Tag Archives: Annie Mumolo

2011 Films, Chick Flicks, Comedy, Favorite Film of the Year, Romantic Comedy, Top 250 Films

Bridesmaids-2011

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Bridesmaids-2011

Director Paul Feig

Starring Kristen Wiig

Top 250 Films #216

Scott’s Review #784

Reviewed July 6, 2018

Grade: A

Although raunchy romantic comedies aren’t my favorite genre, and I’m not much of a fan of Judd Apatow (a producer of several films like this), Bridesmaids (2011) is easily the best of its kind.

Influential in a multitude of female empowerment-themed comedies that followed, this one is witty, genuine, and funny because of its star, Kristen Wiig, who also co-wrote the film.

It is one of the best comedies (if not the best) of the decade.

Apatow is known mainly for producing comedy films that mix in the standard potty humor for cheap laughs. He is responsible for This Is 40 (2012) and Trainwreck (2015), both of which I found moderately funny, but they are also needlessly gross-out and tired.

My point is that, minus the talents of Wiig (both in front of and behind the camera), Bridesmaids would likely have been as mediocre as these films. Instead, Bridesmaids is a wonderful, uproarious experience with a star who captures a moment.

My one gnawing gripe is that a woman shouldn’t direct a film about women.

Annie (Wiig) is asked to serve as the maid of honor at her best friend Lillian’s (Maya Rudolph) upcoming wedding. Rather than being thrilled, Annie is depressed due to an ongoing string of bad luck.

Her bakery business fails, she loses her unfulfilling job at a jewelry store, she is dating a jerk (Jon Hamm), and her car is about to die. She has difficult roommates and is on the verge of moving back in with her mother at age thirty-five.

The story hilariously follows Annie’s rivalry with Helen (Rose Byrne), Lillian’s soon-to-be husband’s boss’s controlling wife. Helen is intent on taking over the wedding planning, much to Annie’s chagrin.

The ladies compete to one-up each other throughout the film- Rose is the perfect princess for Annie’s grit and cynicism.

Annie struggles with her issues, unhappy with her love life, when she meets police officer Rhodes (Chris O’Dowd), and they begin a tender friendship. However, their attraction is tested by Annie’s shenanigans.

Annie must then fly to Las Vegas with the other bridesmaids despite being terrified of flying.

Despite the story being nothing new, seen dozens of times before in romantic comedy history (the setups), the film is a laugh-out-loud riot. In addition to Wiig, Rudolph, and Byrne, the rest of the ladies have tremendous chemistry.

Special kudos go to Melissa McCarthy in her fearless role as Megan, a tomboy misfit who somehow ends up in the wedding party. With her “tell it like it is” attitude, the actress sinks her teeth into this fabulous role without crossing the line into ridiculousness.

In rip-roaring fashion, multiple scenes are permanently etched in my mind.

After Annie suggests a Brazilian steak restaurant for lunch, followed by a fitting at a chic dress shop, the girls suffer from food poisoning. This results in torrents of diarrhea scenes and one unlucky character being reduced to going to the bathroom in the middle of the street.

The scene, while super raunchy, is hilarious and fraught with perfect comic timing.

Not to be outdone, the airplane scene is equally tremendous; however, the scene belongs to Wiig rather than the entire ensemble. Forced to fly coach while everyone else gets first class, Annie unwisely accepts a pill from Helen to calm her during the flight.

Instead, Annie becomes belligerent and wild when she mixes the sedative with alcohol.

As good as the supporting cast is, Wiig owns the film from start to finish. Every scene she is in and each line she utters is perfectly timed. Wiig’s improvisation (the scene in the jewelry store) is evident and only adds to the film’s genuine feel.

To Wiig’s credit, she has since chosen more complicated roles to avoid the risk of being typecast. And a sequel was wisely never made- this would have ruined the appeal.

Bridesmaids (2011) is an authentic story rich with hilarity and crisp dialogue. The film is enhanced a being female-centered and written by women (though the direction and producers, too, would have been better).

Thanks to a tremendous cast led by Wiig, the film is blazing with humor and sparked a firestorm of similar “girl power” films (mostly bad) well into the decade.

Oscar Nominations: Best Supporting Actress-Melissa McCarthy, Best Original Screenplay

2023 Films, Comedy, Fantasy, Favorite Film of the Year, Satire, Top 250 Films

Barbie-2023

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Barbie-2023

Director Greta Gerwig

Starring Margot Robbie

Top 250 Films #226

Scott’s Review #1,381

Reviewed July 23, 2023

Grade: A

Greta Gerwig is a tremendously talented director shaping Hollywood films. She crafted Lady Bird in 2017 to critical acclaim and then moved on to another feminist, progressive project.

In Barbie (2023), she takes a traditional and iconic ‘Barbie doll’ product by Mattel and explores the positives and negatives of the doll throughout its existence.

An incredible opening sequence, harkening back to Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey, explains the doll’s evolution.

Barbie blends gender balance, creativity, thought, satire, and slapstick comedy, all rich with meaning.

It doesn’t forget heart and humanity, and it offers a look at how much progress women have made over the years, and how much more is still needed.

As if that’s not enough, Barbie deserves praise for its direction, production design, costumes, music, and cast performances.

Well done.

The film stars Margot Robbie as Barbie and Ryan Gosling as Ken, who embark on a journey of self-discovery after Barbie faces an existential crisis.

As the ‘stereotypical’ Barbie, she begins having peculiar, ‘un-Barbie’ thoughts about death and analytics, and must return to the real world to find her doll’s owner.

She soon longs to return to Barbie Land, which is a perfect place. Unless you’re a Ken who exists merely to pine after Barbie, but do they secretly resent this?

There are numerous positives to explore regarding Barbie, but one slight drawback is its proximity to silly comedy and goofiness. The film’s meaning mostly offsets this, but I fear some audiences may be overwhelmed by gag jokes and miss the story’s point.

Let’s take a deep dive. The production design and art direction are dazzling and immediately noticeable.

In particular, I’m referring to Barbie Land and its pink, pretty sets. Luxurious pools, streets, houses, and cars are rich with color and ooze a fun vibe.

I can’t imagine these teams being overlooked during the year-end awards season.

Robbie and Gosling, blonde, buff, and tanned, are wonderfully cast and not only look the part but also switch quickly from physical comedy to heavy drama without looking foolish.

Robbie, for example, is the classic Barbie type, with layers of emotion that she channels. And Gosling could have looked like a buffoon with over-the-top sequences if not for a startlingly good dramatic scene towards the film’s climax.

The supporting cast is brilliant, including Kate McKinnon as ‘weird Barbie,’ a perfect role for her to unleash her comedic prowess.

How lovely to see Rhea Perlman again in the small but powerful role of Ruth Handler, co-founder of Mattel and creator of the Barbie doll.

Finally, America Ferrera and Will Ferrell bring both comedy and heart to their roles. And how could the inclusion of British stalwart Helen Mirren as the narrator not create credibility?

The main attraction, though, is the writing. Isn’t it always the case when it’s done intelligently?

The dynamic duo of Gerwig and Noah Baumbach (famous, among other works, for the 2019 film Marriage Story) pair well, giving both Barbie and Ken equal weight.

While it is easy to dismiss Ken, his role is valued and respected within the overall context of showing that everyone deserves a seat at the table.

The film touched me in more ways than I expected.

Ruth and Gloria (Ferrera) powerfully convey wonderful sentiments about being a mother in various scenes and messages, such as that everyone deserves respect and a chance to serve a purpose, which are hard not to get choked up over.

Barbie wins points for diversity and inclusion with nearly every ethnic group represented and a transgender character, Dr. Barbie (Hari Nef), featured prominently.

Providing roaring entertainment, bubble gum sets and design, and a message that will break your heart while exuding intelligence, Barbie (2023) is a win.

It’s a story about the wills of plastic and humanity, making for a perfect, harmonious blend. Who would have thought a film about Barbie would be so important?

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor-Ryan Gosling, Best Supporting Actress-America Ferrera, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Original Song-“I’m Just Ken”, “What Was I Made For?” (won)

2016 Films, Comedy, Screwball Comedy

Bad Moms-2016

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Bad Moms-2016

Directors Jon Lucas, Scott Moore

Starring Mila Kunis

Scott’s Review #706

Reviewed December 20, 2017

Grade: D+

Bad Moms (2016) tries to do for women what The Hangover (2009) did for men and create a raunchy, R-rated party romp that haggard mothers everywhere can relate to and appreciate.

The film’s billboard displays the three main characters boozing it up under the caption “Party Like a Mother.” Perhaps since I am not a mother, I did not entirely gravitate toward this film, but Bad Moms fell flat for me despite a smidgen of mild laughs.

Primarily because of tired characters, gimmicky situations, and an over-the-top tone.

The film, written by the same individuals who wrote The Hangover, is a direct ripoff with a different gender in the driver’s seat.

The central character is Amy Mitchell (Mila Kunis), a thirty-two-year-old mother of two who is living a busy life in the Chicago suburbs.

Considered “old” by her hipster boss and with a porn-obsessed husband, she runs around frazzled and behind schedule most of the time.

After a particularly hairy day, Amy abruptly quits the school PTA run by militant Gwendolyn (Christina Applegate). She befriends fellow moms, sex-crazed Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and timid Kiki (Kristen Bell).

After she incites Gwendolyn’s wrath, Amy decides enough is enough and embarks on a plot to win the PTA presidency while dumping her husband and dating a hunky widower, Jessie (Jay Hernandez).

Admittedly, Kunis is very likable as Amy. She’s an incredible, energetic chick who most would love to befriend, and we empathize with her predicaments and schedule.

But this can only go so far in a comedic film. The setup pieces and the supporting characters are too plot-driven and lack authenticity. The result is little more than one root-able character.

As an actress, Applegate is quite capable, but Gwendolyn, the transparent foil, is primarily written as a cartoon character. Her bitchy comments to her underlings, who inexplicably are afraid to cross her, seem too staged.

Jada Pinkett Smith, in need of a paycheck, is disposable as “second in command” crony Stacy. Furthermore, Amy’s husband, Mike (David Walton), is portrayed mainly as a buffoon and childlike.

The point of these character examples is to stress that the film contains too many caricatures rather than characters. 

An irritating quality of Bad Moms that I cannot shake is that the film is written and directed by a duo of men! Jon Lucas and Scott Moore are the individuals in question, and the fact that the film, painted as a female empowerment story, is not written by females is almost unforgivable.

A case in point involves a bathroom scene where the ladies discuss uncircumcised penises, a dumb scene if you ask me, that is lousy taste considering men wrote and directed it.

In this day and age of Harvey Weinstein sexual harassment suits bubbling to the surface, the scene seems icky. It should not be this hard to find women to write for other women.

Of the additional trio of females, Kathryn Hahn’s Carla has a few funny scenes but is written as so sex-obsessed that it is impossible to take the character seriously, and the same goes for Bell’s Kiki.

When mousy Kiki finally lays down the law and tells her boorish husband to deal with their kids, it is meant to be a rah-rah moment, but instead becomes eye-rolling. Not the best actress in the world, Bell continues to get roles like this in sub-par films.

An attempt by filmmakers to make a girl film on par with male-driven raunchy comedies thrust on moviegoers over the years, Bad Moms (2016) comes across as too unoriginal and too desperate for laughs.

Undoubtedly hoping to win over the same audiences who flocked to the last funny female-driven comedy hit, 2011 Bridesmaids, the film falls flat and lacks genuine fun.

Kunis’s lead role and the sweet romance her character shares with Hernandez’s Jessie slightly bolster this.

2015 Films, Biography, Comedy, Drama

Joy-2015

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Joy-2015

Director David O. Russell

Starring Jennifer Lawrence

Scott’s Review #485

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Reviewed September 24, 2016

Grade: B-

Joy is a safe, mainstream, female-centered 2015 film, a biopic written for current star Jennifer Lawrence.

She was nominated for a Best Actress at the Academy Awards for her role, and she carries the film.

Still, despite her performance, the film is nothing special and is written in a ho-hum manner.

It is simply not very compelling, and the supporting characters aren’t used as well as they could be. Despite being based on a true story, the writing is lazy and the plot far-fetched.

I expected more.

The film is another collaboration between director David O. Russell and big stars of the time, Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro, all used in previous Russell films.

Lawrence plays Joy, a struggling Long Island mother of two, divorced from her husband (who still lives in the basement of her house), with multiple family members living with her to form a support unit.

Joy is the family’s breadwinner.

Joy’s grandmother narrates the story, whom she calls Mimi (Diane Ladd). Mimi always knew Joy would be a success, and we see a few scenes of Joy as a child, surviving her dysfunctional family and her parents’ disputes.

DeNiro plays her womanizing father, divorced from her mother (Virginia Madsen), who lies in bed all day watching soap operas.

Cooper plays opportunist QVC executive Neil Walker, who takes a liking to Joy and helps her achieve her dream as a successful businesswoman after she patents an idea for a new, high-powered mop.

The authenticity of the time, 1989, and through the 1990s is apparent, as we see Joy working for Eastern Airlines, a company that would fold several years later.

The automobiles, dresses, and hairstyles also feel authentic to the time.

The film does these points very well. And how cute was it to see famous daytime television stars such as Susan Lucci, portraying soap opera stars, as Joy’s mother lives her life vicariously through their tangled and bizarre soap lives?

Several scenes on the television set give us glimpses of the soap stories.

The film as a whole, though, feels too neat.

Predictably, Joy faces obstacles on her way to success.  Already struggling financially, she takes out a second mortgage on her house. At first, she cannot give away mops, let alone sell them.

On the brink of giving up, she finishes a meeting with execs who laugh at her product, but Walker gives her a break because she has a pretty face.

Predictably, things don’t go well, and a rather dull subplot follows a company in Texas trying to steal Joy’s idea. When she goes and threatens them, they immediately back down and obediently give in to her every whim.

This is both unrealistic and uninteresting.

I would have liked to have seen a messy back-and-forth or some court scenes, but the Texas company is portrayed as nothing but the villain.

The writing has plot holes or missed opportunities, and many questions abound. Despite many scenes of Joy’s past, we still learn little.

Her entire family lives with her in a suburban Long Island house; why does Joy own the house instead of her mother or grandmother?

Why does Joy have a rivalry with her half-sister, Peggy? Why does Joy’s father own an auto garage and still need to stay with Joy? Why is Joy’s mother mostly in bed?

Madsen as the mother is rather cartoonish and unnecessary to the plot, and Ladd is a dynamic actress given little substance.

I didn’t buy De Niro as a cad or as someone in love with his wealthy new girlfriend, Trudy (though seeing Isabella Rossellini in the part is a win), who conveniently shows up to finance Joy.

Despite an enormously talented cast, which is fantastic to see, most of the supporting parts could have been played by anyone, as the roles aren’t that challenging, and the film is certainly a vehicle to showcase Jennifer Lawrence, David O. Russell’s current “it” girl.

This isn’t a slight against Jennifer Lawrence, since she is the best part.  She portrays Joy as a sympathetic, strong-willed, fair, decent human being with enormous struggles and a blue-collar sensibility.

Great performance, but I wish the writing and the other talents involved in the film were given better material.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Jennifer Lawrence

2012 Films, Comedy, Romantic Comedy, Screwball Comedy

This Is 40-2012

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This Is 40-2012

Director Judd Apatow

Starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann

Scott’s Review #473

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Reviewed September 6, 2016

Grade: B

I must admit, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing this movie, and my initial thought was “typical dumb comedy” that’s been seen a million times before.

While This Is 40 (2012) contains those elements and is marketed toward a specific target audience, it’s surprisingly smart and intelligent overall.

I have not viewed Knocked Up (2007), but I understand it’s somewhat of a follow-up to that film, as the two central characters are now married and traversing through a different time in their lives.

Adulthood.

I enjoyed Paul Rudd’s, Melissa McCarthy’s, and whoever played the oldest daughter’s performances the most. However, Rudd has become the latest actor to play the same role over and over again.

I enjoyed the rock n roll elements and the confrontation scenes, as these were very cleverly written and nicely acted.

Sadly, at times the film relies on the standard bathroom humor done thousands of times before- a clear attempt at a laugh, and Jason Segel’s and Megan Fox’s characters are unnecessary to the main plot.

This Is 40 (2012) is a film that, at its heart, shows the trials and tribulations of generations of families, humorously, and done rather well.