Movie Review - Bad Grandmas

Bad Grandmas

2017

The Cast

 There's something strange about this little comedy...  

It's not a great story, though there are a couple of twists.  When Bobbi (Wall) finds out that she is about to lose her house to her ex-son-in-law, after the death of her daughter, she turns to her friends for help...  Unfortunately for him, this quadruple of octogenarians don't mind getting their hands dirty.  When Mimi (Henderson) goes to visit him, things get out of control when she pulls a gun...  From here on in, events start to spiral out of control.  You have a loan shark wanting his money back and is willing to kill for it.  A detective who is smarter than he looks and is hot on the heels of the missing ex-son-in-law and the mystery surrounding the disappearance.

The acting isn't too great.  Even Henderson and Grier have problems with getting a grip on their characters and at times seem out of odds with the story and the film.  It's Wall, Reinhold, and Parrish's characters that shine the most and they are brilliant in their portrayals.  It's Parrish's portrayal of the flirtatious Ava that added the most light to this film.  As for Eaton who played Virginia, I have to wonder what the point of her character was... it just feels like she was there to make up the numbers.  Oh and then there's Batinkoff as Detective Mclemore.  I really feel for him as he appears to be a decent actor, but at times his comedic movements are way over the top and unfunny in this type of situation and this style of comedy.

The direction isn't great and even draws on other films for its scenes... take the "Pass The Spliff" scene where we get comedic close-ups of the actresses and actor all partaking in a tote or two.  This has been done so many times before that I cannot actually name where I saw it first.  There were plenty of times that both tension and suspense could have been added to the film but were totally overlooked.  The scene where the Detective knows in his gut that something is fishy with the old galls so decides to check out the house.  Instead of adding atmosphere the director decides to play it for laughs... and as I said Batinkoff's comedy walks are not up to the Monty Python excellence.  This gives the whole movie a steady pace, which, at times, makes it feel boring.  It needed a kick up the arse.

All that said...  I found it to be a very enjoyable movie.  It's genuinely more enjoyable than the sum of its parts actually appear.  On paper, you shouldn't like this film... but it is a nice Sunday Morning easy flick... with murder and dark humour.  I laughed out loud and that is the job of this movie... I even felt good at the end... and I may even watch it again...

So I would recommend this to the lovers of gallows humour and good "Bad B-Movies".  For some weird reason this worked for me, it may work for you too.  Though I will warn you the worst part of this film is the opening titles - they are truly horrendous...and not in a good way.

I give this a Darkly Mischievous Murder of 5.5 out of 10.

The Trailer

Movie Review - Spy

Spy

2015

The Cast

So here we have another very unfunny comedy film.  Why is it people think swearing out of context is funny.  Swearing can be much more comedic when handled as part of a witty dialogue.  Then, of course, there are the standard poo jokes.  The even more used machismo parodies.  Based on the over-utilised underdog that learns to bite back and roar like a lion storyline.  With a twist that's so obvious, it's actually not a twist.  This is just a mash-up of the usual elements, however, writer and director Paul Feig does give us something new with them, he actually makes them boring.  Throughout the entire film, there were three places that made me smile and only one that made me laugh... and that was towards the end - a long time to wait.

Though I will say this for Feig, he really can direct a film.  The only thing which keeps this movie interesting is the direction.  There are quite a few decent camera shots and angles, well lighted and composed.  He's also pretty good at action.  The fight scenes are spot on and the chase sequences are excitingly filmed.  If it weren't for this and the cast the film would be a real dud.

As for the acting, this was below par for most of the cast.  And it was the lead role of  Susan Cooper (McCarthy) which spoils the film, instead of strengthening it.  This is mainly because McCarthy plays McCarthy:  Most of the characters she's played to date can be easily interchanged between their films, as there are very few differences.  It would be nice to see her stretch her acting wings in her next role.  Maybe if she actually had a good script and an original character to work with...

I watched this for Miranda; I wondered how good she would be in a movie.  She wasn't too bad; it was her scene that made me laugh, but there wasn't much to stretch her skills here.  And, for Jason Statham, as I've been a fan since I saw him in The One.  He has grown as an actor throughout his career, though, this feels like a few steps backwards.

If you're a McCarthy fan you should like this though it'll feel all too familiar, at times.  As for everybody else, it's an okay way to waste some time if you've got nothing better to do.

I give this a Stone-Faced Unsmirking but Action Packed 5 out of 10.

The Trailer