Parental Guidance

Brand New Ball Game

★ ★ ★ 1/2 out of 5 buckets | Matinee or DVD

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Rated: PG Some rude humor.
Release Date: December 25, 2012
Runtime: 1 hour 45 minutes

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Director: Andy Fickman
Writers: Lisa Addario, Lowell Ganz, Babaloo Mandel, Joe Syracuse
Cast: Billy Crystal, Bette Midler, Marisa Tomei, Tom Everett Scott, Bailee Madison, Joshua Rush, Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, Gedde Watanabe

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SYNOPSIS: When Phil finds himself on the verge of success with his invention, he asks his wife Alice to join him at an awards conference. When Phil and Alice fail to get suitable watchers for their three children, they are forced to ask Alice's parents to watch them.

REVIEW: The Game Plan and You Again director Andy Fickman takes on a family torn apart by different views on child rearing. Based on a screenplay written by Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse (Surf's Up), and Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel (Tooth Fairy), Fickman brings Billy Crystal back to the land of big screen live-action.

Phil (Tom Everett Scott, Mars Needs Moms) and Alice (Marisa Tomei, The Ides of March) find themselves in a unique position of success with Phil's smart house invention RLife. When Phil's parents are unable to watch their three kids Harper (Bailee Madison, Just Go With It), Turner (Joshua Rush, Puss in Boots), and Barker (Kyle Harrison Breitkopf, Being Human), Alice is forced to ask her parents Artie (Billy Crystal, Monster's, Inc.) and Diane (Bette Midler, Beaches) to watch them. Because of the more modern way that Phil and Alice have raised their children, Alice fears that Artie and Diane's old-school way of child rearing. But when Artie an Diane are faced with trying Alice's modern methods to keep the kids in line, they find themselves completely out of their parenting depth.

Billy Crystal has been very busy working on his voice, with Monsters, Inc. and other animated adventures. In his first live-action film in a few years, Crystal falls back on what's he's comfortable - voice work. In Parental Guidance, Crystal's Artie Decker is the De Voice of the Grizzlys, a minor league baseball team. He and Midler's Diane must both work outside their comfort zone to appease their daughter's request to use more modern methods of child rearing. A simple "No!" is now "Think about the consequences." Raising one's voice is now considered a "Red" voice and must be replaced by the calmer, cooler "Blue" voice. The theories of the new parenting era seem utterly strange and foreign to two grandparents who thought they had done a good job raising their own child to adulthood.

From the trailers, I did not have high hopes for this Christmas release. But the movie itself, written by the creators of Steve Martin's Parenthood, is a silly success. More of a hi-jinks story, Parental Guidance does not take itself too seriously, while still offering a few tender life lesson gems into the mix. The absolute structure that Alice has regimented to her kids leads to all sorts of situations that usually involve Artie with the proverbial egg on his face or a pair of swollen... pride. But with Crystal, the pranks and gags are not all physical.

Babaloo Mandel and Lowell Ganz have written for Billy Crystal a few times in the past, collaborating with Crystal on City Slickers, City Slickers II, Forget Paris, and Mr. Saturday Night. While there are plenty f sight gags in this effort, some of the funny charm also comes from Billy's dialogue delivery. When Artie gets canned from his gig as a baseball announcer, he and the ball club's general manager have a great exchange revolving around Artie's lack of knowledge in social media. Crystal also brings his real life love of American's favorite pastime into the story as both the former announcer of the Grizzlies, and his passion for radio commentaries of the past, including the one dubbed "The Shot Heard Around The World".

All of the cast was cherry picked to perfection. Marisa Tomei is great as the neurotic mother trying to raise her kids completely different from her parent's raising of her. That Thing You Do's Tom Everett Scott comes as Alice's voice of reason, trying to get her to take a deep breath, step away from her kids for a moment without doubting every decision she has made. Joshua Rush's Turner has a persistent stuttering and is the object of the local school bully. Kyle Harrison Breitkopf's Barker has an imaginary friend in the unseen form of a kangaroo named Carl to deal with. And oldest of the children, Harper, played by Bailee Madison, is on the verge of relinquishing her childhood forever in an attempt to live her life according to her mother's misguidance. The show stealer, though, is Gedde Watanabe as the Healthy Tiger Panasian Restaurant owner Mr. Cheng (Sixteen Candles), who lamentation after a car collision is hilarious and confusing!

Parental Guidance is the perfect light fare to enjoy if the other Christmas Day releases are not your speed. Silly and not too serious, it will make you laugh. You may even reflect even more on the children you have raised and set off into the world.

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The Ides of March

The Pursuit of Victory 

Director: George Clooney

Writers: George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon (play "Farragut North")
Cast: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Jeffrey Wright

SYNOPSIS: Young idealistic campaign staffer Stephen Myers believes his Pennsylvania governor turned Democratic presidential candidate to be one of the few men who could effect real change if elected into the White House. On the road to the Ohio Democratic primaries, he gets a crash course in dirty politics.

REVIEW: George Clooney writes, directs, and stars in an adaptation of the play "Farragut North" by Beau Willimon. Helped along with the writing efforts of Grant Heslov (writer of Good Night, and Good Luck, director of The Men Who Stare at Goats, Clooney assembles a cast of the highest caliber to bring this political drama to the big screen.

Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling - Drive, Blue Valentine) works as a political campaign staffer under lead staffer Paul Zara (Philip Seymour Hoffman - Moneyball, Doubt) for Pennsylvania governor turned Democratic presidential candidate Mike Morris (George Clooney - Ocean's Eleven, The American). Charismatic and dedicated, Stephen has complete and utter faith that his candidate is the politician who could really make substantial changes at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. On the opposite side of the Democratic debate against Morris is Senator Pullman (Michael Mantell) and his chief of staff Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti - John Adams, Sideways). Knowing that Morris may win the Ohio Democratic primaries, Duffy calls Myers directly with an option to jump ship to his campaign camp a week before the primaries. Afterward Myers finds himself in a ever increasingly difficult position, first trying to keep his candidate above board, then trying to keep his own future secure.

George Clooney has the influence and star power to draw the best actors and actresses to his projects. Ryan Gosling is coming into his own as a premier leading man, previously nominated for an Oscar for Best Actor for Half Nelson. Paul Giamatti was nominated for Cinderella Man. Hoffman was nominated for Doubt and Charlie Wilson's War and won for Capote. Clooney was nominated five times and won for Syriana. Tomei was nominated three times and won for My Cousin Vinny. It's almost criminal the critical acclaim that each of these players command. I know I am rattling off their pedigrees but, upon watching this film, it's obvious that every people is reserving of the awards their peers have bestowed on them. The film is subtle and nuanced, every unspoken word as powerful and meaningful as the lengthy dialogue between the characters.

Admittedly, I am not a huge fan of political drama but The Ides of March is steady and engrossing, moving along as smoothly as the never ending gears of the beastly engine that is the political campaign trail. With deals happening under the table and behind closed doors, the public and the audience is as surprised as Myers when Morris' campaign strategies take abrupt turns - for better or worse.

Clooney's Morris speaks about integrity, about what is right for the American public and the country as a whole, how to decrease dependency on the sands of the Middle East, and how to again become a world leader instead of a follower. To what lengths will Myers go to get Morris man elected? What behavior and immorality will he ignore for the greater good? And what compromises will he make to get the job done?

WORTH: Matinee or DVD

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Crazy, But Not Stupid Romance

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
Writers: Dan Fogelman

Cast: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Emma Stone, Kevin Bacon, Jonah Bobo, Analeigh Tipton, Beth Littleford, John Carroll Lynch, Josh Groban, Liza Lapira

SYNOPSIS: Cal runs into marital issues when his wife Emily asks for a divorce. Unprepared for the single scene, Cal enlists the help of professional pick-up artist Jacob to help navigate its choppy waters.

REVIEW: I Love You Phillip Morris directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa re-team with a story from popular animated adventure scribe Dan Fogelman (Cars, Tangled, Bolt, Cars 2) to bring you a more adult romantic dramedy with Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon and Emma Stone on board.

Fresh off of his departure from NBCs The Office, Steve Carell returns to the big screen to add to his growing body of work that includes hits like Date Night and Despicable Me and misses like Dinner for Schmucks and Evan Almighty. He stars as Cal, a man with the perfect married life. That is, until wife Emily (Julianne Moore) asks for a divorce. Thinking that their lives have become too predictable and have lost that spark that had gotten them through their marriage so far, Emily admits to having an affair with fellow co-worker David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). Cal moves out without a fight, leaving Emily and his kids Robbie (Jonah Bobo) and Molly (Joey King), and leaving Cal to sulk, drink and watch professional pick-up artist Jacob (Ryan Gosling) work his skills around the club.

Heartfelt and funny, Crazy, Stupid, Love brings us all too real intertwined romantic connections with a twist of humor. We have Cal who has lost his one true love to another man, Jacob who sees love as a pathetic waste of emotion, opting instead to pick up woman for one-night stands, Emily who cheated on her husband but may be having second thoughts about her decisions to end her marriage, and co-worker Dave who really wants to continue a relationship with Emily. Throw in a 13-year-old son Robbie in love with the family babysitter Jessica (Analeigh Tipton), and Jacob conquest interest Hannah (Emma Stone) who is looking for a marriage proposal from her boyfriend Richard (Josh Groban), and you have a recipe for laughter and tears.

Crazy, Stupid, Love definitely lives up to its name. Steve Carell brings his sad-sack believer in true love to the screen, reminiscent to his character from Date Night. Julianne Moore weighs down the drama with her performance, centering the film in realistic roots. And although Carell and Moore are the pivot points of the film, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling really are the show stealers. Both are easy on the eyes, Emma with her red locks and freckles, and Ryan with his perfect stubble and "PhotoShopped" abs. Their performances apart are love-lorn and hopeful. Their shared scenes are silly, funny, real and down to earth. Young son Robbie played by Jonah Bobo is the perfect innocent foil for a love life that is all in front of him. The performance brought to the screen by Analeigh Tipton for babysitter Jessica is fun to watch, every awkward movement a study in teenage romantic angst.

Tender moments abound between Cal and Emily. The scene between them outside Robbie's teachers classroom for Parent/Teacher conferences and a phone call about restarting a boiler pilot light make you smile a little, but breaks your heart a little, too. Jacob's bravado with Cal and his distain for Cal's wardrobe to date is funny, too, but not as funny as the Hannah/Jacob Dirty Dancing moment in his bachelor pad and the moments that immediately follow. And, of course, the topper to the film is the climatic miniature golf scene where Cal, Jacob, Dave and Jessica's father Bernie (John Carroll Lynch) come to violence.

The film starts off strong, lags in the first act for a while until Jacob arrives onscreen for good, then takes off as a strong romantic dramedy for good. Get over that first hump and the rest is a sweet, tender road of romance - and the things we do for it!

WORTH: Matinee and DVD

The Lincoln Lawyer

The Verdict Is In!

Director: Brad Furman

Writer: John Romano, Michael Connelly

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei, Ryan Phillippe, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Michael Peña, John Leguizamo

RANT: I have even more good news. As I watched the workers come out of theater 1 at the Regal theater that I frequent in Westbury, NY, I was informed that IMAX theater to be operational in April will be open this coming weekend. Just in time for Sucker Punch!

SYNOPSIS: Mick Haller is requested specifically to take on a defense for a rich young man. During the investigation and trial, he finds more truth than he bargains for.

Director Brad Furman brings Michael Connelly's The Lincoln Lawyer to the big screen. Main character lawyer Mick Haller is embodied in the slick coolness and charisma that only Matthew McConaughey can bring. With a wink and a smile, Haller manages to glide effortlessly through the courtrooms, working the system to his advantage. Even his ex-wife still has a soft spot in her heart and bed for Mick, even though their reasons for separate become obvious.

The film is part courtroom drama, part whodunit, all McConaughey! Not a stranger to the inside of a courtroom with A Time To Kill, McConaughey comes out on top with The Lincoln Lawyer. With a string of recent, not-so-spectacular films, this movie will return some luster to his career. He charms and smolders in equal amounts, knowing when to disarm and when to lash out.

Every scene is Matthew McConaughey's. But he is surrounded by an excellent cast. Ryan Phillippe stars as Louis Ross Roulet, Haller's new client and possible rapist and/or killer. Phillippe is a rock when it comes to figuring out his innocence or guilt. Academy Award winner Marisa Tomei (yes, it is law to add the title) appears as Haller's ex-wife Maggie McPherson, turning on the same skills as she did in The Wrestler - minus the stripping. Wait, there is a little underwear action from Marissa, so you have that to look forward to.

The story is entertaining, but has a few weak moments. Private investigator Frank Levin's character (William H. Macy) is never really fleshed out. Also, the fact that Earl (Laurence Mason) drives Haller around in a black Lincoln Continental is due to Haller losing his license, but the back story that could have been told is left obscure. Even the on-again, off-again relationship between Maggie and Mick could have been ramped up.

With bikers, snitches, prostitutes, and a man's innocence on the line, The Lincoln Lawyer will satisfy the Connelly and Grisham fans. McConaughey is back on the top of his game. Let's just hope that Matthew doesn't decide to make Sahara II.

Worth: Matinee or Netflix

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