comedy

This is the End feels kind of like watching how Pittsburgh Penguins made (and ended) their run at the Stanley Cup this year – there’s a ton of firepower on the team, but they fall just a little bit short of their desired goal.* There’s no question that everyone involved in the movie has the […]

Whatever chemistry existed between Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in 2005’s hilarious “Wedding Crashers” is diminished in the tedium of “The Internship”, which could resemble a two-hour episode of “Romper Room” if it were filmed at Google headquarters.  A few laughs in the first half hour suggest that the film’s writers (Vaughn and Jared Stern […]

(This review was originally posted at Reel Film News on May 24, 2013.) Man, I really wish I hadn’t read the Frances Ha poster in the theater lobby before I saw the movie. “A deft, uproarious comedy” is the big quote that’s emblazoned at the top of the poster… and that couldn’t be further from […]

(This review originally appeared at Reel Film News on February 28, 2013.) Going into a movie like 21 and Over, which has been hyped as being from the writers of The Hangover, it’s obvious that you’re not going in to see a substance abuse movie like Leaving Las Vegas or Permanent Midnight. You’re there to […]

(This review was originally published on December 20, 2012 at Reel Film News) Sometimes Judd Apatow reminds me of that kid that accidentally does something funny and gets some laughs, so he keeps trying to reproduce the moment over and over. I’m not saying “This Is 40” isn’t funny; in fact upon a second viewing, […]

(This review was originally published on November 30, 2012 at Reel Film News) Sometimes it’s difficult to explain why a film speaks to you. “Silver Linings Playbook” is easily in my top five favorites of the year, with Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and writer/director David O. Russell all worthy of Oscar nods. This beautifully crafted […]