Category Archives: Mindy Kaling

2005 Films, Anne Fletcher, Catherine Keener, Comedy, Elizabeth Banks, Jane Lynch, Jonah Hill, Judd Apatow, Kevin Hart, Leslie Mann, Mindy Kaling, Paul Rudd, Romantic Comedy, Seth Rogen, Steve Carell, Stormy Daniels

The 40-Year-Old Virgin-2005

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The 40-Year-Old Virgin-2005

Director Judd Apatow

Starring Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd

Scott’s Review #1,214

Reviewed December 31, 2021

Grade: B-

I am not a fan of director/producer Judd Apatow. His brand of silly comedy that includes objectification of women, homophobic language, and plain old unfunny attempts at slapstick comedy doesn’t go very far or sit particularly well with me.

His directorial debut is The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) which contains a fresh feeling and would ultimately lead to less worthy efforts like Knocked Up (2007) and This is 40 (2012).

Admittedly, the title alone had me and many others brimming with curiosity.

The freshness is mostly because of leading actor Steve Carell in a role that would propel him to film stardom and much better roles in the future.

So, I guess The 40-Year-Old Virgin deserves credit for that.

Typically, in Apatow’s films, the female characters are written as uptight, shrewish, and bitchy whereas the male characters are goofy and fun-loving. The audience is ‘supposed’ to root for the men and dislike the women.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin is no exception.

Still, the film does have a sweet-natured and innocent feeling amid the stereotypes, potty jokes, and obscenity that lie within. We root for the underdog to succeed in life and champion his plight despite it being a carnal and sexual one.

Andy Stitzer (Carell) is a tender yet socially inept man who works a lowly job at a big-box store. Single and living alone, 40-year-old Andy whiles away the days playing video games and admiring his action-figure collection. He is your classic, lovable nerd.

He harbors an embarrassing secret.

Despite his age, Andy has never engaged in sex, so his friends, including his closest friend David (Paul Rudd), encourage Andy to lose his virginity.

While attempting to get over his awkwardness around female customers, Andy meets a local shop owner Trish (Catherine Keener), and they begin an early romance.

With any Apatow film, the rest is highly predictable and the blueprint is formulaic and easy to figure out.

Andy will face humiliation due to his predicament and because of the bumbling yet good intentions of David and his other friend Cal, played by Seth Rogen.

He will inevitably have awkward encounters with a few other female characters, in this case, the aggressive Beth, played by Elizabeth Banks, before finding love with the ‘good girl’ Trish.

They will ride off into the sunset to live happily ever after. Spoiler alert- they have sex!

The best, and arguably only good part of The 40-Year-Old Virgin is Carell’s Andy. The character brings a warmth and a vulnerability that causes the audience to sympathize with his plight. While the majority of the viewers will not relate to being a virgin at his age they can at least relate to having an embarrassing issue to deal with.

I am glad that this film led to meatier roles for Carell. Foxcatcher (2014) and his storied role as Michael Scott in television’s The Office (2005-2013) immediately spring to mind.

Keener, mostly known for her dramatic rather than comedic roles is decent as the main love interest, Trish.

She, like Andy, is a rootable character though we don’t know too much about her. She is fond of Andy so, therefore, we like her and hope she takes Andy’s cherry.

The rest of The 40-Year-Old Virgin is riddled with standard comic setups and situations. When Andy slips and reveals his virginity by the next day his entire store knows his secret. From there, the insulting additions of a transvestite prostitute and a weird speed dating situation arise.

We know all along that Trish is the girl he will be with.

Apatow unwisely gives an interminable two-hour and thirteen-minute running time to his film which feels too long for a situation comedy.

One hour and thirty minutes would have been ideal and more desirable.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) is not the worst offender of the Apatow collection but it lacks any surprises or attempts at diversity.

It’s a perfect example of a tried and true adult sex romp with, thankfully, a likable central character.

2018 Films, Adventure, Ava DuVernay, Children, Disney, Mindy Kaling

A Wrinkle in Time-2018

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A Wrinkle in Time-2018

Director-Ava DuVernay

Starring-Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon

Scott’s Review #788

Reviewed July 16, 2018

Grade: C

A Wrinkle in Time (2018) is a film that I had high hopes for given the enormous marketing push, first-rate cast, and especially the acclaimed female director involved with the project, Ava DuVernay (Selma, 13th).

Additionally, having admired the 1962 novel I expected a rich, earthy, and mysterious experience. Sadly, whether it be a “too many cooks in the kitchen” situation given the star power involved, or some other factors leading to disconnect, this film disappointed me.

It’s not terrible but suffers from miscasting way too much CGI, and a story that is not very compelling.

Thirteen-year-old Meg Murry (Storm Reid) is having a tough time of it in school. Smack dab in the “awkward phase”, she is picked on by schoolmates because her father (Chris Pine) has disappeared- presumably having ditched the family. In reality, he is a scientist who has been transported to another world after solving the question of humanity’s existence.

After Meg and her family are visited by a strange woman named Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), Meg, little brother Charles Wallace, and Meg’s crush, Calvin, time travel to find a way to save her father.

Fans who have read the wonderful novel written by Madeleine L’Engle will most certainly be disappointed since many details of the film are vastly different from the written page.

DuVernay certainly attempts to take the film out of the 1960s and into 2018 (I have no issue with that), but the film feels so slick and modern with the visual elements and heavy use of CGI, that the story suffers enormously.

To be clear, the film is gorgeous to look at, especially in the sweeping outdoors scenes, but in this case, too many bells and whistles spoil A Wrinkle in Time.

The three strange women characters: Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), and Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey) are completely butchered. In the novel, each is portrayed as peculiar, mysterious, and similar to witches: frumpy, awkward, yet lovable. In the film, however, they are colorful, glamorous, empowered, but lack any real uniqueness or intrigue.

I am all for female empowerment, but the characters just felt wrong.

Kaling is fine in the smallest role, but in the case of Witherspoon and Winfrey, appears a case of “we have big stars, let’s find roles for them.” A tough sell with Mrs. Which is to think of Oprah as anyone other than….well, Oprah! Witherspoon’s attempts to be goofy and the comic relief of the film do not work.

The casting of newcomer Storm Reid is lackluster. I have no issue with the character of Meg being changed to bi-racial I feel that’s a plus in the modern age. However, the actress is not the greatest, appearing both sullen and wooden in various scenes. Nor does she have any chemistry with her love interest, Calvin.

This is a shame since the theme of young love would have been a nice addition to the film and was a coming-of-age element in the novel.

At the risk of being overly critical, A Wrinkle in Time is not a total disaster either. The progressive and heroic message of the overall film is quite inspired. If kids watch the film (and since it is Disney produced and heavily advertised I can see no reason why they wouldn’t) they will be exposed to a nice message of good conquering evil.

And on a side note, the villain is safe and hardly conjures up much fright, so no worries by parents of the film being too scary.

With heaps of buzz and anticipation regarding A Wrinkle in Time (2018), the film seemed poised to become a blockbuster hit and a great spring flick. Instead, the film has largely been derided by critics and audiences alike.

With creative genius, star power, and a huge budget involved, something ran amiss as the final product is fair to middling.

Let’s hope director Ava DuVernay gets her groove back with her next project- I expected more.

2015 Films, Amy Poehler, Animated, Best Animated Feature Oscar Winners, Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan, Children, Diane Lane, Disney, Flea, John Ratzenberger, Kyle MacLachlan, Lewis Black, Mindy Kaling, Paula Poundstone, Pete Docter, Phyllis Smith, Rashida Jones, Richard Kind

Inside Out-2015

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Inside Out-2015

Director Pete Docter

Starring Amy Poehler, Diane Lane

Scott’s Review #272

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Reviewed September 8, 2015

Grade: B+

Frequently, when I view a modern animated feature, (and by contemporary, I mean 1990 and beyond), I am either bored or left with a “meh” feeling, or both. It seems the trend is “Let’s create a manufactured film that will appeal to kids who will drag their parents to it”.

It is almost as if mediocrity is accepted in the animated film, but Inside Out (2015) challenges this trend with a thoughtful, interesting slab of story.

With this latest Pixar offering, we find a refreshing, intelligent film that makes the viewer think, containing a genuine cute factor, with lots of colors and interesting animation interspersed throughout.

Our story finds eleven-year-old Riley Anderson, and her five different personalities, working within her brain in unison. The emotions are five distinct little people representing (and named) Joy, Sadness, Disgust, Fear, and Anger. They overlap, conflict, and humorously strive to take control of Riley’s mind and thought processes.

Joy is central, and the happiest of emotions. They all live in Riley’s conscious mind, named Headquarters.

One day, Riley and her family pack up and move from Minnesota to the unknown and overwhelming city of San Francisco to capitalize on a job opportunity offered to Riley’s father.

The city is bustling and the family is thrown for a loop. Riley in particular has difficulty adjusting to this vastly different world and finds herself friendless and acting out of character.

Sadness accidentally begins touching other emotions within Riley’s mind, which sets off strange emotions causing her to behave erratically and become irritable.

Joy and Sadness struggle to return to Headquarters and fix the issues.

Inside Out is a complex animated film and will go way above the heads of many youngsters who will undoubtedly see it.

I find this rather refreshing.

It is a coming-of-age tale for adults and mature kids that challenges its audience rather than spitting out a retread or formulaic family story that we have seen countless times.

Riley and her parents are arguably supporting players in the story, taking a back seat to the small, interesting creatures in Riley’s mind. Her mind is a carnival of riches and cool characters emerge. I smiled as more characters were introduced. Riley’s imaginary friend from years ago, Bing Bong, was pulled to the forefront of her emotions, as he was sadly forgotten in her mind.

Who cannot relate to this? A childhood ritual of creating a friend.

I adored the trip through Riley’s mind and marveled at the revelation of the inner workings of her mind, with creative colors and bright interesting lights.

What a super-cool adventure for a young film lover to experience! Inside Out is quite sophisticated.

The main concern is the level of patience that this film requires. It is not a force-fed story but encourages one to experience and feel.

Touching scenes prevail, but the message I receive from Inside Out is important. A multitude of emotions in every human being is normal and the way the film shows them overlap and work together is ingenious. Nobody is one emotion, nor should they be as the movie promotes successfully.

Human beings are meant to feel.

The film also contains humor. I laughed out loud when one character saw a button labeled “puberty” and assumed it was unimportant. This inside joke is also alluded to after the film- a sequel perhaps? Since Riley is only eleven, puberty will be a natural progression.

Inside Out challenges the norm in animated films and entices audiences to think. It feels genuine, which is impressive in itself. It is sentimental without feeling contrived or corny.

The film succeeds on many levels.

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Original Screenplay, Best Animated Feature Film (won)