Friends with Kids (2012)

Dir: Jennifer Westfeldt
Writers: Jennifer Westfeldt
Starring: Jennifer Westfeldt, Adam Scott, Maya Rudolph, Kristin Wiig, Scott O'Down, Jon Hamm

I saw this movie earlier this year in the theaters, but my thoughtful brother sent me the DVD as a birthday gift a couple of months ago.

I've been a huge fan of Jennifer Westfeldt since I saw Kissing Jessica Stein when I was in college, and a few years ago when I saw Ira & Abby. She wrote both of those movies, which are smart, funny, and not your run-of-the-mill rom-com or lady comedy. Friends with Kids is her directorial debut, and I liked it a lot, too.

Overall, this film is about three couples, two who are in romantic relationships and have kids, and another who are strictly platonic but decide to have kids due to the ol' biological clock and because they observe that kids can take all the romance out of a relationship. It can seem a bit winded when typing it all out. But the movie is funny and charming, while there are some things I have to ignore in order to like it, but that's the case with most films, isn't it? I think Westfeldt understands that her characters are not the most realistic or smart -- but there wouldn't be an interesting movie without these two best friends agreeing to a slightly kooky life plan. So, I have to suspend my disbelief, and Westfeldt puts in some great scenes to demonstrate that yeah, this is kind of crazy. The supporting cast (all plucked from Bridesmaids) are particularly great in these scenes.

Westfeldt and Adam Scott play off each other really well, and I love them both. You root for all the characters, and there are moments of sadness throughout, even though it's more of a comedy. I do like how odd and different the plot was from most movies out these days--it seemed more thoughtful--but the ending still seemed a little trite against the rest of the movie. I mean, I feel great that it all works out, but sometimes I want the characters to be challenged a little more!

The Best: When the other two disapproving couples come over to the new parents' apartment for the first time and think they're about to walk into a harried scene, but it ends up exactly the opposite. The outtakes on the gag reel from this scene are also hilarious.

Fact: Westfeldt's been dating co-star Jon Hamm in real life for over ten years. He had bit parts in all of her movies pre-Mad Men era!

Rating: ******** (8 out of 10)

Gentlemen Broncos (2009)

Dir: Jared Hess
Writers: Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess
Starring: Michael Angarano, Jemaine Clement, Sam Rockwell, Jennifer Coolidge

This is one weird movie. But I love it.

I remember seeing the trailer for it in a theater and thinking "well, that looks dumb." Cut to last year when my friends Jaime and Andrew had me over to their apartment and decided I needed to watch. They were reciting the lines during the movie, and then afterwards when we went to a bar they continued. Many lines are now inside jokes between friends; sometimes when I say bye to a friend in-the-know, I say "Remember who you are and what you stand for!" while flashing two metal signs, as Jennifer Coolidge's character says to her son Michael Angarano as she sends him off to a writing festival for homeschooled kids.

I digress.

The movie is about the Benjamin, living in the bland surroundings of Utah, much like director Jared Hess' previous film, Napoleon Dynamite. He's a teen sci-fi writer who has hopes for his first novel with a lead character named Bronco who fights evil on distant planets. The great hilarity of the film centers on the fact that his novel is played out on screen several times -- as his own version with Sam Rockwell as a long-haired, tough Bronco, as a version low-budget filmed by his friends, and as a version stolen and plagiarized by his idol, Chevalier (played so well by Jemaine Clement). In Chevalier's version, Bronco is now Brutus, and Sam Rockwell plays him as well, but this time in a pink suit, long blond hair, and lispy accent.

When you have Sam Rockwell saying lines like--"Oh my holy crap, surveillance does... I hate those. This is ridiculous, that's the most well guarded yeast factory I've ever seen!"--you know it's a different kind of movie. But Rockwell owns both characters and all their ridiculousness. If you haven't gotten it yet, this movie is absolutely crazy. And not everyone will like it, enjoy it, or even get why people are laughing at the random (and sometimes gross) jokes. But I did!

Proceed at your own risk. If you enjoyed this movie for what it is, we'd probably be friends.

The Best: Sam Rockwell, hands down. The guy puts everything into his roles no matter how weird. His tackling of two roles is the best part of the movie.

Fact: The opening credits have a series of fake sci-fi novels to showcase the stars. The cover artwork was created by acclaimed fantasy and science fiction artists Kelly Freas and David Lee Anderson.

Rating: ******** (8 out of 10)

Rango (2011)

Dir: Gore Verbinski

Writers: John Logan, Gore Verbinski, John Ward Byrkit

Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher, Timothy Olyphant

What a strange, enjoyable film! Last year when I saw the previews, I was like, oh that looks like it'll probably be an interesting children's movie. However, upon my husband's insistence that I watch the movie--he even went out and bought the blu-ray DVD to make me--I did. He had seen the movie on a flight last year, and as he is a lover of Westerns, he thought this captured the fun of a Western in an animated movie. Also, who doesn't love Johnny Depp?

But here was my first reaction upon completion of the movie: wow, that is NOT a movie for children. Directed by Gore Verbinski (The Ring, Pirates of the Carribean), the tale of Rango the lizard starts out with a scene that would never keep a child's attention: a monologue. And in this monologue, most of Depp's career roles have been dusted off for the tongue-in-cheekness, and there's even an appearance at some point in the movie by Hunter S. Thompson and his lawyer. Yeah, not exactly kids stuff.

Which is probably why this movie, while making a lot of money, did not resonate well with audiences. You have to be adult-minded and enjoy animation (which is really wonderful, by the way). This is not The Incredibles or Wall-E, which are children's movies with enough jokes to fly over kids' heads to hit the parents with enjoyment. Nope. The story moves like a Western, and while comedic, there are storylines you have to piece together along with our hero. It requires a lot of comprehension skills. That said, the character of Rango and his assimilation in the town of Dirt are endearing and I enjoyed it though there were some parts that felt a little long.

Good job, husband.

The Best: The animation was superb! And I also have to say that I giggled every time the little owl mariachi band narrated the story, and about how the hero was obviously going to die the whole way through.

Fact: The Mayor's suspenders, hat, shirt, and voice is an homage to Noah Cross, the character John Huston portrayed in the movie Chinatown. Chinatown's plot also revolved around a mystery about stolen water. (Oddly, I don't own Chinatown though I would consider it one of my favorite movies. Maybe I should remedy that.)

Rating: ******** (8 out of 10)