The Family Fang is a rare dramatic role for lead Jason Bateman (who also directed). He plays Baxter, who, with his sister Annie (Nicole Kidman), are more famous for their parents actions than their own (though Baxter has written some acclaimed novels and Annie is a Hollywood actress). Growing up, their parents made “performance art,” staging the kids as props in fantastic situations and filming passersby’s reactions. When the parents go missing, leaving behind a crime scene full of blood, the adult children don’t know whether to believe them truly in danger, or if it is just the newest art scene to fool their fans. Brilliant acting by Bateman especially, and the film is raw and emotional, in which the viewer can’t help but be swept up in.
Hello, My Name is Doris showcases that Sally Field hasn’t lost an acting step with age. She plays Doris, who has lived at home with her mom all of her life. Now her mom has finally passed away, and her life is shaken up. In a bit of a life crisis, Doris falls for a man at work who is half her age. Field is breathtakingly good in this film. She runs the gamut of emotion and I felt all of it with her. She misses her mom, she aches for the life she could have had, had she not stayed home to care for her ailing mother, and she longs for love. At the same time, she experiences supreme joy with new friends that she may have missed out on. In the end, the movie is about moving on, though not necessarily the way you think you might.
King Jack is a well acted and emotional story of a coming-of-age in a small town. Jack is picked on by everyone older than him, and ridiculed by those of his same age. He does bring a lot of it on himself by trying to act tough, and get out of the shadow of his older, popular brother. He seems to be on the road towards juvenile deliquency with his constant fighting, when really he is just trying to stand up for himself. When he and his younger cousin become the targets of a particularly ruthless bully, he needs to decide when enough is enough. I make it sound fairly ho-hum, but the movie is deeply moving and more than your average indie flick. I had not heard of the lead, Charlie Plummer, before, but this is one to keep an eye out for.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is the latest comedy starring Tina Fey. She plays a journalist at a TV station, who finally has a chance to get in front of the camera if she is willing to report from the war in Afghanistan. Semi-biographical but with Fey’s comedic talent (at least in the first half), the film is just entertaining enough to keep you watching. It loses some steam comedically in the second half, where the meat and potatoes of the script come together in an actual plot, but there is still enough there to want to see how it all ends. A little vulgarity at times keeps it a solid R rating, so watch this one after the kids are asleep, but you don’t need to be diehard Fey fan to enjoy it.
The Invitation is a pretty boring for a thriller. A couple gets invited to a friendly get-together, by some people they haven’t seen in years. The first 60 minutes is slow in building but with plenty of B movie sideways glances and creepy music. The last 30 minutes turns into an even worse cliché slasher film. The movie has some recognizable faces, but definitely low budget and not all that well put together. There are better low budget movies out there.
Jons Movie Takes 
2 thoughts on “Quick takes on 5 films”