You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah - Review: A Teenage Girl's Coming of Age Tale, Sandler Style

Teenaged girls might just be one of the most over and underserved demographics in the history of entertainment. Because while there are numerous pieces of media aimed at them, rarely do those pieces feel like they’re actually “seeing” them for more than potential markets for clothing items and merchandisable dolls/figures. So rarely does a work truly exemplify their lives, the most recent example being “Eighth Grade” and now, Adam Sandler (“Billy Madison,” “Uncut Gems”) has brought his own brand of humor and big-heartedness to the material, making it a family matter as well, with the smartly and lengthily titled “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.”

The film follows Sunny Sandler as Stacy Friedman, a young Jewish girl looking forward to her extravagantly planned bat mitzvah which she believes will help her have a good future if it goes well. However, after she catches her best friend Lydia, played by Samantha Lorraine, kissing her crush Andy, played by Dylan Hoffman, her life starts to fall apart as one misunderstanding after another begins to befall her right up until her big day. The fatherly Sandler plays her dad Danny, Idina Menzel (“Frozen,” “Uncut Gems”) plays her mother Bree, and the ensemble cast is filled out with the likes of Sarah Sherman, Luis Guzman (“Punch Drunk Love,” Carlito’s Way”), Jackie Hoffman (“Feud,” “Only Murders in the Building”), and Ido Mosseri.

If nothing else, the film proves that the comedic stylings of the eldest Sandler clearly run in the family. Sunny is an absolutely fantastic comedic protagonist, running headfirst into numerous circumstances that provide ample amounts of comedy and learning opportunities for Stacy. Likewise, for his limited role, Adam also owns his scenes, providing a more calm, fatherly performance than his more over the top comedic roles prior. Lorraine is also great, meanwhile Hoffman is really just okay, doing as much “I’m an idiot teen boy” schtick as is required. The ensemble also fills their roles nicely, doing exactly what’s required from a comedic perspective and not much more. Sherman does manage to steal every scene she’s in, which shouldn’t surprise anyone familiar with her work on SNL. 

What really comes across in every moment of the film is that director Sammi Cohen (“Crush (2022),” “Kingpin Katie”) and writer Alison Peck (“Uglydolls,” “Work It”) have gone to great lengths to make sure that it feels like an authentic teenage girl experience. While that might not mean it's all “real” or not overexaggerated, the emotions for each scene and moment come across exactly the way they want them to. It’s easy, therefore, to get invested in the troubles of Stacy and Lydia’s friendship and root for them as the film goes on. At no point though do things go anywhere unexpected; this is not the kind of movie that will be playing with your creative expectations. It ends up exactly where you think it will, taking the same route as many tweenaged films have before.

The humor, like most Happy Madison productions, can be wildly hit or miss. Some of it is enjoyably juvenile and silly, playing up the awkwardness of family functions like bat mitzvahs and being a young kid lectured by the adults around you. Other times the awkwardness or gross-out humor goes a step too far. One pivotal moment in the film revolves around a misunderstanding so outlandish that you have to wonder if any real person would actually believe it was intentional, and it takes away from the film’s central nugget of truth.

For all the length of its title, “You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah” is a thoroughly entertaining and honest portrayal of a teenaged girl’s perspective on life and the world. Its various elements don’t always fit together well, but when it’s focusing on that young girl’s experience via Stacy and Lydia, led by the fantastic performances of Sunny and Lorraine, it really is a treat. An uneven, silly, exaggerated treat, but a treat nonetheless. 3.5/5

Bottoms - Review: This Raunchy, Violent, Queer High School Comedy Comes Out On Top

 

High School can seem like one of the most bizarre places on the planet, as if everyone is operating in some weird, disconnected version of their own reality. It can seem doubly bizarre if you also happen to be queer, and “Bottoms”, the sophomore feature from Emma Seligman (“Shiva Baby”) aims to capture that bizarre, uncanny-ness and sprinkle some violence in as well.

The film follows best friends PJ and Josie, played by Rachell Sennott (“Bodies, Bodies, Bodies,” “Shiva Baby”) and Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear,” “Theatre Camp”) respectively, as they start a women’s self-defense club after school with their friend Hazel, played by Ruby Cruz (“Mare of Easttown,” “Willow (2022)”), in an attempt to hook up with their crushes Isabel and Brittany, played by Havana Rose Liu (“No Exit (2022),” “The Sky is Everywhere”) and Kaia Gerber (“American Horror Story: Double Feature”) respectively, all while avoiding the ire of the football team lead by Jeff, played by Nicholas Galitzine (“Red, White, and Royal Blue,” “Cinderella (2021)”), and his right hand man Tim, played by Miles Fowler (“Winning Time”).

With a talented and entirely committed cast, “Bottoms” excels in its goal of pure absurdity. Sennott, who co-wrote the film with Seligman, and Edebiri are a perfect pair, bouncing off each other with comedic glee. The scenes featuring the pair have an electric jolt of craziness that makes them seem like the kind of gee-whiz trainwreck kind of humor one can only conceive of when working with their best friend. The pair also nails the handful of somber moments, playing them up to their most heightened states.

Cruz, meanwhile, absolutely steals the show as the sweeter third wheel to PJ and Josie’s friendship. Her ability to maintain an empathetic point of view without abandoning the movie’s complete absurdity is a secret weapon. The entire cast is so dialed in to the kind of heightened perspective the film is working with that at no point does it ever feel like it’s not of its own reality, even when it seems so disconnected from our own.

What’s really impressive is how the film’s silliness is baked into every aspect. It’s not just in the performances or dialogue. The camerawork is taking everything exceptionally seriously, handled by cinematographer Maria Rusche (“Shiva Baby,” “Dating & New York”), and even the musical choices are working on an absurd level, including a note perfect needle drop of “Complicated” by Avril Lavigne.

If there’s anything to make note of, it’s that “Bottoms” is not a film that will ease you into its world or perspective. This is absolutely one of those movies where, if the first five or so minutes aren’t for you, you should just abandon hope. Because while what’s here is fantastic, it exists on a wavelength all its own.

It makes this a truly special little film. While its easy to make comparisons to other queer cult classics like “But I’m a Cheerleader” or high school satires like “Not Another Teen Movie,” “Bottoms” is a breath of fresh, crazed, violent air that seeks to laugh at itself and everyone else the entire way through. Lead by a pair of perfect performances into a blood soaked, horny, heightened reality, it’s a truly wild ride that hits you like a kiss with a fist. 4.5/5

Gran Turismo - Review: An Underdog Story... Sponsored by PlayStation

 

For anyone outside of the loop on what exactly “Gran Turismo” is, here’s the simple breakdown: it’s a film based on the true story of Jann Mardenborough, played by Archie Madekwe (“Midsommar,” “Saltburn”), a young man who earns a shot at becoming a real race car driver after competing in the virtual GT Academy racing series in the video game Gran Turismo. The film is based on a true story involving the video game series it also takes its name from but is not an adaptation of any story within any of the games it shares its name with. Still following?

All jokes aside, despite the film’s somewhat rocky marketing campaign, which included all manner of things like changing the title to officially be “Gran Turismo: Based on a True Story” to creating a comedically detailed movie theatre standee that simply reprinted the entirety of Variety’s review of the film, the film itself manages to rise above all of that.

Somehow, despite previously only crafting high-budget science fiction blockbusters, director Neill Blomkamp (“District 9,” “Elysium”) has managed to marry his love of whiz-bang filmmaking tech with a surprisingly big heart at the center of the film. Madekwe helps make the initially abrasive Mardenborough a protagonist easy to route for by the film’s end. It helps that the film’s writers Jason Hall (“American Sniper,” “Thank You For Your Service”), Zach Baylin (“Creed III,” “King Richard”), and Alex Tse (“Watchmen (2009),” “Wu-Tang: An American Saga”) stick fairly close to the real story and the tropes of the “inspirational sports movie” genre to craft something that’s well oiled, if not particularly groundbreaking.

That rudimentary story is bolstered not only by Madekwe’s performance, but by his two mentors in the film: Jack Salter, a former race car driver played by David Harbour (“Stranger Things,” “Black Widow”), and Danny Moore, an executive at Nissan who came up with the GT Academy, played by Orlando Bloom (“The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”). Harbour plays Salter as an aged mechanic with a chip on his shoulder who hates the entire idea of the GT Academy, but his gruff exterior helps to develop a charming rapport with Madekwe and ends up being the heart of the film. Bloom is more disposable, but still does great work as the “executive with a heart of gold” helping to make sure the entire project isn’t canned before Mardenborough can show his stuff.

Blomkamp’s experience with blockbuster filmmaking comes in handy with the race sequences, which are just spectacular to watch. As you fly though each race, the camera weaves and zooms around each car, putting you right in the action in an exhilarating way. The up close and personal shooting style helps to make even the most routine and predictable races feel fresh and exciting.

It’s as if every person working on this film is attempting to make something so earnest and so lacking in cynicism in spite of the corporate branding of the movie itself. It creates a bizarre concoction; an underdog racing story with the branding of a multi-billion-dollar video game franchise plastered all across it.

“Gran Turismo” succeeds almost in spite of itself. Thanks to a main trio committed to the earnest of the film and some great technological filmmaking techniques, it’s a movie that strengthens its cliched plot thanks to those aspects. It’s not the most original or finely crafted thing in the world, but it’s hard not to smile and cheer a little bit as Mardenborough fulfills his dream. It isn’t a podium finish, but it definitely races by with flying colors. 4/5

Strays - Review: Doggies Say Curse Word, Cue Laughter

 

There really isn’t much about “Strays” that needs to be said beyond a summary of the film’s overall vibe. It’s an R-rated take on the cute talking dog movies we’ve seen crop up over the past decade or so. It’s produced by Phil Lord and Chris Miller, the guys behind “Clone High,” the “21 Jump Street” movies, and “The LEGO Movie.” There’s clearly a comedic verve on display here, and it’s likely no surprise that if you’ve found those previous films funny, you’ll find this one funny as well. But if not, there isn’t much here to latch on to.

Following Reggie, voiced by Will Ferrell (“Step Brothers,” “The LEGO Movie”), the film showcases his attempts to get back to his loathsome and abusive owner Doug, played with cartoonish villainy by Will Forte (“Clone High,” “The Last Man on Earth”), and befriends fellow stray Bug, voiced by Jamie Foxx (“Ray,” “Baby Driver”), and honorary strays Maggie, voiced by Isla Fisher (“Wedding Crashers,” “Hot Rod”), and Hunter, voiced by Randall Park (“Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “The Interview”), to help him make his journey back to his owner.

Directed by Josh Greenbaum (“Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar,” “Too Funny To Fail”) and written by Dan Perrault (“American Vandal,” “Players”), the film has all the kinds of jokes you’d expect from a movie that proudly plasters its R-rating right on the poster. There are bits about the dogs getting drunk, getting high, peeing, pooping, having sex. If just making a joke would get a film an R-rating, then you’d bet your tail its in this film. That’s not a bad thing, as the kitchen sink approach can often work well in comedies like this.

However, the film is far funnier when its humor is relying more on satirizing the talking dog movie, rather than simply giving its four-legged stars the same material from “The Hangover.” Bits about fireworks, “narrator” dogs, couches, and pounds are legitimately funny and inject the film with a satirical edge that’s missing in much of the other humor. It makes the film feel like it has a lot of peaks and valleys, but thankfully the case helps to smooth that over.

Ferrell, Foxx, Fisher, and Park are all great together, with some fantastic banter and chemistry in the film’s third act. Forte is, again, just supervillain levels of despicable and he clearly wears that kind of overacting with pride. There are a handful of other human cameos that exist more as jokes in themselves, and they’re amusing enough. Towards the end, when the film unexpectedly grows an honest heart at its center, the main furry foursome does a fantastic job at selling it all, and it ends up becoming a film with an underlying metaphor about abusive relationships.

Don’t mistake it for high art though, as while those themes are certainly there, they aren’t exactly nuanced. The film occupies this weird kind of uncanny valley space with its entire atmosphere. It feels like an SNL skit that just happens to be 90 minutes long. No, not a movie based on an SNL skit, just a super long skit. It’s hard to describe, but watching a real dog say, “My name is shitbag,” with detailed and articulate mouth movements, its just a weird experience to say the least.

“Strays” is a weird movie. It’s at its best when it leans more into the satirical nature of its tale, and the voice acting is pretty excellent, with Forte as a great villainous presence. But so much of the humor is just “dogs doing crude/R-rated things” and that bit grows tiresome after about fifteen minutes. It’s certainly funny, but it’s hard to see this as a film remembered for much more than a couple decent laughs in a year’s time. Quite a long time for its furry stars at least. 3/5

Blue Beetle - Review: A True Blue Charmer

 

It’s funny in our age of multiverses, sequels, and franchise films that one can classify a $100 million superhero blockbuster as “small scale.” But compared to the rest of DC’s films from the past decade, that’s exactly what “Blue Beetle” feels like for most of its runtime: a scrappy underdog of a film, despite all the corporate and franchise trimmings.

Shortly after returning from college, Jaime Reyes, played by Xolo Maridueña (“Cobra Kai,” “Dealin' with Idiots”), is job hunting to help provide for his family including his mother Rocio, played by Elpidia Carrillo (“Predator,” “Bread and Roses”), his father Alberto, played by Damián Alcázar (“The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,” “El Infierno”), his sister Milagro, played by Belissa Escobedo (“Hocus Pocus 2”), his grandmother Nana, played by Adriana Barraza (“Babel,” “Penny Dreadful: City of Angels”), and his uncle Rudy, played by George Lopez (“Real Women Have Curves,” “Beverly Hills Chihuahua”). However, on the way to one interview, he’s given a mysterious alien robotic scarab by Jenny Kord, played by Bruna Marquezine (“I Love Paraisópolis,” “God Save the King”), that attaches to his body, giving him control over a superpowered alien suit and allowing him to take on the mantle of the Blue Beetle. This then puts him in the crosshairs of Jenny’s aunt and CEO of Kord Industries Victoria, played by Susan Sarandon (“The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Enchanted”), who wants the Scarab back by any means necessary.

For all intents and purposes, this is a fairly basic superhero origin story. There isn’t much in its basic ideas that stand out from the others that have come before. Jaime must learn to control his powers and save the day through the power of family and his belief in himself. It’s a lot of what you’ve seen before. However, director Ángel Manuel Soto (“Charm City Kings,” “The Farm”) and screenwriter Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (“Miss Bala,” “Contrapelo”) mix in a lot of chemistry and charm from the characters. It practically pours out of the Reyes family, and it helps sell the film from start to finish.

It cannot be overstated how much fun it is to spend time with the Reyeses. They’re supportive and loving, while still having a joking quality that comes from a close-knit family. They all have plenty of moments to shine, with Lopez stealing every scene he’s in particularly. They never feel overused either. Rather the opposite, as the film is at its worst when they’re put on the back burner in the third act in favor of far more traditional climactic CGI explosions and fights.

Maridueña proves to be a charming lead, easily selling his optimism and love for his family, while also mixing in some goofiness with his lack of experience related to his newfound powers. Marquezine does the best she can with a more underdeveloped female love interest kind of role, but she’s still fun and charming. Sarandon, meanwhile, seems confused as to what kind of tone she needs to hit at any given moment. It’s hard to describe her performance as “scenery chewing” because that implies a certain mix of over-played that still works. She just seems out of place the entire movie, never really meshing with the rest of the performances, feeling like a table read that got mixed into the final film.

Visually, there’s a kind of overly artificial sheen to the effects that works with the heightened reality of the film. At no point does the Scarab or the suit look realistic, instead going for a more “pulled from a comic book” look. Jaime’s hometown of Palmera City is covered in skyscrapers and neon lights, giving it all a pulsating glow even in the middle of the night, contrasting against his family’s neighborhood. It’s not realistic at all, and its got its fair share of poor green screen moments, but it also has a charm to it just like the rest of the movie.

It is worth reiterating though, the third act really loses a lot of the film’s best aspects up until that point. It’s more generic and lifeless due to its setting and focus on typical superhero antics. It doesn’t ruin the film but does leave it ending on a more forgettable note than it otherwise could have. It also doesn’t help that said third act is where most of the shoddier effects are, leading to a feeling of quick and dirty reshoots late in the game.

Yes, things might sour a bit in its last third, but it speaks to the charisma of the Reyes family and the actors that even a drab third act can’t fully ruin this film. It’s a simple and charming piece of popcorn filmmaking, with a heartfelt and lovable central cast that shines and puts a smile on your face whenever they’re on screen. It might not rewrite the genre, but “Blue Beetle” definitely has a superpowered charm all its own. 3.5/5

Red, White, and Royal Blue - Review: Talk About An International Affair

 

There’s nothing better than getting swept up in a new romance, and the latest young adult novel-turned-rom-com seems poised to offer just that kind of escapism. Mixed with some political machinations of course. Based on the novel of the same name, “Red, White, and Royal Blue” is Prime Video’s latest original offering and seeks to make viewers swoon as much as its two leads.

The film follows the son of the President of the United States Alex Claremont-Diaz, played by Taylor Zakhar Perez (“The Kissing Booth 2,” “Minx”), as he’s forced to befriend the British Prince Henry, played by Nicholas Galitzine (“Bottoms,” “Cinderella (2021)”), after a mishap at a party. However, despite hating each other at first, the two eventually find themselves smitten and attempt to keep their romance a secret from their parents, their countries, and the world at large.

Perez and Galitzine have fantastic chemistry and both do great work playing into their role and archetypes set up by the conventions of the genre. Alex is the more carefree one of the pair and encourages Henry to open up more, while Henry is sullener and more solum. But writer/director Matthew López and writer Ted Malawer (“Halston”) make sure that, even when it’s adhering to the guidelines of the genre, it’s not just about those guidelines.

There’s a lot of time and effort spent in building up their relationship, and it results in a stronger romance between the two of them. It helps that the script itself is wonderfully witty and gets a lot of mileage out of the concept, in both wordplay and visual gags. There’s a particularly… phallic visual joke involving the Washington Monument that’s just brilliant. The supporting cast is also terrific, whether they’re playing into the film’s more dramatic elements or its comedic. Uma Thurman (“Pulp Fiction,” “Kill Bill: Volume 1”) plays Alex’s mother, Present Ellen Claremont, Stephen Fry (“Gosford Park,” “A Fish Called Wanda”) plays King James III, Henry’s grandfather, and the rest of the cast is peppered with scene stealers. Special shout out to Alex’s best friend, and charm personified, Nora, played by Rachel Hilson (“This Is Us,” “Love, Victor”).

As charming as it all is, the film can’t seem to shake a feeling of trite simplicity that hangs over it. It feels like a more solidly built Hallmark movie, and while there isn’t anything wrong with being that, it does lead to things feeling a bit disposable. It’s not a knock on the performances, the subject material, or the direction. It’s all good but lacks that certain something to set it apart from the swath of other rom-coms releasing on streaming services nowadays. It’s also disappointing that, as well executed as it is, this is yet another gay romance film where a major part of the plot revolves around the pain of coming out and keeping things a secret from family. It does get some wrinkles given the political aspects of it all, but it’s nevertheless a bit tiring.

If you’re in the mood for something sweet, “Red, White. and Royal Blue” will absolutely satisfy that craving. Two incredibly charismatic leads with great chemistry are surrounded by a witty script and supporting cast ready to make them shine. It’s almost too cute for its own good, leading to a feeling of slightness with its sheen and well-trodden queer plot elements. But it’s still a fun time and more than worthy of your support. 3.5/5

Shortcomings - Review: Love Is a Very Selfish Thing

 

Love is a many splendored thing. And for some, it can be an absolute chore to be in love with someone not because of the acts involved, but purely because of the person themselves. That was the circumstance surrounding the subject of Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel “Shortcomings” and now comedian Randall Park (“The Interview,” “Fresh Off the Boat”) has chosen to direct an adaptation of that graphic novel for his directorial debut, with Tomine writing the script himself. Will this adaptation be as hard to love as its central character? 

The film follows Ben, played by Justin H. Min (“After Yang,” “The Umbrella Academy”), an arrogant, self-centered movie theatre manager who decides to live his life as if he’s a bachelor after his girlfriend Miko, played by Ally Maki (“Wrecked,” “Toy Story 4”), accepts an internship in New York City. His best friend Alice, played by Sherry Cola (“Good Trouble,” “Joy Ride”), disagrees with this and attempts to discourage his infidelities, but despite this Ben attempts to fool around with numerous women, including Sasha, played by Debby Ryan (“Jessie,” “Spin Me Round”), and Autumn, played by Tavi Gevinson (“Gossip Girl (2021),” “Person to Person”). 

Min plays Ben flawlessly, almost to a concerning degree. While everyone around him has varying levels of positives and negatives, Ben is an almost entirely reprehensible person. Even when the film ends, he seems to have marginally improved, but not by much, and it creates a fascinating performance to watch. Cola is also excellent, and Alice proves to be a great foible for Ben, as the pair have quite a bit in common, but she’s far more mature and has far more self-awareness for her flaws than Ben does. 

Gevinson, Ryan, and Maki all manage to elevate their performances above being eye candy for Ben, although it does help that Ben is such a jerk. Ryan clearly has fun playing against her previous Disney child actor type casting, and Gevinson is a fun spin on the “young female artist” trope. But Maki really gets her teeth into her performance, especially in the film’s conclusion. She manages to turn what could have easily been a flat foible to Ben’s lackadaisical quest into a meaty character equal to his in terms of criticisms and complexity. 

Park does manage to direct with a good amount of gusto, playing with some fun angles without branching too far out for his debut. Tomine’s script is also exceptionally sharp and makes a meal of most of the male characters, refusing to pull any punches with any of their archetypical behaviors. It's packed full of cringeworthy moments that never fail to make you do exactly that, but Tomine also peppers in plenty of fantastic dialogue and quips back and forth. 

This is a film that is clearly aware of how detestable Ben is and it makes no bones about it. Park literally has a small cameo where he says just this. It makes for a fascinating dynamic to have, like some kind of twisted live-action version of the classic Looney Tunes cartoon “Duck Amuck.” It’s the creator versus the lead, just one wherein the creator clearly knows the lead can be a better person. 

“Shortcomings” has very few, coupling a great cast with a great script for a directorial debut that, while it lacks a lot of visual panache, makes for a thoroughly entertaining takedown of the kind of dude bro guy that is the bane of so many women’s existences. Min is absolutely stellar at being such a terrible guy, and Park takes glee in setting up his comeuppance and serving him (and us) some delicious just desserts. 4.5/5

Passages - Review: When Charming People Do Bad Things

 

Sometimes, there’s just nothing like watching bad people make bad decisions in cinema. Much of the landscape consists of those sorts of stories and “Passages”, the latest film from French director/writer Ira Sachs (“Love is Strange,” “Little Men”) and co-writer Mauricio Zacharias (“Love is Strange,” “Little Men”) is no different. It certainly won’t be for everyone, buts it's an authentically told tale, nevertheless.

The film follows Tomas, played by Franz Rogowski (“Freaks Out,” “Happy End”), a filmmaker who decides to end his relationship with his longtime partner Martin, played by Ben Wishaw (“Paddington,” “Mary Poppins Returns”), after a fling with a young woman at a nightclub, Agathe, played by Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Blue is the Warmest Colour,” “The Five Devils”). He then begins to date Agathe, with the film slowly showcasing his selfishness, infidelity, and breakdown of both relationships.

It’s a very simple film, the definition of the kind of old-school “movies about talking” kind of production that used to dominate the industry in the 70s, 80s, and 90s., and it works well in that regard. The script from Sachs and Zacharias is punchy and features numerous moments of tension due to Tomas’s general rudeness and selfish nature. It becomes a minefield later in the film as he dances around trying to keep everything running smoothly, but as he becomes increasingly more toxic, the film begins to become increasingly more tedious.

Rogowski is great, and Wishaw and Exarchopoulos are also fantastic, with the trio playing perfectly against each other. Tomas has a completely different depending on if he’s with Agathe or Martin, and the ebb and flow of the trio’s performances helps to craft a fascinating tale of relationships as they build and crumble.

Which is a shame then that the film simply becomes a more rote experience as it continues. It's not that the quality of the writing or performances change, that the beauty of the cinematography from Josée Deshaies (“House of Tolerance,” “Saint Laurent”) gets any less understated and gorgeous. But as the film goes on, Tomas’s escapades become less entertaining, and more tedious, eventually souring the experience. It turns from being a fun and toxic tale of a self-centered ass to a still toxic but far more dower tale of a man who seems more pathetic as the runtime goes on.

It can, of course, be argued that the point of the film is that it's a dower, toxic experience, and while that may be the case, there are certainly plenty of films like it that don’t end up dragging by the end. It’s not an issue of pacing, as the entire film has rather wonky pacing, stuttering and stopping at a seemingly random pace. It adds to the exhausting feeling of the entire experience by the end of things, arguably mirroring Agathe and Martin’s experiences with Tomas himself.

“Passages” is certainly a well-made film full of people doing an excellent job with a biting script and material. It’s not acid-tongued so much as built entirely around a person that most people would rather simply not interact with shortly after meeting. This results in a film that’s excellent on a craft level, but emotionally becomes quite exhausting, pulling itself across the finish line of Tomas’s incredibly pathetic journey. 3/5

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - Review: A Blast of Authentically Teenage Turtle Power

 

There have been quite a few Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies over the years. Ever since the foursome was first introduced to the world by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird way back in 1984, there’s been a weird obsession with these young, mutated, turtle kids who know karate. Now, this latest movie, the seventh theatrical release and second animated, seeks to reboot the series with a specific focus on that kid aspect.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” focuses on the four turtle brothers: Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, and Michelangelo, voiced by Micah Abbey (“Cousins for Life”), Nicolas Cantu (“The Amazing World of Gumball,” “The Walking Dead: World Beyond”), Brady Noon (“Good Boys,” “The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers”), and Shamon Brown Jr. (“The Chi”) respectively, who live with their adoptive rat father Splinter, voiced by Jackie Chan (“Rush Hour,” “Kung Fu Panda”), in the sewers on New York City. After meeting teenaged human April O’Neil, voiced by Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear,” “Big Mouth”), the foursome attempt to make the human world like and accept them by taking down the mysterious super-criminal Superfly, voiced by Ice Cube (“21 Jump Street,” “Friday”).

Those four teenaged boys voicing the turtles are the absolute lifeblood of the entire film. Don’t misunderstand, the rest of the voice cast is also great. Cube is a menacing and fun villain, Chan is the perfect Splinter, balancing his comedy and dramatic chops, and Edebiri is instantly likable as April. But these four boys radiate chemistry and charm like no others. The genius move to have them record their lines together pays off in spades, as their rapport and general chemistry help bring this brotherhood to life. It feels like a legitimate group of siblings, all poking fun at and supporting each other in equal measure. They make the film crackle with electric dialogue and charisma, and it would be a significantly worse movie without them.

The script, written by the film’s director Jeff Rowe (“The Mitchells vs. The Machines,” “Disenchantment”), with Seth Rogen (“Pineapple Express,” “Superbad”), Evan Goldberg (“This Is The End,” “Superbad”), Dan Hernandez (“Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” “The Addams Family 2”), and Benji Samit (“Pokémon Detective Pikachu,” “The Addams Family 2”), from a story by Rogen, Goldberg, Rowe, and Brendan O’Brien (“Neighbors,” “Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates”),  is bursting with pop-culture references and teenaged silliness. It feels authentic because of the voices delivering it all, but there’s also a kind of “coolness for kids” feeling that’s hard to fake. These characters say hell and damn, puke, talk about anime and butts. It’s the sort of movie that, while clearly made for kids, can easily make a kid watching it feel like they’re seeing something made for grown ups and therefore makes them feel cool. It just feels different from any other previous TMNT project in a great way.

But even if the voices were bad or the script wasn’t fun or funny, there’d still be one big reason to see this film: the animation. Taking a page from Sony’s “Spider-Verse” films and Rowe’s previous movie “The Mitchells vs. the Machines”, the animation is purposefully stylized and stilted to reflect a mixture between the original comics the Turtles came from and the sketches found in the margins of a teenagers notebook. It results in characters that look sculpted from clay, smoke clouds that are made of squiggles, blacklight glowing nighttime sequences, and scenery that looks almost like a popup book. Lights don’t glow, they seem like they’re colored with highlighter with a light shown through the back of a piece of paper. It’s a bolder and more abstract style than other highly stylized animated films from recent years and it won’t be for everyone. But it’s a thrilling look and it captures your attention instantly.

All of this combines to create something most filmmakers can only dream of capturing: energy. The teenage feeling of it all bleeds through every aspect, from the visuals to the script to the voices. It feels like a movie not made by a bunch of adults for kids, but by a bunch of teenagers who never actually grew up. It creates a great entry point to the Turtles, and also crafts a movie that’s highly engaging and feels like nothing else out there. The score from Trent Reznor (“Soul,” “The Social Network”) and Atticus Ross (“Soul,” “The Social Network”) also helps to reflect this, thumping with electronic and 8-bit beats under each action sequence and fun moment.

If there are any negatives to mention, then there is the fact that some characters seem like they’re introduced and quickly brushed aside to be brought back for future (already confirmed) sequels. The film, despite being 100-minutes, feels so full of life that you’d wish it was longer, just because spending time in this world is so much fun you don’t want it to end. It leaves you wanting more.

If one of the biggest negatives for a film was wishing there was more, you know you’ve got something special on your hands. “Mutant Mayhem” not only is the best Turtles movie ever, but it’s a blast of a teenaged romp that virtually anyone can enjoy. It’s got a great sense of visual style and a voice cast that excels. It’s hard to imagine a better night at the movies than spending it with these sewer dwelling high schoolers. 4.5/5