Welcome to
The besties review
Please mind the dust! the site is undergoing Maintenance and will be back up and running soon!
 Cinema took its first steps roughly 135 years ago with Louis Le Prince’s 3-second shot of some well-dressed folks walking through a garden, and it has been sprinting forward ever since. New stories, techniques, acting styles and genres developed over time, expanding to audiences across the world. Soon bigger became better, with monstrous budgets, elaborate sets and mega-sized movie stars leading us into the modern blockbuster era. But recently it feels like movies have become more homogenized—using and reusing, adapting and re-adapting, remaking and rebooting—so it’s truly a wonder we get anything original nowadays. Yet when I took my seat at the movie theater late last year and witnessed the first trailer for a J-Lo/Owen Wilson/Maluma love triangle romantic comedy adapted from a graphic novel, I had never seen anything like it. Who was expecting this? Or maybe an even better question, who was expecting this to actually be good? I may not be a huge fan of the rom-com genre, but I’m also not afraid to admit when I’ve fallen in love. So here I am admitting it: Marry Me is an utterly delightful picture. One of the first things you should know about Marry Me is that it is more sophisticated than its memeable trailer suggests. Though the film inevitably plays into many classic rom-com tropes, the script deftly balances its cheesiness with charm and consideration, allowing its leading pair to have refreshingly “real” conversations in between some of the schockier plot mechanics. The film is also frequently funny (which I will attribute to longtime comedy writer/producer Tami Sagher co-writing the script) and Kat Coiro’s direction is stylish and smooth. Some might even venture to say that Marry Me is shockingly well-directed, but a quick scroll through Coiro’s IMDb page should illuminate the fact that she has been quietly killing it as a TV director for the past decade. Her credits include episodes of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Modern Family, Dead to Me and Girls5eva, as well as the upcoming MCU series She-Hulk, on which she is also an executive producer. It certainly won’t be winning Coiro any major awards, but for a Peacock Original romantic comedy, Marry Me feels efficiently and effortlessly directed. To take a step back from my appraisal of the film’s technical elements, I’d be remiss if I didn’t give a quick summary of the film’s admittedly ridiculous premise. Kat Valdez (J-Lo) is a mega famous pop star who is about to marry her fiancé, Bastian (Maluma), live at a stadium concert. Charlie Gilbert (Owen Wilson) is a mild-mannered math teacher and single father attending the concert with his daughter. But when Kat finds out that Bastian has cheated on her just minutes before they are supposed to tie the knot, she throws caution to the wind and invites some random guy onto the stage to marry her instead—can you guess who?? It’s all pretty absurd, but at least they acknowledge it! Charlie is extremely reluctant (as he should be) to go through with the impromptu marriage, but Kat’s team of managers and assistants convince him it would be good for her image, and even his own daughter urges him to roll with it. Kat and Charlie slowly get to know each other and (would you believe it?) eventually fall in love. It may be predictable, but it’s also well-executed, especially when it comes to the performances and the script. Jennifer Lopez is convincing as Kat Valdez, a pop star and media sensation who spends most of her time trying to maintain a pristine social image, and Owen Wilson is equally perfect as her affable photo-op companion who remains kind, funny, resourceful and supportive, despite not understanding the complexities of living your life in the public eye. The supporting cast also boasts a number of solid performances that suit the film quite well, including Sarah Silverman, Chloe Coleman and John Bradley. At a time where every movie feels like a rip-off, remake or reboot, Marry Me shines as something that blends its tried and true genre tropes with original writing and fully realized characters—oh, and did I mention that the movie just turns into a J-Lo music video every once and a while? But all of that aside, I think the best thing I can say is that I had a smile plastered on my face for nearly the entire film, and when it was over I strongly considered watching it all over again. So, Marry Me…? Say yes, yes, YES! ★ ★ ★ ½ Check out the reviews from other Banana Meter approved critics by clicking the button below!
0 Comments
 It’s been twelve years since the last “official” installment in the Jackass film franchise, and a lot has changed—original cast member Ryan Dunn passed away in 2011, Bam Margera’s long-documented struggle with alcohol abuse led to his unceremonious firing from the production of Jackass Forever last year, and the rest of the show’s classic line-up (namely Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O and Wee Man) are pushing 50 years old. Considering all of that baggage, I wouldn’t have been surprised if this crew of seasoned slapstick veterans decided to take it easier on themselves, but that just wouldn’t be in the spirit of Jackass, now would it? Jackass Forever finds Knoxville and co. acting as donkey-brained as ever, and while there’s truly nothing cutting edge about the Jackass formula anymore, fans of the gang’s inane stunts, cheap shots and penis abuse will find there’s plenty here to sink their teeth into with this one. Probably the most notable change with this iteration of the franchise (other than the fact that everyone is old now) is the lineup of new cast members, all of whom are eager to earn their stripes as true jackasses. Zach “Zackass” Holmes and Sean "Poopies" McInerney stand out as the most promising newbies in terms of dudes-who-will-literally-say-yes-to-anything, while Jasper Dolphin (of Odd Future fame) brings a fun and fresh personality to the crew. The film also introduces the franchise’s first female cast member, comedian Rachel Wolfson, though her appearance in only two major stunts (the mime competition and scorpion botox) left me wanting more from her. Still, I can’t fault Wolfson for her scattered appearances throughout the film, considering half the stunts revolve around hitting, crushing, cinching or stinging a penis. And there’s one of my big problems with the film in a nutsack– I mean, a nutshell– there are just too many dicks. Perhaps I’m exaggerating for effect, but this legitimately feels like the most penis-forward Jackass movie yet, and not in a good way. A good kick in the groin is funny the first time, but after an hour it’s just excessive. As a non-Jackass fan, I was holding out hope that this film would buck the trend of the previous iterations and offer up something a bit more meaningful than a bunch of dopey stunts. I think Jackass Forever had the opportunity to serve as a nostalgic changing of the guard, reflecting on the group’s decades of friendship while also ushering in the next generation of Jackass cast members. Unfortunately, only the latter comes to fruition, as Jackass Forever seems to care more about welcoming its fresh blood than saluting its veteran cast members. Knoxville, Steve-O and Danger Ehren get to take part in the biggest and most memorable stunts, while Wee Man, Chris Pontius, Dave England and Preston Lacy feel somewhat side-lined in favor of newcomers like Zach, Poopies and Jasper. Ultimately, I think the cast’s typical antics will be amusing enough for fans of the franchise, but anyone expecting (or hoping for) a more nuanced exploration into the group’s dynamic, how they’ve changed over the past ten years or if their NSFW-style of comedy even has a place in our present cultural climate will be rightfully disappointed. The title “Jackass Forever” proudly points toward the group’s future, but the fourth entry in this franchise feels too content with replicating the past. ★★½ Check out the reviews from other Banana Meter approved critics by clicking the button below!
|
Categories
All
AuthorDavid D. Merkle is a market research analyst by day, film writer by night. He is the co-founder of The Besties Review and the Annual Bestie Awards. |
RSS Feed
