Ted Lasso: Season 3 Overview

Summary

The friendly American football coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, goes home.

The final season of a much beloved show like Ted Lasso was always going to be sad and this was sad but it was also disappointing. As the credits rolled on the final episode of the third season I released that in a sense the show had peaked with the second season and maybe should have ended there.

Though I enjoyed most of the character work this season did, and the endings that most of the characters got, I also thought that at times it was overly indulgent. By that I mean it would go to a place of being overly sentimental, it would spend vast sections of episodes dedicated to the fate of a very minor character in the scheme of things and yes whilst it may have been well done it felt like filler as the actual story of the season was relatively short.

Moreover, the decision to make Ted sad, which really was a second season development, came back to hurt the show as it could no longer really pull off the quaint small town charm and positivity that had worked in the first season so well. Giving the character depth and complexity was a good thing and I am not saying he should have stayed a one note caricature but I think they took Ted’s sadness too far, so much so that it gives the third season a real sense of heaviness that sits within until its closing moments.

Overall, the third season was still good don’t get me wrong, but it was a noticeable step back from the other seasons and clearly evidenced at times the need for the show to end as it was becoming long in the tooth.

3/5

Pros.

It does some good character work

It has a number of sweet moments

It has some of the same charm as the earlier seasons/

Cons.

It is overly sentimental at times to the point of feeling indulgent

There is a lot of what can only be described as filler

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Love Again: Reading The Texts Of A Deadman

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A music journalist, played by Sam Heughan, finds himself in possession of a phone that is receiving texts from an unknown number, little does he know that he will end up falling in love with the mystery sender, played by Priyanka Chopra.

This film was strange, in many senses this misjudged a lot of things. Most noticeably was the tone, there are things in this film that are big deals like the male lead using the texts send to him unknowingly by the female lead, who thinks she is sending them to her dead ex, to track her down and pursue her, but rather than treat this as the red flag it is it is instead set up as a quirky meet-cute.

Moreover, Sam Heughan was entirely miscast with the film wanting more of a bumbling Hugh Grant sort but instead has a brooding and quite intense lead that doesn’t meet any of the boyish playfulness his role is clearly written to have. Additionally, the romantic chemistry between Chopra and Heughan is fairly non-existent.

Don’t even get me started on how much this film goes out of its way to plug Celine Deon, who no doubt Sony owns the rights to her music catalogue, it was off putting and made me feel like I was watching an advert rather than a film.

The film is passably watchable in a pinch and I did think the sequence in which Chopra’s real life husband Nick Jonas showed up was quite funny. Jonas shone in his little cameo role and it really was a shame he didn’t get more time or a bigger part as his character was far more interesting that Heughan’s.

Overall, Jonas is good for a laugh and it is passable if fairly generic and forgettable.

2/5

Pros.

It was passable

Jonas was funny in his brief cameo

Cons.

The leads have no chemistry

Heughan was miscast

It is generic

The tone is off

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Robots: Jack Whitehall The Rom-Com Leading Man

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

In a near future wherein people can have robotic doubles a pair of low lives use their doubles for depraved means only to have them then run off together and the low lives have to go and chase them down.

Whilst perhaps not the most original, I found there to be a lot of charm to this film. As it progressed I found myself caring more and more about the characters and the world itself.

The romantic pairing of Jack Whitehall and Shailene Woodley works surprisingly well and the two have great chemistry and by the end do feel like a believable couple. I never really viewed Whitehall as a rom-com leading man before but I have to say this film sold me on it.

I thought the comedy here was fairly hit or miss, there were a few jokes that hit hard and landed but also a lot of others that missed the mark. However the gaps in humour were more than made up for with the heart of the film which is big and quite effecting. By the end of the film I fully cared about the robots and wanted them to have a happy ending.

Overall, a sweet rom-com and a promising new career path for Whitehall.

4/5

Pros.

It is sweet

It is funny

Woodley and Whitehall have good chemistry

You care about the characters

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Are You There God It’s Me, Margaret: Finding Out Which Faith Is Right For You

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

An adaption of the Judy Blume book of the same name which tells the story of a young girl, played by Abby Ryder Fortson, coming of age and finding her place in the world.

I will preface this review by saying that I haven’t read the book this film was based on and am not very familiar with the works of Judy Blume.

I was excited to watch this film as the trailer gave off a very quirky sensibility, it reminded me of the works of Greta Gerwig and Wes Anderson. However, upon watching it I found it to be a much more straight forward coming of age tale then I was expecting. That is not necessarily a complaint as it was still enjoyable, and strong performances from most of the adult cast, especially Rachel McAdams, did a lot to elevate it.

I also thought the film’s focus on religion was interesting and nicely separated it out from a lot of other coming of age films that are obsessed with budding romances, dances and raging hormones. I liked that the film didn’t shy away from showing how much of a destructive force religion can be in some cases and that it tried to have more of a serious conversation on the topic. Sadly though, I will say that the conversation this film wants to have would have been made much better if it had gone just a little further, as what it is saying now is fairly surface level.

Overall, an interesting coming of age film that is boosted by its performances and decision to focus on religion over teenage angst.

3/5

Pros.

The focus on religion

McAdams, Bates and Safdie

It is fun

Cons.

It is a little surface level at times and an exploration of greater depth could have really been interesting

It has pacing issues in the form of second act lulls

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She Is Love: An Art House Rom-Com In All The Worst Ways

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A woman, played by Haley Bennett, traveling for business ends up staying at her ex-husband’s hotel.

So I will give this film props for trying to do something new with the standard rom-com formula, it does try and subvert some of the obvious cliches and that is to be applauded. However, instead of presenting tired and worn cliches the film instead encompasses a bunch of pretentious art house tosh that makes little to no sense and will leave you scratching your head.

The relationship held between the romantic leads, played by Bennett and Sam Riley, is deeply toxic, though I suppose that is sort of the point of the film. Yet you never really get to understand the ins and outs of it all as the conversations and wider narrative of the film seems to want to jump between things rapidly. The effect of this jumping around is disorientating and off putting.

Overall, though it tries to do something new this film falls headfirst into the well of pretentious art house nonsense.

1.5/5

Pros.

It is short

Bennett is trying.

Cons.

It makes little narrative sense

It is pretentious

The leads have no chemistry at all

It manages to have pacing issues despite being fairly short

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Paint: Wes Anderson Without The Charm Or The Heart

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A quasi parody of Bob Ross, mixed with an original story, creating a mess.

I am a big fan of Owen Wilson and so his presence drew me to this film. Upon watching it I can say that Wilson himself was good, but that he was probably the only good thing about the film ultimately.

The parody elements didn’t work, and the humour of the film felt incredibly flat. At times I didn’t know whether the film wanted me to view it as a comedy or as more of a drama as they try and put in character work, which suggests it views itself as more of a character piece, but ultimately this doesn’t help to make the film funnier or the characters more likable.

Building upon that the message of the film is all over the place, on the one hand we are told to like Wilson’s character and root for him in this journey to find new meaning in his life, but on the other he is shown to be a massive creep and all round pretty crummy, so which is it? I understand the film is shooting for the more nuanced answer of the character being bad but then turning it around, however, it just feels confused and not fully thought out.

Overall, barely even passable, if you miss this one don’t sweat it.

2/5

Pros.

Wilson

It is short

Cons.

The character work is confusing

It isn’t funny

It takes itself a bit too seriously at times

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Mafia Mamma: The Suburbs Take Italy

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After being cheated on Kristin, played by Toni Collette, travels to Italy for her grandfather’s funeral. However, little does she know that once their she will become the head of a prominent crime family.

In many sense this is a lame wine mum esque comedy, but in truth these days that is really becoming my bag. I enjoy the sort of films where female characters get to have The Hangover style shenanigans and even more so when it is mature women doing it. This is because as many have noted once women reach a certain age in Hollywood it seems all they are good for is playing mothers to younger teen characters or even in some cases grandmother, regardless their days as the protagonist having fun adventures is over. That is why films like this are so needed.

Yes I feel like I have seen it before but at the same time there is something very comforting about a film like this. Collette plays the role to perfection and your really go on this journey with her when she comes into her power both in a sexual sense but also in terms of self-worth. At the same time we get a lot of good nods and outright parodies of The Godfather movies across the film and a lot of the gangster stuff is quite funny due to the drastic culture clash

Overall, it is a lovely feel good film boosted by a strong performance from Collette

4/5

Pros.

It is feel good

It is comforting and easy

It is quite funny and has a number of good references

Collette

Cons.

It feels a little familiar

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Dungeons and Dragons Honor Amongst Thieves: Rolling Hard For Charisma

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A motley crew of thieves, sorcerers and resistance fighters set out on a quest to steal a magical artifact that has the power to resurrect the dead and reunite one of the band with his dead wife.

I enjoyed this film more than I thought I would. I will admit here relatively up front that I am fairly inexperienced when it comes to Dungeons and Dragons and the wider lore of the game, I have played a few sessions of it in my time but I have never been overly into it. So that said I was coming into this world fairly fresh.

I thought that the cast of characters we meet are all fairly charming, Michelle Rodriguez and Justice Smith really shine in their roles as a fearless warrior and a hapless sorcerer, but are probably out pipped by Chris Pine as the master planner extraordinaire. I bought into their motivations and thought that they nicely engaged me over the course of the film’s runtime, so much so that if there were to be a sequel I would say they should return.

The real strength of this film is its comedy, which for the most part really did land for me. Yes, there were one or two jokes that didn’t land or that were out and out bad but for the most part this film was fairly funny. First impressions may suggest that this film is more of an action and adventure epic in the same vein as a Pirates Of The Caribbean, but I would argue that in actuality this film is far more of a comedy then anything else.

Overall, funny and charming, only held back by a weak villain and pacing issues.

3.5/5

Pros.

Pine, Rodriguez and Smith

It has charm, heart and laughs

You engage with the character and buy their motivation

It is fun

Cons.

It has pacing issues

The villain is weak and forgettable

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The Hard Life And Times Of Clownie Volume 1: The Struggles After Clown College

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Clownie finally gets a feature.

So this film is the full adaption of the Hey Bro short I reviewed a while back and I have to say in a lot of ways this film is a step up. Everything that was enjoyable about the original short is here in spades and the film does justify its need for a longer runtime.

I liked that we got to explore the characters a lot more and learn more about their lives. I think the added character work added a nice new dimension to the world of the film and made me care more about these characters. As I was watching I found myself quite often relating to the characters I think they certainly feel more realised here and that is very much a good thing.

The one area in which I would criticise this film, however, is in terms of its pacing. I thought that the second act was overly long and at times felt like it was padding for time. This is a shame as the first and third act both move along at a nice place and are very enjoyable, it is just the slow down in the middle that hampers my enjoyment of the feature more broadly.

Overall, a good expansion, but the slow second act really bogs it down.

4/5

Pros.

The character work

Expanding the world

It justifies its existence

Relatable

Cons.

A slow second act

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Polite Society: Martial Arts And Uncomfortable Relationships

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A wannbe stuntwoman, played by Priya Kansara, becomes convinced her sister, played by Ritu Arya, is marrying a baddie.

In a sense I really wanted to connect with this film as I often do try to give British films the benefit of the doubt, but in all honesty this film just didn’t jive with me.

I think there are certainly some entertaining parts to it, and the fight scenes are impressive for what they are but I do think in the end the issues outweigh the positives.

The main issue I had with this film is that tonally it is two separate films. The first half is much more of a comedy about a girl struggling to accept that her sister is moving on with her life and then the second half is full of vaguely incestuous clones and kidnapping scenes, they don’t align at any point and at others feels very much at odds with one another.

To make matters worse the lead character isn’t likeable. Throughout most of the film the character comes off as incredibly possessive towards her sister, and thinks that it is okay for her to interfere and mess with her life doing worse and worse things to try and get the outcome she wants. The film justifies this in the end by having her being proven right to be so involved in her sister’s life, but throughout the film she just comes across as a busy body.

Moreover, I don’t know if it is just how I red it but there is a subtext to this film that is quite depressing and sad. In a sense the second half of the film could be read as a metaphor for mental illness and the sister fully falling into delusion, as the film likes to remind us she has an overactive imagination. In this sense the ending then develops something of an uncanny and almost unsettling quality but perhaps that was just how I made sense of the two drastically different tones within the film.

Overall, the tone of this film was all wrong and the main character was unlikeable.

2.5/5

Pros.

The fight scenes were good

It was nice to see a British film in the multiplex

It has a charm to it.

Cons.

It has pacing issues

It is tonally a mess

The main character has a God complex

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