PHILOMENA Review

In the true story of Philomena Lee (Judi Dench), an old Irish woman in her 70s who kept the secret of her abducted child for 50 years, it's less about discovering the details of her son but what these discoveries mean for her. As portrayed in Stephen Frears ("Dirty Pretty Things," "The Queen") new film, it's thank goodness for Judi Dench who manages to not sentimentalize the sometimes naive and simple character always looking for the best in people. So much so that she hesitates before incriminating the very convent who stole her three-year-old son away from her when she was a teenaged girl.

The covent's nuns are quickly dubbed the "evil nuns" of Philomena's human interest story, one that British political writer and journalist Martin Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) begrudgingly takes on after being out of a job. He doesn't necessarily care for Philomena's personal story but is cherry-picking for what would make good journalism, "evil nuns" included. The fact is, however, they are a representation of the worst of Catholicism: shockingly cruel acts committed under a veneer of sanctity. Also touched on throughout the film: the ignorant social restrictions of the Republican party.

But all of this is contained within a film that is quaint and slight, never committing to deeper moral themes about institutional wrongs. Co-written by Jeff Pope and Steve Coogan, the film suffers from tonal confusion but mostly maintains a light, pleasant air occasionally dipping into emotional waters via Dench's soulful performance. Coogan's Sixsmith remains a one-note curmudgeon throughout, which is darkly humorous -- as the actor's most dramatic role yet -- but it begins to tire, especially when the always well-meaning Philomena can't even break through to him. A woman who manages to forgive a horrible sin committed against her should be able to transfer a lesson on to the man, but to no avail.

"Philomena" boils down to Judi Dench, giving us a woman no stranger to sorrow but who knows how to put her best foot forward. It's both a delightfully playful and fittingly gloomy performance that deserves the accolades it'll receive come Oscar time. Although the dame deserved it just as much playing the ill-fated M from last year's "Skyfall."

Archive: 'Tropic Thunder'

Movie Review
Tropic Thunder (2008)


Here's a movie that had me in tears of laughter before the actual movie even began. Like any movie, "Tropic Thunder," what's supposed to be a big-budget Vietnam War movie, opens with a few trailers. First up is an ad for Booty Sweat energy drinks starring rapper-turned-actor Alpa Chino (Brandon T. Jackson). Next up is "Scorcher VI," which has the tagline, "Here we go again...again," and stars dried-up action hero Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller). Then there's the heroin-addicted actor Jeff Portnoy in "The Fatties 2," a hilarious spoof on any awful Eddie Murphy or Mike Meyers comedy. Lastly is Australian actor and five-time Oscar winner Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.) in a role that has him receiving seductive glances from Tobey Maguire in "Satan's Alley." They're send-ups of everything Hollywood could possibly dish out, and it's only the beginning.

These actors star in the latest comedy from Ben Stiller, "Tropic Thunder," which turns out to be a movie that tells the story of making a movie based on a fake true story about a Vietnam War veteran. With this and Pineapple Express released last week, it's a great comedic finish to the summer. This movie is certainly a step up from Stiller's previous movie, "Zoolander." Here, he tackles subject matter worthy of sharp satire: Hollywood. If there isn't an aspect of moviemaking that isn't ripped on here, I'd be shocked. Stiller obviously knows a thing or two about how the movie industry works along with all the things that can go wrong, and he certainly isn't afraid to exploit every detail. It all comes down to an excellent script co-written by Stiller with Justin Theroux and Etan Cohen. While outrageously raunchy, outspoken, and purposely offensive, Stiller's work here is also extremely smart in that he knows how to perfectly exaggerate Hollywood egotism and excess.

After the trailers, we're tossed into the shooting of a scene for Tropic Thunder. Frustrated with his stars and their bloated egos, the self-centered British director, Damien (Steve Coogan, soon to be seen in "Hamlet 2"), decides to make things a little more real. The movie is based on a book written by Sgt. Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte, looking grizzlier than ever) who supplies Damien with the suggestion of putting the actors into the heart of the jungle to shoot the movie guerrilla style. And with an explosives expert named Cody (Danny McBride) having plenty rigged and ready to blow, they're ready to make the best war movie ever. The group of actors, including newcomer Kevin Sandusky (Jay Baruchel), doesn't realize what they're up against; that is, until Speedman gets kidnapped by the Red Army Dragon lead by a 12-year-old terrorist (Brandon Soo Hoo). From here, they're fending for their lives without a script in sight.

Now, about these actors. Speedman's days of being a box office leader have faded away, and he has sunk even lower playing the ill-fated mentally handicapped lead role in a movie called "Simple Jack." In a hysterical moment by Downey, Speedman's pretentious co-star Lazarus supplies insight into how actors never win Oscars when they go "full retard." The conversation pokes fun at actors playing disabled roles in attempts to receive Oscars, not disabled people themselves. Lazarus takes his roles seriously to the point of saying, "I don't read the script; the script reads me," and even undergoes a skin pigmentation surgery for his role as an African American soldier in the movie. He refuses to ever leave character, talking with a Shaft-type dialect that quickly gets on the nerves of Alpa Chino, the real African American in the cast. And then Portnoy, who is only known for his fart humor, goes through withdrawal throughout the group's trek in the jungle, demands to be tied to a tree, then demands to be untied, and ends up naked on the back of a buffalo.

Robert Downey Jr. is a force not to be messed with in his intentionally racist role. It was a dangerous move on Stiller's part, but it turned out for the very best because Downey has the acting chops to pull it off with such comic precision and genius. And there's a real black man right beside Downey's character to rip on him all the way through. Giving Downey black skin presents the shallowness of Hollywood as his character is so into himself that he couldn't possibly see why his work would be labeled as offensive. After quite a lull, Downey is definitely back and better than ever. Even better is that he doesn't steal away screen time for his co-stars Stiller and Black who have just as much fun. Both are hysterical on their own accord, especially Black who does his craziest work yet.

The smaller roles all get their share as Coogen, McBride, Baruchel, Jackson, and Nolte never hold back and go all-out with their characters. The celebrity cameos are endless, as well, including Matthew McConaughey showing up as Speedman's agent who's only worried about whether his client gets TiVo. Then there's the studio head, Les Grossman, played by none other than a fat, balding, hairy-chested, and profane as hell Tom Cruise in his filthiest role ever. He's repulsively hysterical whether he's making fun of his assistant (the ever-prominent Bill Hader) or busting a dance move. It may be safe to say he just resurrected his career.

The irony behind "Tropic Thunder" is that, while being satire on the making of a big-budget action flick, it turns out to be a rather big-budget action flick itself with the same level of production values as the movie-within-the-movie. It's also spot-on about its satire and frequently clever, outrageous, and shocking. Stiller understands the system through which movies are made, and he knows how to turn that into side-splitting, gut-busting, and downright hilarious humor with just the right mix of intelligence and gags that will have you laughing pretty much non-stop. Basically, he's given us the best comedy of the year.

Archive: 'Hamlet 2'

Movie Review
Hamlet 2 (2008)


In the small city of Tucson, Arizona, a high school drama teacher named Dana Marschz (Steve Coogan) decides to put on a play that's a sequel to "Hamlet," even though, yes, everybody dies in the first. This is the premise of "Hamlet 2," a sloppy but funny comedy starring British comedian Steve Coogan in a role that, alongside his part in "Tropic Thunder," may earn him some popularity here in America. The movie is basically a showcase for his shockingly zany and bizarre antics as he plays a self-loathing recovering alcoholic who's also a terrible actor and essentially a walking failure. His theater adaptations of big films have all flopped and the principal is threatening to shutdown the drama department, so this rouses Dana to tackle Shakespeare's most famous of all works and write an original sequel to it.

The movie is highly energetic, rather haphazard, and while the script tends to slide around a bit, it's the performances and the bits of dead-on humor that hold it together. The plot puts a demented twist on the story of a teacher trying to teach and inspire inner-city students, and as the preparation for the play ramps up with furthering controversy, wackiness, and irreverence, the movie is at the same time surprisingly bleak and understated. Alongside the totally unhinged Coogan is a scalding and cynical Catherine Keener playing his wife, who complements Dana's misery perfectly. Amy Pohler also makes an appearance as a lawyer trying to prevent the play from being stopped, and she has us laughing at her first words. And there's a strange but humorous turn by Elisabeth Shue playing herself.

"Hamlet 2" packs in one heck of a finale with a play that brings back Hamlet, stops Gertrude and Ophelia from perishing, and includes a bi-curious Laertes, Satan, a wife-beater and jeans wearing Jesus, and even a time machine to bring them all together. It may not be as satirically intelligent as previous late summer comedies of recently, but with a musical interlude entitled, "Rock Me, Sexy Jesus," you really just can't go wrong.