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The first time I saw “Meet the Parents,” I peed my pants I was laughing so hard. During “Meet the Fockers,” I also peed my pants; wasn’t because the movie was necessarily funny, but because I suffer from a nasty case of detrusor instability.
In the sequel to the 2000 comedy, Greg (Ben Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo) travel with Pam’s parents (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) to meet Greg’s wacky parents (Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand).
While the movie does a decent job of creating a few laughs, it pales in comparison to the original. “Meet the Parents” succeeded because the humor was natural and unforced, which is not the case in this installment. A lot of the humor is recycled jokes from the first movie. There are very few original funny moments.
The movie does have a few shining moments, however, including Greg’s truth-serum-induced speech in front of his entire family, where he admits to fathering a child with his childhood nanny. Hoffman makes a nice addition to the cast and helps to carry more than his share of the movie. De Niro’s role has been reduced to being a complete jackass to help juxtapose the carefree nature of Hoffman’s character.
If you are able to watch the movie without comparing it to the original, you may be able to enjoy it. However, as soon as you begin to think about “Meet the Parents” you will realize just how truly hollow “Meet the Fockers” is.
*
In “Ocean’s 11,” Danny Ocean, played by George Clooney, and his gang of thieves stole $160 million from Vegas tycoon Terry Benedict, played by Andy Garcia. In “Ocean’s 12″ Benedict has tracked down the gang and wants his money back. In order to pay back the money, much of which they have already spent, the gang has to reassemble and travel to Europe to start thieving again.
The entire star-studded cast from the original has returned, with the addition of Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays a law enforcement agent on the tail of the gang. The cast is pretty solid, though nothing spectacular. Clooney and Brad Pitt do a good job of holding it together. Matt Damon’s character is one of the brighter spots of the movie – his self-consciousness is both funny and relatable.
While “Ocean’s 11″ was nothing amazing, it at least had a good plot and high entertainment value. “Ocean’s 12″ struggles in both of these categories, proving that a star cast can not make up for a weak plot.
The plot isn’t necessarily weak, it’s just that some scenes are ridiculous. The movie can seem to drag and there is no real climax. It is just still just as flashy as the original but without any substance, which makes the flash useless. The movie ends leaving the viewer wondering if that’s all there is. The “big heist” is lame, anticlimactic and un-suspenseful.
With so many heist movies out there, “Ocean’s 12″ does nothing to set itself apart from the others, and the cast can’t salvage it from the depths of the mundane.
*
Leonardo DiCaprio doubters be scared, be really scared. In this year’s sure-fire best picture contender “The Aviator,” the talented playboy manages to give the type of performance that will go down in acting history and silence disbelievers everywhere.
In Martin Scorsese’s elegantly filmed biopic about Howard Hughes, DiCaprio is at the top of his game. If you thought he was good as wandering Jack in “Titanic” or Frankie in Steven Spielberg’s “Catch Me If You Can,” wait until you see “The Aviator.” As the daring Hughes, DiCaprio gives himself over to the film, firmly establishing the high flying epic as his movie.
Although that’s not to say the movie doesn’t have its own fantastic supporting performances. Look no further than Alan Alda as Maine senator Owen Brewster, who leads the charge against Hughes as being a war profiteer. In the film’s most jarring battle, Brewster and Hughes go head-to-head in a series of congressional hearings. Alda crafts Brewster as the sniveling villain that audience love to loathe. Cate Blanchett follows up Alda’s portrayal with her own Oscar-worthy performance as Katherine Hepburn, one of Hughes many love interests.
The drama’s most satisfying scene may come in a dinner table exchange with Hepburn’s Connecticut family and a visiting Hughes. Scorsese also manages to get help from the rest of his cast, which includes John C. Riley as Hughes’ agent, Alec Baldwin as Hughes’ rival and Kate Beckinsale as Eva Gardner.
Scorsese may get his first win for best director after skillfully blending action, drama and sympathy together. More than anything it is a film about one trying to overcome their own demons. Definitely one of the best films of the year.
*
One year removed from scoring his first-ever Oscar nomination for “Pirates of the Caribbean,” man of the moment Johnny Depp is poised to return to film industry’s version of the Super Bowl, thanks to a magical performance in Marc Foster’s delightful “Finding Neverland.”
While Depp’s flashy role as the erratic pirate Jack Sparrow garnered uber press, it is his heartfelt performance as “Peter Pan” playwright J.M. Barrie that is the stuff of cinematic glory. Depp manages to perfectly portray Barrie as a man searching for his creative moment of truth, while yearning for an honest relationship. Barrie finds that special friendship with ailing widow Sylvia Llewellyn Davis and her four young sons, one of whom is named Peter, inspires what would be his most illustrious work.
Davis, played with the type of grace only three-time Oscar nominee Kate Winslet could behold, nearly steals the show. In the role of Davis, Winslet gives the drama its most tear-jerking power and provides the backing for the Barrie-Davis relationship, which is the heart of the film.
Rounding out the well-acted ensemble is newcomer Freddie Highmore as Peter. Highmore, bowing in at the grand old age of nine, gives the most powerful performance of any child actor since Haley Joel Osment in “The Sixth Sense.” He provides an unforgettable portrait of an emotionally distraught boy trying to deal with the loss of his father and the approaching death of his mother.
Although the story drags at a few different parts it is more than excusable thanks to the brilliant performances of its cast.
*
“Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” follows the misadventures of the three Beaudelaire children, starting with the tragic death of their parents in a fire and spiraling through a steadily worsening series of unfortunate events from there. Their villainous “cousin,” Count Olaf (Jim Carey) sets out to obtain their large inheritance any way he can.
Carey’s typical overacting is, for once, appropriate in this role. He plays Olaf as a melodramatic caricature of a villain, which works well in the role, which is a blatant cliche of the old-fashioned bad guy, attempting utterly devious and ridiculous plans and failing miserably every time. The children, Violet (Emily Browning), Klaus (Liam Aiken) and Sunny (Kate and Shelby Hoffman) struggle through numerous trials, tribulations and near-death experiences, escaping Count Olaf and working their way through some horrible – and horribly funny – situations.
In the end, the children pull together to save the day, resulting in laughs and sighs of relief. With cameos by Meryl Streep, Billy Connelly and Jude Law, “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” is a well-rounded film that combines dramatics, comedy and excellent effects into a visually and mentally pleasing production, along with a great cast.
