When Harry Met Sally (10/10) I'll watch what Reiner was directing in the 80's

“I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

       

My favorite Rob Reiner film has always been When Harry Met Sally, a romantic comedy that I never expected to enjoy as much as I did. It’s the best Woody Allen film not directed by Woody Allen. Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal’s quirky chemistry in this movie is probably one of the best I’ve seen in any film. Reiner is a director that is hard to categorize since he has worked with different genres: thriller with Misery, fantasy/adventure with The Princess Bride, coming of age with Stand by Me, mockumentary with This is Spinal Tap, drama with A Few Good Men, and comedy with The Bucket List. He’s made his share of bad films (his latest films are probably his weakest), but he seems to have excelled in every genre without establishing a common trademark. You could watch When Harry Met Sally back to back with Misery and you’d never guess it was directed by the same person. The secret to his success with this rom-com is that the relationship feels true to life as he first introduces these flawed characters that don’t seem to care too much for each other, but over the years they begin bonding and establishing a strong friendship. These characters are so relatable and we can see ourselves or our friends in the film. It reminds us of that friend of the opposite sex we had and how easy it was to blur the line between friendship and love. It makes us think of that universal question: Can a man and a woman be best friends without falling in love with each other? A lot of credit must be given to Nora Ephron’s Oscar nominated screenplay because the dialogue and debates between the main characters are authentic and sharp at the same time. There are so many memorable scenes, including the fake orgasm which turned Meg Ryan into such a star, but the final tear jerking scene is my favorite because Billy Crystal delivered his lines in such a perfect way. Even the scenes where old couples are being interviewed in documentary style works perfectly and serves a purpose other than simply serving as transitions taking place in the story. The honesty that comes through in each conversation between Harry and Sally and the incredible chemistry between them is what makes this one of my go to films when it comes to recommending a romantic movie. Did I mention that the film takes place in New York of all places?    

The Princess Bride (7/10): Inigo Montoya saves the day!

"Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die."

   

I know, I picked the most quotable line of this epic fairy tale (sorry for being such a cliche), but it was honestly the scene I enjoyed the most in this movie. Rob Reiner’s The Princess Bride is one of his most revered films and it has become a cult favorite over time. I didn’t fall in love with it however, but I can understand the appeal this romantic fantasy has on so many people considering it has it all: a tale of true love, adventures involving pirates, sword-fights, fantasy creatures, and a princess who is forced to marry against her will. The premise is no different from that of your typical damsel in distress fairy tale, but the way the film seems to be mocking and honoring those familiar elements at the same time are what makes it stand out. It has a unique innocent quality to it while remaining funny, charming, and sweet. Perhaps I would’ve benefited from watching this at a younger age, but having waited so long to experience it for the first time was a bit of an underwhelming experience. I wasn’t swept away by its magical and fantastic elements and the love story didn’t stand out from other romantic tales. There are several fun scenes and unexpected character interactions, but during most of the film I felt a bit bored. The satire works in parts and so does the fantasy, but it just felt too familiar to win me over entirely. 

The screenplay was adapted by William Goldman from his own novel of the same name. Although for this film he uses a grandfather (Peter Falk) to narrate the story as he is telling it to his sick grandson (Fred Savage). At first the grandson isn’t too keen about having his grandpa read him a story, especially because it starts off with kissing, but once the adventure begins he’s hooked. There are occasional interruptions that bring us back to the kid’s room, but most of the film takes place in this fantasy land where we are introduced to a very beautiful woman named Buttercup (Robin Wright) who falls in love with her farm boy, Westley (Cary Elwes). The two have found true love, but having no money to marry he embarks on a trip and promises to return to her. Buttercup is shattered when she hears that Westley was killed by a fearful pirate named Roberts. With nothing more to look forward to, eventually she gets engaged with Prince Humperdinck (Chris Sarandon) of Florin who promises to turn her into a princess. On the eve of her wedding, Buttercup is kidnapped by a man named Vizzini (Wallace Shawn) and his two hired henchmen, Inigo Montoya (Mandy Patinkin) a skilled swordsman who has promised to avenge his father’s death, and the strong but gentle giant Fezzik (Andre the Giant) who really doesn’t know no better. While holding Buttercup ransom and fleeing from the site, they discover that they are being followed by a mysterious man in a black mask. He catches up with them soon and the adventure begins as these men face off with one another and new revelations are made.

Allowing for the story to take place through this narrative style was one of the better decisions because it gave the film its unique dreamy style and it wasn’t necessary to deliver realistic visuals. It was all part of the fantasy, although I would’ve preferred less interruptions, but I guess they had to give Fred Savage and Peter Falk some more lines. The relationship between Elwes and Wright was believable, but it didn’t stand out because it was too familiar. However, they were both the perfect casting choice for these roles. It was Mandy Patinkin as Inigo Montoya who stole the movie for me. I absolutely loved his character and the sword fighting scene was the highlight of the movie for me. It included a brilliant homage to Douglas Fairbanks (which I’m sure gave someone the idea that Elwes would be the perfect choice to spoof his Robin Hood character in a later movie). Montoya was probably the inspiration for Antonio Banderas as well when he was cast to play the Zorro. This character has become an icon and he was the saving grace of the film for me. The rest of the characters were OK, but he stood out. The exception and I think I’m in the minority here was Vizzini. I found Wallace Shawn’s portrayal of him rather irritating and I couldn’t stand him. There is also a hilarious scene with Billy Crystal playing a miracle doctor, who you’d only recognize due to his voice because he is heavily covered in make up to look like an old man. The Princess Bride had its strong moments, but somehow I never managed to fall in love with the fantasy and wouldn’t consider it one of Reiner’s best films. It does prove however what a versatile director he is because the film is very different from his other works. I’m still a bit shocked that the film is so widely loved, but I can’t argue it isn’t a good movie.    

My Review: Monsters University (6/10)

"You don't study scaring, you just do it."

I wasn't a huge fan of the original animated film, but I still enjoyed it enough to want to go check out this prequel, Monsters University. I have to admit that Pixar rarely makes a bad film (with the exception of Cars 2) so obviously expectations are always really high for these kind of films. I wasn't blown away by their latest effort, Brave, and I kind of felt the same way about Monsters University. It was a charming film with some funny moments and some heart, but it wasn't up to par with Pixar's greatest films. It had a pretty simple message for kids: fight for your dreams and even if you don't accomplish them you will still find what you are good at along the way and everything will work out. Billy Crystal and John Goodman do some great voice work once again here for their memorable characters, Sullivan and Mike. The animation was also excellent, and Pixar is probably the best at this department with some great art work. I had a fun time at the theaters, but wasn't blown away this time and felt a bit disappointed. It was very formulaic and the character development was pretty weak for a Pixar film, but I still laughed during several scenes so I still have to give this film a passing grade.

The story works as a sequel as it focuses on Mike's (Billy Crystal) early years. In a school visit to Monsters Inc. Mike discovers he wants to become a scarer and so the film jumps in time to when he enrolls at Monsters University and begins to major as a scarer. Here he meets Sully (John Goodman) who he really dislikes. They seem to always be competing with each other until a series of unfortunate events makes the pair team up with each other to overcome their odds. Mike and Sully cause a disturbance and Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren) expels them from the program. This forces Mike and Sully to team together for the school's scare games once the Dean acknowledges the possibility of them reentering the program if they win. The problem is that they have some fierce competition and they have to team up with the sorority group of Oozma Kappa, a bunch of outcasts who have no experience at being scarers. Thus the film turns into a classic underdog competition (Revenge of the nerds style). Randy (Steve Buscemi) is also in this prequel, who surprisingly was Mike's friendly roommate. Something happens during the film which will make him turn into the classic villain we saw in Monster Inc.

The film is pretty formulaic, but I found it entertaining to see how the friendship between Mike and Sully began after being suche fierce rivals. I also was surprised to discover Randy wasn't your typical villain, he was friendly once and something happens to him that causes him to change his behavior. Overall this is probably one of Pixar's weakest efforts, but it is still a charming fun film and one kids will enjoy. These are all likable characters and the only person who he really miss from Monsters Inc. is the lovable Boo. Despite not being a great film, I still would recommend it for kids, and I think adults will have a lot of fun if they don't go see it with high expectations.

My Review: Parental Guidance (5/10)

¨You gotta shape up Artie! You know what grandparenting is? A second chance! ¨

To be honest I knew I wasn’t going to like this movie before going to see it and didn’t expect much from it. I decided to go so I could spend some time with my family, and I knew it was a film my parents and younger brother would enjoy (and they did). This is a very family friendly film with several cheesy moments. This is also entirely predictable and the plot is one you could see over and over again in any sitcom on TV if you wanted to. The film was directed by Andy Fickman (Game Plan and Race to Witch Mountain) and if you’ve seen any of his previous movies then you kind of know what to expect. You either enjoy these types of movies or you don’t since the style and jokes are pretty similar. The film had some sweet and intentionally emotional moments, but it really failed to connect with me. Billy Crystal hasn’t made a lot of movies in the past decade and I know he is really funny, but this just wasn’t the right film for him. There is not much I can say really about the rest of the cast since they didn’t have much to work with considering they all played clichéd characters. Parental Guidance is a film that some might enjoy, but the truth of the matter is that you will forget all about it a few hours after you leave the cinema. It won’t stick with you and you won’t get anything out of it either, which is pretty sad considering the film tries to be a sort of social commentary as how differently we raise our kids in today’s society.

Artie (Billy Crystal) has been working as a baseball commentator for a minor league baseball team for several decades and is happily married to Diane (Bette Midler). His life dream has always been to be the announcer of the San Francisco Giants, but when he’s fired from the little leagues for being old school he is brought down to reality. They receive a call from their daughter Alice (Marisa Tomei) who wants them to babysit her three kids while she and her husband Phil (Tom Everett Scott) go on a work vacation trip. Artie and Diane don’t really see their grandkids much so they accept the challenge. The kids aren’t really thrilled about having their grandparents over since they have been raised in a very different way, and the truth of the matter is that Alice is really worried about leaving them with her parents (apparently she feels that they didn’t do a good job raising her) as well. Harper (Bailee Madison) is the oldest, a violin perfectionist, then there is Turner (Joshua Rush) who is taking voice lessons, and finally there is Barker (Kyle Harrison), the youngest who has an imaginary kangaroo friend named Karl. Artie and Diane’s methods of parenting don’t seem to connect with the way the kids have been raised by their type-A parents and things are about to get really interesting.

This family friendly film is really light hearted and doesn’t seem to take sides here as to which is the correct form to raise kids, because as Billy Crystal’s character says ¨being a parent doesn’t come with instructions.¨ The film makes fun of both extremes of parenting. There are some emotional moments, especially near the end of the film where Alice and Artie have a conversation about the way he raised her and why she has become so estranged towards them. No answer is really provided. The grandparents made several mistakes but in the end they did help out the kids a lot, but it seems that there was some sort of issue between Artie and Alice that never really got resolved. There are several funny moments involving the kids, but I really didn’t find it very amusing. I think Bailee Madison is one of the cutest child actresses and the rest of the kids were also all very cute. This is a light film that some kids and adults will enjoy, but like I said before it’s nothing groundbreaking at all and you will forget all about it as soon as it’s over.

  

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