Current Movies

I saw Prairie Home Companion last night. I've never been a big fan of the show. I find it mildly amusing, but not particularly brilliant or witty. I was expecting more from the movie since I am a fan of director Robert Altman. But, the movie experience was about the same as the radio...mildly amusing.

A few things did stand out. Meryl Streep was amazing. Yeah, yeah, she's always amazing, right? But here, I thought she was particularly amazing. Every gesture, move, word, or glance added to her character. I think she is incredibly beautiful, particularly since she hasn't scarred herself with botox, collagen or plastic surgery.

In fact, most of the actors were really fun to watch. Kevin Kline was a perfect "Guy Noir", one of the few characters from the radio show that I enjoy. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly performed a great number called "Bad Jokes", and Tommy Lee Jones was perfect as the "Axeman" from Texas who is responsible for ending the radio show. In fact, Texas was ripped up one side and down the other. I'm sure Keillor enjoyed doing that, and I tried not to hold it too much against him.

But there were long stretches of the movie where I was looking at my watch. If you're not a fan of the radio show, I don't know that I would recommend it.

Last week, I saw The Break-Up. During the long publicity build-up to the movie's opening weekend, I had absolutely no interest in it. I don't particularly like Jennifer Aniston, and I've never watched Friends. (I guess you can put me in Team Jolie). And yet, I decided to go see it a few days after it opened, and I'm glad I did.

The movie wasn't perfect by any means. It's not really a comedy at all, but intersperses comedic scenes throughout the main story of the couple's break-up. The constant shift in tone doesn't quite work. But what does work is the break-up story and Vince Vaughn's performance. The opening scene, where the two characters have a big blow-up leading to the break-up, is painfully realistic. And that was the strength of the movie -- anyone who's ever seen a relationship end can relate to what's happening.

Plus, Vince Vaughn is spot on as the clueless guy who realizes too late that his benign neglect has caused him to lose someone he really values. I was impressed. The other element that I enjoyed was the movie's setting in Chicago. It was fun to see the characters walking along Lake Michigan in the exact spot where I walked last weekend.

Posted by bethdeth at June 14, 2006 10:48 AM