I Love You, Man (R) 100 minutes B
The (nonsexual) man crush
Starring Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Andy Samber, J.K. Simmons, Jane Curtin, Jon Favreau, and Jaime Pressly
It's getting harder and harder to make an original comedy these days because it's all been done before. But even though I Love You, Man is often predictable, this "bromance" (or "bromantic comedy") is thoroughly entertaining.
As we get older and more consumed by work and relationships it's sometimes hard to make new friends. This film is a refreshing look at male friendship without the macho bullsh*t. The performances as a whole are outstanding and there's a nice comedic balance between physical comedy and subtle humor. Recommended.
Bonus DVD Review -----------------------------------------------------------
Elegy (R) 113 minutes C+
I'd rather be with an animal
DVD Release Date - March 2009
Starring Patricia Clarkson, Penélope Cruz, Deborah Harry, Dennis Hopper, Ben Kingsley, and Peter Sarsgaard
Elegy is directed by Isabel Coixet and based on the Philip Roth novella, The Dying Animal. I read The Dying Animal four months ago and was eager to see the film. It's not often that I read the book before seeing the film so I was anxious to see how Roth's poetic lust translated to the big screen (or the small screen in this case - DVD).
The film followed the book very closely, so much so that I felt I'd already seen the film as I was watching it. My expectations were high because this adaptation starred three of my favorites- Patricia Clarkson, Ben Kingsley and Peter Sarsgaard. However, Elegy was not as good as I'd hoped.
The film conveyed a certain sadness that I didn't necessarily get from the book. The book and the film had the same ending, but by the end of the book I was still reeling from the most intriguing, sexually carnivorous, and desirable woman Roth has ever written about- Consuela.
In the film Consuela is played by Penelope Cruz, not the voluptuous goddess I'd imagined. Yet Cruz was sensational and totally believable as a young woman in love with a man twice her age.
As was Patricia Clarkson who played Carolyn. A character, who in the book I longed to know more about. The men- Ben Kingsley, Dennis Hopper and Peter Sarsgaard all turned in constipated performances that left me underwhelmed.
Elegy is an interesting film... a little slow at times. But if you read the book and liked it, or if you're a big fan of Penelope Cruz (naked) this is the film for you.
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