Swee fantasy comedy where Maisy Stella meets her older self, Audrey Plaza, who gives some advice on her last summer. Stella is outstanding - everyone is good too.
I wasn't sure it was okay to have a woman who sleeps with women then realising she prefers dudes, nbut maybe that's how it swings in Canada. The film is very Canadian - there's comments about climate change, open attitudes to sexuality, it's all set by a lake, there's a Justin Bieber sequence.
Too many thoughts to put down in a coherent form so I'll do dot points:
- this didn't have to cost $120 million, at heart it's people in rooms talking
- props to a boomer blowing his fortune on an indulgent movie
- it feels like a third year drama school play - a verse drama, cobbled off Roman history, lots of "wisdom" and pretension, lousy female roles
- occasionally some genuine emotion comes through like Talia Shire giving son Adam Driver a serve
- the cast all commit - Nathalie Emmanuel does as well as she can, Driver goes for it, Aubrey Plaza really goes for it, Jon Voight excellent and Shia LeBouf absolutely nails it - whatever the film is, Shia is it
- the adaptation of Rome doesn't work - there's lots of newspapers, and people smoking - also rich families tend not to run for elected office these days it's easier to buy politicians - so there was a level of non reality about it (I know it was expressionistic but things clunked - it was set in our world but also had a 1980s vibe) - I wish he'd just set this in Ancient Rome or gone fully sci fi and set it in the future
- I couldn't follow what was happening (Driver builds things I think and there's elections and... something) and at two horus 15 minutes it was hard
- Coppola can still do violence well as shown with the assassination attempt on Driver
- DB Sweeney and James Remar have small roles! Bless
- obviously very personal about Coppola with his love for a princess daughter and Driver thanking Emmanuel "for making him work" (gotta love those behind the scenes women), and blonde female sex objects
- why was Dustin Hoffman in this film?
Look, he had a go. He really did.
Guy Ritchie action flick has a lot of nice things about it - Jason Statham doing his stuff, Hugh Grant again having a wonderful time as a villain, and most of al Aubrey Plaza as the perfect femme in the Richie world, sexy, smart, cool, etc etc.
It is a sluggish film though. Starts well but after a while it sinks in that the elements aren't exactly fresh - agents chasing after a Thing, the Thing changes hands, villain obsessed with a movie star, self referential jokes with a movie star playing a movie star (Josh Harnett in a role I wish Hugh Grant had played - or someone more lively).
It's all so easy for Statham and co. Like really easy.
Turkish setting a little different.
I didn't like this as much as I once did - it lacks the autobiographical detail of Stillman's first three movies, not to mention focus. It doesn't have the same reason to be - the others were about specific things, debutantes, Americans abroad, disco... not so much this. It's endearing though - pleasant cast, some great Stillman riffs. Greta Gerwig and Adam Brody are particularly at home. More diversity in the cast for Stillman. Aubrey Plaza allowed to overact. Would've liked more stuff between the editor and Gerwig.
Lots of good ideas here, talented actors, as Alison Brie goes off to a work conference in Tuscany. It feels a little flabby, like it needed an edit. Wanted to like it more than I did. Felt it needed mystery earlier or something. And what happened to Aubrey Plaza?
Wonderful. I don't have much to add. A slow burn. Pretty pictures, pretty people, some actors I never thought much of really sign, a lot of different types of sex, a bit of violence at the end.
It's fascinating to see the show finding its feet. Amy Poehler, Rashina Jones, Aubrey Plaza and Nick Offerman were all very strong - this season sees the blossoming of Chris Pratt and Aziz Ansari, both of whom have been made a lot more positive and active in their goals, whether it's to get Jones back (Pratt) or become a tycoon (Ansari). Paul Schneider's character is sidelined into a solely romantic plot with Jones and given minimal screen time; a harsh decision but the right one because in one or two eps he spills into wacky storylines and threatens to bring the whole mood down. He simply didn't fit.
There's cute romantic arcs with Justin Theroux and Louis C.K. Natalie Morales is cute but I feel the role of Ansari's long term girlfriend could have been really special. Some stunningly good guest characters. And at the end for the last two eps when Adam Scott and Rob Lowe join you go "yes, they've got the combination right".
