video.
2 stars to 1 star: Don't bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.
ADDICTION INCORPORATED 2 stars. A documentary that recounts the legal battles against American Big Tobacco. It's a long, studious film. 1 hr. 42 PG-13 (adult themes) - David Hiltbrand
Kudos to Battelle Film Club for bringing 'The Hedgehog'
The Hedgehog is a subtitled French film from 2009 that finally got released in the U.S. last year, and thanks to the Battelle Film Club , it will be seen in the Tri-Cities.
The story centers around Paloma, an 11-year old girl whose interests are philosophy and art.
No one in her family can relate. Her parents barely speak to each other much less to Paloma. The disconnected mom talks to plants, and the psychiatrist but can’t talk to her daughter. Dad is nowhere to be found.
Battelle Flim Club presents 'Le Bonheur' with much happiness
This week, the Battelle Film Club
presents Le Bonheur , a French film with the title that translates to “Happiness.”
The title of the subtitled flick is appropriate. Francois is happily married to the beautiful Therese. They have two equally beautiful kids. The very much in love Francois and Therese and the children spend many happy hours being — well — happy.
Francois meets Emilie. Like everyone else, she’s happy. He’s instantly smitten. Moments later, Francois is completely in love. So is she. They have an affair. Nothing super sordid. Just a happy get together once or twice a week. In fact, the more he sees Emilie, the deeper he falls in love with her, the deeper he falls in love with his wife.
They’ve split up and are scattered about the globe. Kermit is a recluse. Other than Miss Piggy who is a “Devil Wear’s Prada”-style fashion magazine editor with a secretary that looks mysteriously like Emily Blunt from the movie, they’re not a happy bunch. That's about to change.
Gary, his girlfriend Mary and his Muppety-looking brother Walter travel to Los Angeles to see everything they can that’s Muppet. A tour of the broken down Muppet Theater has them learning that a greedy oil tycoon is going to tear it down because there is oil underneath.
35th Annual Portland International Film Festival begins
The 35th Annual Portland International Film Festival has begun. It runs through February 25. For film fans this one is loaded. There are 140 films from 36 different countries — 93 are features and 46 shorts.
Portland isn’t that far from Tri-Cities art film lovers. This entry reviews a few films from the first weekend and Monday. I’ll be posting reviews throughout the series until its conclusion February 25th.
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