REVIEW 9: RIO (3D)

Release date in India:	April 8, 2011
Director:	Carlos Saldanha
Cast:	Voiced by Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Will.I.Am, Jamie Foxx

Rio is one of those good-but-not-great movies that we need to happen to us ever so often, to help us appreciate the great ones. It’s an entertaining-while-you-watch-it-yet-not-so-memorable 3D animation flick about the adventures of Tyler Blu, a rare blue macaw who was abducted as a child from the wild, then rescued by a girl called Linda. Fast forward to the present. Both characters are now adults: she’s a bespectacled book-shop owner in Minnesota, he’s a bird who has never taken flight. They’re best friends of course. That is one of the reasons why Linda resists strongly when an ornithologist arrives at her doorstep to persuade her to bring Blu to Rio where he can mate with the only other surviving blue macaw in the world, Jewel, and prevent the extinction of their species.

Most of the action takes place in Rio di Janeiro, home city of director Carlos Saldanha who was the co-director of the first Ice Age film and director of its two sequels. Rio gives him an opportunity to affectionately capture the look, feel and colour of Brazil. And he does it well, laying out for us a canvas filled with bright, eye-catching splashes of paint, and making even the poor quarters with their narrow alleyways & tin roofs look pretty.

In fact, everything about Rio is pretty. Very pretty. From the sequences of energetic avian dancing, to the bursts of colour around every corner, from Blu and Jewel’s inevitable romance to their madcap trio of city-bred feathered friends. But pretty is not the same as beautiful, and the film as a whole never quite goes the distance from being enjoyable to being remarkably impactful. The problem is that there’s nothing terribly unique about the treatment, and the plot is … well … predictable: you know right from the start that more bird poachers will show up to throw hurdles in the path of true love, a true love that’s bound to happen between Blu and Jewel, and between Linda and the ornithologist. Besides, the themes of preservation of the species, the call of the wild, being who we are meant to be and going back to where we belong have been explored repeatedly in Hollywood animation features, often in far more imaginative ways.

The characters in Rio are voiced by some major – and talented – stars. Jesse Eisenberg’s vibrant Blu is a nice contrast to his deliberately dull Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. Anne Hathaway as Jewel is suitably spirited and dynamic. Their buddies Pedro, Nico and Rafael (Black-Eyed Peas’ Will.I.Am, Jamie Foxx and George Lopez) are a lively bunch who contribute to some of this film’s funniest moments. And my pick of the lot is Jemaine Clement as Nigel the evil cockatoo who works for men who prey on birds. But none of these stars – or the characters they voice – is as heart-stoppingly huggable as that crazy warthog from The Lion King or Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) from Cars who was so damned brilliant that I forgot he was an automobile, and not a man, just minutes into the film.

The songs in Rio range from bland to pleasant. Though Will.I.Am and Jamie Foxx pitch in with their singing voices, and a couple of the numbers were hummable, I can’t name one that has stayed with me. What did stay with me though was the rivetting choreography that was elevated many storeys by Saldanha’s joyously bright palette. Rio is a pleasant enough experience. But it’s not had a lasting impact on me. I guess what I’m saying is that it was good while it lasted, for me and Rio. But our affair ended pretty soon after I left that movie hall.

Rating (out of five): ***

Release date in the US:	April 15, 2011
MPAA Rating (US):	G (For general audiences. This rating was granted after a re-screening. The initial rating given to the film was PG, which means parental guidance is advised)
CBFC Rating (India):	U without cuts
Running time in the US:	96 minutes
Running time in India:	96 minutes
Language:	English

Photograph courtesy: http://www.facebook.com/riothemovie

REVIEW 8: JUST GO WITH IT

Release date in India:	April 8, 2011
Director:	Dennis Dugan
Cast:	Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Brooklyn Decker, Nick Swardson, Nicole Kidman, Bailee Madison, Griffin Gluck

Imagine an Adam Sandler film in which there is not a single fart joke, only two cracks involving human excrement, just one crotch-clutching episode and the heroine is the classy Jen Aniston. Yes people, this is Adam Sandler all grown up and mature in comparison with what we’re used to seeing. And for that – among many other reasons – I’d recommend that you just go with it.

The film is about plastic surgeon Danny (Sandler) who pretends to be unhappily married to seduce women. On that one day when he doesn’t put up a pretense, he makes a connection with a much-younger schoolteacher called Palmer (swimsuit model Brooklyn Decker in her film debut). After a night of passion, when she discovers a ring in his pants pocket (a ring he’s worn in the past to deceive women), he is forced to lie about it because of course the truth would be unpalatable to her. One fib leads to another and so from asking his amiable assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston) to play his fake soon-to-be-ex-wife, Danny has to rope in Katherine’s kids to play his fake children, which results in the entire fake family and Palmer taking off for a holiday in Hawaii accompanied by the fake boyfriend of the fake soon-to-be-ex-wife.

Whoa, there are further complications in this comedy of errors but first, let’s talk about whether the story rings a bell. Yes, in David Dhawan’s Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya Salman Khan played a doctor who falls for a much-younger woman (Katrina Kaif) but asks his assistant (Sushmita Sen) to pretend to be his wife to get him out of his own web of lies. But no, it’s not what you are hoping. The producers of Just Go With It have not copied MPKK. The truth is that though MPKK’s screenplay was attributed to Rumi Jaffrey, the Hindi film was in fact lifted from the 1969 Hollywood classic Cactus Flower (starring Walter Matthau, Ingrid Bergman and Goldie Hawn) which in turn was a remake of a Broadway comedy that was taken from a French play. Just Go With It is a legitimate remake and so the credits read: “Screenplay by Allan Loeb and Timothy Dowling. Based on “Cactus Flower” Screenplay by I.A.L. Diamond. Stage play by Abe Burrows. Based upon a French play by Barillet and Gredy.” And that, my dear Bollywood, is how it should be done.

Just Go With It is a hilarious film that requires a suspension of disbelief from viewers who may wonder why two kind, generous, stunningly lovely women such as Palmer and Katherine would be interested in a non-hottie like Danny. Katherine is even aware that he’s a lying pig who has cheated his way into hundreds of women’s beds in the years since he had his own heart broken by one woman. Well, apparently that fragmented organ is made of gold – I’m taking the film’s word for it since those girls could clearly see something I couldn’t.

Besides, Sandler has an unthreatening screen presence that makes it hard to despise him even when he’s playing a womaniser. And he shares an easy chemistry with Aniston. The former Friends star lights up the screen every time she appears. She shines in a role that gives her a chance to swing between being a plain office assistant and a glammed-up fake spouse whose bosom Danny can’t take his eyes off; between being a gentle soul in reality and an acerbic shopaholic pretend wife with a wandering eye. You can see the actress is having fun in this film.

For the full-blooded heterosexual males in the audience there’s a scene in which both ladies strip down to their bikinis for a swim. Beware: it’s a scene that would give most women in the audience a complex! As if all that beauty wasn’t sufficient, Nicole Kidman has an entertaining cameo in the second half. As for those kids, Maggie and Michael are just the sort of children who could have crossed the line from being cute to irritatingly precocious. But little stars Bailee Madison and Griffin Gluck strike a perfect balance while playing Katherine’s son and daughter who see in Danny’s dilemma a chance to blackmail a rich and vulnerable grown-up. Madison’s “British” accent is particularly delightful. And thankfully, the scenes where Danny bonds with the children at no point are mushy & over the top.

There are some problems with Just Go With It though that the writers could have easily fixed with a tweak here and there. Seriously, WHAT is it about Danny that makes Palmer flip for him so completely in one night? What is it about her that makes Danny feel that she may be “the one” within a matter of hours? Sure she has a great body, but so does the entire parade of women who hop into Danny’s bed, so what is special about her? In the end, laziness takes over the writing team so completely, that they just sweep her aside like a minor inconvenience so that the couple who are meant to be, end up together. That’s unfortunate, because Decker has a warm screen presence and she deserved better. Perhaps the director knew we’d all be having such a blast, that we wouldn’t notice.

And the thing is, I did notice, and yet I had a rollicking time with this funny, sweet, pleasant and largely non-offensive film. So don’t ask too many questions while you’re watching. Like I said at the start, just go with it!

Rating (out of five): ***1/4

Release date in the US:	February 11, 2011
MPAA Rating (US):	PG-13 (“for frequent crude and sexual content, partial nudity, brief drug references and language”)
CBFC Rating (India):	U / A without cuts
Running time in the US:	117 Minutes
Running time in India:	117 Minutes
Language:	English

Photograph courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_Go_with_It

 

REVIEW 7: THE LINCOLN LAWYER

Release date in India:	April 1, 2011
Director:	Brad Furman
Cast:	Matthew McConaughey, Ryan Phillippe, Marisa Tomei, William H. Macy, Josh Lucas, Frances Fisher

The Lincoln Lawyer is one of those films that’s not trying to impress anyone and so manages to do precisely that. It’s an understated film about a hard-nosed LA lawyer named Michael Haller (Matthew McConaughey) who operates from the back seat of his car. Hence the title. The vehicle bears the number plate NT GUILTY which is an early indicator of what a cocky guy Haller is. He doesn’t really care who he’s defending just so long as the money is coming in. But what happens when conscience strikes?

One day Haller is hired by a blue blood who’s been accused of beating up a woman he met in a bar. Young Louis Roulet (Ryan Phillippe) is calm, collected and determined to get a trial to prove that he is NT GUILTY. He has a back story that should evoke our sympathy but there’s something about him – and his perfectly coiffured mother – that’s not very likeable from the moment you set eyes on them (good job Mr Phillippe and Frances Fisher!). Haller suspects that there’s more to this case than meets the eye. But is there? He is helped along in his work by his ex-wife and fellow lawyer Maggie (Marisa Tomei) with whom he shares a child, a very deep friendship and sometimes – still – his bed.

The plot moves along at an unhurried pace in the way life usually does. It isn’t a speedy thriller, but feels like what real courtrooms probably are when Ally McBeal, Sebastian Stark and Denny Crane are not in the building ... less glamorous, filled with people doing laborious work. The not-so-glitzy atmosphere is vastly different from L.A. Law, an old legal serial that was aired in India and was written by The Lincoln Lawyer’s screenplay writer John Romano.

The supporting cast are all lovely particularly the charismatic Tomei who deserves so much better than the cards Hollywood has dealt her since she won an Oscar for My Cousin Vinny. William H. Macy makes his presence felt in a small role as private investigator Frank, as does Laurence Mason as Haller’s fond driver Earl. But the enterprise belongs primarily to McConaughey who conveys Haller’s moral dilemmas with as much simplicity as the director tells us his story. And yes, to answer your question, he does take off his shirt in one scene, but this film is not about that McConaughey. Shame on you for asking!

The Lincoln Lawyer is based on a bestselling book by Michael Connelly. If I have a problem with it, it’s with the conclusion that feels like it’s too stretched and trying too hard to surprise us but ends up being confusing instead. The film didn’t need that final twist either. Because until then I was having a fun ride in that ol’ Lincoln Continental sedan.

Rating (out of five): **9/10

Release date in the US:	March 18, 2011
MPAA Rating (US):	R (restricted – “for some violence, sexual content and language”)
CBFC Rating (India):	A without cuts
Running time in the US:	119 Minutes
Running time in India:	119 Minutes
Language:	English

Photograph courtesy: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lincoln_Lawyer_(film)