Movie #389 - The Invention of Lying

The Invention of Lying
2009 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 40 min
Director: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson
Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K., Jeffrey Tambor, Rob Lowe, Tina Fey
Cameos by: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Edward Norton

To be fair, this movie seems to take a gimmick (a world where no one can lie) and really run with it.  Squeezing an entire plot out of one man's sudden discovery that he can, in fact, tell lies.  Oops!

The saving grace is that the movie resists the temptation to dissolve into a series of scenes where said lying character goes totally off the deep end and lies all over the place just to get what he wants -- the girl included. Where would be the fun in that? I guess of all the people who could've learned to lie, he's the least abusive of the new skill. Kinda.

See, he accidentally creates religion.  I don't have a problem with the implication that there's no religion in a world where no one lies because there aren't any lies, but we start hitting on territory that's off-centered from what's really happening here.  It's funny, it's good for a laugh, but I feel like it detracts from the main character's journey and, ultimately, the romantic aspect of the movie.  Other opinions?

Movie #348 - Knocked Up

Knocked Up
2007 - Rated R - 2 hr 9 min
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Seth Rogen, Katherine Heigl, Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, Jason Segel, Jay Baruchel, Jonah Hill, Harold Ramis, Alan Tudyk, Kristen Wiig

Knocked Up was one of those movies that came out and everyone raaaaaaaaved about it. "Go see it! Go see it! It's hillarious!" I waited till it came out on DVD and saw it at home, expecting really good things.

Instead, I felt like it wasn't as funny as it could have been. And Katherine Heigl annoyed the piss out of me.  Especially in the delivery room when she's arguing that she can't get induced because her birth plan says no drugs... when the doctor says the baby's health and safety is at risk.  What?! Helllllllooooooooo?

I'm a mom and I wanted a natural delivery. But when the doctor said, "Your baby needs to come out now," I did not argue for a second. I said, "What do I sign?"

Sorry, kids. But that one irksome scene isn't the only issue I have.  Heigl and Rogen have absolutely no chemistry.  I really want to like this, cuz I love these guys and Judd Apatow.  I don't hate it... but I think it got talked up to me too much and the only way to go was down.

Movie #242 - Grandma's Boy

Grandma's Boy
2006 - Rated R - 1 hr 34 min
Director: Nicholaus Goosen
Starring: Allen Covert, Linda Cardellini, Peter Dante, Shirley Jones, Shirley Knight, Joel Moore, Kevin Nealon, Doris Roberts, Nick Swardson, Jonah Hill

Allen Covert's not exactly the kind of guy you'd pick for a leading role.  He's not handsome or charming, he's not lovable or even likable for most of the movie.  He plays a low life kind of guy, stuck in a job that's beneath his abilities, evicted from his apartment and forced to live with his grandma, and seriously addicted to pot.  Also, he's 36.

Time to grow up, right?

Somehow, you still end up rooting for him, even if only because everyone else in this movie is equally or more unlikable. Particularly his nemesis JP, a video game genius who talks like a robot when he's nervous and dresses like he just fell out of The Matrix. By comparison, Allen Covert's character actually is the most likable.

His grandma, though, is probably the best part of this movie.  Yes, it's the mom from Everybody Loves Raymond. And her two roommates are pretty cool as well, one of whom is classic TV's Shirley Jones, or the Patridge Family mom.  Sweet.

There's not much of a life lesson to be gleaned from this one.  It's entertaining, but very middle of the road in terms of comedy.  Meh.

Movie #222 - Get Him to the Greek

Get Him to the Greek
2010 - Rated R - 1 hr 59 min
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Russell Brand, Jonah Hill, Rose Byrne, Colm Meaney, Elizabeth Moss, Sean Combs, Meredith Vieira, Carla Gallo

This movie was created just because Aldous Snow is the best rockstar that never was.  Thanks to Jason Segel, this "sequel" that's not really a sequel at all, goes more in depth with a character from Forgetting Sarah Marshall. More songs, more insanity, more weirdness.

Jonah Hill comes back as well, but as a different character.  Still a worshipper of Infant Sorrow, Hill's character Aaron Greene works for a music production company and needs to escort lead singer Aldous Snow from London to the Greek Theater in LA.  His boss (the hillarious Puff Daddy...yes, he's hillarious) gives him the once-in-a-lifetime chance and stays on him all 72 hours. Death threats and "smiley faces" ensue.  Good times.

Honestly, I love this movie more every time I watch it.  And it still makes me laugh out loud. I love it.

Movie #210 - Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Forgetting Sarah Marshall
2008 - Rated R - 1 hr 51 min
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Starring: Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, Mila Kunis, Paul Rudd, Russell Brand, Bill Hader, Liz Cackowski, Maria Thayer, Jack McBrayer, Jonah Hill

From the awkward naked breakup in the very beginning to the Dracula puppet musical at the end, I love this damn movie.  Jason Segel hits every note of this movie perfectly and in an adorably charming way like no other.  Who could blame Mila Kunis for falling for him? And who could forgive Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell) for leaving him?

And then, of course, there's Russell Brand's Aldous Snow - a character that is the stuff of legends.  Seriously, he inspired a second, unrelated movie to be written about this character.  So well done.  So what if it's not really acting because Russell Brand truly is that nuts? Now we all get to enjoy it together.

If you haven't seen this, please do.  It's smart and funny, and tackles a topic near and dear to all of our hearts: how to move on when you've been brutally dumped.

Movie #188 - Evan Almighty

Evan Almighty
2007 - Rated PG - 1 hr 36 min
Director: Tom Shadyac
Starring: Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes, John Michael Higgins, Jonah Hill, Molly Shannon

Technically, this is the sequel to Bruce Almighty but it has very little to do with Bruce.  And Jim Carrey's not even in it.  But Evan Baxter, a side character from the first movie, gets his own God encounter in this movie. But instead of being God himself, he gets to play the underrated role of Noah.  Set in modern day, poor "Noah" gets a bad rap, but I'm sure it must have been tough for him to get people to believe him, even back then.  Now, talking to God is a symptom of insanity, so Evan's lucky he doesn't get locked up.

I'm glad Morgan Freeman is in this again, since he's an excellent God. (hahaha) And it provides some consistency as well.  The flood scene is fun, but a bit disappointing after all the buildup.  I mean, do we really need gazelles and giraffes for this? But the good guys win in the end, and Evan's family becomes stronger for the experience. Also, they adopt a homeless dog. Everyone wins.

And so they get to do the dance.