Movie Review The Family Tree

The Family Tree (2011) 

Directed by Vivi Friedman

Written by Mark Lisson 

Starring Dermot Mulroney, Hope Davis, Chi McBride, Max Thieriot, Selma Blair, Christina Hendricks

Release Date August 26th, 2011

Published August 25th, 2011 

The Family Tree, starring Dermot Mulroney and Hope Davis is nuts, in a really great way. This dysfunctional family comedy about a family going to pieces is populated by a wonderfully game all-star cast that sacrifices dignity at every turn to deliver more than a few ridiculously funny moments.

The story is thus, Dermot Mulroney stars as Jack Burnett, a below average suburban working stiff. Hope Davis is his bitchy wife Bunnie and Max Theriot and Britt Robertson are their screwed up kids Eric and Kelly. Eric is a Jesus freak with a love for guns while Kelly portrays herself as loose though she’s not really.

What happens to this family during The Family Tree includes infidelity, a very unique accidental death–an acquaintance, not a family member—drugs and some divine intervention. All of the action is captured by first time director Vivi Friedman in a madcap fashion that plays like American Beauty through the prism of the Coen Brothers.

The phenomenal supporting cast includes Chi McBride’s funniest and most unexpected performance in years as Burnett's neighbor. McBride is joined by a veritable Battle of the Network Stars size supporting cast that includes Burn Notice star Gabrielle Anwar, Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks, Jane Seymour, Selma Blair, Madeline Zima, Keith Carradine, Rachel Leigh Cook and Bow Wow, among others.

Corralling all of this talent into one wonderfully wild movie is first time director Vivi Friedman. Working from a script by a veteran TV writer, and I do mean veteran, the guy who wrote for Hart to Hart, Mark Lisson, Friedman takes her cast and just keeps whipping them into a weird comic frenzy right up to the odd, highly unlikely but still strangely satisfying ending.

Hollywood tried to turn Dermot Mulroney into a hunky leading man a few years ago but it never took. He’s better off without the romantic comedies; character roles like this one in The Family Tree may just be his niche. Mulroney finds a note of suburban white guy awkwardness in The Family Tree that never fails to find the most unexpected laughs.

Hope Davis is a terrific match for Mulroney as a Real Housewife of just outside Beverly Hills. I don’t want to spoil all the trouble that Davis’s Bunnie finds in The Family Tree, but I’ll just say that after her character comes out of a brief hospital stay she becomes endearing and adorable in strange and interesting ways.

I could go on for a while about the rest of the cast but as I said, I don’t want to spoil the movie. The Family Tree is not without its flaws, the guy in the tree… sorry, no spoilers. That aside, I laughed a lot and quite hard while watching this terrific little indie comedy that will without doubt sneak up and surprise you if you give it a chance.

Movie Review I Don't Know How She Does It

I Don't Know How She Does It (2011) 

Directed by Douglas McGrath

Written by Aline Brosh McKenna 

Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Christina Hendricks, Kelsey Grammer, Olivia Munn, Seth Meyers 

Release Date September 16th, 2011 

Published September 17th, 2011

I Don’t Know How She Does It begins with the oddity of characters speaking directly to the camera about the main character, Kate, played by Sarah Jessica Parker. It’s done in a documentary style but the thing is, there is no documentary aspect to the movie. Essentially, this is a hoary device that the movie can rely on without having to explain.

I Don’t Know How She Does It is marked by this kind of sloppiness. This very typical romantic comedy flubs details repeatedly in order to reach the moments that it wants to reach; never mind the fact that the audience is not reaching those moments with the movie, but in spite of it.

Sarah Jessica Parker is Kate Reddy; super-mom. Kate works a big job as an investment banker yet still finds time for bake sales and birthday parties. Even though her job requires her to travel a lot, Kate’s kids and her husband Richard never want for her time and attention.

That changed a few months late last year–apparently the story is told in flashback though again, the structure is so sloppy–when Kate took on the biggest project of her career. Kate has landed a major meeting with Jack (Pierce Brosnan) from the New York office. When she nails the meeting, Kate finds herself busier than ever.

Screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna has long been fascinated by the ways in which women balance career and private life. Her script for The Devil Wears Prada turns on the question of work ambition versus life away from work. In 27 Dresses, Katherine Heigl’s character created a personal life at work only to find it was a fantasy.

In Morning Glory, Rachel McAdams’ TV producer was ready to dump her man because he refused to accept her dedication to her job. When I read that McKenna had written I Don’t Know How She Does It, I assumed this would be her thesis statement on the topic of balance between work and home.

Instead, I Don’t Know How She Does It is a sub-sitcom level comedy about a mess of a woman, her messy life and the boring complications foisted upon her by the conventions of a boring movie. The ideas that McKenna enjoys examining are there but they exist not as ideas worth discussing but as boring romantic comedy roadblocks.

The only interesting performance in I Don’t Know How She Does It, among a cast that includes Greg Kinnear, Busy Phillipps, Christina Hendricks, Seth Meyers, Olivia Munn and Kelsey Grammer, is from Pierce Brosnan. The former 007 is completely charming in I Don’t Know How She Does It and for a time, he elevates the plot from the cliched depths of lame romantic comedy.

I can’t say that I Don’t Know How She Does It is disappointing, as the trailers did little to instill confidence. However, I did hope that screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna might sneak a few ideas into the film. Sadly, she failed and what we get is a mediocre sitcom pilot complete with storylines that could continue for endless banal weeks on any network or maybe Lifetime.

Movie Review: Drive

Drive (2011) 

Directed by Nicholas Winding Refn

Written by Nicholas Winding Refn 

Starring Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks

Release Date September 16th, 2011

Published September 15th, 2011

Ryan Gosling is arguably the best actor working today. His performances in the last year in a diverse slate from the romantic comedy "Crazy, Stupid, Love" to the thriller "All Good Things" to the romantic tragedy "Blue Valentine," have demonstrated Gosling's chameleon-like ability to melt into any role and give life to a variety of fascinating characters.

Gosling's latest performance is arguably his best. "Drive" Stars Ryan Gosling as The Driver. We never learn his name, nor do his unique clients. The Driver spends his days as a Hollywood stunt driver and his nights as a wheelman for high paying criminals. The Driver gives the criminals a five minute window to commit their crime. Within that window he will drive them anywhere and keep them from the cops.

The Driver lives a quiet and very private life making certain not to form relationships or attachments that could imperil his objectivity. Naturally, we know that will change and he does, slowly but surely when he meets Irene (Carey Mulligan). Irene is his neighbor and has a small child that The Driver strikes an immediate friendship with.

The budding romance is cut short with the revelation that Irene's husband/baby daddy Standard (Oscar Isaac) is getting out of prison and coming home. Here, director Nicholas Winding Refn twists our expectations by playing the predictable showdown between The Driver and Standard quietly and thoughtfully.

Gosling betrays The Driver's true feelings for Irene with his eyes but his actions are a different matter. In a departure from his code of non-involvement, The Driver comes to Standard's aid and attempts to get him out from under a debt to criminals who had protected him in prison. This departure by The Driver will prove costly and the rest of plot unfolds from there with an unexpectedly violent flourish. Drive is stunning in its violence, evoking the calculating yet gory viscera of David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence" and "Eastern Promises."

The influences exhibited in "Drive" don't end with Cronenberg. The look and sound of "Drive" evokes the work of writer-director Paul Schrader on "American Gigolo." The neon font of the film titles, the synth soundtrack and the over the shoulder camera position in the driving scenes all evoke Gigolo. Why "American Gigolo?" You'd have to ask director Refn about that; on the surface the two films share little more than the Refn's choice of homage.

Though the influences are obvious "Drive" is far from derivative. The ideas in the film are its own and they are executed with gripping efficiency. Ryan Gosling's acting choices carry weight and intrigue and you can't help but be fascinated by what he will do next. Gosling holds you in thrall as The Driver drifts  further and further into danger.

Gosling is equaled in very different ways by the work of Albert Brooks and Carey Mulligan. You've never thought of Albert Brooks as menacing but you will believe him menacing wielding a knife with fierce efficiency. Carey Mulligan meanwhile, matches the intensity and dangerous charisma of Gosling and Brooks with fragility, beauty and empathy.

"Drive" is a remarkable film, artful, intelligent and gripping. The cast is extraordinary and the direction by Nicholas Winding Refn is superb.

Movie Review: Toy Story 4

Toy Story 4 (2019) 

Directed by Josh Cooley 

Written by Andrew Stanton, Stephany Folsom 

Starring Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Annie Potts, Christina Hendricks, Jordan Peele, Keegan Michael Key, Keanu Reeves, Tony Hale 

Release Date June 21st, 2019

Published June 20th, 2019

I keep imagining that at some point the team at Pixar is going to slow down, that the quality will begin to slip and that the high standard they’ve held for more than 25 years has to decline at some point. And yet, quite wonderfully, they never fail. Pixar’s unfailing quality is an even greater testament to the company’s standard of excellence. For the fourth time, Pixar has made a Toy Story movie that manages to transcend expectations.

Sequels are never expected to improve upon the original. In general, Hollywood sequels are more often than not mercenary efforts intended solely to grab cash while taking advantage of the public appetite for something comfortingly familiar. The folks at Pixar however, are not ones to compromise on quality. Sure, few things are as comfortable and familiar as the chemistry between Woody and Buzz, but Pixar is not a company to rely only on that.

Toy Story 4 is as brilliant, emotionally complex and funny as any of the other Toy Story films. And to add to the degree of difficulty, the film is directed by a debuting director, Josh Cooley. Taking over for John Lasseter, who founded the franchise and carried it to a wonderful sequel and Lee Unkrich who pushed the concept of Toy Story to a place of remarkable poignance and humor in Toy Story 3, Cooley had a nearly impossible task in front of him. That Toy Story 4 equals the standard of the first three films is utterly remarkable.

Toy Story 4 picks up the story of our toy heroes, led by Woody (Tom Hanks) as they live life as Bonnie’s toys. Lately, Woody has fallen out of favor, often being left in the closet while the rest of the toys go to play. This however, has not dampened Woody’s dedication to Bonnie and when she is leaving for her first day of Kindergarten, Woody covertly tags along in her book bag. Woody then secretly helps Bonnie through her first day by getting her the art supplies she needs to create a new friend.

When Bonnie returns home from school, she returns with not just Woody in tow. Woody introduces the rest of the toys to Forky (Tony Hale), Bonnie’s new favorite. Bonnie made Forky out of a spork, some sticks, glue and a pipe cleaner. Forky’s existence is a crisis, not for any of the toys, but for Forky himself. Forky does not see himself as a toy but as a disposable, trash item and he seeks to fulfill his trash destiny.

Woody takes it upon himself to keep Forky with Bonnie at all cost. When Bonnie’s family decides to take a road trip, Forky makes a break for it by jumping from the moving RV in the middle of the night. Being the dedicated toy hero that he is, Woody jumps after him and the main plot of Toy Story 4 kicks in. Woody must convince Forky to accept life as a toy and make it back to the RV before it leaves the following morning from a nearby RV park.

Before Woody and Forky return, Woody gets distracted by something in an antique shop. It appears to be the lamp of Bo Peep (Annie Potts), Woody’s long ago friend from his days as Andy’s favorite toy. Bo Peep was given away years earlier and was thought lost forever. Woody decides to see if she is in the antique shop but before he can find her, Woody and Forky are waylaid by the latest brilliant villain of the Toy Story universe, Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks), a talking baby doll with a broken voice box.

Gabby Gabby and her dummy minions see that Woody has a voice box and they are eager to get it from him. Gabby takes Forky hostage when Woody escapes and it will be up to Woody to try and rescue his new friend while his old friends try to keep Bonnie’s family from leaving without Woody. You were probably wondering what role our old friends were playing, specifically Buzz (Tim Allen), Jesse (Joan Cusack), Slinky Dog (Blake Clark) and Ham (John Ratzenberger). They’re all back but they are mostly sidelined, used sparingly in the Bonnie’s family subplot.

Buzz does get his own story as he goes looking for Woody and explores his inner voice, which he mistakes for the literal voice that comes out when he presses the buttons on his chest. The cluelessness here feels a little off brand for Buzz who has grown in the previous three movies but Allen’s voice work sells it with wit and energy. Allen’s comfort level with the character and this universe could likely make any character trait work for Buzz Lightyear, short of becoming a serial killer.

The new cast members of Toy Story 4 are a rich group of comic possibilities. Christina Hendricks brings nuance and likability to Gabby Gabby who is not the straight ahead villain you expect. Gabby Gabby has the poignance of Ned Beatty’s Toy Story 3 teddy bear but not his tragedy. Gabby Gabby’s story has an unexpected outcome that I won’t spoil here other than saying it is quite satisfying.

In the smaller supporting roles, Keegan Michael Key, Jordan Peele and MVP of 2019, Keanu Reeves, each bring big laughs to Toy Story 4. These characters are a smart innovation for the franchise. While Woody is carrying a rather dramatic story, Key and Peele’s Ducky and Bunny and Keanu’s Duke Caboom, are purely comic inventions. I really loved the running bit that Key and Peele get that I won’t spoil here, it’s silly but it works.

Toy Story 4 is a really great movie. It’s not only because we already love these characters, it’s because the creative team at Pixar cares so deeply about giving these movies a reason to continue. Here, the story is about the growth of Woody. Tom Hanks’ voice has aged perfectly into where Woody is as a character. He’s a little hoarse, he’s a little tired but he’s still eager to please and brimming with dedication, empathy and care.

The relationship between Woody and Annie Potts’ Bo Peep is a wonderful story, truly the heart of the movie. The Woody and Bo Peep story would be enough on its own to make Toy Story 4 transcendent but Pixar is, as always, an embarrassment of riches when it comes to storytelling and Toy Story and because of that, there are numerous things to enjoy about Toy Story 4, perhaps the single most durable and enjoyable movie franchise of all time.