Priceless.

My Rating
(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R Runtime: 102 minutes
Genre: Foreign, Romantic Comedy, Comedy

For me, romantic comedies are a love-hate thing. There’s no in between; I either love it or hate it. A romantic comedy that’s not sappy, cheesy, or predictable is hard to find. However, if you’re looking for a good one, look no further.

Irène(Audrey Tautou – who you may know from Amelie, although you’ll hardly recognize her) is a gold digger who lives by taking advantage of rich men with her charm and beauty. When she and her rich boyfriend go on a vacation, she mistakes the bartender Jean(Gad Elmaleh) for a rich man. He becomes smitten with her, and now she must figure out how to get rid of him.

Although, I thought the role didn’t fully allow Audrey Tautou to display her acting ability, she does great with what they give her. Gad Elmaleh was fantastic in the role of Jean, though. I don’t think the movie would be that great if another actor had been chosen for the role.

I thought that Priceless is a great, light-hearted romantic comedy that, despite its predictability, offers witty comedy and a fun storyline. This would make a great date movie.

Netflix Page for Priceless.

Rocket Science.

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 101 minutes

Genre: Indie, Comedy, Drama

When my friend took me to see this film, I didn’t know anything about this movie. I’m really glad he took me to see this because I left the theater with one of those happy, satisfied feelings that makes it hard to stop smiling.

This film is about Hal Hefner (Reece Thompson), a stuttering outsider, dealing with his life after his parents separate. When Ginny Ryerson (Anna Kendrick), the star of the debate squad, recruits him to the team to be her partner, Hal must overcome his stuttering problem. He also has to deal with falling in love with Ginny. At the same time that Hal is starting his debate career, his mom begins to date a new man and along with this comes his annoying son. On top of this, Hal constantly has to deal with his older brother, Earl (Vincent Piazza), who is a kleptomaniac. With all these troubles, it’s no surprise that Hal would be frustrated.

This film combines the elements of high school to make it an easy to relate to film. Most normal kids have obstacles, whether it be a stutter or something else, to overcome to figure out who they are. I’ve never been a great speaker, so imagine having doing that with a stutter is terrifying.

Some of my favorite scenes in this Rocket Science were when Hal was trying different methods to overcome is stutter. When Hal’s advisor tells him to try using an accent to stop the stutter, the result is awkward and hilarious. But by far my favorite scene in the movie is when Hal tries to stop stutter by singing his case to the tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. You can’t help but crack a smile and laugh at that original idea.

I would recommend this movie to anyone who enjoys indie comedies or anyone who is/was a debater. My sister is in debate and she really enjoyed all the small debate related details put in by the director, who is a former debater. But even if you aren’t a debater, you’ll still enjoy this one.

Netflix Page for Rocket Science.

Wristcutters: A Love Story

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 88 minutes

Genre: Indie, Comedy, Romantic Comedy

I can’t remember where I heard about this movie, but I’m glad I put it in my queue. This movie turned out to be one of the most original romantic comedies I’ve ever seen…and it’s actually funny.

When Zia(Patrick Fugit) decides to commit suicide(by cutting his wrists as the title suggests) after his girlfriend Desiree breaks up with him, he ends up in another world of despotism and sorrow, one populated by everyone else who has committed suicide. When Zia hears that Desiree(Leslie Bibb) has also committed suicide and is now a part of this universe, he goes on a mission to track her down with a Russian musician named Eugene (this character is based on Eugene Hutz of Gogol Bordello). When on their journey, they pick up Mikal(Shannyn Sossamon), a hitchhiker who is searching for the people in charge because she says doesn’t belong in this world. Tom Waits and Will Arnett also stars in this film.

This movie ended up being one of the most charming films I’ve seen in a while. I love the idea of a world where all people who committed suicide go because I never contemplated anything like that before. The way it was executed was great, too. Some of my favorite things were just the subtle, quirky little jokes. For starters, when Zia first arrives in the post-suicide world, he finds work at Kamikaze Pizza. One of my favorite lines in the film was "I'm not going out tonight. It just makes me depressed." "So, what you gonna do? Kill yourself?"

The music in Wristcutters was great. They use Gogol Bordello’s music as the character Eugene’s band’s music. They’re great and if you have never listened to them (Gogol Bordello’s music also appears in Everything Is Illuminated as well), I recommend that you check them out.

If you have any interest in dark comedy, I would definitely check this one out. The film manages to be original, funny, and deliver.

Netflix Page for Wristcutters: A Love Story

Coming Soon to DVD: Step Brothers.

My Rating

(out of 5 envelopes):

MPAA Rating: R

Runtime: 95 minutes

Genre: Comedy

DVD Release Date: December 2, 2008

When this movie was first released in theaters, there were a bunch of television commercials that seemed to be played tirelessly on every network I watched. When I saw the first round of commercials, I thought the movie sounded really stupid and there was no way I’d see it. Then I saw the commercial where the homemade bunk beds collapsed.

Step Brothers is the story of two guys who just never grew up and never left home. When their single parents fall for each other and get married, Brennan(Will Ferrell) and his mother move in with Dale(John C. Reilly) and his father. Problem is, Brennan and Dale don’t get along. So will the new family live happily ever after or will the whole marriage crash and burn?

Sure, the plot of this movie is stupid. But they take it and make it into something hilarious. This is one of the movies where most of the best parts are in the trailer; however, the scenes in the actual movie are longer (and funnier) than what’s in the trailer. I still cracked up at the bunk bed scene and the scene where Brennan is burying Dale alive even though I saw then countless times on the commercial. One scene I could not stop cracking up at was when the brother and his family were singing “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” That was amazing.

I really think you can relate to this humor if you have siblings or even…wait for it…step-siblings who you didn’t always get along with! Overall, I thought this movie was really funny. If you don’t immature humor and a little idiocy (or find it hilarious), then you should hit save on this movie.

Netflix Page for Step Brothers.