The Happytime Murders - Review

 

Pushing the envelope is nothing new. It’s almost become an ironic thing for a film to do, since its not really all that groundbreaking to push it anymore. It isn’t groundbreaking to try to be groundbreaking. Therefore, when an idea comes along that seems genius, it requires a certain finesse to get it to a place of quality. “The Happytime Murders” does not have that finesse.

It doesn’t really have much of anything in fact. However, it does have some impressive technical aspects. In a world where puppets and humans coexist, some of the advanced puppeteering methods used by Henson Alternative are downright genius. Greenscreen, multi person rigs, special sets, and even hydraulic pumps help bring this extremely technical world to life. It’s clear the crew and director Brian Henson (“Muppet Treasure Island”, “A Muppet Christmas Carol”) are proud of this new tech, as shown via an end credits montage of behind-the-scenes footage.

This advanced technical prowess also helps bring the film’s action scenes to life in a wondrous fashion. While not all of them are great, some are just downright lazy, most employ the same level of expertise that the rest of the film does. They’re by far the coolest sequences in the film, especially when they use the puppets directly in the fights.

It helps bring believability to the scenes, adding a layer to the film as a whole. Also helping a great deal is the wonderful performance from Bill Barretta (“Muppets from Space,” “The Muppets (2011)”), the voice and puppeteer behind Phil Phillips, the movie’s main character. He does a good job, by far the best in the entire film.

Melissa McCarthy (“Bridesmaids,” “Spy”) and Maya Rudolph (“Bridesmaids,” “Sisters”) are just fine. Neither are particularly bad but neither do anything to make their performances memorable. The rest of the supporting cast; Joel McHale (“Community,” “The Informant!”), Leslie David Baker (“The Office,” “Puppy Dog Pals”), and Elizabeth Banks (“Wet Hot American Summer,” “Pitch Perfect”), just appear, say some lines and disappear. They add virtually nothing to the film.

As bland as most of the acting is, it’s the writing that truly kills most of the film. Half the time the puppet characters are spouting lines about prejudices and how humans view puppets as singing and dancing slaves. Meanwhile there are subplots about Phil’s disgraced cop career, his relationship with a human and his soured partnership with McCarthy’s Detective Connie.

None are pulled off well at all and a few simply disappear when they cease to be relevant to the story. The puppet minority allegory is mentioned a few times in the first thirty minutes, but then is dropped. Worse still, it’s never integrated into the story in any way. There are brief mentions of Phil resisting the urge to sing and entertain, instead wanting to have a real job. But this idea is never expanded upon like it seems like it should.

This isn’t just a case of potential being wasted though. Audiences are clearly meant to pay attention to these moments thanks to editing and filmmaking techniques that makes them think they are. It almost feels like they’ve been cheated when these moments amount to almost nothing.

Worse still is the fact that there is some legitimate gold in here. A few of the bits of satire are funny, and some of the grislier scenes of murder and violence could be more entertaining in a better film. But “Happytime” feels like a film that could be so much more, if it wasn’t forced to be an R-rated crude comedy.

Oddly enough, the best parts of the film are in the third act, when a lot of the more obvious and overtly crude humor takes a back seat. If all that had been taken out and Henson had just delivered a PG-13 puppet buddy cop film, then it definitely would’ve improved the film. As it stands, the film’s crude nature serves merely as a distraction from the rest of its elements.

A distraction is warranted though, as the film’s writing is so bad it’s painful. Not the dialogue per se, but more that the film’s internal logic is screwy. So many moments happen apropos of nothing, just popping up because they have to. But because none of it makes any sense, it becomes painful to sit through, making even the mediocre elements feel even worse.

Some technical expertise and a good puppeteering performance can’t save a film down trodden with poor writing, humor and a severe lack of internal logic. There’s a germ of a good idea here, and if someone was to try this again, with either a PG-13 or a far cruder R-rating, maybe “Happytime Murders” could work. As it stands, it’s just a film that can’t commit to any one plot point, subtext, or comedic tone. It avoids being unwatchable or completely awful. It’s just all fluff and no substance. 1.5/5

Crazy Rich Asians - Review

Routine, downtrodden, played out, exaggerated. These words and many more could describe the romantic comedy genre, a type of film so outplayed that there have been films about being haunted by dead exes, couples rekindling love while searching for buried treasure, witches using spells to make others fall in love, and even convincing the family of a man in a coma that you’re his girlfriend.

However, in recent years the genre has seen new life breathed into it thanks to smaller stories told from new points of view (“The Big Sick,” “Love, Simon”). “Crazy Rich Asians” is definitely a new point of view, but its anything but small.

From frame one, “Crazy Rich Asians” flows from scene to scene with delicate and impactful camera movements. Each moment is framed elegantly, and it feels like the first film in a long time that could be viewed and enjoyed purely based on its sets and cinematography. Director Jon M. Chu (“Now You See Me 2,” “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”) and Cinematographer Vanja Cernjul (“30 Rock,” “Nurse Jackie”) work to make each location and moment pop with color and beauty, regardless of whether the scenes are short and filled with talking, or a grand overhead shot.

A delightfully upbeat score from Brian Tyler (“Iron Man 3,” “Now You See Me”) helps accentuate the moments of Nick Young and Rachel Chu. Young, played by Henry Golding, oozes charm from every pore of his body, and it’s a testament to the sharp script that he never feels condescending or mean. He’s just a charming, genuine guy who’s easy to like.

The supporting cast frequently steals the show, with Awkwafina (“Ocean’s 8,” “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising”), Ronny Chieng (“Ronny Chieng: International Student”), Nick Santos (“Superstore”), and Ken Jeong (“Community,” “The Hangover”) constantly providing belly laughs and moments of clarity. Their down to earth nature help prevent the film from becoming a spectacle of excess. Gemma Chan (“Humans,” “Submarine”) is wonderful as Nick’s cousin Astrid, although her subplot could have been given more time to shine.

However, the two showstopping scene stealers are Constance Wu (“Fresh Off the Boat,” “EastSiders”) as Rachel and Michelle Yeoh (“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Sunshine”) as Nick’s commanding mother Eleanor. Wu is an absolute delight, exuding intelligence and wit at every moment. On the contrary, Yeoh plays Eleanor with a calm demeanor that hides a fiery spirit. All it takes is a smirk and she shuts down conversations and disputes in a flash.

While it may be gorgeously shot and written with a sharp tongue and quick wit, thanks to screenwriters Peter Chiarelli (“The Proposal,” “Now You See Me 2”) and Adele Lim (“One Tree Hill,” “Las Vegas”), this is still a romantic comedy. It can’t break free of every cliché, and it does fall prey to many of the same beats that virtually every rom-com treads over.

Not that it’s boring or bad, quite the opposite. It uses those elements and has fun within the clichés without completely reinventing them. It helps that, again, it does all of this with a script that’s quick witted and could easily be compared to the best work of romantic comedy legend Nora Ephron.

Most of all though, underneath the family politics and the gorgeous excess, this is a film that it never afraid to have fun. It keeps a consistently exuberant energy throughout the entire runtime that simply invites its audience to smile. Half of the time it feels like its actors aren’t even acting, just all hanging out together, having a good time and making each other laugh, and this wonderful sense of fun is what really makes this film shine.

It also can’t be understated how much love fills “Crazy Rich Asians.” While that may seem like an obvious point, it is a romantic comedy after all, it feels so genuine. Love between friends, family, significant others, it all comes across so effortlessly. Instead of simply delivering a story of two people who seem to be together just because they can stand each other, Chu and his crew have created a story where people genuinely are in love, and its all the better for it.

“Crazy Rich Asians” is a ridiculously good time. It may not reinvent the genre, but it certainly has fun within the clichés and well-trodden story beats. It’s charming cast, witty script, and delightful sense of fun help deliver a romantic comedy that is just crazy fun. 4.5/5

Christopher Robin - Review

 

Winnie the Pooh is probably the most unlikely candidate to make a comeback in today’s age of excitement and genre pushing excess. He’s slow, witty and tends to meander about. Rarely does he do anything with expediency and most of his stories tend to have an element of sadness to them. The latest film featuring the bear of very little brain, “Christopher Robin”, is set to tell the story of what happens to the Hundred Acre Wood after its human caretaker grows up. Is the resulting story as sweet as honey or is it of very little brain as well?

Clocking in at just around an hour and forty-five minutes, “Christopher Robin” manages to hit the sweet spot in terms of storytelling and pacing. It meanders about slowly, allowing its story to take as much time as necessary to build its conflicts to satisfying emotional crescendos.

Not once does it overstay its welcome or feel too slow, thanks to excellent visuals and voice work from its entire cast, especially the legendary Jim Cummings (“Darkwing Duck,” “Goof Troop”). This man has been voicing Pooh and Tigger for over twenty years, and his performance as the eponymous bumbling bear is still wonderful.

It is taken a step further though, thanks to the intelligence of the script. Writers Alex Ross Perry (“Listen Up Phillip”) and Allison Schroeder (“Hidden Figures”) go to great lengths to make this the most mature film of the Pooh franchise. Material relating to the importance of family and growing up is introduced, but it’s done in such a wonderfully scatterbrained way that it keeps the feeling of routine out of the picture.

The writer and director Mark Forster (“Stranger Than Fiction,” “Finding Neverland”) isn't afraid to inject somberness into this adventure without warning. It leads to moments of genuine shock and emotion, which in turn allows the emotional payoffs to feel just as impactful.

Ewan McGregor (“Moulin Rouge,” “Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith”) is excellent as the elder version of Christopher, keeping a balanced childlike wonder and adult pessimism throughout the film. Haley Atwell (“Agent Carter,” “The Duchess”) is also great as his wife Evelyn, but the standout of the humans is young Bronte Carmichael as Robin’s daughter Madeline. She’s completely adorable and wonderfully charming, feeling right at home with the creatures of the Hundred Acre Wood.

Geoff Zanelli (“Disturbia,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales”) and Jon Brion (“Punch Drunk Love,” “Lady Bird”) manage to incorporate the classic Pooh themes into the music. Many characters have the melodies to their own songs playing underneath scenes involving them, and there’s a delightful piano whimsy to the entire affair.

Pooh and his gang of misfits all look great, with attention to detail in every facet. Tigger’s worn face resembles gray facial scruff, and the felt pads of Pooh’s hands are worn from years of play. It’s a gorgeous film in its simplicity, opting for quiet practical forest shots instead of busy computer-generated backgrounds.

Like previously stated, “Christopher Robin” does not overstay its welcome or have bad pacing. However, it does take a bit to really get going, and while its meandering nature is charming and lighthearted, it may seem slow and off putting to some.

Also, while the more mature and adult nature of many of the story elements is handled well, it results in a film that is fine for kids around the ages of 9 and upwards, but those younger may be scared or frightened of some plot elements that stray further than normal from the general family friendly nature of Pooh’s other outings.

“Christopher Robin” is an incredibly sweet and simple film. It knows exactly what it wants to say and how to get it across, without sacrificing intelligence, wit, or the maturity its story needs. Excellent vocal and physical performances balance out a meandering story that results in a film a lot like the silly old bear himself. Sweet, lovable, a bit slow, and endlessly charming. 4/5