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Monster in Law starring Jennifer Lopez, Jane Fonda and Michael Vartan

Posted on September 14, 2010 Written by ripitup

Monster in Law starring Jane Fonda, Jennifer Lopez and Michael Vartan. Written by Anya Kochoff. Directed by Robert Luketic, director of The Ugly Truth. 2005.

Charlie (Jennifer Lopez) is a young woman who works at temp jobs and walks dogs for a living. One day on a beach, she runs into the handsome doctor Kevin (Michael Vartan). Soon they start dating and they are the perfect couple: the relationship is easy, passionate, loving and fun…until Kevin takes Charlie to meet his recently-fired, famous TV personality mother Viola (Jane Fonda). Viola is depressed, neurotic and totally driving her P.A/best friend Ruby (Wanda Sykes) insane. Kevin, unintentionally, kills the chance of a good relationship between his mother and his girlfriend when he asks Charlie to marry her at their first visit. From then on, Viola decides that Charlie is absolutely the wrong girl for her son so she turns into the future mother-in-law from hell. The idea is to show her evil side to Charlie and make her run.

From then on, the “typical” romantic comedy turns more into a fun comedy. It is no longer about two people finding love and getting together but the monster-in-law’s psychotic plans to break them up.

Now, I am not saying this movie is without clichés, in fact it has many. But this is not your typical romantic comedy either. Finding your “soulmate” part is especially cut short so that we have more time for Jane Fonda’s hilarious act. And what makes it so annoying and ridiculous at parts comes from the fact that unfortunately mother-in-laws like that do exist. My father’s mom was pretty much the only problem my parents had during their marriage. The moment my mom stopped contact with her, the marriage was saved.

While avoiding this film won’t exactly make you miss much, watching it can entertain you a great deal if you let it. And while girls can cross their fingers to meet a guy like Kevin, they sure as hell should remember to wish his mother isn’t like Viola. Sure, for the sake of being a (romantic) comedy, things do end well but…in real life, she sure would keep up the witch bitch act for good.

One of my favorite lines:

Viola (Jane Fonda): Have you got anything on the girl yet?

Ruby (Wanda Sykes): Nothing. No criminal record, no death….

Viola: What about drugs? What about promiscuity?

Ruby: She did fewer lovers in her life than you had on the closing day of Woodstock!

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Green Card starring Gerard Depardieu and Andie MacDowell

Posted on September 5, 2010 Written by ripitup

Green Card starring Andie MacDowell and Gerard Depardieu. Written and directed by Peter Weir. 1990.

George (Gerard Depardieu) is a French man wanting to stay in the States. Bronte (Andie MacDowell) is a horticulturist, who has just found her dream apartment: a roof floor with its own greenhouse. Through a mutual friend, they make a deal. George and Bronte meet, get married and go their separate ways. What they don’t know is that the number of people trying to “trick” the government for green cards has increased a lot and the immigration officers are being strict. So they realize that if they want to get what they want, they need to spend time with each other, live in Bronte’s house and learn as much as they can about each other. While George isn’t having problems hanging in Bronte’s flat, Bronte is about to have a fit. She has to lie to her friends, parents, boyfriend and to the apartment’s board. Moreover, she needs to handle George’s differences, as they couldn’t have been more opposite. George loves to eat, express his thoughts openly, loves passion, hasn’t been formally educated and is a slob. Bronte is more introverted, loves “nice guys”, has been to college, seems to love plants more than people and loves things to be in order.

But as time passes and they get on each other’s nerves, they also begin to be attracted to each other Can they finally realize they might be falling for each other? And even if they do, can they convince the officers that they are a real couple?

Green Card is a very lovely romantic comedy/drama from 1990, written and directed by Australian director Peter Weir (Gallipoli, Fearless, Master and Commander, The Year of Living Dangerously, The Truman Show).The movie is more fun than funny. It is emotional and romantic. Somehow, even though it carries some typical romantic comedy elements, everything in this film flows so naturally. It is perfect that George is not your typical heartthrob but he is so lovable, and that Bronte doesn’t spend the movie walking in sexy clothes or being perfectly made-up and immaculately dressed when she is at home. The dialogue and interactions are just lovely. Keep in mind, this movie won’t go out of its way to try and make you laugh. It tries, and succeeds in making you smile a lot. And before calling it a chick flick, do consider the fact that the writer/director is a heterosexual male.

Rated 6.0 on IMDB. I think it is too charming and real to be just a 6. Let me know what you think.

Fun note: Director Peter Weir was nominated for Best Original Screenplay with this movie.

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The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds

Posted on September 1, 2010 Written by ripitup

The Proposal starring Sandra Bullock, Ryan Reynolds, Betty White and Mary Steenburgen

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) is a beautiful, successful and workaholic editor at a big publishing firm in New York. However to her co-workers, she is the absolute bitch from hell; especially to her long-suffering assistant Andew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds). He has been working day and night, putting in weekends so that he can be an editor himself. Unfortunately, this goal requires him being Margaret’s slave.

However Andrew gets the upper hand when Margaret is facing the problem of deportation as she is Canadian and her visa has expired. She finds the perfect solution: she will marry Andrew and keep her job and because she is staying in the firm, he won’t be fired. The unwilling Andrew gets a bigger shock when the immigration officer Mr. Gilbertson (Dennis O’ Hare) informs them that a fraud marriage will result in a prison sentence of 3 years and a fine about $250,000. So Andrew blackmails his way into an immediate promotion and they go to Alaska together to give Andrew’s family the good news. Of course they have to pretend they are in love and keep “the fraud” secret. So the grandmother Annie (Betty White) and mother Grace (Mary Steenburgen) are more than surprised when Andrew brings home the “absolute evil bitch”. However they are happy to have Andrew back and they are willing to welcome Margaret into the family. But the father of the house (Craig T. Nelson) is already bitter because Andrew didn’t take over the family business and moved to New York to be an editor’s assistant, a job area he doesn’t respect and a passion he doesn’t understand. Of course trouble doesn’t end there. Mr. Gilbertson isn’t willing to leave them alone and the more Margaret gets to know the family, the more she gets to love them. And Andrew starts seeing a whole new side to Margaret. But how is a business deal is supposed to work when feelings get involved?

The Proposal is one charming and hilarious romantic comedy. And don’t get the “romantic” part in the romantic comedy to cloud your judgment, as the movie does a wonderful job of making you laugh. The cast is marvelous, especially Betty White. Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds have great chemistry and comedic timing together. This movie is 85-90% comedy. Note that gorgeous Malin Akerman also co-stars. She plays Gertrude, Andrew’s high school sweetheart.

Written by Pete Chiarelli and directed by Anne Fletcher. Sandra Bullock was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy at the Golden Globes for her role. Rated at 6.7 on IMDB. All around fun. 7/10 from me.

Favorite Scenes:

* any scene with the dog Kevin – especially the “eagle dance”

*The bathroom scene- the naked “clash”

*Sandra Bullock and Betty White chanting in the forest together

Favorite Lines:

– on the clash – Margaret blames it on the dog blocking her way.

Andrew: Oh- I barely made my with my life out there.

and pretty much anything during the ending credits.

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Moonstruck starring Cher and Nicolas Cage

Posted on August 22, 2010 Written by ripitup

Moonstruck starring Cher and Nicolas Cage

Loretta Castorini (Cher) is an Italian-American widow in her late 30s. Her husband died years ago, she is working as a bookkeeper for a funeral home and living with her colorful family members: the grandfather who is more interested in his 5 dogs than the family members, her mother Rose (Olympia Dukasis) is suspecting her husband Cosmo (Vincent Gardenia) is cheating on her, and Cosmo- Loretta’s father who is indeed cheating on Rose. Then there are the other members – Rose’s brother and his wife who are running a shop together.

Loretta is dating the square Johnny (Danny Aiello), another Italian American. When Johnny proposes, she says yes. Her mother approves, as Loretta isn’t in love with him and so he won’t have the power to drive her crazy (Rose’s theory). However before Johnny goes to Italy to be with his dying mother, he asks Loretta to call his brother Ronnie (Nicolas Cage) who he hasn’t spoken to in 5 years. So before she can make any arrangements for the wedding, she finds Ronnie, who is running a bakery in town. Ronnie, unlike his older brother, is passionate, emotional and doesn’t give a damn about what his mother thinks. He also has lost one of his hands due to an accident he blames his brother for. This has left him emotionally scarred and romantically closed off. But when Loretta challenges him in a way no one has ever done before something unexpected and exciting happens: they fall for each other. Now, Loretta is torn between making a logical decision vs. a passionate one.

While there is a strikingly huge and beautiful moon out, Loretta’s uncle is thinking the moon is the reason for everything, her mother is on a quest to understand why men chase women, and her grandfather is trying to understand what the hell is happening to the household. And what will happen to Johnny?

Moonstruck is a very charming, funny and romantic comedy. It is from 1987 but there is nothing particularly 80s about it, except from how young Nicolas Cage is. Remember, this is not to be confused for a chick flick. Yes, it is a romantic comedy in parts but it is also a very fun comedy about an adorable, larger than life and flawed Italian-American family. It has a stellar cast and while I hate Cher’s music (except her rocking duet with Meat Loaf), I do like her as an actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her role in this film.

The movie won two more Oscars: one for Olympia Dukasis – Best Actress in a Supporting Role and one for Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen that went to John Patrick Shanley. The movie was nominated for 3 more Oscars: Best Director (Norman Jewison), Best Film and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Vincent Gardenia). Nicolas Cage was also nominated for Golden Globe for Best Actor.

It is exaggerated, hilarious and lovely. It is one of those films you can enjoy with the whole family or just with your friends and have a laugh. But I guess it might be more enjoyable if you do have some Mediterranean blood in your body as the quirks and conversations will be familiar.

7.1 on IMDB.

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