The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Find Yourself An Indian Lover

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a comedy drama film directed by John Madden. The plot follows an eclectic group of pensioners as they go to India to retire. They each go for their own reasons and they each find India touch their lives in one way or another.

This film features almost all of the famous older British faces that audiences would be familiar with, you have Bill Nighy, Judie Dench, Maggie Smith and more; it really is like a who’s who of elderly British talent. It is a very wholesome watch as it feels like you know these people, they’re almost like your grandparents, so it is nice to see them falling in love and having fun.

I found this film to be far better than the other older romance films like Finding Your Feet, that would follow it, in many ways these sort of films are a genre all their own and maybe one day I will write about it in more detail. With that said you can imagine what the story is like, it is all fairly predicatable.

My issue with this film is the pacing. There were parts of it I really enjoyed, I thought they were snappy and done well, however, there were also bits that dragged; to an almost painfully extent. These issues are not just in one part of the film that I can point to, they’re throughout. It could greatly benefit from a tighter edit.

Overall, a very safe comforting film that is boosted with standout performances from Dev Patel, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy, if it had been condensed down a bit more it could have been something special.

Pros.

The performances

Comforting to watch

Very wholesome

Cons.

Predictable

Parts of it badly drag on.

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Magicians: Peep Show, But With Magic

Magicians is a comedy film directed by Andrew O’ Connor. The plot sees a pair of former magicians who used to be partners face off against each other in a magic competition in a chance to return to the big time.

So, I bought this because it claimed to have some involvement of one of the Peep Show writers and because Peep Show is such a terrific series, one of the best ever made, I picked it up. Was I disappointed? Yes and no, it is by no means as good or as funny as Peep Show, but at the same time the Mitchell, Webb dynamic is as strong as ever and it is very watchable.

To follow up, the reason why this film is elevated beyond mediocrity for me is the back and forth begrudging friendship between Harry (David Mitchell) and Karl (Robert Webb). Mitchell and Web are one of the best comedy double acts in the history of comedy and that is proven clearly here, though they receive some ample support from some other funny people.

The humour for me was on the weaker side, some jokes worked some didn’t. Comedy is subjective of course, but I found myself smiling more than laughing with this film which doesn’t mean its bad, but it also doesn’t mean it’s good. Disappointing.

Pros.

Mitchell and Webb

The supporting cast

It is very watchable

Cons.

Disappointing for long-time fans

The humour is hit and miss

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Action Point: See A Doctor Johnny, We Are Worried

Action Point is a comedy film directed by Tim Kirby. We follow retired fairground owner D.C (Johnny Knoxville), as he is looking after his granddaughter for the afternoon, whilst doing so he is telling her the tale of the theme park he used to own, the titular Action Point.

Good on Knoxville for still being able to get roles post Jackass, but at this point he needs to stop. He is basically just playing a toned-down version of the same character in all of these lame comedy films that make Adam Sandler’s weaker efforts look like comedy masterpieces.

There is only so many times you can watch someone get hurt, in varied and different ways, before it starts to get stale and boy does it get stale in this film. Outside of the very basic slapstick comedy, there is nothing else here, no other forms of comedy, no heart, just a man who is a bit too old hurting himself to make us all laugh; it is kind of tragic.

Even turning my brain off and trying to enjoy this film purely as dumb fun I struggle. It is so repetitive and unfunny that it quickly becomes boring. That is crucially the thing that dooms this film.

Overall, stale and dull and a relic of a bygone age.

Pros.

Knoxville is trying his best and still has some charm

Cons.

It is repetitive

It is unfunny

I don’t want to watch Knoxville get hurt anymore

There is no real plot and the characters are paper thin, and that is being kind

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

An American Pickle: How Our Ancestors Would View Us

An American Pickle is a comedy drama film directed by Brandon Trost. The plot sees a Herschel (Seth Rogen), fall into a pickle briner and be trapped there for a few hundred years, he awakens in a different time, our present, and tries to see what has become of his family.

I don’t know if this film is supposed to be a comedy film, yes it has a wacky premise and yes it stars Seth Rogen in a double role, but at the same time it seems to have a lot of subtle subtext about identity and family that it seems far more concerned about rather than focusing on being funny. It didn’t make the laugh once, but it did make me think and feel, so in a way it is a triumph.

Seth Rogen has made a name for himself as a comedic actor, but here he brings much more to the table. Rogen plays Herschel as a man out of time, obviously, as someone who is trying to adapt to the world around him and find a reason to carry on, hence why bonding with his only living family member Ben (also Rogen), is so important to him. Ben on the other hand is a loner who can’t seem to deal with emotion or process the grief in his life, he has lost any form of his identity, but with the help of Herschel learns to regain it.

Overall, if you’re looking for the usual Rogen comedy film you won’t enjoy this, if you’re looking for something a bit deeper and more nuanced than this is for you. Be warned it can be quite depressing at times.

Pros.

Rogen as a dramatic actor

Rogen plays both roles well and crucially differently

It has a good heart

Cons.

It is not funny

It can be depressing at times

3/5

Reviewed by Luke

Spies In Disguise: Slenderman’s Super Spy Cousin

Spies In Disguise is an animated family adventure film directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane. The plot sees super spy Lance (Will Smith), be accused of going rouge, in the process of clearing his name he is turned into a pigeon by child genius Walter (Tom Holland), and the two team up to save the world.

Before I get into this review I just want to talk about the character models. There is something seriously wrong with the proportions of these characters, to a point where Lance looks related to the Slender Man and Jack Skellington. I am of course talking about the legs of these characters; they are way too long for their bodies and other proportions it is distracting. The opening scene where we see Lance do spy stuff and beat up the Yakuza is the best example of how bad the character design looks; the legs are off.

The premise is fairly cliched and nothing you haven’t seen from a kid’s movie before, the theme is embracing your weirdness and realising that others who aren’t the same as you are okay too. I found this film to be quite enjoyable for the most part it had me laughing a few times, it hit the right emotional notes and the film knew just how to use Will Smith’s signature type of charisma. This film would be nothing without Smith.

I enjoyed the weirdness of this film and the pigeon stuff and would like to see more films embracing strange premises like this in the future.

Overall, Smith and his charisma made this film. Ben Mendelsohn is also strong as the film’s villain, who has many great moments to shine. My only complaint would be about the off-putting character design and the predicatable plot, but neither of these are deal breakers.

Pros.

Smith

Mendelsohn

All the pigeon stuff

Cons.

The legs

The predicatable plot

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days: The Problematic Nature Of Romantic Comedies

How To Lose A Guy In Ten Days is a romantic comedy film directed by Donald Petrie. The plot sees two people begin bets, Andie (Kate Hudson), is trying to prove that by being needy and overly clingy she can lose a guy in ten days. Whereas Ben (Matthew McConaughey), is trying to prove that he can make a girl fall in love with him in ten days, both have varying degrees of success and then eventually end up together.

I take umbrage with the premise of this film, both of these people are shady and play games with the others emotions, they shouldn’t be together at the end of the film; in real life they wouldn’t be. Rom-Coms really seem to have toxic messages.

There is some cheese ball appeal to the film and both the leads are charming and seem to be having fun. That said the issues with this film don’t stem from the performances, it is the writing that is at fault. So not only is the premise of the film troubling, there are also all the hallmark clichés that have gone to make the genre somewhat of a laughingstock.

Overall, this film is poorly written, not just that the premise also promotes unhealthy ideas and forces clichés and stereotypes on us.

Pros.

Hudson and McConaughey

Cons.

It is clichéd

Everyone is a stereotype

The premise is troublesome

The fun is very limited

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Chef: The Definition Of Food Porn

Chef is a comedy drama film directed by Jon Favreau. The plot sees world renowned chef Carl Casper get into some hot water when his argument with a local food critic blows up online. Faced with needing to start again he opens a food truck with his son Percy (Emjay Anthony), and he teaches him how to cook and they bond.

This is a touching film in a lot of different ways, I enjoyed the father son dynamic of it and how real and genuine it felt. The writing of was spot on and the relationship between these two felt right for the situation. I enjoyed seeing them bond, it brought tears to my eyes on a few occasions I thought it was beautiful done.

The story itself was not hugely complex, but it was very enjoyable; it is hard to go wrong with an underdog story. There is no real conflict, but then again there doesn’t need to be, seeing his once great chef, get to start again and rediscover his passion is already quite the emotional journey.

The side characters were amusing and made me laugh, I especially enjoyed the reunion with Favreau Iron Man co-star Robert Downey Jr. However, ultimately this is a father son film and that is where it shines the best.

A touching tribute to fathers and sons everywhere, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, but more than anything it will make you hungry.

Pros.

The father son relationship

The heart

The comedy

Well done side characters

Great Marvel reunions

Cons.

Nonapparent

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Safety Not Guaranteed: Never Assume Time Travelers Are Crazy

Safety Not Guaranteed is a comedy drama romance film directed by Colin Trevorrow. The plot follows three reporters as they interview a man (Mark Duplass) who say he is producing a means to travel back in time. One of the reporters Darius (Aubrey Plaza), is send in undercover with wannbe time traveller Kenneth (Duplass), only to end up falling in love with him and finding out that he does in fact have a means of getting back to the past.

I enjoyed this film quite a bit, I think that it works on two layers. Firstly it works as a great science fiction film, the time travel stuff is fascinating, and I like how they don’t reveal it one way or the other until the end of the film. Secondly it works as a great rom com as well the relationships feel very genuine and believable, Duplass and Plaza have great on-screen chemistry.

The film has a great heart and a few good laugh out loud monuments. My personal favourite character was probably Jeff (Jake Johnson), because I loved what they did with a character who is basically a jerk to everyone around him showing his tragic motivation, he is fundamentally lonely. Normally I am against subplots about side characters, but in this case it worked. Also I am a huge New Girl fan.

Overall, a very strong indie darling with a great heart and some mind-bending science fiction.

Pros.

The heart

The humour

The chemistry between the leads

The ending reveal

Jake Johnson

Cons.

It starts a little slow.

4.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Brittany Runs A Marathon: Everything I Feel Pretty Does Wrong

Brittany Runs A Marathon is a comedy drama film directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo. The plot follows Brittany (Jillian Bell), a young women whose life has got out of control. She finds it hard to leave the house, she hates the way she looks, she is surrounded by bad friends, and her body is failing her, medically. Just when things seem their bleakest Brittiany decides to go for a run, she then dedicates herself to training for a marathon and things start to change.

I thought this was just going to be a dumb comedy film, but boy was I wrong. This is far more of a commentary on body positivity and being okay with yourself, this film hits some very dark very personal areas and handles the subject matter beautifully.

So yeah this film isn’t funny, as a comedy film it fails, but as a nuanced drama film with an eye on body image, self esteem and learning to love yourself this film is simply a triumph. Bell takes us on a journey with this character and we feel her pain, we want to see her win, and the moment we see her hurt her leg and not be able to race, the first time, we feel as devastated as she does. This film makes me want to see Bell cast her more dramatic roles as I think she has a real talent.

Overall, this film is what I Feel Pretty should have been, its body positivity message is something that everyone can get behind and honestly it is kind of inspiring. I highly recommend.

Pros.

The message

The well rounded, fleshed out, real character

Bell’s performance

The heart

Cons.

It is not a comedy in any way

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

An Evening With Beverly Luff Lin: The Sensual Art Of The Grunt

An Evening With Beverly Luff Linn is a comedy crime film directed by Jim Hosking. The plot follows Lulu (Aubrey Plaza), as she runs away from her husband with a hired hitman (Jermaine Clement), to a hotel where her old flame (Craig Robinson) is singing.

So, this was a weird one, I had no idea what this film was about going into it, I was not familiar with Hosking or his other works beforehand, so I was not aware of what to expect. I mainly put this on because it had three of my favourite actors in it, Matt Berry, Jermaine Clement and Aubrey Plaza, and hey it was one hell of a trip.

This film does take some getting used to, as it is unlike most other films that I have ever seen, Robinson’s character mainly communicates in grunts for most of the film, it is bizarre. Think David Lynch, but a little less cerebral.

Plaza is terrific she is giving the character her all and it really shows. She standouts here and proves that she is one of the best young actors currently working. Clement is my personal favourite and I think he is the scene stealer of the film his character has all the best lines and manages to be both threatening and sweet at the same time.

Overall, a very hard film to describe if you haven’t seen it, well worth the watch.

Pros.

The performances

The humour

The building sense of mystery

The ending

Cons.

It is very strange

4/5

Reviewed by Luke