by Josh Sewell
Here Are the Young Men
(Not rated but contains strong language, sexual situations, drug/alcohol abuse and thematic elements. Available on Digital April 27.)
The coming-of-age film is a tough genre to get right. That’s mostly because it’s tough for a new entry to stand out from the thousands that already exist – many of which are close to perfect.
In that respect, the new drama Here Are the Young Men doesn’t really contribute anything new to the cultural conversation about the moment when adolescents are on the verge of adulthood. However, it’s interesting to see an Irish perspective on the genre that’s bolstered by terrific work from several rising stars.
Set in early-2000s Dublin, the film (based on Rob Doyle’s 2014 novel of the same name) begins just as Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman), Kearney (Finn Cole) and Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) finish high school. With the final remnants of childhood behind them, the friends celebrate their freedom by partying to excess with a never-ending buffet of drugs and alcohol.
However, after witnessing a tragedy that sends them spiraling in different psychological directions, Matthew finds himself at a crossroads. Does he continue to follow the troubled Kearney down a perilous road of debauchery, or does he set his sights on a more promising future in the form of his headstrong, fiercely intelligent girlfriend Jen (Anya Taylor-Joy)?
While Here Are the Young Men mostly stays on a predictable path, the narrative is bookended by a couple of truly surprising turns. The plot kicks off with a gut-wrenching death that genuinely caught me off guard and adds weight to the characters’ harmful choices. It’s a far more empathetic rationalization for their behavior than “boys will be boys.”
It’s those choices that lead one of the characters to make a shocking decision at the end of the film that might strain credulity for some viewers. However, I interpreted it as a moment that forces viewers to examine their own morality. It asks if our in-the-moment reaction to this character’s actions makes us complicit in what led to this moment of reckoning.
While these compelling developments help the film stand out, the repetitive nature of the characters’ nonstop partying stifles the narrative momentum. Writer-director Eoin Macken does his best to change up these scenes with visually interesting touches, including lots of surreal fantasy sequences and hallucinations, even if some of them are a bit on-the-nose.
Because Here Are the Young Men provides an unflinching look at tough issues like toxic masculinity, trauma, sexual violence and the dangers of groupthink – primarily from the perspective of characters who have little boys’ maturity and young men’s bodies – Macken borrows liberally from classics like Trainspotting and Fight Club, with a bit of Magnolia thrown in for good measure. While it’s admirable that the filmmaker pays homage to his predecessors, the end result doesn’t reach those innovative heights and ends up feeling derivative as a result.
Fortunately, the film is elevated by outstanding performances from everyone in its talented cast. Most viewers probably know Chapman best from the ensemble-heavy Game of Thrones and 1917, so it’s great to see him do such strong work in a leading role. Walsh-Peelo, who starred in the incredible, criminally underseen Sing Street, is quietly devastating.
Cole (Peaky Blinders, TNT’s Animal Kingdom remake) gets the showiest role as a budding psychopath, but Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) outshines them all. She’s not in the film much, but she makes her brief screen time count. Jen cares deeply for Matthew, but she’s far more confident and mature than anyone else in the movie. As a result, she doesn’t have the time or patience for Kearney’s poisonous behavior and the effect it has on her boyfriend.
If I’m being honest, I would’ve rather seen a movie centered on her character instead. Maybe we could get a spinoff? Of course, that’s assuming Taylor-Joy can find room in her busy schedule – she’s well on her way to becoming one of this generation’s finest actresses.
Grade: B
Blu-ray Review: Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar
(Rated PG-13 for crude sexual content, drug use and some strong language. Now available.)
Yet another cinematic victim of the ongoing pandemic, the delightfully silly but heartfelt Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar hit Blu-ray, DVD and streaming rental services earlier this month. That means it’s one step closer to fulfilling its destiny as a cult classic.
Written by stars Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, the film is much different in tone than Bridesmaids, the duo’s previous collaboration, but just as funny. Instead of cringe comedy that comes from a real, emotionally raw place, they shoot for something closer to MacGruber or Austin Powers.
As you might expect from such comparisons, the plot is bonkers. After losing their jobs, best friends Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig) decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time to go on vacation in Vista Del Mar, Florida. They arrive just as a ridiculous supervillain (also Wiig) and her handsome, dimwitted henchman (Dornan) begin to execute their diabolical scheme to kill everyone in town with genetically engineered mosquitoes. Love, adventure and a hilarious musical number ensue.
Clearly, Barb and Star isn’t designed for everyone’s sensibilities – particularly those with an aversion to nonsense. However, those who love goofy comedies like Step Brothers are going to have a blast. The plot exists primarily as a joke delivery system, so there’s a constant barrage of one-liners and non sequiturs. If a particular gag isn’t your cup of tea, just wait a few seconds and you’ll be hit with a different one.
Despite the absurdity, there’s still emotional weight because of the genuine friendship at the story’s center. Barb and Star, while ridiculous characters, truly love each other and have their own joys, anxieties and aspirations. Most people already know Wiig is a versatile actress (as evidenced by her work in Wonder Woman 1984 just a few months ago), but some might be surprised by the equal strength of Mumolo’s performance since she’s not as well known.
However, the biggest shock – particularly for viewers who only know him from the Fifty Shades movies – will be Dornan. As the lunkheaded baddie who’s torn between his desire to successfully complete his mission and his attraction to Star, he gets a lot of the film’s biggest laughs, including an out-of-nowhere musical number that had me wheezing.
Special features: Audio commentary with director Josh Greenbaum, Mumolo and Wiig; bloopers; deleted scenes; and three behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Grade: B+
(Not rated but contains strong language, sexual situations, drug/alcohol abuse and thematic elements. Available on Digital April 27.)
The coming-of-age film is a tough genre to get right. That’s mostly because it’s tough for a new entry to stand out from the thousands that already exist – many of which are close to perfect.
In that respect, the new drama Here Are the Young Men doesn’t really contribute anything new to the cultural conversation about the moment when adolescents are on the verge of adulthood. However, it’s interesting to see an Irish perspective on the genre that’s bolstered by terrific work from several rising stars.
Set in early-2000s Dublin, the film (based on Rob Doyle’s 2014 novel of the same name) begins just as Matthew (Dean-Charles Chapman), Kearney (Finn Cole) and Rez (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) finish high school. With the final remnants of childhood behind them, the friends celebrate their freedom by partying to excess with a never-ending buffet of drugs and alcohol.
However, after witnessing a tragedy that sends them spiraling in different psychological directions, Matthew finds himself at a crossroads. Does he continue to follow the troubled Kearney down a perilous road of debauchery, or does he set his sights on a more promising future in the form of his headstrong, fiercely intelligent girlfriend Jen (Anya Taylor-Joy)?
While Here Are the Young Men mostly stays on a predictable path, the narrative is bookended by a couple of truly surprising turns. The plot kicks off with a gut-wrenching death that genuinely caught me off guard and adds weight to the characters’ harmful choices. It’s a far more empathetic rationalization for their behavior than “boys will be boys.”
It’s those choices that lead one of the characters to make a shocking decision at the end of the film that might strain credulity for some viewers. However, I interpreted it as a moment that forces viewers to examine their own morality. It asks if our in-the-moment reaction to this character’s actions makes us complicit in what led to this moment of reckoning.
While these compelling developments help the film stand out, the repetitive nature of the characters’ nonstop partying stifles the narrative momentum. Writer-director Eoin Macken does his best to change up these scenes with visually interesting touches, including lots of surreal fantasy sequences and hallucinations, even if some of them are a bit on-the-nose.
Because Here Are the Young Men provides an unflinching look at tough issues like toxic masculinity, trauma, sexual violence and the dangers of groupthink – primarily from the perspective of characters who have little boys’ maturity and young men’s bodies – Macken borrows liberally from classics like Trainspotting and Fight Club, with a bit of Magnolia thrown in for good measure. While it’s admirable that the filmmaker pays homage to his predecessors, the end result doesn’t reach those innovative heights and ends up feeling derivative as a result.
Fortunately, the film is elevated by outstanding performances from everyone in its talented cast. Most viewers probably know Chapman best from the ensemble-heavy Game of Thrones and 1917, so it’s great to see him do such strong work in a leading role. Walsh-Peelo, who starred in the incredible, criminally underseen Sing Street, is quietly devastating.
Cole (Peaky Blinders, TNT’s Animal Kingdom remake) gets the showiest role as a budding psychopath, but Taylor-Joy (The Queen’s Gambit) outshines them all. She’s not in the film much, but she makes her brief screen time count. Jen cares deeply for Matthew, but she’s far more confident and mature than anyone else in the movie. As a result, she doesn’t have the time or patience for Kearney’s poisonous behavior and the effect it has on her boyfriend.
If I’m being honest, I would’ve rather seen a movie centered on her character instead. Maybe we could get a spinoff? Of course, that’s assuming Taylor-Joy can find room in her busy schedule – she’s well on her way to becoming one of this generation’s finest actresses.
Grade: B
(Rated PG-13 for crude sexual content, drug use and some strong language. Now available.)
Yet another cinematic victim of the ongoing pandemic, the delightfully silly but heartfelt Barb and Star Go to Vista del Mar hit Blu-ray, DVD and streaming rental services earlier this month. That means it’s one step closer to fulfilling its destiny as a cult classic.
Written by stars Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, the film is much different in tone than Bridesmaids, the duo’s previous collaboration, but just as funny. Instead of cringe comedy that comes from a real, emotionally raw place, they shoot for something closer to MacGruber or Austin Powers.
As you might expect from such comparisons, the plot is bonkers. After losing their jobs, best friends Barb (Mumolo) and Star (Wiig) decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time to go on vacation in Vista Del Mar, Florida. They arrive just as a ridiculous supervillain (also Wiig) and her handsome, dimwitted henchman (Dornan) begin to execute their diabolical scheme to kill everyone in town with genetically engineered mosquitoes. Love, adventure and a hilarious musical number ensue.
Clearly, Barb and Star isn’t designed for everyone’s sensibilities – particularly those with an aversion to nonsense. However, those who love goofy comedies like Step Brothers are going to have a blast. The plot exists primarily as a joke delivery system, so there’s a constant barrage of one-liners and non sequiturs. If a particular gag isn’t your cup of tea, just wait a few seconds and you’ll be hit with a different one.
Despite the absurdity, there’s still emotional weight because of the genuine friendship at the story’s center. Barb and Star, while ridiculous characters, truly love each other and have their own joys, anxieties and aspirations. Most people already know Wiig is a versatile actress (as evidenced by her work in Wonder Woman 1984 just a few months ago), but some might be surprised by the equal strength of Mumolo’s performance since she’s not as well known.
However, the biggest shock – particularly for viewers who only know him from the Fifty Shades movies – will be Dornan. As the lunkheaded baddie who’s torn between his desire to successfully complete his mission and his attraction to Star, he gets a lot of the film’s biggest laughs, including an out-of-nowhere musical number that had me wheezing.
Special features: Audio commentary with director Josh Greenbaum, Mumolo and Wiig; bloopers; deleted scenes; and three behind-the-scenes featurettes.
Grade: B+
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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