by Josh Sewell
The Adam Project
(Rated PG-13 for violence/action, language and suggestive references. Available on Netflix starting March 11.)
You’ll never believe this, but Ryan Reynolds is really good at playing a snarky action hero. While the actor has definitely experimented with different roles in the past (Woman in Gold and Buried, to name a couple), he definitely knows which persona moviegoers prefer. He found the perfect blend of earnest and sarcastic with his recent hit Free Guy, so it makes sense that he’d want to reunite with director Shawn Levy for another charming sci-fi adventure.
In The Adam Project, Reynolds plays an injured fighter pilot who hides out in the garage of a young boy named – you, guessed it – Adam (Walker Scobell). It quickly becomes clear the kid’s mysterious visitor is a grown-up version of himself who has traveled back in time on a secret, unauthorized mission.
Future Adam needs his younger self to help him achieve his goal, and if they can pull it off they’ll be able to reunite with their deceased father (Mark Ruffalo), save their wife (Zoe Saldana) and heal their fractured relationship with their mother (Jennifer Garner). However, a villain (Catherine Keener) with a personal connection to the family is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Full disclosure: I’m a sucker for time travel movies, cheesy action comedies and anything starring Garner, so keep that in mind when you see the grade below. (I might’ve also padded the score a bit because it serves as a brief 13 Going On 30 reunion between Garner and Ruffalo.)
Taken on its own merits, The Adam Project is exactly the kind of lightweight, audience-pleasing fare that Netflix lives for, so it’s right in the streaming service’s wheelhouse. I had fun while the story played out and forgot about it almost the instant it was over, which will probably do wonders for the flick’s rewatch value.
Scobell is terrific in his film debut, nailing Reynolds’ mannerisms and sardonic delivery without making the performance seem like an impersonation. The rest of the cast is also strong, although they’re all inhabiting roles they can do in their sleep at this point. Nobody’s stretching their range here.
While Keener gets a lot of time to sneer and chew scenery (even playing two versions of herself!), the other women in the cast don’t have as many opportunities to be as awesome. Saldana is barely in the movie at all, and the tremendously overqualified Garner is relegated to the “concerned wife and mom” role she’s been stuck playing for the last decade or so.
As with most time travel movies, the narrative strings of The Adam Project unravel if you pull on them too much, so it’s best to just shut off that part of your brain and enjoy Reynolds doing what he does best. Still, I have to admit it bugged me that the two Adams keep insisting they can’t prevent one important character’s tragic future when they have no qualms about changing equally momentous events along the way. Oh, well – maybe they’re saving that subplot for the inevitable sequel.
Grade: B-
Turning Red
(Rated PG for thematic material, suggestive content and language. Available on Disney+ starting March 11.)
Turning Red, Pixar’s latest, is a heartwarming coming-of-age comedy about a confident, dorky 13-year-old named Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang). Torn between the freedom of adolescence and pleasing her overprotective mother Ming (Sandra Oh), the chaos in her life ramps up exponentially when the onset of puberty brings a unique gift (or curse – depending on how you look at it): the women in her family transform into giant red pandas when their emotions get too much to handle.
Anyone familiar with the genre will likely predict every beat of the story, yet director Domee Shi (who won an Oscar for her Pixar short “Bao” and co-wrote the screenplay with Julia Cho) enhances her tale by focusing on character before spectacle. Well, mostly… more on that in a bit. Mei Lee is adorable when she turns into a fluffy, huggable panda, but she’s just as compelling when she’s a regular kid – especially when she’s hanging out with her awesome group of friends.
Ming, who could’ve been a stereotypical villain in a more generic, DreamWorks-style version of this flick, is also interesting. Yes, her behavior is often frustrating, but her motivation comes from a place of love. This same commitment to character also extends to an affectionate, in-depth focus on the family’s Chinese heritage, as well as a hilariously specific look at what it’s like to be a pop culture-obsessed teen in 1990s Toronto.
The third act turns a little too “superhero battle” for my taste, especially when most of Turning Red is so intimately focused on family and friendship. However, I get how the metaphor lends itself to a larger-than-life conflict. It’s a minor speed bump that doesn’t diminish the wonderful storytelling that takes place beforehand.
While the film probably won’t end up ranking among Pixar’s all-timers, it’s a funny, poignant experience with a fresh animation style that sets it apart from the studio’s previous work. I like it more every time I think back on it.
Grade: B+
Home Video Spotlight
The Apartment
(Not rated but contains strong thematic elements. Now available.)
Billy Wilder’s classic 1960 romantic drama about an ambitious employee (Jack Lemmon) who falls in love with the beautiful elevator operator (Shirley MacLaine) in his building, only to discover she’s the mistress of his boss (Fred MacMurray), was both a critical and commercial hit. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It also happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies.
(Rated PG-13 for violence/action, language and suggestive references. Available on Netflix starting March 11.)
You’ll never believe this, but Ryan Reynolds is really good at playing a snarky action hero. While the actor has definitely experimented with different roles in the past (Woman in Gold and Buried, to name a couple), he definitely knows which persona moviegoers prefer. He found the perfect blend of earnest and sarcastic with his recent hit Free Guy, so it makes sense that he’d want to reunite with director Shawn Levy for another charming sci-fi adventure.
In The Adam Project, Reynolds plays an injured fighter pilot who hides out in the garage of a young boy named – you, guessed it – Adam (Walker Scobell). It quickly becomes clear the kid’s mysterious visitor is a grown-up version of himself who has traveled back in time on a secret, unauthorized mission.
Future Adam needs his younger self to help him achieve his goal, and if they can pull it off they’ll be able to reunite with their deceased father (Mark Ruffalo), save their wife (Zoe Saldana) and heal their fractured relationship with their mother (Jennifer Garner). However, a villain (Catherine Keener) with a personal connection to the family is determined to make sure that doesn’t happen.
Full disclosure: I’m a sucker for time travel movies, cheesy action comedies and anything starring Garner, so keep that in mind when you see the grade below. (I might’ve also padded the score a bit because it serves as a brief 13 Going On 30 reunion between Garner and Ruffalo.)
Taken on its own merits, The Adam Project is exactly the kind of lightweight, audience-pleasing fare that Netflix lives for, so it’s right in the streaming service’s wheelhouse. I had fun while the story played out and forgot about it almost the instant it was over, which will probably do wonders for the flick’s rewatch value.
Scobell is terrific in his film debut, nailing Reynolds’ mannerisms and sardonic delivery without making the performance seem like an impersonation. The rest of the cast is also strong, although they’re all inhabiting roles they can do in their sleep at this point. Nobody’s stretching their range here.
While Keener gets a lot of time to sneer and chew scenery (even playing two versions of herself!), the other women in the cast don’t have as many opportunities to be as awesome. Saldana is barely in the movie at all, and the tremendously overqualified Garner is relegated to the “concerned wife and mom” role she’s been stuck playing for the last decade or so.
As with most time travel movies, the narrative strings of The Adam Project unravel if you pull on them too much, so it’s best to just shut off that part of your brain and enjoy Reynolds doing what he does best. Still, I have to admit it bugged me that the two Adams keep insisting they can’t prevent one important character’s tragic future when they have no qualms about changing equally momentous events along the way. Oh, well – maybe they’re saving that subplot for the inevitable sequel.
Grade: B-
(Rated PG for thematic material, suggestive content and language. Available on Disney+ starting March 11.)
Turning Red, Pixar’s latest, is a heartwarming coming-of-age comedy about a confident, dorky 13-year-old named Mei Lee (Rosalie Chiang). Torn between the freedom of adolescence and pleasing her overprotective mother Ming (Sandra Oh), the chaos in her life ramps up exponentially when the onset of puberty brings a unique gift (or curse – depending on how you look at it): the women in her family transform into giant red pandas when their emotions get too much to handle.
Anyone familiar with the genre will likely predict every beat of the story, yet director Domee Shi (who won an Oscar for her Pixar short “Bao” and co-wrote the screenplay with Julia Cho) enhances her tale by focusing on character before spectacle. Well, mostly… more on that in a bit. Mei Lee is adorable when she turns into a fluffy, huggable panda, but she’s just as compelling when she’s a regular kid – especially when she’s hanging out with her awesome group of friends.
Ming, who could’ve been a stereotypical villain in a more generic, DreamWorks-style version of this flick, is also interesting. Yes, her behavior is often frustrating, but her motivation comes from a place of love. This same commitment to character also extends to an affectionate, in-depth focus on the family’s Chinese heritage, as well as a hilariously specific look at what it’s like to be a pop culture-obsessed teen in 1990s Toronto.
The third act turns a little too “superhero battle” for my taste, especially when most of Turning Red is so intimately focused on family and friendship. However, I get how the metaphor lends itself to a larger-than-life conflict. It’s a minor speed bump that doesn’t diminish the wonderful storytelling that takes place beforehand.
While the film probably won’t end up ranking among Pixar’s all-timers, it’s a funny, poignant experience with a fresh animation style that sets it apart from the studio’s previous work. I like it more every time I think back on it.
Grade: B+
Home Video Spotlight
(Not rated but contains strong thematic elements. Now available.)
Billy Wilder’s classic 1960 romantic drama about an ambitious employee (Jack Lemmon) who falls in love with the beautiful elevator operator (Shirley MacLaine) in his building, only to discover she’s the mistress of his boss (Fred MacMurray), was both a critical and commercial hit. It won five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay. It also happens to be one of my all-time favorite movies.
That’s why I was thrilled when Kino Lorber sent me a copy of their recent re-release, available in 4K UHD and Blu-ray. My current copy is a decades-old DVD, so the upgrade is a welcome addition to my collection. The disc is packed with bonus material, including two audio commentaries from film historians Joseph McBride (author of Billy Wilder: Dancing on the Edge) and Bruce Block. There are also two mini-documentaries and the original theatrical trailer.
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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