#2008Films

[adamwatchesmovies]

Eragon (2008)

While I didn't enjoy this film, that doesn't mean you won't. No matter what I say, the people involved in this project did it: they actually made a movie. That's something to be applauded. With that established...

My craving for new Star Wars stories has reduced me to looking up knock-offs of the popular franchise. I’ve seen all kinds of stories, but most ended up being simply generic sci-fi/fantasy tales or movies that had a last-minute coating of laser swords, robots and blasters added onto them. What I was looking for was Eragon; a Star Wars rip-off so blatant you could write the script yourself - just remember to substitute “lightsaber” for “dragon” and there you go!

It’s all set in Middle-earth... I mean a world named Alagaësia, home to humans, elves, dragons, and dwarves. Actually, there aren’t many dragons. Years ago, all the wizard/knight dragon riders were betrayed by the evil Galbatorix (John Malkovich), who killed them all and now rules unopposed. Our hero is Luke SkyPotter... I mean Dragon... I mean Eragon (Ed Speleers), a 17-year-old boy who finds a dragon's egg stolen from Galbatorix by Princess Leia, I mean Arya (Sienna Guillory). Eragon and the newly-hatched Saphira (voiced by Rachel Weisz) meet with Obi-Wan Kenobi... I mean Brom (Jeremy Irons), who sets them on a path to save the kingdom.

The comparisons to other franchises are obvious. A Star Wars-like story structure, set in the world of Lord of the Rings, complete with Uruk-hai chasing our hero, ringwraiths, elves, etc., there’s a dash of Harry Potter thrown in with the scar on Eragon’s hand and his spellcasting abilities. I already started poking fun at the movie in my synopsis, but you would too if you'd seen the film. “Alagaësia” is no "Middle-earth", Galbatorix sounds like the name of an anti-depressant, and other wild titles like Durza, Murtagh, Nasuada are all lost upon audience members who have not read the books.

Eragon sounds silly and looks ridiculous. Granted, the dragons and flying monsters are convincing but everywhere else, the word of the day was “cheap”. I feel terrible for Djimon Hounsou as Ajihad, forced to wear a bad wig or a ridiculous hat in every scene. All the costumes look like they’ve been dug out of every generic fantasy setting, or are so wild they make you wince. The armies of Urgals (the orc-like creatures) are just a bunch of dirty barbarians with war paint. If they had horns, yellow-ish gray skin, or their own language or something, then this movie would begin to stand out.

This movie is a mess. Events that should take years take days, none of the characters are interesting, and the world isn't the least bit immersive. Even if you forgive the unoriginal plotline or get past the inherent silliness, the story’s just not well told. Eragon's bad decisions don’t make him look like an overeager youth, they brand him as a colossal fool. The magic is easily recognized as a plot device whose “rules” only apply when the plot demands. It feels like a bad fan-fiction.

Scenes are so badly assembled they become confusing. At one point, Eragon and his mentor see a group of villagers being attacked by Urgals. Eragon exclaims that they need to help them and instead of doing anything, they go off to train. I understand you can't jump into a fight without being prepared, but those people are being killed right now! After the training montage… the people they were training to help are never seen again! I guess Brom or Eragon took too long to get through those lessons? If you're writing a story like this, have the heroes arrive right as the massacre is ending so Eragon can lament that he could have done something and then have Brom tell him that after this training, that statement will be true!

I will give Eragon this. It’s so derivative, so poorly directed/written and so easy to ridicule I’m upset we didn’t get a sequel. I’d love to see another one of these movies! Doesn’t the idea of dragon riders make you excited? Even badly done, it gets your adrenaline flowing. If you want a movie that’s easy to make fun of, and I mean REALLY easy, watch Star Wars to see what a good movie is, and then see Eragon. It’s a trainwreck but one I watch with affection. (Fullscreen version on Dvd, January 1, 2016)

#Eragon #movies #films #MovieReviews #FilmReviews #StefenFangmeier #ChristopherPaolini #PeterBuchman #EdSpeleers #JeremyIrons #SiennaGuillory #RobertCarlyle #DjimonHounsou #GarrettHedlund #JossStone #RachelWeisz #JohnMalkovich #2008movies #2008films

[azislamayuda]

Wall E (2008) Film animasi ini secara tidak langsung menggambarkan kehidupan manusia zaman sekarang, dimana kecanggihan teknologi malah membuat mereka semakin malas. Dikisahkan bumi yang sudah tidak layak untuk di huni karena menjadi pusat sampah yang tak bisa di daur ulang karena pesatnya perkembangan teknologi. Manusia mencoba mencari planet lain untuk dapat di tempati namun karena belum menemukan mereka membuat sebuah pesawat besar sebagai tempat tinggal sementara dan diciptakanlah robot yang membersihkan tumpukan sampah itu. Semakin lama robot rusak dan tersisalah satu robot yang bernama WALL E. Suatu hari robot canggih diperintahkan ke bumi untuk mengecek apakah masih ada tanda kehidupan dibumi. Robot canggih tersebut bernama EVE, yang nantinya Wall E akan jatuh cinta kepadanya. EVE menemukan wall E memiliki bibit tanaman yang akhirnya dibawa Eve ke pesawat dan Wall E pun ikut dan terjadilah perebutan bibit tanaman itu dipesawat. Dipesawat besar itu banyak sekali manusia berpakaian sama dan gemuk. Mereka semua dimanjakan oleh teknologi sehingga semua serba instan. Baik itu makan, dll. Di film ini sudah digambarkan kehidupan masa sekarang yang memang seperti itu, dengan adanya kemajuan teknologi. Semoga menjadi pelajaran untuk kita untuk lebih cermat memilah dan memilih segala sesuatu yang sekarang ada di era teknologi yang semakin maju. Rate dari saya : 9/10. #wallE #wallemovie #wallefilm #walle2008 #animasi #technology #computer #online #robot #robots #education #movie #movie2008 #movies #moviescollector #moviecollector #moviescollection #burnE #2008film

#computer #moviescollection #wallemovie #2008film #movie #moviecollector #education #animasi #walle2008 #technology #movie2008 #online #robot #movies #robots #moviescollector #burne #wallefilm #walle

[adamwatchesmovies]

Twilight (2008)

Twilight is not the 0-star picture so many people claim (or want) it to be. If you like it, I can understand why. That said, those who call it a great film are doing so because of their affection for the source material, which itself isn't particularly robust. This is getting overly complicated. Let’s just get to the review.

Seventeen-year-old Isabella “Bella” Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves to the small town of Forks to live with her father, Charlie (Billy Burke). At her new school, she gets along with everyone… except for the enigmatic Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson). The boy seems almost repulsed by her but Bella is drawn to him. As it turns out, he - and his feelings for Bella - aren't what they seem.

There are some undeniable faults in this picture. The performances, for instance. Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart have proven themselves strong performances but director Catherine Hardwicke stifles any emotions that might've been present. Not helping is the screenplay by Melissa Rosenberg, which directly quotes the novel by Stephenie Meyer often. You'll find plenty of clunky, overly wordy exchanges, the kind that comes from an author spinning their wheels, trying to buy time before a big reveal three chapters later by busting out their thesaurus and endlessly re-writing the same dialogue until it becomes a garbled mess.

Twilight is also a bit too ambitious for its budget. The special effects aren't convincing. It made me think back to the Smallville pilot, which would've been a good thing was this a TV series or non-theatrical movie, but someone should’ve looked at the fast-motion effects and recognized how silly they looked.

If you’re reading this segment of the review, you know that Edward is a vampire. Not the scary Nosferatu type, but a hundred-year-old glittering, sullen-faced, creature of the night that falls head-over-heels in love with Bella Swan. People will call this ridiculous but this is where I'll defend Twilight. Yes, the glittering thing is dumb, but it’s a detail. Considering every vampire in this film has a different superpower (which is an elegant way of blending the various myths about vampires), you can just pretend that’s Edward’s. I will also stand up for the relationship between the lovers. Bella and Edward have something about them that genuinely WOULD make them a good couple. When Bella comes to school, she’s basically loved by all. The boys want to date her, the girls want to be her best friend. All, except for one guy. Why? because Edward can read minds. No one in the world is a mystery to him. Holding a conversation, even with his fellow vampires is redundant but he can’t hear Bella’s thoughts. She's the only person in the entire world he could sit down and have a chat with.

There’s a germ of a good idea here. It’s the execution that's at fault. Perhaps the source material too. You might have to squint a bit but you can find scenes in the film that are good. The best example is a moment when the Cullens play baseball. It shows them as real “human beings”. People will call the scene where Edward admits that he likes to watch Bella sleep “creepy”, but that’s because he can't express himself well. As a vampire, he doesn’t sleep. He's been forced to live only with his kind and always drifts further away from normal human behavior. He hasn’t seen someone sleep in ages. He’s not “keeping an eye on her” at all times, he’s fascinated by every aspect of this young woman. Many of the interactions Bella has with her friends are charming and Billy Burke does good work with his role.

Twilight is harmless. It will appeal to those who've enjoyed the book and is sure to ensorcell young teenage girls. Unfortunately, the source material's weaknesses shine through, and neither director Catherine Hardwicke nor writer Melissa Rosenberg do much to improve upon it (trust me on that). This makes it nothing special for the rest of us but hardly a plague upon cinema so many people have declared it to be. I don’t see why it’s gotten such strong reactions either way. Perhaps the sequel, New Moon, will make it clearer. (Theatrical cut on DVD, December 9, 2016)

#Twilight #Movies #films #MovieReviews #FilmReviews #MelissaRosenberg #StephenieMeyer #KristenStewart #RobertPattinson #BillyBurtke #PeterFacinelli #2008movie #2008films

[adamwatchesmovies]

Australia (2008)

Australia has a lot going on. Too much. Though this makes for an uneven tone, it does mean there's something here for everyone - in parts.

It’s 1939 and Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) travels from England to northern Australia. She discovers her husband dead and his cattle station, Faraway Downs, in shambles. Believing her misfortune to be the work of rival Lesley ‘King’ Carney (carney), she employs a rugged cattle drover (Hugh Jackman as “The Drover”) to bring her animals to Darwin. On the epic trip through Australia, love blossoms as Lady Ashley befriends a half-Aboriginal-half-white boy named Nullah (Brandon Walters). The government’s racial prejudices threaten the boy, as World War II looms ever closer.

This is a perfect example of TMSGO - Too Much Sh*t Going On. This film has four principal plots. First, the romance between The Drover and Lady Ashley. It begins as a fish-out-of-water rom-com. Lady Ashley is appalled at all the sand, heat, and Australianness of the land. She would go home but then that villainous ‘King’ Carney would win. She has to prove him wrong and her hired hunk will help. Then we have a dramatic plot about Lady Ashley bonding with a young mixed-race boy. There are many issues brought up, including the clash of cultures, racism, and the love between a mother and child. Next, we have an adventure film. Traversing the Australian desert with a huge herd of cattle while competing ranchers do everything to try and interfere. We’re talking about stampedes, fires, and violent deaths. Finally, we have the war drama. The story is set in 1939. World War II began that same year and it was called a WORLD war for a reason.

I could see someone enjoying the mix of light comedy/romance as it transitions into heavy drama or the adventure plot that slams into the war drama. Everything at once? I don't think so. Director Baz Luhrmann's passion is clear. He wants to address the deplorable government policies during the period. For this, you can't fault him. The story of Lady Ashley and Nullah is the strongest part of the film. The danger of them being separated forever is nicely complemented by the war plot. That would've been enough. Instead, we got loads more. Was it a lack of confidence in audiences that compelled him to cram in the quasi-comedic romance? It certainly feels like a studio-mandated add-on rather than the main event.

We'll get to my praises in a moment but first, we must address the film's worst character. It's the station manager who wants to take Faraway Downs from Lady Ashley, Neil Fletcher (David Wenham). There’s nothing wrong with the performance, but the character is a cartoon. There’s nothing this man won’t do to rain on Lady Ashley’s parade. He oozes such evil that if this world was real, he would've gotten charged with every unsolved crime in Australia’s history the second he turned 18.

Australia attempts too much but each of its stories could've worked. This film is essentially doing the same thing Titanic did by drawing you in with an intimate story you can relate to, then springing the disaster we all know onto the lovers. Instead of being a statistic, you recognize the pain of thousands of individual people. That’s the way to do it.

There are several powerful moments in Australia. It's also a terrific-looking picture. We see the continent's harshness and beauty simultaneously. I also appreciate the attention it gives to Australia's aboriginal people and their customs. It’s just too bad the film turns into a soup of disparate tones.

If you’re a fan of Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!, Lurhmann's trademark style is nowhere to be found in Australia. It's a much more straightforward film than his earlier projects. At just a mere 15 minutes short of a 3-hour running time, I also have trouble recommending it to the average Joe. That said, I liked it more than I didn't. Since you’ll be watching it at home - where you can pause, go to the bathroom or make yourself a sandwich at your leisure - that will make the experience more digestible. With some aggressive trimming, it could've been great. Instead, it's a mixed bag. (February 16, 2016)

#Australia #movies #films #MovieReviews #FilmReviews #BazLuhrmann #NicoleKidman #HughJackman #Davidwenham #BryanBrown #JackThompson #DavidGulpilil #2008movies #2008films

[adamwatchesmovies]

WALL-E (2008)

If you didn't see WALL-E or it isn't fresh in your mind, you don’t even know what you are missing. This is an enchanting film. It was one of the year's best when it came out and still resonates just as strongly years later.

Set in the far future, Earth has become a literal dump. Garbage is piled sky high and humanity abandoned the planet centuries ago. On the surface, the only sign of life isn’t alive at all. A tiny robot named WALL-E who has been cleaning up the surface for who knows how long. When a probe comes to determine if the planet has become habitable again, WALL-E is immediately smitten by the robotic EVE.

If you needed more proof of Andrew Stanton and Pixar studios' title as expert filmmakers, this is it. In 2009, District 9 made us sympathize with creepy bugs. One year prior, Wall-E made us believe in a genuine, deep romance between two robots… without using any dialogue. This movie is about more than this relationship, but I want to address it first. Although we are following two mechanical objects, WALL-E and EVE are true, three-dimensional, living, breathing characters. WALL-E is delightfully eccentric. "He" likes music, dancing (well, what a legless droid can pass for dancing), collecting, and is fiercely loyal. There are so many laugh-out-loud moments as the little machine takes a break from his regular duties to sift through humanity’s garbage (often being fascinated by mundane things and tossing away precious objects like they were nothing). You fall in love with the little guy. When he happens upon a new robot, excitement fills your every pore. Will EVE respond with affection? She seems awfully trigger-happy to be a love interest. How will her mission objective impact the story?

This film is more than romantic sequences and big laughs. It’s also a great adventure. There's plenty of tension as our heroes find themselves in unexpected peril - tension made thicker and more nerve-wracking because the characters are so memorable and endearing. It’s also a smart science fiction film that serves as a cautionary tale (the best science fiction stories often do). All of these elements are expertly integrated to feel organic, accessible, and genuinely moving. While Illumination relied on cartoonish villains that even the most “evil” corporate fat cats would recognize as ridiculous, WALL-E uses subtlety and proves a thousand times more effective - even without dialogue.

There's nothing not to like about WALL-E. It has learned from the very best silent films to cut out all the unnecessary dialogue. Instead, it uses its characters' performances, the visuals, and its imagination to say so much more. Its poignant drama, thrills, and laughs give it universal appeal. Even the end credits are spectacular. (On Blu-ray, July 3, 2015)

#WALL-E #movies #films #moviereviews #filmreviews #disney #pixar #jimMorris #AndrewStanton #PeteDocter #BenBurtt #ElissaKnight #JeffGarlin #FredWillard #johnratzenberger #KathyNajimy #SigourneyWeaver #2008movies #2008Films #animated movies

[adamwatchesmovies]

Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008)

Think about everything that could've gone wrong in Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle. You've just listed all the reasons why Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay deserves a 0.5/5 score.

Set immediately after the end of the previous film, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) are off to Amsterdam so Harold can win over Maria (Paula Garcés). Unfortunately, they're mistaken for terrorists on the plane and sent to Guantanamo Bay. Now, Harold wants nothing but to escape and get the error rectified. Unfortunately, the only person who can help (Colton, played by Eric Winter) is engaged to Vanessa (Danneel Harris), Kumar's ex-girlfriend. He'll stop at nothing to get her back.

The titular Escape from Guantanamo Bay takes up maybe 15 minutes’ worth of the movie and it’s nothing but an excuse for a bunch of penis jokes. If they were thrown in regular jail the plot would hardly differ. This brings me to my second issue: the story. Even if you’re not a fan of marijuana, the first movie contained a relatable story. We’ve all experienced a powerful craving that needed to be satisfied. We all have a story about that time a simple trip to get a burger or a certain flavor of ice cream went wrong. Who can relate to this ludicrous tale about two friends (who barely act as friends) looking for a way to get pardoned so they can avoid being labeled as terrorists?

A large portion of the first film was composed of comedic vignettes. The same applies to this sequel. The difference is that "White Castle” was funny and this film is not. Prison rape? Not funny. In fact, I'd label it as "comedy desperation", and it isn't the last time. While there's a crumb of a message about racism, but any semblance of intelligence goes away and gets scrubbed completely once the Ku Klux Klan is introduced. For extra demerits, we get would-be comedic moments about pubic hair, masturbation, and whipping your behind.

You might get caught off-guard and let a chuckle escape, particularly when Neil Patrick Harris shows up playing a fictionalized version of himself or when Rob Corddry as an idiotic racist government agent enters the film. For the most part, the film feels like it was hastily cobbled together from the box of jokes other comedies rejected.

We have a plot that’s utter nonsense, pathetic humor throughout, and there's no story of friendship to balance out the gross-out gags or bring the insanity down to an attainable level. It's like a prison sentence in itself, a huge disappointment. Watching this makes you question whether the first was any good. How could it be when it was written by the same people who wrote and directed this violation of our rights? Even though it contains some essential plot elements that pay off later in A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas (a much better film than you'd think), pass on this one. Pass hard. There is a scene at the end of the credits though, so if you’re going to test your mental endurance with this beast, stick around for that. (Unrated version on DVD, January 17, 2016)

#Harold&Kumar #Harold&KumarEscapefromGuantanamoBay #movies #films #movieReviews #FilmReviews #comedies #stonerMovies #JohnHurwitz #HaydenSchlossberg #JohnCho #KalPenn #RobCorddry #ROgerBart #neil patrick harris #2008movies #2008films

[adamwatchesmovies]

Quarantine (2008)

I know Quarantine is a remake of REC but no one has seen every movie out there; it's valid to judge a movie on its own. Usually found footage horror means something cheap scraped together, shipped to theatres for a quick buck, and then gone before the bad reviews come in. This isn't one of those.

News reporter Angela (Jennifer Carpenter) and her cameraman Scott (Steve Harris) are assigned to follow firefighters Jake (Jay Hernandez) and Fletcher (Johnathon Schaech) on their night shift as part of a fluff piece for the station. When the crew responds to an emergency call from an apartment building, they discover that a number of its residents are infected with a rabies-like disease. Before they know it, the building has been quarantined and no one is allowed in, or out.

Although the concept of "found footage" is inherently problematic, the story's premise lends itself well to this format. Our main characters are newspeople, so of course, they want to capture what's happening. The people need to know and this isn't that much different from a war zone or the middle of a disaster. When the action starts getting intense you'd think Scott would put the camera down but it proves itself useful thanks to the built-in flashlight and night vision. The direr the situation becomes, the more they need that camera. It's clever.

Though Quarantine only lasts 89 minutes, there's ample time spent on the characters, meaning you care about them when danger looms ahead. By showing us Angela, Scott, and the firefighters on a normal day at first, you get to relate to them. Later, you admire their dedication once the quarantine is set. Even when Angela is overwhelmed by panic later in the film, you still care for her instead of becoming annoyed. The first-person point of view puts you right there next to her. You get frightened as the building devolves into chaos. How can you blame her for feeling the same?

A key to the film's success is that while the scenario is dire, it isn't hopeless. With no one allowed in or out, there are only so many people that can be infected. If our heroes band together and hold up for however long the quarantine lasts, they’ll be alright. The odds are slim but they're there, which makes a cheap scare towards the end - the very last frame - a bad call. There are quite a few of them as things wrap up. The story behind the chaos is overly and unnecessarily explained. We got plenty frightened not knowing where the disease came from and what exactly the government’s plan was for 79 minutes. Throwing some quick material to clarify the situation adds nothing.

Quarantine uses its location, characters, and central premise well. It’s like a zombie movie in many ways, but there’s new material present that makes it original. Or maybe all the ingenuity comes from REC. I couldn't say, and until you’ve seen both films, how can you know for sure? It’s a horror movie that frightens. I recommend it. (On DVD, November 8, 2015)

#Quarantine #movies #films #movieReviews #FilmReviews #JohnErickDowdle #DrewDowdle #REC #JenniferCarpenter #JayHernandez #ColumbusShort #GregGermann #steve harringrove #dania ramirez #RadeSerbezija #JohnathonSchaech #2008movies #2008films

[adamwatchesmovies]

Made of Honor (2008)

I’m giving Made of Honor the lowest rating I can. Not because the story is in poor taste or badly made. The performances are fine. It's well shot. I simply can't place this collection of clichés on the same level as even a bad movie.

It’s the story of Tom (Patrick Dempsey), a playboy who will bed anything with a symmetrical face and a pair of breasts. His best friend is Hannah (Michelle Monaghan). They share deserts, have long conversations, hang out all the time, finish each other’s sentences... but wouldn’t dream of dating. Then, Hannah goes on a trip to Scotland where she gets brainwashed by Colin (Kevin McKidd). After just six weeks, she’s agreed to marry him. It won't be long before she moves to go live in his castle in the countryside. Only McDreamy can save the day by taking Hannah up on her offer of being her “Maid of Honor” and sabotaging the relationship. If he can convince her that she doesn’t know anything about the guy and that he doesn’t actually have a personality, maybe HE can marry her instead.

I’m exaggerating but not that much. What kind of intelligent woman decides to abandon her life so she can marry a man she’s known for less than two months? What kind of parents or friends nod in approval when they hear this? The only way this scenario would make sense is if it was set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland and Hannah was the last fertile female on Earth.

There’s nothing new here. The best friend that turns out to be “The one”, the swinging bachelor who collects women until he suddenly has a change of heart and now wants true love, the misunderstanding, the chase to correct the misunderstanding... it’s all here. Even the would-be humor isn’t original. You’ve seen the over-the-top nerd that nobody likes and doesn’t understand anything but always wants to join in conversations before. You’ve seen the creepy “ex-girlfriend” who forces our two leads to pretend they’re in a relationship too. You’ve heard the jokes about haggis, kilts, bagpipes, and funny again and again. No one in this movie acts like a real person. It’s like this entire movie was written in 20 minutes for an exam on hack screenwriting.

It just keeps getting worse and worse the more you think about it. Michelle Monaghan is all wrong as Hannah. She’s too attractive. If she was kind of frumpy, you might believe she was single and also able to evade the attention of a renowned womanizer for ten years... but come on. Even on a bad day, she’s turning heads! There are plenty of other scenes that stretch plausibility to its breaking point. For example, a scene in which Tom and Colin take part in the traditional “Highland Games” to prove the groom is the best there is and therefore worthy of wedding his bride. Why is Tom even participating? Does he actually believe Colin will give up his future wife if he loses? And what’s with the scene in which the camera is placed in a way to make it look like Hannah is giving oral sex to a painting? Is that supposed to be funny?

This project was doomed from the start. Nobody involved even tried. The studio said “Crank out of them rom-coms for the ladies that want to see attractive people get together. Our execs need to buy new houses!” There isn’t a single thing memorable or even good about Made of Honor. (On DVD, June 25, 2015)

#MadeofHonor #movies #films #moviereviews #filmreviews #rom-comcs #paulwiland #adamsztykiel #patrickdempsey #michellemonaghan #kevinmckidd #kathleenquinlan #sydneypollack #2008movies #2008films

[adamwatchesmovies]

The Year of Getting to Know Us (2008)

I once heard that if every author only wrote about “what they know” all you'd get is a bunch of stories about failed writers contemplating infidelity or suicide. The Year of Getting to Know Us is more like sitting in on a therapy session than a slice of entertainment. While initially, it may be interesting to see where it goes (not very far, unfortunately), and some of the dialogue is good, you won't get much out of it.

I couldn’t remember the name of the main character so I looked quickly at the back cover. I don’t think I’ve read a synopsis that summarized the movie as well as this one does. “Christopher Rocket’s (Jimmy Fallon) road to happiness has taken him down a bumpy path. He’s saddled with a selfish, narcissistic father (Tom Arnold), a hippie mother (Sharon Stone), and a sexy but serious girlfriend (Lucy Liu), who’s pressuring him to commit. But during an unexpected trip home to Florida, Christopher is finally forced to come to terms with a past he’d rather forget and a future he’s doing his best to avoid.” Sounds boring? that’s because the movie... kinda is.

It’s bad enough that our protagonist is wasting a name like “Chris Rocket” by ignoring his calling as an astronaut or superhero, but he’s such a wimp it’s hard to cheer for him. I'd say this trip home has him moping for the whole 98-minute running time but "moping" is too strong a word. As an exaggeration of the author’s personal life brought to the screen, he seems to exist so director/writer felt like his pain was so intense he needed to share it with everyone.

I'm coming down pretty hard on the movie, so why the middle-of-the-road rating? Despite the annoying characters (Christopher’s mother drove me crazy) and the terrible ending, it did keep me interested. The performances are pretty good, even from Tom Arnold whom I’ve never seen be anything less than worthy of target practice in the past. This kind of tale has little appeal to this viewer but if you're a wishy-washy slug with an overbearing father and a mom who’s just barely functional enough to be allowed to live outside the nearest mental asylum, this would speak to you. The script is also appealing. I have the feeling there are a couple of acting courses out there who use bits of this script to teach because the written words could be taken in all sorts of interesting directions depending on the spin the performer put on it.

I have the feeling that most people would call The Year of Getting to Know Us boring. It's difficult to buy into these “nebbish protagonists who come home to confront their past" stories unless there’s something intense happening or the performances are good enough to knock you off your feet, like in Young Adult or Inside Llewyn Davis. The terrible conclusion doesn't help either. It's manufactured and generic. Ripped right out of a bad romantic comedy. However, this film may resonate with you if you're a sad person and you hate your parents, but feel bad about hating them and wonder what it would be like if you messed things up with your inexplicably hot girlfriend. Even better, it may be the wake-up call you desperately need. (On DVD, March 5, 2015)

#TheYearofGettingToKnowUs #movies #films #reviews #movieReviews #FilmREviews #FilmCriticism #PatrickSisam #RickVelleu #TomArnold #SharonStone #JimmyFallon #lucy liu #2008Movies #2008Films