Movie #338 - Kicking and Screaming

Kicking & Screaming
2005 - Rated PG - 1 hr 35 min
Director: Jesse Dylan
Starring: Will Ferrell, Robert Duvall, Mike Ditka, Kate Walsh, Musetta Vander, Elliott Cho, Dylan McLaughlin, Josh Hutcherson, Rachael Harris, David Herman

Will Ferrell does a kids' movie (kinda) and I just can't help but think it's hillarious.  I know not everyone is a big Ferrell fan, but I unabashedly am (except for Semi-Pro, which you will not see on this blog. Nope.) 

Here, he battles his competitive dad Robert Duvall by coaching the underdog pee wee soccer team (Duvall coaches the best team in the league).  Ferrell teams up with famed NFL coach Mike Ditka, Duvall's nemesis next-door neighbor, who plays himself. Genius.  He even coaches in his classic shirt, tie, and Bears sweater. Gotta love it.

Of course, the pressure sends Ferrell over the edge little by little, leading to scenes like the coffee shop throwdown and the butcher shop takeover (think chainsaw + half a cow). Some of its all for a cheap laugh, as is his usual style, but there's enough substance here to make this a feel-good comedy, more so than his others.  His relationship with his son develops nicely, as does his connection to his own dad.  And as he sees how interconnected the two relationships really are, he deals with it and makes the best of it.

Good stuff, all around. It's just cute and lots of fun to watch.

Movie #252 - The Hangover

The Hangover
2009 - Rated R - 1 hr 40 min
Director: Todd Phillips
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Heather Graham, Jeffrey Tambor, Ken Jeong, Rachael Harris, Mike Tyson, Mike Epps, Sasha Barrese, Rob Riggle

This movie actually DID live up to all the hype.  I was skeptical at first, since I was the last person on earth to see this movie and everyone was talking about how much I would love it.  Usually, those kinds of scenarios end in disappointment.

However, there's just something about this movie--and I don't know what it is--that it absolutely hysterical.  It's not that unique of a premise, the cast of characters is pretty cookie-cutter, and the funniest scenes are the easiest laughs... but man, is it funny.  Does it get any better than naked Ken Jeong leaping out of the trunk? I don't think so.

The quotes abound, the actors make the characters their own, and disaster is just barely thwarted.  A solid comedy that just might deserve that sequel their making.  I hope they don't screw it up.  Something tells me they won't.

Movie #209 - For Your Consideration

For Your Consideration
2006 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 26 min
Director: Christopher Guest
Starring: Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer, Parker Posey, Ed Begley Jr, Eugene Levy, Christopher Guest, John Michael Higgins, Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge, Rachael Harris

This is my least favorite of all the Christopher Guest & Co. movies. That said, it's not that bad. It's just not as good as his others, so it's a bit disappointing.

In this mock-umentary, Catherine O'Hara, Harry Shearer, and Parker Posey star in a movie that generates quite a bit of Oscar buzz for them.  It's meant to be a revealing and comical look at the road to Oscar, and of course, the road that fails to reach the Oscar.  The performances are good, but overall the movie is lukewarm.  You feel bad for them, rather than root for them, especially O'Hara's Marilyn Hack.  And Christopher Guest isn't in this movie nearly enough. Not my fave, not by a long shot.