Green Book: Driving Don Shirley

Green Book is a comedy drama buddy film directed by Peter Farrelly based on the real-life friendship of jazz pianist Don Shirley (here played by Mahershala Ali), and bouncer Tony Lip (here played by Viggo Mortenson). The film covers their initial meeting, and how through a tour of the American South the two bonded and effected each other’s lives.

Best picture winner? No. Good film? Yes. So, I went into this film expecting it to be very, very good considering the awards it has won and it is good there is no doubt about it, but it is not Best Picture good.

My main issue with this film is that it is often a bit too overly sentimental. Emotion within film is a fine thing, there are times when this film gets its emotional tone just right and the scenes feel weighty and important without feeling overdone, but there are also times when the emotional beats are just a little too much, a little forced and in those instances they feel cringey.

The friendship between these two characters is the crux of the film, and in that regard I can say that this film is a smashing success. Both Done Shirly and Tony Lip feel like well rounded and fleshed out characters, and the friendship between the two feels explored and nuanced; it is nice and heart warming to see this friendship feel like it is organically growing over the course of the film rather than feel forced.

Mortenson and Ali are both terrific and both have many dramatic scenes were they shine, and also a few comedic ones too, though Ali steals the show in those.

Overall, a nice heart-warming film that reminds you of the power of humanity and friendship, though it should not have won Best Picture.

Pros.

The friendship

The characters

The emotional journey

Good heart and a few laughs

Cons.

Sometimes feels a bit too overly sentimental

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Bulletproof: The Worst Of 90s Sandler?

Bulletproof is a buddy cop action comedy film directed by Ernest Dickerson. The plot sees undercover cop Jack Carter (Damien Wayans), have to transport his ex- friend/ criminal partner Archie Moses (Adam Sandler) across the country to bust a big-time drug lord.

Watching Sandler mid-90s to now you can see a real change and even a maturing. Yes, I know the words Adam Sandler and mature in the same sentence seems like a mistake, but they aren’t. In this film we can see Sandler at his juvenile worst, his character has few to no redeemable qualities and is most just annoying and childish for most of the film. I enjoy Sandler’s recent efforts (yes, even some of his Netflix fare), but even I can see this is far from his best.

Sandler and Wayans have a little bit of chemistry together which is a welcome mercy, but if you compare it to other great buddy cop duos, they might as well be strangers.

There is no point saying that this film is quite icky when compared to a modern standard as it goes without saying, for the stupid people who say ‘oh that’s what things were like back then’ it doesn’t make the critique of it any less valid.

Finally, the heart of the film just doesn’t land, you don’t end up caring about either man or their friendship with the other: the ending is met with a shrug of indifference.

Overall, definitely one of Sandler’s weaker efforts and that is saying something.

Pros.

It has one or two laughs

Cons.

For the most part it is not funny

The emotion does not land

Sandler is deeply unlikable

It goes on for too long

It is generic

1/5

Reviewed by Luke

Lethal Weapon 2: Advertising Condoms

Lethal Weapon 2 is a buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner. The plot this time around sees Murtaugh (Danny Glover), and Riggs (Mel Gibson) go after a cartel of South African criminals that have a personal connection to Rigg’s past.

I think here we can see the tonal issues starting to become apparent, there is a lot of fallout surrounding Shane Black exiting the projecting and his darker script being rejected in favour of a more light hearted one; said script I would say is the major issue with the film. Quite dark and upsettingly violent sequences are upended with jokes and quips, which serve to ruin any tension built and let the air out of the balloon so to speak.
The tonal issues carry over to the characters as it limits their emotional growth and the extent of their journey’s. There is some interesting ideas and notions being floated around here, like Riggs dying to save his partner’s life at the end of the film, however, the film seem to gutless to follow through with these interesting character moments in favour of maintaining the status quo for sequels.

Gibson and Glover are still a terrific paring and have a lot of great on-screen chemistry together, sadly that is limited by insufficient character work.

Overall, this film shows us what is wrong with Hollywood, whereby the inevitable sequel is prioritised over the film itself to the detriment of all involved.

Pros.

Gibson

Glover

Cons.

The tone is mismatched and doesn’t work

The ending loses its emotional impact

The characters don’t seem to progress emotionally or personally from where they were at the end of the film

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Lethal Weapon: Mel Gibson’s Bare Arse.

Lethal Weapon is a buddy cop action film directed by Richard Donner. The film follows a pair of mismatched detectives who are brought together to work a case in spite of their differences.

In the action genre this film is very important, it laid the groundwork for a lot of what the buddy cop action sub-genre would there after go. Personally, the thing I most admire about this film, after watching it for the first time for this review, is its sense of style. Everything from the soundtrack to the setting is perfectly paired to create a dense lived in world that never feels overly dire, but also doesn’t feel too comical.

In that regard, this film made me laugh quite a lot throughout. I wasn’t expecting the film to be as funny as it is, but it really tickled me.

Mel Gibson (despite being vile in reality), and Danny Glover give two of the best performances in the action genre and cement themselves as legends. They have marvellous on-screen chemistry together, and it is a treat to watch them interact. If I had to pick a favourite it would probably be Gibson’s Riggs as I love how off the wall yet effective he is.

Overall, a very strong action movie that refines both the standard action formula and the buddy cop formula to a tee and makes for one hell of a watch.

Pros.

Gibson

Glover

The action

The laughs

The style

Cons.

None

5/5

The Wedding Ringer: Hire Your Best Man Today!

The Wedding Ringer is a buddy romantic comedy film directed by Jeremey Garelick. The plot sees friendless Doug (Josh Gad), lie to his fiancé Gretchen (Kaley Cuoco) and say he has a best man arranged for the wedding, this leads him to seek the services of Jimmy Callahan (Kevin Hart), a best man for hire.

Once again I find myself finding Kevin Hart hilarious, he threw me off with those terrible Ride Along movies, but I am now fully back on the Hart train. He made me laugh several times during this film and he brought a hell of a lot of heart, pardon the pun, to the role. I think the film would be a lot worse without him in it.

The buddy relationship between Hart and Gad works well, both nail the emotional beats and make for a very convincing on-screen friendship. Despite being a romantic comedy film for the most part of the film I was rooting for their friendship over the central romance of the narrative.

In regard to said romance, I think this film sorely underused Cuoco’s proven comedic talents and instead relegates her to playing the gold-digging finance that the film goes out of its way to encourage you to hate, which feels like a huge waste. She is given no good moments of her own to shine.

Overall, a solid buddy film, not really a romantic comedy at all. Strong chemistry between Gad and Hart, but Cuoco gets snubbed at every turn. Mixed to positive.

Pros.

Hart

The buddy dynamic

It is quite funny

Cons.

It is not a romantic comedy

Cuoco is wasted

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Central Intelligence: The Better Kevin Hart Team Up Film

Central Intelligence is an action comedy film directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber. The plot sees high school hot shot turned depressed cubical worker Calvin (Kevin Hart), reconnect with the bullied outcast of his high school Robbie (Dwayne Johnson). Unlike anything Calvin would have ever guess Robbie is now shredded and going by the name Bob Stone. Bob is also being hunted by the CIA. Calvin gets dragged into Robbie’s mess.

This, this is what Ride Along should have been. It is much better done, much more nuanced (yes really), and much funnier.

The characters both feel fleshed out developed, through Calvin we explore what it means to peak in high school and then become trapped in your life, and with Bob we explore what it means to be this big action hero type who is still plagued by high school insecurity. These are interesting ideas and themes to think about, way more so than anything in either of the Ride Along films and both characters are done justice. You go on a journey with them.

The comedy is also more well thought out, Hart is not just screaming and jumping around here, I mean he is a little, but his character is written in a much smarter way and thought the jokes can stem a towards low brow they still feel suitably mature when compared to other contemporaries.

I thought the Rock really did a good job with this one, his arc about being bullied and having self esteem issues spoke to me and was touching, I really enjoyed how they ended things with his character.

Overall, much better than I was expecting it to be, surprisingly heartfelt and well done.

Pros.

Dwayne Johnson

The self-esteem arc

The characters felt fleshed out and well considered

It was funny

Cons.

It does not need to be on for almost two hours

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Ride Along: The Angriest Man In The World

Ride Along is a buddy cop, comedy film directed by Tim Story. The plot follows Ben (Kevin Hart), an avid gamer who dreams of becoming a police officer and making his fiancé proud. One day said fiancé tasks Ben with winning her brother’s approval, so they can wed. The issue is that her detective brother James (Ice Cube), doesn’t think Ben is good enough for his sister. In an effort to see what Ben is made of James invites him on a ride along.

So, I have recently been going through the filmography of Kevin Hart, this is the third movie of his I have seen to date. Sadly unlike Night School and Get Hard, this one isn’t very good.

The issue with this film doesn’t lie with Hart however, he is mostly funny throughout. It is his on-screen foil that I find weakens this film. The buddy cop formula works when both characters are very different and are at odds with each other but are forced to work together, and though that is the case here it just doesn’t work.

Yes, James is the antiphrasis of Ben, but other than that he doesn’t feel like a character. The only emotion Ben seems to feel for the whole film is anger, I get that is the bit, but even still it makes the character feel very one note and cliché. He is the brother in law cliché, as well as the overprotective brother cliché to a tee and not much beyond that. Even when he is supposed to be happy, he comes across as angry- though maybe that is the result of Ice Cube’s lack of acting ability.

Overall, good for a few laughs, but the dynamic just doesn’t work.

Pros.

Hart

The videogame stuff

A few laughs to be had

Cons.

Most of the jokes don’t land

The buddy cop dynamic doesn’t work

Ice Cube feels miscast

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Get Hard: What Is Your Mad Dog Face?

Get Hard is a comedy film directed by Etan Cohen. The plot follows James (Will Ferrell), an investment banker who is so rich he is almost untouchable, then one day he gets arrested for fraud. The industry giant is brought down, and his friends desert him. Faced with a long jail sentence he hires car wash attendant Darnell (Kevin Hart), to teach him how to survive prison; after James’ assumes based on Darnell’s race that he must have been to prison at some point in his life.

I must admit I am a new convert to Hart, but so far both of the comedy films I’ve seen him in have been very funny; this being the second. I think Hart’s pairing with Will Ferrell works well, they play off each other strongly and the race-based humour, which pokes fun at James’s inherent racism, feels both rewarding and also enlightening.

Though the comedy often skewed towards the low brow and the crude, I still found myself laughing. It was gross out, but not to the point of being off putting.

I thought though the story was predictable I liked where it went and thought that the film had the right amount of heart. I thought the friendship between James and Darnell felt not only real but earned.

Overall, a funny comedy film that never allowed my face to be without a smile.

Pros.

It is funny

Hart and Ferrell are a strong paring

The friendship feels earned by the end

It has many memorable moments

Cons.

It does go too low a few times and is quite predictable.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Heat: Paul Feig Pulls Off The Impossible Again

The Heat is a buddy cop comedy film directed by Paul Feig. The plot follows uptight FBI agent Ashburn (Sandra Bullock), as she is forced to work with unsavoury, unconventional beat cop Mullin’s (Melissa McCarthy). You guessed it, the two polar opposites learn a little from the other and become more rounded people and friends along the way.

So, yes the premise is uninspired and has been done one million times before, there is very little about this film that feels truly original. The plot is predictable and goes the way you would expect it to, there are no surprises, but this was never going to be that kind of film.

What impress me about this film is that Feig managed to do the impossible twice, the impossible being making Melissa McCarthy funny. Here McCarthy actually has quite a lot of funny moments and jokes that seem thought out, rather than just oh look she feel over, or oh look something about poo; maybe McCarthy should stop making films with her husband and only make comedy films with Feig, cleaning up her poor filmography.

The buddy cop dynamic between Bullock and McCarthy works well and they are each a good foil to the other, Bullock particularly handles the comedy well and manages to keep pace with McCarthy.

Overall, Paul Feig manages to make McCarthy funny which is no mean feat. If the plot was a little more original and a little less familiar I would be giving it top marks, but as is, it is okay.

Pros.

The dynamic between the leads

McCarthy and Bullock are both funny

The jokes are funny and smart

Cons.

It is so familiar

It is too long

2.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Daddy’s Home: Having A Laugh At Male Infertility

Daddy’s Home is a comedy film directed by Sean Anders. The plot sees Brad (Will Ferrell), a new stepfather who just wants to be loved by his wife’s kids, become forced out of the picture as his wife’s much more handsome and assertive ex husband Dusty (Mark Wahlberg), remerges on the scene.

So, I always enjoy the Ferrell Wahlberg dynamic on screen, even if it is lesser when compared to Ferrell and Riley, however here it goes past the point of being funny. Keep in mind a lot of my issues with this film stem from its humour which is entirely subjective.

This film feels like an extension of the Other Guys which also stared both leads, the comedy is very similar, however there it felt like a good back and forth, here it just feels mean spirited. This film goes blue several times with the humour going places that I thought was a little needless. Call Ferrell’s character a “pussy”, sure but don’t make fun of the fact he is infertile it just leaves a bad taste.

On the writing front this is an incredibly generic comedy, there must be thousands of others like it that treat the premise with more of a clever take. You can accurately predict this film scene by scene before you have even seen it, and this obviousness makes the film boring in the long term.

Overall, despite having a few good laughs the humour mostly leaves a bad taste in your mouth and this film will go down as yet another miss for Ferrell.

Pros.

One or two laughs

The ending with John Cena

Cons.

The humour is mean spirited

The characters are oddly inconsistent

The story is laughably predictable
2/5

Reviewed by Luke