Kramer vs. Kramer (8/10): A compelling family drama with remarkable performances.

“Mommy stayed here longer than she wanted because she loves you so much. And the reason why Mommy couldn't stay anymore... was because she couldn't stand me. She didn't leave because of you. She left because of me.”

Robert Benton’s third feature film, Kramer vs. Kramer, still stands out as his best. This 1979 family drama which explores interpersonal relationships and the effect divorce has on the family, remains very relevant in today’s society. It is one of those rare classics that has managed to age very well due to its universal theme. In order for an authentic drama like this to work you need a strong script and believable actors. Kramer vs. Kramer has both, Robert Benson did an amazing job with the screenplay adaptation of Avery Corman’s novel and the dialogue in the film feels authentic while avoiding any false notes. And of course you couldn’t have had anyone better than Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep to play the divorced couple. Hoffman was already at the height of his career, while Streep was just getting started proving she’s always been an out of this world actress. Both actors won their first Academy Awards for this film, and it wouldn’t be their last. But in a film like this no matter how good the adult characters are, you need to have a child who can win over the sympathy of the audience and engage them emotionally. Benton made a huge gamble when he hired inexperienced Justin Henry for the role, but it payed off marvelously. At only 8 years old Henry was nominated for his supporting role. The scenes he shares with Hoffman are endearing and the relationship between the two is the center of the film. It was the subtle moments that the two shared together that stuck with me the most, like the scene where the kid challenges his father’s authority by eating the ice cream. These were improvised scenes, but they added to the authenticity of the film. That relationship between both of them is key, as we witness the transition and evolution of Hoffman’s character.

The film opens with a shot of Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) packing her clothes in a suitcase while she waits for her husband, Ted (Dustin Hoffman) to return home from work so that she can break the news to him that she is leaving him. Apparently she has been unhappy for quite some time now and she wants to discover who she is. Despite being heartbroken about having to abandon her young son, Billy (Justin Henry), she is convinced she has to go. Ted, who hasn’t the slightest clue about housekeeping, must now learn to manage his work while taking care of his son. During the early scenes we see what an inexperienced father he is, he can’t prepare breakfast for Billy without burning everything. But as the movie progresses we begin to see the transformation that Ted goes through and what a caring father he becomes. His career does begin to suffer and he begins struggling to keep his job, but he has learned to put his son’s life before his own. With the help of his friendly neighbor, Margaret (Jane Alexander), he becomes an expert at parenting, but that is around the time that Joanna returns back to the city and tells Ted she wants to take her son with him. A court battle for their son’s custody ensues as neither parent refuses to live without their son. 

The film builds a great father and son dynamic during most of its runtime and that is what makes the courtroom drama so compelling near the end because the stakes have been settled. I don’t think this film would’ve won the Oscar for Best Picture if it weren’t for those intense scenes during the trial. The testimony each parent gives is compelling and the performances in those scenes were superb, but I actually enjoyed the quieter and more subtle moments in this film. The scenes were Hoffman is sharing some time at the park with his son or simply reading a story to him. Those were the moments that made this film ring true and authentic. I think that the film could’ve ended on a stronger note if it decided to have ended some five minutes before it actually did because it ties things up too neatly at the end. The final kitchen scene would’ve been the perfect moment to end it, but I won’t complain too much because the film is compelling and the performances had me engaged from the very opening scene. Kramer vs. Kramer still resonates with audiences today and it is a great example of how to make a compelling family drama about the effect that divorce has on the family. I enjoyed every minute of it. 

My Review: I Heart Huckabees (5/10)

"The universe is an infinite sphere whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere."

Having seen David O. Russell's last three films which amassed him several Oscar nominations, I wanted to go back to one of his earlier projects that I missed. I had heard mix reviews about I Heart Huckabees, but I went into it with high expectations considering his latest films blew me away. I was really disappointed with the film despite the talented cast because the premise didn't appeal to me and the comedy didn't work for me either. The film centers on philosophical elements such as existentialism and nihilism, but it is treated in such a way that it seemed as if they were making fun of these theories without actually being funny. It isn't as deep as it is trying to be and despite the style that David O. Russell brings to the film it never managed to engage me. It's as if Russell simply mixed all these philosophical ideas in a blender and the result was I Heart Huckabees. The cast made the film a bit more tolerable considering they all bring their unique charisma, but the story simply didn't work for me. It was an annoying and frustrating experience where some of the comedic moments felt forced and unauthentic. Despite trying to be unique and quirky it was a forgettable experience and by far my least favorite film from David O. Russell. The cast put a lot of energy into the film, but it seems to be directed all over the place and the result was a rather pointless and uneven movie. I can see why some people fell in love with this existential comedy, but it simply didn't appeal to me due to the absurd premise. It is no secret that I'm not a big fan of surreal films, but I have enjoyed some when they at least have some narrative coherence. It wasn't the case with I Heart Huckabees.

The cast in this movie is extremely talented, and we have come to expect this coming from a Russell film because every actor in Hollywood is lining up to work with him. Jason Schwartzman is the sort of actor who is perfect for these quirky films. He is at his best working with Wes Anderson, and here he seems to be playing one of his characters. His chemistry with Jude Law and Mark Wahlberg was great. Perhaps the reason why I didn't hate this film was due to their performance because they elevated the material for me. Wahlberg had the funniest scenes and the only time I laughed in this film was with several of his anger outbursts. Naomi Watts and Lily Tomlin also delivered strong performances. Dustin Hoffman was a bit too quirky and his character was actually inspired by Russell's philosophy professor (Uma Thurman's father). I imagine he was highly exaggerated because his character was really out there. Isla Fisher and Jonah Hill have small cameos in this film and it was sort of a highlight for me to see them on screen. This was Hill's first feature film and no one would have imagined how successful he has become (two Oscar nominations for his recent work). As profound as the film tries to be I really don't feel like it has transcended and it should be ranked amongst Russell's weakest films over time. 

My Review: Chef (7/10)

"I may not do everything great in my life, but I'm good at this."

Oh please don't be so humble Jon Favreau, you do everything pretty much great, and you proved it once again by directing, starring, and writing this charming and feel good family film. If there were ever a time where the term food porn could be applied to a film review, this is it because everything looked so tempting and delicious. Please don't watch this film on an empty stomach because you will be tortured by every single scene where Favreau is preparing food, whether it be a complicated dish for his fancy restaurant or a plain cuban sandwich from his food truck. But this isn't just a film glorifying food, it uses this passion people have for it and metaphorically shows us how it's never late to reinvent and discover ourselves. It is quite a change of pace for Favreau whose latest films were big budget productions (Cowboys & Aliens and the first two Iron Man movies), but this small family road trip film served its purpose in its own way for Favreau to reinvent himself once again and go back to his origins. Chef was an improvement from his last two films, but I still think Iron Man and Elf are Favreau's best ones. What Chef has going for it despite a pretty simple premise is how charismatic and natural the characters are in this film. The family drama feels authentic and it's never forced like so many films in the genre are. The film takes its time to introduce each character and doesn't simply rush things to the fun parts (the road trip). It's a feel food film but one that avoids cliches and forced situations and simply takes us along for a reinventing and natural ride. 

The premise is pretty simple, but the way in which Favreau presents each character is refreshing in its own way. He is likable in the lead role despite being a flawed character who remains friends with his ex-wife (played by Sofia Vergara) and is trying to balance out his time working in a respected restaurant while trying to connect with his young son, Percy (Emjay Anthony). He seems to have lost his creative freedom and is restrained by the owner (Dustin Hoffman) to continue serving the same dishes that have given the restaurant its fame (nice nod to the movie industry in Hollywood which restrains the creative instincts from its talented directors so that they continue to serve their audience the same dishes). But when a famous food critic (Oliver Platt) criticizes his dishes an online twitter war breaks out between them. Favreau decides it's time to move on and following his ex-wife's advice he travels with his son to Miami and buys a food truck. This is where their road trip begins and the two begin bonding. John Leguizamo and Bobby Cannavale play Favreau's assistants, and they both are the reason why the film is so charming. I was surprised with Anthony's performance as well. Having seen a couple of old films recently I can't help but realize how child acting has improved over the years. You never get the feeling that Anthony is ever acting or reading out his lines because every word and reaction felt completely natural. There were also plenty of funny and warm moments throughout the film. It was good to see Robert Downey Jr. and Favreau reunited once again although it was only for a couple of minutes. There was nothing groundbreaking about Chef, but it was so authentic and charming that it was hard to resist. The cast plays a key role in the success of this film and so does the food.

My Review: Kung Fu Panda 2 (6/10)

¨ My fist hungers for justice! ¨

Po has returned to save China once again in Kung Fu Panda 2; with the same writers (Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger), but a different director (Jennifer Yuh). Many consider that the original Kung Fu Panda is DreamWorks’s best animated film to date; in my opinion their best one is How to Train Your Dragon, but Kung Fu Panda was still a great movie. I had my concerns with the sequel because I knew it was going to be hard to meet expectations. Cars 2 failed in this respect for Pixar, but Kung Fu Panda 2 worked a little better. This film isn’t nearly as good as the 2008 original, but for a sequel it works really well; it probably won`t win an Oscar (Rango seems to have it pretty much locked up this year, although I didn`t like it), but it is still very entertaining and the entire family will have a good time with this movie. The best thing about the film is the animation. Guillermo del Toro was brought in as the creative consultant for the Art Department and it really paid off because the look of the film is impressive and so are the visuals. The story is actually the weakest link, but it works mostly thanks to the characters we grew to love in the first film. There is also an interesting villain, voiced by Gary Oldman, so that was also a plus, but the story was really predictable. After the first 15 minutes you knew exactly what was going to happen at the end. Jean-Claude Van Damme also has a small role as the Master Croc, and it was fun to hear him.

Po (Jack Black) is living in the temple with the five kung fu warriors he has always idolized since he was little: Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen), Viper (Lucy Liu), and Crane (David Cross). They seem to be training very hard as we hear Po breathing very heavily, but they are actually all staring at how many breads Po can fit into his mouth. Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) calls for Po and tries to teach him about finding inner peace. Po is more of an action kind of Panda and is waiting to show off his kung fu skills as the Dragon Warrior (title which he achieved in the first film). His opportunity comes when the Village where his father Mr. Ping (James Hong) lives is attacked by a group of wolves who are stealing all the metal from the village. The wolves are gathering metal in order to create a secret weapon that will put an end to Kung Fu. They all work for the evil White Peacock named Shen (Gary Oldman) who is threatening to conquer China with this new powerful weapon. There is something about Shen that bothers Po and reminds him of his forgotten past. Po begins to have flashbacks about his childhood and discovers that Mr. Ping is not his actual father. Along with his friends, Po begins a quest to stop Shen before it`s too late, and at the same time discover the truth about his past.

Kung Fu Panda 2 is not as fresh and fun as the first film, but it still was a lot of fun. Po is really a fun character and one can`t help but be reminded of Jack Black when watching Po trying to do his kung-fu stunts. Po is not only voiced by Jack Black, but he seems to be inspired by that character. In the same way there is a scene where we see Master Croc (voiced by Van Damme) do one of his singular moves from his action films. Jack Black is an incredibly funny actor and we find some of that comedy in Po`s animation. Gary Oldman also brought a lot of things to his new character, and he is always great at playing the villain. Kung Fu Panda 2 might not be as good as the original, but that doesn’t mean you won`t have fun with this family friendly film. My only complaint relies in the story, but the animation and visuals make up for it. Kung Fu Panda is a fun film you can enjoy with the family, but not much more than that.

http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/