Snatched: Straight Up Racist

Snatched is a comedy film directed by Jonathan Levine. The plot sees Emily (Amy Schumer) and her mother Linda (Goldie Hawn), go on holiday to Ecuador, and because Hollywood is racist and the idea of the South American kidnapping is such an easy stereotype, they get kidnapped and have to escape.

So yeah before I get into this I want to state clearly that I find this film offensive, Schumer’s character uses the word “gay” as an insult and seems to be generally homophobic throughout. As well as this most of the local people are shown as little more than stereotypes.

This film is an object failure to me. Last time I checked a comedy film is supposed to be funny and this is the furthest thing from it. The jokes consist of the same ones that you have heard from Schumer time and again over the course of her career, most of which she has probably stolen from other people. The humour in this film can easily be defined as irritating.

The plot is as uninspired as you would expect, as I have said it furthers harmful stereotypes and misconceptions and just can’t shake the feeling that it is needless.

Overall, this is offensively bad and might be one of the worst films I have seen this year, stay well clear of it.

Pros.

None

Cons.

It is homophobic and racist

It is unfunny

It is lazy

The characters are stereotypes

This is a poorly done copy of something you have already seen one hundred times before

0/5

Reviewed by Luke

Game Over, Man: Getting Your Dick Out For A Cheap Laugh

Game Over, Man! Is a comedy film directed by Kyle Newacheck. The plot follows three hotel house keepers who get caught up in a hostage situation, they must find a way to save the day and get an investor for their videogame.

So this stars the Workaholic guys, Adam Devine, Anders Holm and Blake Anderson, and this film is basically like a feature length episode of that show; though they are in no official way related. The sad truth, however, would be if this was an episode of that show it would be one of the weaker ones.

The humour is nothing new and feels played out right from the start. You have jokes about one character being in the closet and not releasing that his friends know he is gay, which feel about 10 years out of date and other jokes where one of the characters just gets his dick out for some reason; this feels especially desperate.

The characters themselves and those around them are also paper thin and have nothing to make them feel like actually people and not just poorly written clichés.

Overall, this dumb, lazy and unfunny. Despite not being related it tarnishes the reputation of the Workaholic boys and leaves a bitter taste in the mouth for a while after.

Pros.

It is only on for an hour and a half

It is watchable

Cons.

It is lazy, the characters aren’t more than clichés

The jokes feel outdated and worse desperate

It is painfully unfunny

It feels like an hour and a half of your life that you are not getting back

1.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

Jexi: A Man Has Sex With A Phone, Need I Say More

Jexi is a comedy film directed by Jon Lucas and Scoot Moore. The plot sees loser Phil (Adam Devine), get a new phone that seems intent of making his life better. A bond forms between Phil and his new phone called Jexi (Rose Byrne), and the two have to navigate the difficulties of modern life together, and then Phil gets a girlfriend and all hell breaks loose.

So, high art this film is not, but damn is it funny. I had heard nothing but bad things going in so I was expecting the worst and was genuinely shocked when I was laughing almost from the get, if you view this film as a so bad it is good kind of film then you will enjoy it more for sure.

The writing is poor, but the film encourages you to not think about it and just watch a man have sex with his phone, try and get that image out of your head, part of the fun is the ridiculousness. The comedy works surprisingly well, and Byrne and Devine bounce off each other really well and have a great back and forth. Byrne especially is great; her mean girl style of humour really seems to be working in her favour.

Overall yes this film is trash, but it is also a hell of a lot of fun. I was laughing near constantly for an hour and a half; my one critique would be that the romantic stuff doesn’t work and feels deeply cringey.

Pros.

It is hilarious

Rose Byrne steals the show

Byrne and Devine have a great back and forth

It is bizarre

Cons.

Sometimes it is cringey and awkward

The writing is poor

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

Life After Beth: Whats Love Without A Bit Of Cannibalism?

Life After Beth is a horror comedy romance film directed by Jeff Baena. The plot follows Zach (Dane DeHaan), a young man who has just lost his girlfriend Beth (Aubrey Plaza), however, before Zach can spiral into grief he is reunited with his girlfriend: something is different, however. Beth is now a zombie.

So for many years this has been amongst my favourite romantic comedies, it is so wholesome and has so much to say. When first reunited Zach is so glad to have his girlfriend back, but as time goes on he starts to see it as more of a curse, it begs the question would you want more time with your dead loved one if they weren’t really the same person you knew anymore and were instead something darker.

Plaza is perfectly cast and Baena seems to know how to get the best out of her as the duo would team up years later for The Little Hours, she is great in that too. She is tragically hilarious and her and Zach are a cute horror couple. DeHaan is doing his usually brooding routine, but it fits the film, so it works.

Overall, the definition of a hidden gem, not many people know about this delight of a film if you’re one of them right your wrong. It also has a truly comedic awkward cameo from Anna Kendrick, what is not to like. Check it out!

Pros.

The romance

The horror elements and implied zombie apocalypse

The awkward comedy

The commentary

Cons.

It has a very pacing issues and some sections are weaker than others

3.5/5

Reviewed by Luke

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