He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

February is probably my least favorite month of the year. It is the time when movie studios are caught in the middle of their release schedules. Their Oscar nominees have all hit theaters back in December, and they have to wait a few more months until they could release their blockbusters. So February is the time where movie studios dump off their below average work and hope that their garbage smells better than everyone else's. This means we get movies like The Pink Panther 2, another Friday the 13th, and a whole mess of lousy romantic comedies. Every now and then you do see a genuinely good film in February, such as last year's surprisingly good romantic comedy Definitely, Maybe. I should have known it would be too much to ask for consecutive February's with smart, original films with actual entertainment value to boot. He's Just Not That Into You, based on the popular self-help book by Greg Behrendt, is original but noticably ostentatious and desperately lacking the ability to keep my attention for more than four minutes at a time.

The diabolically intricate plot mostly revolves around Gigi (Ginnifer Goodwin), a certified loser in love who can't seem to read the signals that men give her. She looks to her co-worker friends for help but all they can offer are the same meaningless pieces of advice that have become commonplace in our society. But irony lies in the fact that Gigi doesn't know that these friends are the worst possible candidates for help, because they are all having relationship issues themselves. Beth (Jennifer Aniston) has been dating Neil (Ben Affleck) for seven years and still doesn't have a ring on her finger. Janine (Jennifer Connelly) thinks she is in a pleasant marriage but is unaware that her husband Ben (Bradley Cooper) is cheating on her with Anna (Scarlett Johansson), a yoga instructor that he met at a convenience store. But oh no, the plot doesn't stop there. Anna is also teasing Conor (Kevin Connolly), who is trying desperately to convince her that he is the man for her. Meanwhile, Conor is trying to build a a reputation as a good real estate agent by working with Mary (Drew Barrymore) (who I imagine is an advertising agent, although the movie never specifies), who looks for love on internet dating sites and ultimately comes up with nothing. So in this mess (and that really is the only word to describe it), Gigi does manage to find one person that she can talk to and gain helpful advice from. Conor's friend Alex (Justin Long), a certified player that doesn't make it a habit to become attached to any one girl. He's Just Not That Into You tries desperately to be intelligent, but instead is nothing more than a jumbled Rubick's Cube with missing colors.

With such a diverse ensemble and a story that covers all ends of the relationship spectrum, the real charm in He's Just Not That Into You probably should have been bred from the fact that it is highly relatable. The events that take place in the film are, for once, actual every day occurrences! How many romantic comedies have you seen with a ridiculous storyline that makes you bury your head in your hand because it is trying way too hard. It's never just two people who may or may not like each other and so the game of cat and mouse begins. It's always stupid things like Made Of Honor or 27 Dresses or some Hugh Grant movie. But the Gigi character in He's Just Not That Into You is one that I've seen so many times. Not in movies, but in reality! Dating is a tough game to play, and some people just don't get the hang of it. Ginnifer Goodwin as Gigi is but one of the few performances I found to be genuine and enjoyable. Her adorable naivety speaks so much to the main core of the film, which is that nobody really knows what the hell is going to happen. She also exudes an unmistakable energy with co-star Justin Long, the bartender that doubles as her relationship counselor. Long is charming and shows a great deal of maturity in his role. Since he's most known for his roles in Accepted and Dodgeball, it is still in the mind of a movie-goer that he is a young, lovable goofball. Long overcomes this stereotype with ease. And women take notice, everything that Long says in this movie is the absolute truth. Trust me.

Despite some very good performances, He's Just Not That Into You falls into every trap set by a romantic comedy, even with it's unique idea. I have not read the book, but if it progresses the same way the movie does, I'm glad I didn't read it. Screenwriters Marc Silverstein and Abby Kohn show no aptitude in their field and fail to capitalize on the rare opportunity of having an original plot. No wonder this is their first movie they've written since Never Been Kissed back in 1999. With so many different things happening in a script, you would imagine something could happen that would really surprise a viewer. This is never the case, as I was able to decide what was going to happen five minutes before the characters in the movie did. Director Ken Kwapis does not help the matter. He was unable to keep the convoluted plot together and made He's Just Not That Into You verily unwatchable. He should have called Christopher Nolan for help, he's a master at keeping a movie in order. Kwapis has directed multiple episodes of many television shows like "The Office", and has been in charge of disastrous movies like License To Wed and Dunston Checks In (although I must say the latter is a tiny bit of a guilty pleasure of mine. I know it's awful, but cmon, its an orangutan). Given that record, he should stay with his television career and leave directing movies to someone else.

My feelings on He's Just Not That Into You are clearly split down the middle. On one hand, it has some very entertaining performances that aren't what you would typically see in a romantic comedy. The casting director did a magnificent job finding the people that would bring these roles to life. It makes sense that Kevin Connolly, the boyish looking man from "Entourage" would be the guy taken for a ride by an unfaithful girlfriend, reasonably played by Scarlett Johansson. The ending, however cliche and obvious, succeeds in being heart-felt and tender, even making me crack a smile. Briefly. Don't let my girlfriend tell you anything otherwise. But then on the other hand, the pace is unbearable and the writing is clumsy and hackneyed. Not to mention it is half an hour too long. If you are a woman, you will find lots to love about He's Just Not That Into You. If you are a man, you'll just have to take comfort in knowing that you are doing something nice for your girlfriend. If you are a man, and you are seeing this movie just for yourself, I am going to have to deduct 3 man cards from you. My rating (5/10)

Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

It is always in style to root for the underdog. Just yesterday, I watched Super Bowl XLIII and cheered for the Arizona Cardinals the whole way through. When the underdog loses, like the Cardinals did, it is never as disappointing as if the favorite loses. Most people just acknowledge that hey, that's why they were underdogs. But when the unlikely party pulls through and shocks everyone, like the Giants in last years Super Bowl, there is an undescribable feeling that takes over, leaving a permament smile on your face and a temporary flutter on your heartbeat. This years Best Picture favorite Slumdog Millionaire is perhaps the greatest individual underdog story ever told, and (sorry Dark Knight) the best movie of 2008 (that I've seen). The story follows Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an uneducated young man who grew up in the slums of Mumbai. Jamal is a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and is one question away from winning the top prize of 20,000,000 Rupees. The show's host Prem Kumar (Anil Kapoor) is not convinced that this boy from the slums could really know all the answers and secretly has him arrested under suspicion of cheating. During his brutal interrogation, Jamal tells the Police Sergeant (Irrfan Khan) the story of his life, and how his tumultuous relationship with his brother Salim (Madhur Mittal) and his unwavering love for the beautiful Latika (Freida Pinto) taught him all that he knows. Although devoid of caped crusaders and villains in war paint, Slumdog Millionaire is a different kind of hero story that gets my vote for Best Picture.

Believe it or not, Slumdog Millionaire was at one point meant to be a straight to DVD release. If that had happened, the Academy would have had to create a new "Best Straight to DVD Movie Ever Made" category so this movie could win. Initially when I left the movie theater after watching this film, I didn't think it was as great as I do now. But last night, as I lay restless from the heart pumping Super Bowl, I had time to think about the movie more in depth. By the time morning rolled around, I came to the conclusion that Slumdog Millionaire was in fact a fantastic achievement in modern cinema. Danny Boyle, director of such films as Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, and Sunshine, was the man behind the camera for this film, and I'm afraid my limited vocabulary won't be enough to praise his work. What must be acknowledged first is how he captured the heart breaking every day lives of regular people who unfortunately live in delapidated slums. Living in a world where the police will neglect to intervene an attack even after they see a man on fire is just one of the injustices that must be dealt with in these areas. Not to mention the living conditions which can only be described as pits of squalor. An aerial shot of miles of tin roofs is a disheartening reminder that there are not just a few people subjected to these conditions. Boyle brings these truths to the screen in such a way that no human can turn a blind eye to these facts anymore. I would love to take some of the heartless people from my school to see this movie and try to show them what spoiled and ignorant brats they are. Slumdog Millionaire never loses credibility thanks to Boyle's magnificent directing. He effectively mixes past and present tense without turning the movie into a disjointed mess. Credit should also not be taken from writer Simon Beaufoy, whose screenplay is perfect and never hits a sour note. The collaboration between Beaufoy and Boyle makes every moment of Slumdog Millionaire one to be remembered.

But an underdog story isn't truly great until you have a good underdog to root for. It is here where Dev Patel, Ayush Khedekar, and Tanay Chheda rise to the occasion. Each actor portrays the slumdog Jamal Malik at different ages and each find a way to grab at your heart. While Patel is the oldest and is receiving most of the noteriety surrounding Slumdog Millionaire, it is Khedekar, who played the youngest Jamal, that I was most intrigued by. I am not often impressed with child actors, but Khedekar is a bright exception. He accomplishes a feat that not many professional adult actors have the ability to pull of convincingly: emotions. Khedekar displays a wide range of emotions from excitement to sadness, and love to anger. He and co-star Rubiana Ali (youngest Latika) bring more romantic chemistry to the screen than quite a few professional stars (Katherine Heigl and James Marsden in 27 Dresses, Dane Cook and Jessica Alba in Good Luck Chuck, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley in all three Pirates of the Caribbean films). Patel is merely the icing on the cake, drawing the viewer in with an innocent face and a sterling performance.

As I mentioned earlier, the appeal of Slumdog Millionaire lies in it's brilliant underdog tale. It is unknown whether or not this film will be considered truly great in the future, but for now, one thing is for certain. Slumdog Millionaire is an outstanding achievement in entertainment and regardless of whether you prefer summer blockbusters over Oscar contenders, you will like this movie. If you are worried that 20% of the film is spoken in Hindi and you won't enjoy reading the subtitles, Danny Boyle has you covered. Rather than just put the words up on the screen, he masterfully finds a visually beautiful way to keep you in the loop. At a reasonably quick two hours, you won't ever feel let down by Slumdog Millionaire, I guarantee it. My rating (10/10)

P.S. - Stay during the credits for an amazing choreographed dance sequence involving every member of the cast.

Definitely, Maybe (2008)

Hey everybody, I've been on break for a while but I am back to review more films. Since school has started I do not have as much time to see new releases, so I will probably review older films for a while, starting now.

Perhaps my least favorite genre of films is the romantic comedy. Not simply because they are primarily "chick flicks", but because they are just so similar to each other. I recall watching 27 Dresses with my girlfriend and I was able to figure out the ending as the opening scene began. In all my years, I have never seen a romantic comedy that had an unexpected ending...until now. Definitely, Maybe is the freshest romantic comedy to hit cinemas in a long, long time. It is the touching and remarkably engaging story of Will Hayes (Ryan Reynolds), who is suffering a divorce while caring for his young daughter Maya (Abigail Breslin). As Will tries to put Maya to bed, she relentlessly inquires to hear the story of how he met her mother. Will reluctantly agrees, and the real movie begins. A young Will Hayes just arrived in New York in 1992 to support Presidential candidate Bill Clinton in the upcoming election. Momentarily leaving his college sweetheart Emily (Elizabeth Banks) in Wisconsin, Will is left susceptible to the dangerous possibility of falling for other women in his new surrounding. One of those women is the beautiful copy machine girl April (Isla Fisher), whom Will becomes very good friends. The two share many comical encounters that are very easy to watch. The other woman testing Will's strength is up and coming journalist Summer Hartley (Rachel Weisz), who is also currently dating world famous journalist Hampton Roth (Kevin Kline), a man of 60 that still likes 'em young. It is also very enticing to learn that Summer possibly shared a romantic encounter with Will's Emily during their college days. With all the characters in place, Maya and the rest of us are left wondering, "who does he end up with?". That, my friends, is why Definitely, Maybe is a terrific film.

Definitely, Maybe was directed and written by Adam Brooks, who also wrote the romantic sports comedy Wimbledon. Coincidentally, that was also one of the very few romantic comedies I actually enjoyed, despite it's predictability. What Brooks did with Definitely, Maybe was take a film genre and set a new standard for it. His writing neglected the cliche conventions of writing a romantic film, and instead twisted it with a mystery theme. With this unique and original plot, the viewer is left with only speculations as to how it will end. Much like I always do with these types of films, I guessed how it would end at the midway point. For the first time ever, I was wrong. Brooks did a superb job keeping me guessing. Whenever I thought I had it figured out, he would throw another curveball. The three woman that swirled through Will's life and time and again knocked him down actually managed to make me feel sorry for the main character. I was able to see his dejection and I was able to feel the love that he felt for all 3 of these women at one time or another. I was also very surprised to find myself willingly engaging in the story, eager to see what would happen next. My first viewing of Definitely, Maybe was with 2 friends, both of which are heterosexual males like myself. I had no problem watching this movie with them because I heard it was good and I wanted to see it, regardless of who I was with. But what shocked me was that one of my friends, who was very unhappy with the idea of watching this film without girls around, was actually bothered by the fact that we had to shut it off midway (we had to go somewhere). Even he was interested in how it ended. That just goes to show you that guys, you don't need to have a girl present to watch this film. It is genuinely good.

With a romantic comedy, who always have to be sure you have good actors to make everything feel authentic. If you go and watch a film like Good Luck Chuck, seeing Dane Cook flirt with Jessica Alba is almost as enjoyable as a trip to the dentist's office (no offense to any dentist's out there). In Definitely, Maybe, every actor did their part to make sure every moment was legitimate. Ryan Reynolds is known to be a very charismatic actor. Even in lesser efforts such as Blade: Trinity, Reynolds always brings charm to his characters. Will Hayes is no different. A delightful and relatable character, audiences will enjoy watching his life unfold and actually root for his happiness. Reynolds also consistently interacts with the films 4 leading ladies believably. Talking to his daughter, played by Breslin, you feel a warmhearted relationship between the two that you could find between a loving father and his child. His heartache is unforgettable as he repeatedly loses those closest to him. Reynolds is also blessed with a wonderful supporting cast, specifically Isla Fisher. I remember in my review of Wedding Crashers I said that Fisher had a very promising career ahead of her and my opinion has not changed. Consistently entertaining and thoroughly amusing, Fisher is a pleasure to watch in any film (except Hot Rod which sucked and horribly underutilized her ability). Elizabeth Banks and Rachel Weisz both put in strong performances, but the only other noteworthy performance from the female cast was the young Abigail Breslin. Although she was nominated for her role in the overrated Little Miss Sunshine, I actually thought she was better in this film. Still not worthy of a nomination, but she showed real talent in this film. (I still don't understand how she was nominated. She wasn't even that good. WHAT DID I MISS!?). Kevin Kline also contributes a very funny effort as the sexagenarian that has a taste for younger women.

When it all boils down, there is really one thing that I am looking for in a romantic comedy, and that is believability. I do not want to watch actors make googly eyes at each other. I want to see people convincing me that their is a such thing as true love. Definitely, Maybe is the only romantic comedy I have ever seen that was both realistic and genuinely entertaining. Not completely without the romance cliches, Definitely, Maybe is not perfect, but is certainly a breath of fresh air for a stupid movie genre. My rating (7/10)

Good Luck Chuck (2007)

Ugh. This was horrible. Not even close to being good. Dane Cook was horrible. Jessica Alba was terrible. That fat guy with the stupid hair was dreadful. Just.......ugh. I didn't even finish watching it. I don't even know how it ends. Frankly, I don't care. My rating: (0/10)