Lady Bird

Lady Bird is a comedy-drama coming of age film, directed by Greta Gerwig. This film is a wonderful contrast, being both painfully earnest and honest in its depiction of growing up. Whilst also being heartfelt, charming and deeply funny. The screenplay which was also written by Gerwig, is incredibly strong, making the film effortlessly relatable. The humour of the film all lands very nicely and I was either laughing or smiling near constantly. The drama and emotion that runs through the film also feel very genuine and real. The majority of this drama comes from the relationship, between Lady Bird or Christine, (played by Saoirse Ronan), and her mother Marion, (Laurie Metcalf). It is a testament to both actresses that this very personal relationship feels completely real, the up and downs of the pair’s interactions carry much more emotional weight as a result of this. You can feel the love, but also the teenage resentment and the desperate need for understanding, and believe every minute of it. The film covers themes such as discovering your sexuality, it does this in a genuine and heartfelt way. Lucas Hedges’ character of Danny is Lady Bird first boyfriend, he is likeable and loveable and wonderfully played by Hedges. Later on, in the films second act after Lady Bird catches him kissing another boy in the toilet, there is an interaction between the two when Danny is scared and doesn’t know what to do, this is painfully real and heartbreaking in the most genuine way. My greatest praise for the film is just so accurately the film depicts adolescents. An example of this is when Lady Bird finally has sex and is let down because it wasn’t the special magical thing she had built it up to be in her head. This so accurately captures how it is for a lot of people. The film doesn’t just tackle teenage issues with Tracy Letts’s character of Larry, (Ladybird’s father), showing how life can be cruel and knock you down. What makes Lett’s performance so rounded is that he still has an underlying sense of positivity. This film doesn’t try to make the teenage years seem overly glamours, which a lot of other bildungsroman films do, but rather shows you the reality. The score is also amazing, with the short songs from the plays being really good and well done. The film does waste some of its characters with Jordan Rodrigues character of Miguel not having much to do. This film is a triumph of writing, with every scene accurately capturing the teenage condition. Despite a few underused characters, this is a well-acted film on the part of the two female leads. I can guarantee it will have you laughing, crying and maybe even thinking back to your own childhood.

4/5
Reviewed by Luke.

Pitch Perfect 3

So, for the sake of honesty, I’ve not seen the first 2 movies and this was where I was jumping in, and like I’ve said before musicals aren’t really my thing. That being said, I was incredibly pleasantly surprised by this movie, I went into it with very low expectations, and over the course of the run time, it made me smile and laugh a good few times. Now whilst Trish Sie’s movie isn’t going to win any awards, it does manage to be effortless charming throughout. The plot whilst being unbelievable, is no more so than a Fast and the Furious movie, and I believe that if you can get past that there is a lot to love about this film. None of the characters are particularly grating, which is a surprise because usually in these larger ensemble movies, where characters are more caricatures than anything else that is usually the case. The songs are mostly quite good, with only one or two feeling a little too long. However, even in the case of the bad songs the choreography of the dance sequences are all very well done and quite impressive. Ruby Rose’s character of Calamity, is probably my favorite character of the whole film. Whilst she isn’t given much to do, with the general focus staying with the main characters; she is an entertaining antagonist and has one of the best musical set pieces in the whole film. The plot centers around Beca Mitchell, (Anna Kendrick), and the rest of the Bella’s reuniting to play a show for the US troops. From there it devolves into a strange plot of singing, kidnapping, and c4 in cereal. Whilst many people criticise the film for its unbelievable plot, I liked it because every moment I was entertained and engaged. I even thought that the subplot about Fat Amy, (Rebel Wilson), and her estranged father was quite touching in parts if a little ridiculous. Furthermore, this sweetness carried over into the romance between Chicago, ( Matt Lanter), and Chloe, (Brittany Snow), which I thought was very believable and didn’t slow down the film at all. Most the jokes land quite well, with the exception of a few, but on the whole a very funny film. To compare it to a recent musical the Greatest Showman, I felt that whilst the song was good, they weren’t quite as memorable or whimsical. Really the main issue with this film is that its characters feel a little one-note and generic; with none of them outside of Wilson’s Fat Amy having much of an arc. That being said this film made me want to go back and watch the other two movies, and that is it’s the strongest praise. Whilst not for everyone, there is a lot to love about this movie, it’s sweet, charming and most of all entertaining; and most certainly an excellent not to go out on.

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Greatest Showman

Let me start off by saying that musicals aren’t really my type of films, and at its heart, that is what this is. However, this is the first musical I have managed to relate to and enjoy. There truly is something for all ages with this film, making it hard not to like. This film is actually quite informative about the life of P.T Barnum, showing him progress from being a child well into his establishing of his Circus. The ability to capture the wonder, awe, and imagination of the Circus and of P.T Barnum himself, would be quite a tall order for any actor, but Hugh Jackman manages to pull it off with ease never breaking the immersion once. The rest of the cast also do a great job with especially great turns from Zac Efron and Zendaya, with quite a believable romance; that doesn’t fall prey to the usual stereotypes of musical romances. Furthermore, the most rememberable song was the bar scene when Barnum tries to recruit play write Phillip to the circus, with the most creative use of shots I’ve ever seen in a film. The overall problem with the film is that some of the songs sound quite similar to each other, and some quite poor lip-synching especially with Rebecca Ferguson’s Jenny Lind during her big number it’s quite apparent it isn’t her who is singing. Furthermore, the mid point character transformation of Barnum also feels quite unbelievable, with him going from a nice family man who cares about his friends and workers to a man only concerned with chasing fame and status. With this shift being an interesting one but ultimately one that feels rushed. The side shows performers all being quite interesting flushed out characters, although they all share a similar arc, the character progression with these characters feels just that bit more earned.

Ultimately the film is a joyful Christmas film, that fills you with optimism and can brighten even the blackest day

4/5

reviewed by Luke