 |
| Courtesy of The Weinstein Company |
(Rated
PG for mild action and rude humor.)
The
cast: Ben Whishaw, Hugh Bonneville, Sally Hawkins, Madeleine Harris, Samuel
Joslin, Julie Walters and Nicole Kidman.
What
it’s about: A young Peruvian bear (voiced by Whishaw) finds himself in London
after a devastating earthquake destroys his home. When the Brown family meets
him at a train station, they eventually decide to care for him. Despite the
protests of grumpy father (Bonneville) and daughter (Harris), sweet-spirited
mother (Hawkins) and son (Joslin) see goodness in the bear and decide he’s just
what their home needs. But soon they must protect him from an evil taxidermist
(Kidman) who wants him for her museum.
The
good: Practically everything about the film, which I absolutely loved – and not
just in the “pretty good for a kid’s movie” sense. Director Paul King, who
worked on the screenplay with Hamish McColl, understands a crucial element
about family entertainment: just because children watch it doesn’t mean you have
to dumb it down. The film is clever, with a mixture of terrific sight gags and
delightful wordplay. It’s often laugh-out-loud funny, and there are plenty of
heartwarming moments as well.
I
also liked that Bonneville and Harris’ characters aren’t initially dismissive
of Paddington for no reason. King gives them understandable qualms about their
new houseguest. Plus, it makes their inevitable change of heart more effective.
Hawkins and Joslin are fun to watch, as is Julie Walters’ turn as the family’s
housekeeper. Kidman is a hoot as the cartoonish villain, her striking features
and blonde Louise Brooks wig adding devilish personality to the character.
The
not-so-good: More of a warning than a gripe: there are a couple of scenes that might
be intense for younger viewers, particularly the reason for Paddington’s trek
to London and his escape from the villain at the end. I even heard a few adults
gasp in the theater, as if a PG-rated kid’s movie is going to end with a cuddly
bear plunging to his fiery death. But King does a terrific job of creating the
illusion for a second or two.
Grade:
A-
 |
| Courtesy of Focus Features |
(Rated
PG-13 for some thematic elements and suggestive material.)
The
cast: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox and David Thewlis.
What
it’s about: A look at the life of renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking
(Redmayne), who falls in love with fellow Cambridge student Jane Wilde (Jones)
shortly before receiving a life-altering diagnosis. A rare form of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s
disease) was supposed to kill him within two years. Instead, Hawking becomes
one of the world’s most respected scientists while simultaneously adapting to
his illness. Instead of running away, as everyone – including Hawking – suggested,
the immensely compassionate and fiercely intelligent Jane marries him and
remains by his side, helping him adjust to his new life and contributing to his
work.
The
good: Redmayne is earning a ton of well-earned accolades for his emotionally
and physically demanding work as Hawking. His early scenes allow him to exhibit
a boyish charm and keen wit, adding to the tragedy of later scenes, when we
witness him lose the external characteristics of these traits a little at a
time. But it’s astounding what he manages to convey with almost no use of his
body. He deserves his Best Actor nomination, despite the jokes that his character
plays right into the wheelhouse of Academy voters.
However,
I was even more blown away by Jones’ performance, which resulted in a Best
Actress nomination. Her role isn’t as physically demanding, but it seems emotionally
and psychologically exhausting. Watching how the actress ages her character,
with very little help from makeup effects, and how she continuously adds depth
and maturity over the years is amazing.
I
was also quite taken with Johann Johannsson’s beautiful score and Benoit
Delhomme’s stunning cinematography, which gives each chapter of the Hawkings’ relationship
its own unique look and feel.
The
not-so-good: Large chunks of the film often play as a standard, run-of-the-mill
biopic, with all of the clichés that entails. Fortunately, those sections are
easy enough to endure thanks to the extraordinary performances.
Grade:
B
 |
| Courtesy of CBS Films |
(Rated
PG-13 for sexual content, including references throughout, partial nudity and
language.)
The
cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, Megan Park and
Rafe Spall.
What
it’s about: Wallace (Radcliffe), a recent med school dropout, is still
recovering from the end of a long-term relationship when he meets quirky
animator Chantry (Kazan) at a party. After a brief conversation, it’s pretty
clear they’re soulmates except for one minor detail – Chantry’s boyfriend Ben (Spall).
Wallace decides being her pal is better than not having her in his life at all,
but can that friendship last when romantic intentions are present from the
start?
The
good: Although indie romantic comedies still have a faint heartbeat, mainstream
romcoms flatlined lone ago. That’s why I was so surprised by how effortless What If makes it look. Of course, a lot of that comes from the insane
chemistry between Radcliffe (in a funny, charming performance) and Kazan (who
adds enough depth to her character to avoid the dream girl cliché).
But
it’s also because screenwriter Elan Mastai establishes authentic scenarios for
the characters and has them speak and behave in realistic – albeit slightly
heightened – ways. One great scene, in which Wallace, Chantry and another
couple (fantastic supporting work from Driver and Davis) sit around a campfire
and attempt to come up with new names for Cool Whip, seems like something a
bunch of friends would do in real life. As a bonus, the film is currently
available on Redbox, so you can see it for dirt cheap.
The
not-so-good: Even though it’s the best romcom I’ve seen in a while, it still
falls victim to some of the genre’s trappings. There are a couple of clumsy
obstacles in the way of the protagonists’ inevitable happy ending, particularly
a dumb misunderstanding and failure on one character’s part to acknowledge
feelings that existed from the opening scenes. Still, it’s not like that doesn’t
happen in real life. It’s just easier to criticize when it happens to fictional
characters, I suppose.
Grade:
B+
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