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You People (2023)
How did this movie get made?
A frustrating, poorly-written mis-use of talented actors.
The movie gets off to a promising start: there is a 'meet-cute' that is intentionally not cute to get Jonah Hill's Ezra together with Lauren London's Amira - it's a refreshing approach, and a sign of the potential to deal with some difficult racial issues in a humorous way. And the couple are initially quite cute and likeable together. Ezra's rapport with his podcast co-host Mo is also well-done but ends up being under-utilized. But the movie really goes off the rails when the parents (Eddie Murphy, Nia Long, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny) are introduced to their respective son- and daughter-in-law-to-be. But this is not the fault of the actors - well, except for Jonah Hill since he had a role in writing this claptrap. The movie's potential is not realized because the screenplay places the characters in predictably ridiculous situations in which they react in completely inauthentic, unbelievable ways designed only to manufacture broad humor that almost always falls flat. That goes on for nearly 1.5 hours before the movie partially redeems itself with a satisfying confrontation scene that finally(!) gets at these issues in an insightful way. Then comes the standard, tacked-on happy resolution. But it's too little, too late.
BoJack Horseman (2014)
Watch this show!!
This is the best all-around show of any genre on television since the first 9 seasons of the Simpsons. I started watching it knowing practically nothing about it, but thinking it sounded really stupid. I gave it a chance anyway and got hooked. It's definitely true that you need to get past the first half of season 1 to REALLY understand the greatness of this show. I won't say more than this: it starts as a silly adult cartoon parody of celebrity, but quickly turns into a highly effective meditation on self-loathing, depression, and substance abuse. And unlike other popular recent shows, the series ending does NOT disappoint.
Little Women (2019)
Best adaptation ever!
This is the best adaptation of Little Women ever. The acting is top notch all around. Saoirse Ronan, Florence Pugh, and Timothee Chalamet in particular made their characters make sense like no others have before. Same for Eliza Scanlen. I don't think the story benefited from cutting up the timeline and showing it in flashbacks, but it didn't suffer much for it either.
Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Very Re-watchable
It's not an "important" movie, but it's very entertaining and very re-watchable. Matt Damon and Christian Bale give solid performances as usual, as does the rest of the cast. Good direction and I loved the use of the song Polk Salad Annie. I had a minor problem with some aspects of the ending, but nothing worth bringing up.
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Skip it
There is no growth, no acceptance, no coming to terms, no NOTHING in this waste of time. It's just 2+ hours of Casey Affleck slouching and staring.
The Bill Murray Stories: Life Lessons Learned from a Mythical Man (2018)
Recommended, but not perfect
The Bill Murray Stories is a documentary by a Murray fan that starts by recapping a bunch of the tales of how Murray intersects people's lives in ways that seem odd for a celebrity, and then explores how these stories tell us something about Murray and the life lessons we should take from him. On that level, it's very successful and well done. My only complaints are that the filmmaker inserts himself into the movie a little too much -- and especially in ways that make you think he hasn't internalized the things that he's saying make Murray so appealing. (And a couple of scenes with the filmmaker seem contrived -- as if they were a film school assignment.) My second complaint is that the movie doesn't explore/address some of the possible darkness in Murray. There is no attempt to deal with the drunken golf cart ride or allegations by his ex-wife. Don't get me wrong: I'm okay with a certain amount of mythologizing. And I do love this movie, but a more rounded picture of the man would've upped my 8 to a 9 or 10.