My Review: Celeste and Jesse Forever (7/10)

¨At last love wins. You guys are lucky to be best friends.¨

Celeste and Jesse Forever is an authentic romantic comedy directed by Lee Toland Krieger (winner of the Independent Spirit Award in 2010 for the screenplay of The Vicious Kind) and written by first timers Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. They are mostly known for their acting abilities, but they did receive an Independent Spirit nomination for their collaboration in this screenplay. Rashida Jones also stars in this film and McCormack has a supporting role as well. The story feels real and authentic and despite the fact that it stars Andy Samberg this is not as much as a comedy as it is a romantic drama. This is a very different role than what Samberg has us used to and he gives a very convincing performance alongside Rashida Jones who really delivers here. This may be her best performance to date. What I enjoyed most about their characters is that they were deeply flawed and vulnerable towards each other, but despite that they still managed to be really likeable. I thought it was a very honest portrayal about two best friends who fall in love with each other at a very young age and have problems making the transition to adulthood together. In a way this is a very different romantic comedy since it begins sort of upside down with the romantic montage at the beginning of the movie and the disintegration of their relationship from then on. I really was surprised with the opening of the film since I really didn’t know what this movie was about. The movie transitions nicely from being serious at times to being more playful at others, but it´s all handled in a very authentic and believable way.

The movie begins with a romantic montage between Jesse (Andy Sandberg) and Celeste (Rashida Jones), two best friends in love with each other with a nice indie soundtrack in the background. When the story begins we are surprised to discover that the two friends aren’t actually in a relationship anymore, since they have been separated for 6 months and are planning on getting divorced after six years of marriage. You wouldn’t know that if you were an outsider because the couple seems to get along with each other perfectly. Jesse and Celeste remain close friends and spend almost all day talking to each other. Jesse also happens to be living in Celeste´s guest house as he is currently unemployed and seems to be a bit of a slacker. Celeste on the other hand is a successful trend forecaster who has recently written a book on the matter. It seems that the main issue between them during their marriage was that Jesse was a little too childish and irresponsible. Anyway, they seem to get along better now as friends. They spend a lot of time with their friends, Beth (Ari Graynor) and Tucker (Eric Christian Olsen) who are engaged, and think that the two should work out their issues. Celeste is currently working for an important client, a pop artist sensation named Riley (Emma Roberts), along with her partner Scott (Elijah Wood). Their friendship is put to the test when Jesse begins dating another woman and Celeste struggles to let go of feelings she thought weren’t there anymore.

I really enjoyed this film because it tackled the issues of best friends and breakup in a very authentic and real way. Rashida Jones gives a strong performance although she did go a little over the top with her reaction over Jesse dating someone else. She plays this character that thinks is so successful and smarter than everyone else. That is basically what hurt her relationship with Jesse since she considers him a slacker who seems to be heading nowhere with his life. She feels like Jesse is too immature for her, but at the same time that is what she loves about him because when the two are together they do a lot of childish things together. Their relationship is complicated, and the film depicts it in a very authentic way. This is an enjoyable indie romantic drama that is definitely worth your time. Rashida Jones should get some stronger roles offered her way because she´s a talented actress and proved here that she can carry a movie. This is a strong emotional film that will leave you with a smile on your face and at the same time a sense of nostalgia.  I agree with Mary Pols from TIME magazine where she said ¨I´d rather watch five divorce movies like this than one more featuring Katherine Heigl getting married.¨ Break up can be really hard and this movie shows it in an authentic way.

  

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My Review: Our Idiot Brother (7/10)

¨I just figured, looking at your sheet, that since you sold grass to a uniformed police officer that you must be retarded.¨

Our Idiot Brother is the latest Paul Rudd comedy directed and written by relatively unknown Jesse Peretz (who is better known for his music videos). I really wasn’t expecting much from this film, but I have to admit that I was hooked with the story and the characters from the very beginning. I mean, it`s hard not to like Paul Rudd when he is playing the dumb nice character. I really thought he was miscast in Dinner for Schmucks where he had to play a much more serious and means spirited role. This time he gets to play the dumb innocent character and he is just hilarious. The rest of the cast in this film is also great and I really laughed throughout the movie. It is dumb and lighthearted, but I was really entertained. There isn’t anything original about Our Idiot Brother and we`ve laughed at similar jokes in other movies, but I just had a great time with this film and I can`t really explain why. I guess it had to do with Rudd`s easygoing character. He was one dimensional like most of the other characters, but sometimes this works in a comedy when you are actually making fun of these typical stereotypes. The story also works thanks to the great chemistry Rudd has with the rest of the cast and the dynamics between these characters. Rudd is the main character, but he interferes in most of his family`s life in one way or another and everyone seems to suffer from his decisions. The movie really works well and had me laughing throughout it.

Paul Rudd is Ned, a hippy and idealistic guy who grows organic vegetables in a farm with his girlfriend Janet (Kathryn Hahn) and his dog Willie Nelson who he absolutely adores. One day Ned is caught selling weed to a uniformed police officer and is sent to prison. Ned is just a simple guy who puts his absolute confidence in people expecting the best from them, and that is why people end up taking advantage of him. It`s easy to say he`s idiot, but in my opinion he`s just pure hearted and has the best intentions for everyone; even though those best intentions end up hurting his family. He has three sisters: Miranda (Elizabeth Banks) who is a writer and is working on her first real important article, Natalie (Zooey Deschanel) who is a model for a nude painter named Christian (Hugh Dancy) and is moving in with her girlfriend Cindy (Rashida Jones), and Liz (Emily Mortimer) a mother of two boys who is married with an important documentary director, Dylan (Steve Coogan). When Ned is released from prison for good behavior he returns to the farm only to find out that Janet is with another man named Billy (T.J. Miller). Ned isn’t welcome anymore and he isn’t even allowed to take his dog with him. Without a home and without a job, Ned has to return to live with his mother Ilene (Shirley Knight). He also spends a few days with his sisters making their lives a bit complicated due to his sincerity, and thus is where all the comedy ensues.  

Even though Ned causes a lot of trouble back home, he isn’t actually guilty for his sisters` mistakes. It`s just that he seems to say the wrong things at the wrong time. He is a very sincere person and for that he gets other people into a lot of trouble, but at the end they learn that sincerity is the best way of going about things. He is a little slow and naïve, which in today`s society we sometime consider to be stupid since he expects always the best from everyone and never considers that most people are opportunists or just plain mean spirited. The heart of the film relies on this ingenuity and how it ends up complicating things for his sisters who decide to blame him for having a big mouth instead of realizing that their mistakes have put them in that situation. The cast in this film is just fantastic. Steve Coogan, Emily Mortimer, Zooey Deschanel, and Elizabeth Banks all give funny performances. Paul Rudd however, is the heart of the film and he is a lot funnier than in his recent films. I really enjoyed this comedy and found it very entertaining. I think the world would be a better place with more people like Ned. Kudos for Jesse Peretz and his direction in Our Idiot Brother.

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My Review: The Muppets (8/10)

¨Am I a Muppet, or am I a man? If I'm a man, I'm a Muppet of a man. ¨

James Bobin was perhaps barely known for his work as a writer in TV series such as Da Ali G Show and The Flight of the Conchords, but after his direction in his first feature film, The Muppets, he will be recognized and remembered for bringing back the 70`s film and TV series back to life. Bobin has accomplished what I thought in today`s advanced technological world couldn`t be done: bring back the Muppets to popular mainstream and make them stars all over again. This film was a very pleasant surprise and didn’t just work only as a nostalgic piece, but it also managed to convert new fans with some catchy songs and great cameos. Whoever thought the Muppets were done and over with was wrong, because they`ve really made millions of new fans and there movie was on par with their greatest shows in the eighties. Seeing these characters back in the big screen without any use of animated effects and just being their old selves was such a great feeling. It allowed for a better story to be told and not just rely on the special effects like so many animated films do now a day. The spirit of Jim Henson is still alive and he would`ve been pleased with this latest effort. One of the reasons this film worked so well was thanks to the funny script which was written by Jason Segel (who also stars in this film) and Nicholas Stoller. Segel had already proven to be a great writer when he wrote the hilarious Forgetting Sarah Marshall. At the end of that film we came to know about his characters passion for directing a Muppet opera. Perhaps it is really a dream of his and he got close to achieving it with this film. The question I`ll have to ask Segel is if he is a Muppet or a man.

Gary (Jason Segel) and Walter (muppet voiced by Peter Linz) have been very close since they were born. The two brothers always spend time together and one of their favorite hobby`s is watching The Muppets on television. Walter admires the muppets and dreams of meeting them, and one day Gary decides to take him to their Theater in Los Angeles. Gary is actually going to LA to celebrate his tenth year together with girlfriend Mary (Amy Adams), but he convinces Mary to let Walter come with them. Once they arrive at the Museum, they are torn to see the place abandoned and no muppet in sight. While Walter is touring Kermit`s old office he overhears a conversation an oil tycoon named Tex Richman (Chris Cooper) is having, saying that he is going to buy the abandoned theater and extract oil from under the sacred place. Walter is terrified after hearing this and decides to search for Kermit in order to let him know about Richman`s evil plans. The only way to save the theater is to come up with ten million dollars before the end of the week. Gary, Mary, and Walter find Kermit and tell him they still have time to come up with the money if the Muppets get back together and raise the money. That is when Kermit begins enlisting every one of the muppets one by one and preparing a lived telecast show to raise the money. Veronica Martin (Rashida Jones) decides to produce the show despite believing the Muppets are history because their hottest show got cancelled and they need something to cover the hole, but she says they will need a star to host the show. The Muppets find Jack Black and convince him (by kidnapping him) to do it against his will. Thus the show begins and the race against the clock to raise the money.

The comedy along with the musicals in The Muppets work to perfection. I loved every one of the songs in this movie, and Kermit`s single was so good. Jason Segel and Amy Adams have a special chemistry together. Adams reminds us why we fell in love with Enchanted and Jason Segel plays his useful loveable self. It was such a nostalgic feeling to see The Muppets back in action, but they were great as always. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Animal, Fozzie, Beaker, Rowlf, and company were all spectacular. These are the characters I grew up with so it was really something to see them together once again in such a well written and entertaining movie. Perhaps the weakest part was the villain; Chris Cooper is a great actor but his character was a little over the top. The best part of the film in my opinion was the cameos. I absolutely loved each one of them, but I don’t want to give away any surprises. My favorite was the cameo from the ¨Am I a Muppet or a Man¨ song. This is a movie for everyone, fans of the old series and young kids will enjoy this alike. The Muppets is one of the pleasant surprises from 2011. It`s definitely worth a watch.

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