Movie Review
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Year of the Dog
Molly Shannon is an overlooked comedienne. She is much better than any of her material so far. She is the bright spot, along with Peter Sarsgaard and John C. Reilly in Year of the Dog. Their performances are very good. But the film is a 90 minute PETA commercial that feels like a year and is a dog. Woof. 2 Stars Out of 5
Year One - Sony - Rated PG-13
For a movie with the kind of pedigree Year One has, it should have at least been watchable. Harold Ramis wrote and directed it, and knows better. Judd Apatow produced and should know better. It's semi-amusing on one or two occasions, purely by accident, I'm sure. Jack Black mugs for the camera, eats feces and phones in his same old Jack Black thing while Michael Cera does the same bumbling shyboy bit and urinates on himself. Yes, potty humor abounds (without the humor part.) Here is yet another supposed comedy that does nothing but take away two hours and a piece of your soul. It is interminably long. I thought the title was about the year it occurs in, not the length! And, shouldn't Jack Black's career be just about over? I think I saw a government recall somewhere. He's hazardous to your pocketbook, cognitive function, and overall mental health. Avoid Year One and save yourself! 1 ½ Stars Out of 5
The Yellow Hankerchief - Samuel Goldwyn films - Rated PG-13)
A terrific performance from William Hurt highlights the surprisingly good The Yellow Hankerchief. Hurt plays a man who is damaged goods trying to make the adjustment from prison, to life on the outside. He does so much acting with just his eyes, this movie is an acting class! The story unfolds through flashbacks, and is touching, uplifting and wonderful. I loved it!
4 Stars Out of 5
Yes Man - Warner - Rated PG-13
Jim Carrey stars with the adorable Zooey Deschannel in Yes Man. This amusing romp marks a return to broad comedy for Carrey. It's his best in years. 3 1/2 Stars Out of 5
Yogi Bear - Warner Brothers - Rated PG
As a kid, Yogi Bear was one of my favorites...Now, after watching the movie version…I can still remember those wonderful cartoons…The movie has got Dan Ackroyd and Justin Timberlake who nail the voices of Yogi and BooBoo. They are in about half of the film. And they are given tired, mostly old jokes that fall flat. Anna Faris is totally wasted in a dull role in this bland, dumbed-down movie where the humans are more cartoonish than the cartoons. Add in a weak, insipid environmental plot that is more filler than story and you have an unappealing film that's smarter than the average…box of rocks. 2 Stars Out of 5
You Again - Touchstone - Rated PG
You Again is an odd film that calls itself a comedy, and wants to be one so bad it flails around from one extreme to another, hoping to grab a stray laugh here and there…anything. Desperate times make for desperate films apparently, and this mean spirited, terse film definitely has an air of desperation. It knows there are no laughs, and tries to compensate by being uncomfortably spastic, frenetic and over the top. (Not in a good way) In this unlikeable waste of talent , after banging around from one unfunny extreme to another, we are treated with a forced ending that is like piling saccharine on top of sugar, nutrasweet, honey and dung. It might taste sweet, but boy does it stink. 2 Stars Out of 5
You Don't Mess With the Zohan - Universal - Rated PG-13
You Don't Mess With the Zohan starts out with promise. Adam Sandler (with six pack abs!) plays the Hebrew he-man enthusiastically and the beginning of the film has some laughs. But the one-note joke plays out after 20 minutes. That's a problem because the movie is almost two hours long. It is ludicrous and sometimes funny, but Sandler and company like grinding the same jokes into the ground over and over, eventually turning on the autopilot and plunging into an uneven, forced sentimentality with a politically correct "Can't we all just get along?" message.
The Zohan IS a mess. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
You Got Served
You Got Served has some very good dancing. And some very bad acting. And some very bad dialog. And a very bad script. And very bad direction. Come to think about it, it's a very bad movie. But the dancing is good. 1 ½ Stars Out of 5
You, Me & Dupree
In You, Me and Dupree, Kate Hudson is cute, Michael Douglas is really irritating, and Matt Dillon is totally wrong for his part. The movie is an uneven, overlong, comedy that wears out its welcome as fast as the character that Owen Wilson plays. At first, he's kind of funny but quickly got on my nerves. Any houseguest of mine that acted like that would be flogged and booted into the nearest homeless shelter. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger - Sony - Rated R
You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger is the best Woody Allen film in years. Granted, that's not saying a lot, as he has lost much of what made him a force in the 70's, and he hasn't made a great film in the last decade or two.
Still, it is well acted, and nobody here is doing a Woody impersonation like so many Woody Allen films not starring Woody have had. Not so tall, not so dark, but not strange either. 3 Stars Out of 5
Young Adam
In Young Adam we see more of Ewan McGregor than we wanted to, hence the NC-17 rating…But we get some pretty good performances (especially from Tilda Swinton) even if you never really care too much about the characters.
3 Stars Out of 5
Young at Heart - Fox Searchlight - Rated R
Young At Heart is a delightful documentary about a music group whose member's average age is 80. It follows the trials and tribulations of the group learning to sing rock songs. It is a funny, poignant, heartbreaking, and extremely moving celebration of life, and is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. Young At Heart is a triumph! 5 Stars Out of 5
The Young Victoria - Apparition - Rated PG
Emily Blunt gives the best performance of her career in The Young Victoria. This is a movie that has Oscar written all over it, and Blunt may earn a Best Actress nomination. It is beautiful, not stuffy, and never boring. It's one of the best of 2009. 4 ½ Stars Out of 5
Your Highness - Universal - Rated R
I don't mind it if a comedy is crude, but I do mind if it's not funny. You Highness isn't funny. Not even close. I didn't laugh once. But it is crude. I kept asking myself, "What's the point?" This is a laughless, stupid story highlighted by raunchiness for the sake of raunchiness. The very talented cast could have given us a work of comic genius, but instead left us thinking, "Why?" The title shouldn't have been, "Your Highness," just, "You're High." 1 1/2 Stars Out of 5
Yours, Mine and Ours has a cheeseball formula that plays like a cutesy episode of the Brady Bunch. It's saccharine, predictable, bland, and it's a crime that the wonderful Linda Hunt is wasted in a part that could have been played by a mannequin. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
Youth in Revolt - The Weinstein Company - Rated R
Youth in Revolt has its moments…it contains slightly pretentious Juno-esque dialogue, and Michael Cera, who may be more of a liability than an asset. Cera gives more this time with an alter ego character that shows he is capable of more than his same old bumbling shyboy routine, but for most of the film, he's really the same he's been in every other movie. While the writing and direction lift the film, Cera drags it. But it's not revolting. 3 Stars Out of 5
Archive
Y
Year of the Dog
Molly Shannon is an overlooked comedienne. She is much better than any of her material so far. She is the bright spot, along with Peter Sarsgaard and John C. Reilly in Year of the Dog. Their performances are very good. But the film is a 90 minute PETA commercial that feels like a year and is a dog. Woof. 2 Stars Out of 5
Year One - Sony - Rated PG-13
For a movie with the kind of pedigree Year One has, it should have at least been watchable. Harold Ramis wrote and directed it, and knows better. Judd Apatow produced and should know better. It's semi-amusing on one or two occasions, purely by accident, I'm sure. Jack Black mugs for the camera, eats feces and phones in his same old Jack Black thing while Michael Cera does the same bumbling shyboy bit and urinates on himself. Yes, potty humor abounds (without the humor part.) Here is yet another supposed comedy that does nothing but take away two hours and a piece of your soul. It is interminably long. I thought the title was about the year it occurs in, not the length! And, shouldn't Jack Black's career be just about over? I think I saw a government recall somewhere. He's hazardous to your pocketbook, cognitive function, and overall mental health. Avoid Year One and save yourself! 1 ½ Stars Out of 5
The Yellow Hankerchief - Samuel Goldwyn films - Rated PG-13)
A terrific performance from William Hurt highlights the surprisingly good The Yellow Hankerchief. Hurt plays a man who is damaged goods trying to make the adjustment from prison, to life on the outside. He does so much acting with just his eyes, this movie is an acting class! The story unfolds through flashbacks, and is touching, uplifting and wonderful. I loved it!
4 Stars Out of 5
Yes Man - Warner - Rated PG-13
Jim Carrey stars with the adorable Zooey Deschannel in Yes Man. This amusing romp marks a return to broad comedy for Carrey. It's his best in years. 3 1/2 Stars Out of 5
Yogi Bear - Warner Brothers - Rated PG
As a kid, Yogi Bear was one of my favorites...Now, after watching the movie version…I can still remember those wonderful cartoons…The movie has got Dan Ackroyd and Justin Timberlake who nail the voices of Yogi and BooBoo. They are in about half of the film. And they are given tired, mostly old jokes that fall flat. Anna Faris is totally wasted in a dull role in this bland, dumbed-down movie where the humans are more cartoonish than the cartoons. Add in a weak, insipid environmental plot that is more filler than story and you have an unappealing film that's smarter than the average…box of rocks. 2 Stars Out of 5
You Again - Touchstone - Rated PG
You Again is an odd film that calls itself a comedy, and wants to be one so bad it flails around from one extreme to another, hoping to grab a stray laugh here and there…anything. Desperate times make for desperate films apparently, and this mean spirited, terse film definitely has an air of desperation. It knows there are no laughs, and tries to compensate by being uncomfortably spastic, frenetic and over the top. (Not in a good way) In this unlikeable waste of talent , after banging around from one unfunny extreme to another, we are treated with a forced ending that is like piling saccharine on top of sugar, nutrasweet, honey and dung. It might taste sweet, but boy does it stink. 2 Stars Out of 5
You Don't Mess With the Zohan - Universal - Rated PG-13
You Don't Mess With the Zohan starts out with promise. Adam Sandler (with six pack abs!) plays the Hebrew he-man enthusiastically and the beginning of the film has some laughs. But the one-note joke plays out after 20 minutes. That's a problem because the movie is almost two hours long. It is ludicrous and sometimes funny, but Sandler and company like grinding the same jokes into the ground over and over, eventually turning on the autopilot and plunging into an uneven, forced sentimentality with a politically correct "Can't we all just get along?" message.
The Zohan IS a mess. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
You Got Served
You Got Served has some very good dancing. And some very bad acting. And some very bad dialog. And a very bad script. And very bad direction. Come to think about it, it's a very bad movie. But the dancing is good. 1 ½ Stars Out of 5
You, Me & Dupree
In You, Me and Dupree, Kate Hudson is cute, Michael Douglas is really irritating, and Matt Dillon is totally wrong for his part. The movie is an uneven, overlong, comedy that wears out its welcome as fast as the character that Owen Wilson plays. At first, he's kind of funny but quickly got on my nerves. Any houseguest of mine that acted like that would be flogged and booted into the nearest homeless shelter. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger - Sony - Rated R
You Will Meet a Tall, Dark Stranger is the best Woody Allen film in years. Granted, that's not saying a lot, as he has lost much of what made him a force in the 70's, and he hasn't made a great film in the last decade or two.
Still, it is well acted, and nobody here is doing a Woody impersonation like so many Woody Allen films not starring Woody have had. Not so tall, not so dark, but not strange either. 3 Stars Out of 5
Young Adam
In Young Adam we see more of Ewan McGregor than we wanted to, hence the NC-17 rating…But we get some pretty good performances (especially from Tilda Swinton) even if you never really care too much about the characters.
3 Stars Out of 5
Young at Heart - Fox Searchlight - Rated R
Young At Heart is a delightful documentary about a music group whose member's average age is 80. It follows the trials and tribulations of the group learning to sing rock songs. It is a funny, poignant, heartbreaking, and extremely moving celebration of life, and is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. Young At Heart is a triumph! 5 Stars Out of 5
The Young Victoria - Apparition - Rated PG
Emily Blunt gives the best performance of her career in The Young Victoria. This is a movie that has Oscar written all over it, and Blunt may earn a Best Actress nomination. It is beautiful, not stuffy, and never boring. It's one of the best of 2009. 4 ½ Stars Out of 5
Your Highness - Universal - Rated R
I don't mind it if a comedy is crude, but I do mind if it's not funny. You Highness isn't funny. Not even close. I didn't laugh once. But it is crude. I kept asking myself, "What's the point?" This is a laughless, stupid story highlighted by raunchiness for the sake of raunchiness. The very talented cast could have given us a work of comic genius, but instead left us thinking, "Why?" The title shouldn't have been, "Your Highness," just, "You're High." 1 1/2 Stars Out of 5
Yours, Mine and Ours has a cheeseball formula that plays like a cutesy episode of the Brady Bunch. It's saccharine, predictable, bland, and it's a crime that the wonderful Linda Hunt is wasted in a part that could have been played by a mannequin. 2 ½ Stars Out of 5
Youth in Revolt - The Weinstein Company - Rated R
Youth in Revolt has its moments…it contains slightly pretentious Juno-esque dialogue, and Michael Cera, who may be more of a liability than an asset. Cera gives more this time with an alter ego character that shows he is capable of more than his same old bumbling shyboy routine, but for most of the film, he's really the same he's been in every other movie. While the writing and direction lift the film, Cera drags it. But it's not revolting. 3 Stars Out of 5
