Tag: Comedy

The Kissing Booth 2: Teenage Girls Deserve More

Picture of Jacob Elordi holding a sign saying, "I missed you more" in the Kissing Booth 2

The Kissing Booth 2

Directed by Vince Marcello
Written by Vince Marcello, Jay S. Arnold

The review:

Good gravy, don’t teenage girls deserve story logic like teenage boys do?* Nothing in this film makes sense, especially the time line** but also people’s motivations are cued at the need of the plot. Regardless, did I watch the whole thing with a smile on my face?***

The verdict: Skip

Also Good, if you are in the right mood and willing to overlook many, many flaws.

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*Yes, they do!
**The time line in this film operates at speed of plot. Sending in college applications in September? Finding out if you got into schools in June? Homecoming carnival happening after Thanksgiving? Still unanswered from the first movie: Dance Club? Who are the other members? What does the club do?
***Yes.

Questions:

  • How does this movie manage to be pleasurable and maddening at the same time?
  • What was the single most unrealistic moment in this film?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The movie is set in Los Angeles but mostly filmed in Cape Town, South Africa.

Other reviews of The Kissing Booth 2:

Love Simple is a Simple Movie

A picture of Francisco Solorzano and Patrizia Hernandez with a sketch of NYC brownstones behind them

Love Simple

Directed by Mark von Sternberg
Written by Mark von Sternberg

The review:

When you have two characters who are both lying to make themselves look better to the person they like it doesn’t make for the best narrative.* While this is a solid example of a middle-to-low quality indie film, it’s not the best way to spend your time. While you are waiting for the couple to find each other out, you can wonder if you’ve seen anyone anywhere else,** contemplate if naming a female character “Keith” is more distracting than endearing, and take in some 2009 fashions.***

The verdict: Skip

Cost: Free via Kanopy Streaming Service
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*They will either discover their lies and break up, or discover their lies and find a way to forgive each other. Those are the two endings. Watching them pile up their lies until the point when they have to come clean does not make for an interesting movie.
**Mostly the answer is no.
***Men’s jeans were still really baggy then. I had forgotten.

Questions:

  • Who was telling the biggest lie?
  • Were you rooting for or against the couple by the end of the film?

Palm Springs is Cool and Refreshing

Image: Cristin Milioti and Adam Sandburg in a pool drinking beer.

Palm Springs

Directed by Max Barbakow
Written by Andy Siara

The review:

While it’s Andy Samberg* who gets this movie started, it’s the delightful performance of Cristin Milioti** that pushes this comedy into a fully rounded film that is something more than a funny romp through a wedding. The relationship between the two leads is the joy of the film, with a little J.K. Simmons as a disgruntled wedding guest sprinkled in for bonus fun. I went in knowing nothing, pulled the boyfriend in to watch it at J.K. Simmons’ first appearance, and greatly enjoyed myself.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Hulu subscription (with Disney+ $12.99/month)
Where watched: at home, with Matt who also enjoyed it.

Consider also watching:

  • Run Lola Run (Drama, not comedy)
  • The Truman Show
  • Groundhog Day
  • Source Code (Drama, not comedy)

Further sentences:

*I am mostly familiar with him through his comedy pieces like Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping
**I enjoyed her in It Had to Be You, and am hoping I get to see more than her. So far she seems to have shown up on TV series.
**That said, this isn’t a cinematic masterpiece. It’s a solid film. Don’t go in with your expectations set too high.

Questions:

  • How would you have spent that day?
  • Shall we discuss the dinosaurs?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Palm Springs broke the record for most-viewed Hulu release in its first weekend on the streaming service.

Other reviews of Palm Springs:

Text: That was a grammatical nightmare. —Palm Springs. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Sleepless in Seattle is Perfect

A picture of Meg Ryan in Sleepless in Seattle

Sleepless in Seattle

Directed by Nora Ephron
Written by Jeff Arch, Nora Ephron, and David S. Ward

The review:

This remains a classic romantic comedy* and hits all its marks. It’s even stronger because the two characters play out their own stories, but we know by the end that they are meant to be together. It’s also a movie that inspired me to do my homework** and uses so many good actors in small roles.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I don’t think I watched this more than once or twice, yet so many of the scenes were as familiar as if I had seen it more recently than the 1990s. The soundtrack, however, I wore out during my early college years.
**I watched two movies because of this movie. (An Affair to Remember, The Dirty Dozen) I didn’t love either of them.
***Tiny Gaby Hoffman! Calvin Trillin! Rita Wilson! Rosie O’Donnell! Carey Lowell! David Hyde Pierce! Frances Conroy! (I had to look her up, but she was the mom in Six Feet Under.)

Questions:

  • It’s always hard to deal with the mismatched love interest. How do you feel about the breakup scene?
  • What’s another movie that makes good use of the map?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The scene between Tom Hanks and Victor Garber crying over the movie The Dirty Dozen (1967) was completely improvised during the take.

Other reviews of Sleepless in Seattle:

Note that the Metacritic list is made up of fifteen men and two women. Grrr.

Text: Destiny is something we've invented because we can't stand the fact that everything that happens is accidental. —Sleepless in Seattle. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Cancel the Delivery of You’ve Got Mail

Photo of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in the movie You've Got Mail

You’ve Got Mail

Directed by Nora Ephron
Written by Nora & Delia Ephron adapted from Miklós László’s play

The review:

I didn’t like this in 1998 and the central problem remained in 2020.* Thus, I wasn’t much of a fan, except for Meg Ryan’s incredible wardrobe,** the amazing bookshop*** and being amused at the premise that the family that runs big bookstores would have that level of wealth.**** I will say that it’s an interesting study of someone breaking out into her own person during middle age,***** which is the hidden gem of a story in this watchable-but-unlikeable film.******

The verdict: Skip

Cost: $3.99 via Google Play
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*When a man knows a key piece of information and purposely withholds it from a woman he might be in love with, that makes him a secretive and manipulative jerk. It was that way when Jimmy Stewart played this role and it’s that way when Tom Hanks does.
**A few things haven’t aged well, but most of her outfits hit the spot.
***She even mentions the Betsy-Tacy books!
****This does poke fun at old men fathering children with much younger women, which is fun.
*****Though she loved books, she was carrying on her mother’s legacy. This didn’t give her a chance to find out who she wanted to be.
******I also enjoyed the quick and easy breakup scene. One could call it lazy writing, but it was carried off with such verve.

Questions:

  • What was your favorite Meg Ryan outfit?
  • How did you find the AOL aspect now that we’ve moved past AOL chatrooms?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The children’s bookstore scenes in the film were filmed at Maya Shaper’s Cheese and Antique Shop on 106 West 69th Street. The filmmakers wanted to use the antique shop because it had the quaint, homey feel they were going for. They sent the owner of the antique shop on vacation for a few weeks, and while she was gone they turned the store into a children’s bookstore. After filming was finished, they put everything back the way they had left it, and it became an antique store once again.

Other reviews of You’ve Got Mail:

Sometimes I wonder about my life. I lead a small life--well, valuable, but small--and sometimes I wonder, do I do it because I like it, or because I haven't been brave? —You've Got Mail. Read the three sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

Little is Big Fun

Picture of Marsai Martin and Issa Rae stars of Little

Little

Directed by Tina Gordon
Written by Tracy Oliver, Tina Gordon

The review:

Holy cow, does the one-two-three punch of Regina Hall, Issa Rae,* and Marsai Martin charm the heck out of this movie. Marsai Martin is particularly good,** channeling a very grown, very mean Regina Hall with uncanny accuracy. Though it slumps a bit in the third act, this movie is fun, funny, and well worth your time.***

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: $1.80 via Redbox
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*A bright spot of 2020 is that this is the year of me catching up with Issa Rae.
**She was entirely new to me, and I’m blown away by her performance. Fingers crossed for a smooth transition from adolescence to adulthood.
***Another thing I liked was that the rest of the cast looked like real people, not body-perfect actors trying to make it in Hollywood.

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite age-swap movie?
  • How would you fare if you were thrown back to your 13-year-old self?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Marsai Martin not only pitched the movie but was also one of the executive producers.

Other reviews of Little:

Text says: So you ate her? Is that what happened? Cook her in your Easy Bake Oven? —Little. Read the three sentence movie review: 3SMReviews.com

The delivery of this line. I can’t even. Issa Rae is a comic genius.

Have you been waiting for Can’t Hardly Wait?

Photo of the cast of Can't Hardly Wait

Can’t Hardly Wait

Directed by Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan
Written by Deborah Kaplan, Harry Elfont

The review:

Wowee, does this standard multi-character teenage comedy capture a time.* While it’s great to reacquaint yourself with people who once were around a lot and have faded,** I’m not sure this is the greatest use of your movie-watching time.*** But if you, like me, can never resist a teen comedy and you haven’t yet seen this, well, you’ve got some homework.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*My teen years encompassed 1987–1994 and aside from Say Anything in 1989 not one teen comedy was released while I was actually a teenager. This, in my memory, is the first after the drought.
**Jennifer Love Hewitt, Seth Green, Sean Patrick Thomas, Jenna Elfman. (Ethan Embry I just saw in a minor role in Blindspotting. He was great in that. A little so-so in this.)
***Though it’s a teen comedy before cell phones plus the 1990s clothing is so fun to remind you that you are glad you aren’t wearing it any longer.

Questions:

  • What did you think of the wrapup text that tells you where everyone is?
  • If you had to dress like one of the characters, which would it be?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

At one point, there’s a distant shot showing someone doing flips in the party’s yard. That’s actually Ethan Embry. In addition to acting, he was an award-winning gymnast from a very young age.

Other reviews of Can’t Hardly Wait:

Text says: Nobody drink the beer. The beer has gone bad! --Can's Hardly Wait. Read the three-sentence movie review 3SMReviews.com

Blindspotting: Friendship & Transitions

Blindspotting

Blindspotting

Directed by Carlos López Estrada
Written by Rafael Casal, Daveed Diggs

The review:

Friendship is at the heart of this film; a friendship that makes two people better and worse.* Watching the friendship between Collin (Daveed Diggs) and Miles (Rafael Casal) and choices made (now and in the past)** highlights so many contemporary issues. This is a movie where I had all the feelings, it’s laugh-while-watching-alone-funny,*** it graphically illustrates the ramifications of gentrification,**** it has a lot to say about race,***** our system of punishment, and it’s got moments of pure terror.******

The verdict: Recommended

Cost: Free! Google Play is not charging. Watch it today!
Where watched: at home.

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*People who have been friends since they were twelve sometimes have complex friendships by the time they are in their twenties. Both people have changed so much that sometimes what links them together isn’t always the best for either of them.
**The scene where we find out why Collin had to serve time is particularly brilliant. We’re hearing about the incident from an excited bystander, but the two people who were there have different feelings.
***Watching Miles sell things provides a lot of the comedy. That beauty shop scene will stick in my brain for a very long time.
****Including the transformation of the Kwik Mart and houses torn down, with new ones inserted into the block face.
*****Collin and Miles argument about Miles not using a certain word does more to get across race disparities than forty essays.
******For people who “just don’t get” Black people’s fear of the police, this movie offers a ton of opportunities to understand why.

Questions:

  • Do you think Collin and Miles will continue to be friends?
  • What was the most memorable scene for you?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Collin’s alarm clock at the halfway house is set to 6:25. 625 spells out O-A-K on a phone and is also on a shirt that Collin wears.

Other reviews of Blindspotting:

Blindspotting

The Watermelon Woman is a Bushel of Fun

The Watermelon Woman

The Watermelon Woman

Directed by Cheryl Dunye
Written by Cheryl Dunye

The review:

A few months ago I watched Nisha Ganatra’s Chutney Popcorn and was charmed by it’s 90’s indie energy;* so it was for this film, an imperfect, yet incredibly engaging story of a video store clerk on a quest to find out more about a Black actress from the 1930s. While the production values are low, the charisma is high, and this film is funny.** While it’s a Good film for anyone to watch, it’s Recommended if you were of a certain age (say, 16–30) in the mid-90s, have an interest in new Queer cinema, or are curious about what’s up with that mysterious 1930s actress Cheryl is so interested in.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free via Kanopy. It’s also streaming for free right now on the Criterion Channel
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*And yes, the many markers of the 90s were part of its charm for me.
**”Welcome to the Center for Lesbian Information and Technology.” (CLIT) (Ha!)

Questions:

  • What are you willing to forgive in shoddy filmmaking as long as something else is present?
  • What’s your favorite low-budget movie from the 1990s?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

(None because they are both too spoiler-y)(Here’s one from a New Republic article.)

Dunye made The Watermelon Woman on a shoestring budget of $300,000—about one tenth of which came from an NEA grant. The film received limited attention when it was originally released in the U.S., but that didn’t stop it from generating controversy when Michigan Republican Pieter Hoekstra cited it as inappropriate use of government funds. He tried unsuccessfully to get his colleagues in Congress to deduct Dunye’s $31,500 grant from the NEA budget, citing NEA funding for a series of gay and lesbian films that “most Americans would find offensive” and referring to The Watermelon Woman specifically as “patently offensive and possibly pornographic.”

Moira Donegan, New Republic

Other reviews of The Watermelon Woman:

The Watermelon Woman

A Not Great Beat Beneath My Feet

The Beat Beneath My Feet

The Beat Beneath My Feet

Directed by John Williams
Written by Michael Müller

The review:

Only because of Luke Perry did I watch this and though there is ample Luke Perry,* I was not blessed with a good movie, though it does stop well shy of being terrible.** It’s the kind of movie where things happen because plot requires*** rather than unfolding organically. The music was fine.****

The verdict: Skip

Cost: free via Kanopy
Where watched: at home

Consider watching instead:

Further sentences:

*And god bless Luke Perry for imprinting on me in the 90s, but can we talk about his range? I feel like he does what he does well: attentive stares, sad eyes, thoughtful performances. But I don’t know if I’ve seen him step outside those things. Please weigh in with your input.
**Sometimes boring movies are worse.
***How exactly did this famous singer with an American accent get away with living on the dole in London under an assumed name? Do they have unemployment benefits for non-citizens there? Perhaps they do and I’m thinking of the USA’s attitude toward welfare. But really, no one recognized him? Also, was there no other sympathetic sort at school than the hot girl?
****Though if you are looking for a sad people musician story, might I recommend Song One?

Questions:

  • What would you have done to spruce this movie up?
  • Who’s your favorite sad musician in real life?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Luke Perry is left handed and his character writes left handed in the film, but plays guitar right handed.

Other reviews of The Beat Beneath My Feet:

The Beat Beneath My Feet