by Josh Sewell
Sitting in Bars with Cake
(Rated PG-13 for strong language, some drug use, sexual references and thematic elements. Available September 8 on Prime Video.)
The premise: Inspired by true events, this dramedy follows best friends Jane (Yara Shahidi) and Corinne (Odessa A’zion) as they attempt a fun social experiment: spend one year baking all kinds of cakes and bring them to various bars as a way to meet new people and work on Jane’s self-confidence. However, in the middle of their “cakebarring,” Corinne receives devastating news about her health, leading the pair to face the biggest challenge of their lives.
The verdict: Sitting in Bars with Cake is a sweet update of Beaches, so it’s fitting that Bette Midler plays a supporting role as Corinne’s stern-but-caring boss. This passing of the torch is a nice inclusion to an otherwise familiar story – anyone who’s read a Nicholas Sparks book will see where this is going from a mile away. However, the tearjerker boasts enough strong performances and creative production design that it (mostly) overcomes the screenplay’s more clichéd elements.
Shahidi, best known for her work on the sitcom Black-ish and its sitcom Grown-ish, is terrific here. She’s demonstrated her comedic chops plenty of times, but this movie gives her a chance to showcase her dramatic capabilities as well. A’zion is also fantastic, capably handling the film’s most difficult role. Ron Livingston and Martha Kelly, as Corinne’s parents, add even more emotional weight to the proceedings, popping up in occasional but effective bursts.
Director Trish Sie and screenwriter Audrey Shulman (using her own blog as the foundation for this mostly fictional story) keep the characters realistic, avoiding the usual tired tropes that plague the genre. Friends fight, parents try to help but make mistakes, etc. – but everyone in the movie handles their conflicts by having conversations instead of overreacting to silly misunderstandings.
Prime Video turns out to be an ideal outlet for a relatively small, straightforward movie like Sitting in Bars with Cake. It’s a heartwarming choice for a girls’ night in or a low-key date at home.
Grade: B-
The Equalizer 3
(Rated R for strong bloody violence and some language. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: Since giving up his life as a CIA operative, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is struggling to live a quiet retirement, but also determined to bring justice to the oppressed. When unexpected circumstances force him to spend time in a quaint Italian village, he learns his new friends are under constant threat of violence from local crime bosses. Despite doing his best to stay under the radar, things escalate until McCall must take on the mafia to protect those he cares about.
The verdict: From the tense opening sequence, The Equalizer 3 reminded me of a much sillier, far less extreme scene in the third Austin Powers film. It’s the moment when Michael Caine, playing Austin’s dad, tells one of Dr. Evil’s henchmen that he should just drop his weapon and lie down on the ground because his character isn’t important enough to fight.
If these anonymous Italian villains realized they were only in the movie to escalate Denzel’s body count, they’d likely give up the same way. But then audiences would miss out on an incredible actor doing what most of us love – watching his character dispatch unredeemable monsters in violently creative ways.
The Equalizer franchise is something of an odd duck – based on the simplistic premise, these movies shouldn’t be as powerful or entertaining as they are. But that’s why you never underestimate Washington’s acting prowess or the directorial instincts of his frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua. What’s more, the series improves as the duo dives deeper into McCall’s backstory and motivations. While the original was solid, the second and third installments are far better.
As an added emotional bonus (which makes me feel downright ancient), The Equalizer 3 reunites Washington with his Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning. The cute little girl from that film is now approaching 30 and it’s surprisingly affecting to see her as an intelligent, dedicated CIA agent who initially views McCall with suspicion before realizing he’s a valuable ally. A lesser action movie would’ve made her a stereotypical damsel in distress, but Fuqua and returning screenwriter Richard Wenk are smarter than that.
If The Equalizer 3 truly is the final chapter in the series (as the marketing suggests), Washington and his creative team are going out strong. It’s a fitting conclusion to McCall’s journey, but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of revisiting the character a few years down the road.
Grade: B+
The Good Mother
(Rated R for language throughout, some violent content and drug material. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: Following the murder of her estranged son, grieving, alcoholic journalist Marissa (Hilary Swank) reconnects with his pregnant girlfriend Paige (Olivia Cooke) to learn more about the events leading up to his death. Together, along with Toby (Jack Reynor) – a cop who is also Marissa’s older son – they uncover a world of corruption, drugs and dark secrets.
The verdict: Despite decent performances from Swank and Cooke, they’re wasted (as is Reynor) in this glorified Lifetime movie with f-bombs. The film (directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, who co-wrote the screenplay with Madison Harrison) aims for the grim, gritty tone of crime dramas like Gone Baby Gone or Mystic River – including a jarring, unnecessarily ambiguous ending – but misses the mark by a wide margin.
What’s worse, the one surprise The Good Mother appears to think it’s springing on the audience is telegraphed from the opening moments. With a cast this small, it’s easy to figure out whodunit via the process of elimination.
Grade: D
(Rated PG-13 for strong language, some drug use, sexual references and thematic elements. Available September 8 on Prime Video.)
The premise: Inspired by true events, this dramedy follows best friends Jane (Yara Shahidi) and Corinne (Odessa A’zion) as they attempt a fun social experiment: spend one year baking all kinds of cakes and bring them to various bars as a way to meet new people and work on Jane’s self-confidence. However, in the middle of their “cakebarring,” Corinne receives devastating news about her health, leading the pair to face the biggest challenge of their lives.
The verdict: Sitting in Bars with Cake is a sweet update of Beaches, so it’s fitting that Bette Midler plays a supporting role as Corinne’s stern-but-caring boss. This passing of the torch is a nice inclusion to an otherwise familiar story – anyone who’s read a Nicholas Sparks book will see where this is going from a mile away. However, the tearjerker boasts enough strong performances and creative production design that it (mostly) overcomes the screenplay’s more clichéd elements.
Shahidi, best known for her work on the sitcom Black-ish and its sitcom Grown-ish, is terrific here. She’s demonstrated her comedic chops plenty of times, but this movie gives her a chance to showcase her dramatic capabilities as well. A’zion is also fantastic, capably handling the film’s most difficult role. Ron Livingston and Martha Kelly, as Corinne’s parents, add even more emotional weight to the proceedings, popping up in occasional but effective bursts.
Director Trish Sie and screenwriter Audrey Shulman (using her own blog as the foundation for this mostly fictional story) keep the characters realistic, avoiding the usual tired tropes that plague the genre. Friends fight, parents try to help but make mistakes, etc. – but everyone in the movie handles their conflicts by having conversations instead of overreacting to silly misunderstandings.
Prime Video turns out to be an ideal outlet for a relatively small, straightforward movie like Sitting in Bars with Cake. It’s a heartwarming choice for a girls’ night in or a low-key date at home.
Grade: B-
(Rated R for strong bloody violence and some language. Now playing in theaters.)
The premise: Since giving up his life as a CIA operative, Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is struggling to live a quiet retirement, but also determined to bring justice to the oppressed. When unexpected circumstances force him to spend time in a quaint Italian village, he learns his new friends are under constant threat of violence from local crime bosses. Despite doing his best to stay under the radar, things escalate until McCall must take on the mafia to protect those he cares about.
The verdict: From the tense opening sequence, The Equalizer 3 reminded me of a much sillier, far less extreme scene in the third Austin Powers film. It’s the moment when Michael Caine, playing Austin’s dad, tells one of Dr. Evil’s henchmen that he should just drop his weapon and lie down on the ground because his character isn’t important enough to fight.
If these anonymous Italian villains realized they were only in the movie to escalate Denzel’s body count, they’d likely give up the same way. But then audiences would miss out on an incredible actor doing what most of us love – watching his character dispatch unredeemable monsters in violently creative ways.
The Equalizer franchise is something of an odd duck – based on the simplistic premise, these movies shouldn’t be as powerful or entertaining as they are. But that’s why you never underestimate Washington’s acting prowess or the directorial instincts of his frequent collaborator Antoine Fuqua. What’s more, the series improves as the duo dives deeper into McCall’s backstory and motivations. While the original was solid, the second and third installments are far better.
As an added emotional bonus (which makes me feel downright ancient), The Equalizer 3 reunites Washington with his Man on Fire co-star Dakota Fanning. The cute little girl from that film is now approaching 30 and it’s surprisingly affecting to see her as an intelligent, dedicated CIA agent who initially views McCall with suspicion before realizing he’s a valuable ally. A lesser action movie would’ve made her a stereotypical damsel in distress, but Fuqua and returning screenwriter Richard Wenk are smarter than that.
If The Equalizer 3 truly is the final chapter in the series (as the marketing suggests), Washington and his creative team are going out strong. It’s a fitting conclusion to McCall’s journey, but I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of revisiting the character a few years down the road.
Grade: B+
(Rated R for language throughout, some violent content and drug material. Now playing in select theaters.)
The premise: Following the murder of her estranged son, grieving, alcoholic journalist Marissa (Hilary Swank) reconnects with his pregnant girlfriend Paige (Olivia Cooke) to learn more about the events leading up to his death. Together, along with Toby (Jack Reynor) – a cop who is also Marissa’s older son – they uncover a world of corruption, drugs and dark secrets.
The verdict: Despite decent performances from Swank and Cooke, they’re wasted (as is Reynor) in this glorified Lifetime movie with f-bombs. The film (directed by Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, who co-wrote the screenplay with Madison Harrison) aims for the grim, gritty tone of crime dramas like Gone Baby Gone or Mystic River – including a jarring, unnecessarily ambiguous ending – but misses the mark by a wide margin.
What’s worse, the one surprise The Good Mother appears to think it’s springing on the audience is telegraphed from the opening moments. With a cast this small, it’s easy to figure out whodunit via the process of elimination.
Grade: D
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
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