Sleight of Film

Today’s quick review: Punchline. Lilah Krystick (Sally Field), a housewife who wants to be a stand-up comedian, gets the inspiration she needs when she meets Steven Gold (Tom Hanks), a talented comedian struggling to make ends meet. Steven teaches her how to perform naturally on stage, turning her from a novice to an up-and-comer. But as their friendship grows into something more, it drives a rift between Lilah and her husband John (John Goodman).

Punchline is a dramatic comedy about two comedians dealing with personal problems caused by their craft. Sally Field stars as Lilah, who goes against the wishes of her overbearing husband to pursue her dream of becoming a comic. Tom Hanks co-stars as Steven, a failed medical student who gambles everything on his comedy career. Punchline serves up a peculiar combination of skillful humor and mundane drama, making for an odd but satisfying watch.

Punchline has an unusual story that only really comes together at the end of the film. Punchline jumps around between comedy and drama almost at random, with sublime moments of humor up on the stage that are offset by some deeply uncomfortable personal conflicts. But there’s a method to the madness. Punchline loves to put Lilah and Steven through the wringer, but ultimately it’s a movie about resilience and the power of comedy to life people’s spirits.

Punchline defies easy classification. It is a patchwork of great jokes and awful ones, of emotional breakdowns and emotional triumphs. The variety will not suit everyone, and the payoff is not as spectacular as some of Tom Hanks’ more ambitious work. But for a viewer willing to roll with the punches, Punchline is a movie with a lot to offer. Steer clear if you’re looking for a purer comedy or a more focused drama.

For a much darker drama about a struggling comedian, try Joker.

5.9 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for being a diamond in the rough.

Today’s quick review: The Money Pit. After his father embezzles nearly $3 million from the family business, Walter Fielding (Tom Hanks) is left with a mountain of debt and nowhere to live. Hoping to solve their housing problem, Walter and his girlfriend Anna (Shelley Long) buy a gorgeous house outside New York for a great price. But they soon discover why it sold for so little: The house is a total wreck that is going to need a fortune in repairs.

The Money Pit is a comedy about a couple whose dream home turns into a nightmare of bad carpentry, backed-up plumbing, and faulty wiring. As the damage piles up, Walter and Anna are forced to spend more and more just to turn their house into a place where they can live. The Money Pit is a light movie that runs on a combination of slapstick and domesticity. Its fruitful premise and well-matched leads make it a simple but enjoyable watch.

The Money Pit strikes a nice balance with its comedy. There’s a fair amount of slapstick as Walter and Anna try to cope with a house where everything is broken, yet the physical humor never feels pandering. The gags have good timing, the tangents to the main story are brief, and the movie finds clever ways to make use of its premise. Tying it all together are Tom Hanks and Shelley Long, who perfectly portray a loving couple pushed to their limit.

The only catch is that The Money Pit is not an ambitious comedy. There’s no larger plot that the home repairs feed into. The gags are funny but not especially deep. And while the movie puts more thought into its characters than other comedies, it avoids anything but the most superficial drama for them. These decisions result in a successful comedy that delivers what it promises, but they keep it from joining the ranks of the best in the genre.

Give The Money Pit a shot if you’re in the mood for likable characters and reliable laughs. Fans of more elaborate, plot-driven comedies may find it to be a little simple for their tastes, but viewers who aren’t above some straightforward humor will have a good time. For a slapstick comedy in the same vein, try Mousehunt. For Tom Hanks in another comedy about a jinxed endeavor, try The Ladykillers.

6.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for honest laughs.

Today’s quick review: The Terminal. Viktor Navorski (Tom Hanks) is on a flight to New York when a revolution throws his home country of Krakozhia into chaos. By the time he lands, his passport is invalid and his visa has been revoked, leaving him stranded at JFK International Airport with no way to enter America and no way to get back home. Viktor must make a new life for himself at the airport terminal while waiting for his situation to change.

The Terminal is a dramatic comedy from director Steven Spielberg. Tom Hanks stars as Viktor Navorski, a visitor to the United States who falls through a crack in the system and becomes trapped in bureaucratic limbo. With no money and only a crude grasp of English, Viktor uses his wits to survive in a place that was only ever meant to be a stopover. The movie’s charming sense of humor and heartfelt moments make it an enjoyable watch.

The Terminal’s chief draw is the way Viktor copes with his unusual situation. From living on crackers and condiments to sleeping at an abandoned gate, Viktor does everything he can to make the airport a home. His struggles eventually earn him friends among the staff, including Gupta (Kumar Pallana), an irascible janitor, and Enrique Cruz (Diego Luna), a lovestruck delivery man. Viktor’s kindness and perseverance make his victories all the sweeter.

However, The Terminal does have its quirks. The rules of Viktor’s confinement feel arbitrary, especially when it comes to his feud with customs official Frank Dixon (Stanley Tucci). His slow-motion romance with flight attendant Amelia Warren (Catherine Zeta-Jones) is similarly unconventional. But in spite of its outward levity, The Terminal switches abruptly into drama in places, resulting in rewarding moments that don’t quite fit the pattern.

Give The Terminal a shot when you’re in the mood for something uplifting, clever, and not too overbearing. The Terminal has an interesting premise, a likable lead, and a unique perspective on life. How much you get out of it will depend on how its particular blend of comedy and drama suits you, but its rewards make it worth the watch for anyone who is curious.

For a Tom Hanks drama about a man stranded far from home, try Cast Away. For a Tom Hanks comedy about a kind-hearted man on a journey, try Forrest Gump. Check out The Truman Show or Groundhog Day for a more surreal comedy about a man trapped by circumstance.

7.4 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for an unusual comedy with some good heart; your score will vary.

Today’s quick review: Cast Away. Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) has two loves in his life: his girlfriend Kelly (Helen Hunt) and his job traveling around the globe to revitalize struggling FedEx branches. All of that changes in an instant when Chuck’s plane crashes in the Pacific, leaving him stranded on an uninhabited island. To have any hope of seeing civilization again, Chuck must both teach himself how to survive and find the strength to keep going.

Cast Away is a survival drama that tells the story of one man’s harrowing experience on a desert island. Chuck Noland has to stave off dehydration, starvation, and despair using only the natural resources of the island and a handful of packages that washed ashore after the crash. What follows is a tale of resourcefulness and perseverance that makes good on its premise. Strong drama and an impressive lead performance make Cast Away as solid pick.

The mechanics of Chuck’s survival are interesting enough, but the heart of the movie is his psychological struggle. Chuck endures loneliness, physical hardship, setback after setback, and the promise of a nearly hopeless future. The small ways he comes up with to stay sane become surprisingly important both to Chuck and the viewer, giving the drama some real impact. The movie also offers a new perspective on the conveniences of modern civilization.

Still, the tone of Cast Away won’t resonate with everyone. The movie depends heavily on the audience sympathizing with Chuck; viewers who don’t, for one reason or another, will get very little out of watching his struggles. The time spent on the island can also get repetitive since there are only a few emotional beats for the movie to work with. None of these issues are serious, but they may put off viewers with only a borderline interest in the movie.

Ultimately, Cast Away is a well-executed drama that makes the most of a relatively simple premise. Tom Hanks’ acting and good use of the limited tools at the story’s disposal are enough to make the movie a thought-provoking watch with some good emotional payoff. However, Cast Away has a narrow enough premise that some viewers will never get into it. Those who like honest drama should give it a shot, while those who prefer escapism should steer clear.

For a more cathartic tale of hope and perseverance, try The Shawshank Redemption.

7.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for effective acting and a compelling story.

“Run, Forrest! Run!” —Jenny

Today’s quick review: Forrest Gump. Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), a simple-minded man from rural Alabama, witnesses some of the defining events of the 20th century as life takes him across America and around the globe. From Washington, D.C., to the jungles of Vietnam, Forrest accepts each new situation with the same quiet optimism. But no matter how far he travels, he keeps coming back to Jenny Curran (Robin Wright), his childhood friend.

Forrest Gump is a dramatic comedy and romance starring Tom Hanks. The film is part character portrait and part period piece. Forrest unknowingly has a hand in some of the most famous events in American history as he’s tossed around by fate. The odd events of Forrest’s storied life, his obliviousness, and his kind-hearted treatment of those around him make Forrest Gump an endearing comedy that offers a unique perspective on American culture.

At the same time, Forrest Gump is an effective drama. Forrest’s low intelligence shields him from the full impact of what’s going on around him, but the film itself touches on heavy topics like the Vietnam War, drug culture, and the political turmoil of the 60s and 70s. On a more personal level, the events of Forrest’s life are not easy for him either. Seeing him cope with hardship is a surprisingly potent reward for following his lighter adventures.

Forrest Gump is a movie with a lot to offer. Forrest Gump has a skillful performance by Tom Hanks, a far-reaching plot with a rich historical setting, and personal moments that cover a wide a spectrum of emotion, all of which add up to a unique experience. How much you get out of it will depend heavily on your taste in humor, drama, and cultural commentary, but Forrest Gump casts a wide enough net to be worth a watch even for skeptical viewers.

For an adventurous comedy about the unlikely story of a man’s life, try Big Fish or Secondhand Lions. For a wry comedy with a similar premise, try Being There. For a romantic drama with some of the same feel to it, try The Notebook or Dear John.

8.8 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 to 8.0 for a well-crafted story and a likable lead.

Today’s quick review: A Beautiful Mind. As a graduate student at Princeton, mathematician John Nash (Russell Crowe) labors to come up with a substantial contribution to the field. Eventually his efforts lead him to a breakthrough in game theory that earns him a position teaching at MIT. However, his life takes a dramatic turn when he’s contacted by William Parcher (Ed Harris), a shadowy government agent who wants to put Nash’s talents to use.

A Beautiful Mind is a biographical drama loosely based on the life of John Nash. A Beautiful Mind follows Nash from his difficult days at Princeton to the upheavals of his time at MIT to the challenges he faced thereafter. Russell Crowe delivers a multifaceted performance as an isolated man trying to put his talents to good use. Skillful acting, subtle emotional moments, and an exceptional soundtrack make A Beautiful Mind a captivating film.

The great strength of A Beautiful Mind is its ability to take the audience inside Nash’s struggles, often through his interactions with the supporting cast. His academic frustration comes to life through conversations with his roommate Charles Herman (Paul Bettany), his personal life develops through his relationship with Alicia (Jennifer Connelly), and his career is soon complicated by cloak-and-dagger code-breaking assignments for Parcher.

A Beautiful Mind’s other great strength is its subtlety. Contrary to Nash’s ambitions to leave his mark on the world, his story is deeply personal in nature. His mathematical accomplishments take a back seat to the more mundane struggles of his day-to-day life. These are by no means ordinary—Nash has a peculiar mind—but they do resonate well. The film has a knack for infusing seemingly trivial incidents with the weight they truly deserve.

A Beautiful Mind is a thematically gorgeous movie that tells its story with true skill. The biographical nature and relatively low-stakes story will put off some viewers, but those willing to engage with a pure drama will find it to be a rewarding experience.

For another biographical drama about a troubled mathematician, try The Imitation Game. For a fictional story of mathematical genius, check out Good Will Hunting. For a Cold War drama with more espionage, try The Good Shepherd. For a biographical drama about a brilliant but antisocial entrepreneur, try The Social Network. For a romantic drama that hits similar emotional notes, try The Notebook.

8.2 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 to 8.0 for a moving story and impressive craftsmanship.

Today’s quick review: Rudy. Ever since he was a child, Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) has had one dream: to play football at Notre Dame. However, his poor grades and lack of athletic ability have kept him from even coming close. After the death of a friend, Rudy decides to gamble everything on his dream. Moving to Notre Dame, he picks up work as a groundskeeper, enrolls in a college nearby, and toils night and day for the chance to join the Fighting Irish.

Rudy is a sports drama that’s based on a true story. Rudy follows its title character as he puts his heart and soul into a long shot: the slim chance of transferring to Notre Dame and walking onto the football team there. The movie is a heartfelt story of hope and perseverance, and the drive of its main character makes it an inspiring watch. However, Rudy depends heavily on the audience connecting with its lead, making it somewhat hit-or-miss.

Rudy’s defining feature is the enthusiasm of its main character. Rudy Ruettiger is single-minded in his pursuit of his dream, willing to do whatever it takes just to get one step closer to it. His boundless determination wins over not only the people he meets, such as head groundskeeper Fortune (Charles S. Dutton) and Coach Parseghian (Jason Miller), but the audience as well. His effort, setbacks, and victories give the movie plenty of heart.

The drawback is that Rudy relies on its main character for nearly all of its appeal. Ruettiger’s enthusiasm is infectious, but it may not make sense for someone who isn’t as passionate about football. His obsessive personality, the naive way he pursues his dream, and his small-scale victories are factors that will rub some viewers the wrong way. For a viewer who can’t struggle alongside Ruettiger, the entire movie will miss the mark.

Even so, Rudy has a strong enough story to be well worth a shot for anyone interested in its subject matter. Rudy is a focused and well-crafted story about one young man’s dream, and it accomplishes the difficult task of making that dream tangible for the audience. For the wrong viewer, Rudy simply won’t resonate; for the right one, it will have an incredible impact. For a similarly inspirational sports drama, try The Natural.

7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for a heartfelt story with considerable upshot potential.

Today’s quick review: The Natural. Roy Hobbs (Robert Redford) is a country boy with a talent for baseball. Leaving behind his sweetheart Iris (Glenn Close), he travels to Chicago to try out for the Cubs. But after one bad choice, he loses his shot at the majors and twelve years of his life. Now in his thirties, Roy gets another chance at his dream when he’s signed on to play for the New York Knights, a team in the middle of a losing season.

The Natural is a sports drama about a baseball player trying to make up for lost time. Robert Redford stars as Roy Hobbs, whose knack for the game could have made him a legend. In spite of a decade away from the sport, Hobbs’ natural talent and love for baseball give the Knights a shot at the pennant. The Natural is an inspiring story about choices, integrity, and determination. Its solid craftsmanship is enough to make it a simple but powerful watch.

The Natural has the best qualities of a tall tale, small flourishes that make Roy’s story just a little larger than life. The origin of Roy’s bat, his feats of baseball prowess, and his lucky and unlucky streaks all lend a mythic quality to his story. At the same time, The Natural never steps over the line into fantasy. The drama is grounded in Roy’s choices on and off the field, and his victories are as much moral and personal as they are professional.

There are a few parts of The Natural that don’t work as well as others, but they do not detract much from its strengths. The beats of the story are a little strange, especially surrounding Roy’s twelve-year absence from the sport. The actual games Roy plays in are abridged; the film hardly ever follows a game from start to finish. And while the emotional moments will move more romantic viewers, cynics may find them to be overblown.

The Natural is a great choice for anyone in the mood for the uplifting story of a sports comeback. Solid acting, grounded drama, and a few extra touches to make the story feel larger than life are all The Natural needs to deliver on its promise. Not everyone will enjoy its particular flavor of drama, but its raw quality and emotional payoff make it well worth a watch for anyone interested.

For a sports movie that hits similar emotional beats, try Chariots of Fire. For an adventure with some of the same spirit, try Secondhand Lions. For a romantic drama that goes farther with the theme of life choices and regret, try The Notebook or The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. For a baseball comedy, try Major League.

7.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 to 7.5 for an earnest story with a lot of heart.

Today’s quick review: Moneyball. Reeling from a crushing late-season loss, the Oakland Athletics try to rebuild their roster for the coming year. To cope with their shoestring budget, general manager Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) takes a chance on Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), a young analyst with revolutionary ideas about the sport. Together they set out to assemble a winning team out of undervalued players using a strategy no one believes will work.

Moneyball is a sports drama based on a true story. Faced with the challenge of competing with teams that have up to three times his budget, Billy Beane turns to statistics to fill the Athletics’ roster, flying in the face of decades of baseball tradition. Moneyball takes this unique subject matter and backs it up with solid acting, writing, and presentation style. However, the nature of the story will make it a dry watch for some viewers.

Moneyball makes for an odd sort of underdog story. The Athletics are clearly outclassed by their rivals, but their secret is not heart but statistics. Seeing Billy and Peter work out their system is interesting enough on its own, and there is some good tension as it’s put to the test during the season. But the movie ends up caught between its cold central conceit—that only the numbers matter—and its need to mean something on an emotional level.

How much you get out of Moneyball will depend on your taste in drama. Those drawn to tales of ingenuity, perseverance, and rational thinking will get everything they want out of the movie, with a couple of good character moments to boot. Those who prefer more romantic stories, where the emotional arc comes first and realism comes second, will find that Moneyball is a strange inversion of the underdog formula that’s not as viscerally satisfying.

For a jazzier attempt to game the system, try 21 or The Wolf of Wall Street. For a baseball drama with a greater focus on the sport, try The Natural. For a baseball comedy with a more conventional underdog story, try Major League.

7.6 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.0 for solid craftsmanship, unique material, and hit-or-miss emotional payoff.

Today’s quick review: Two for the Money. After an injury cuts short his football career, Brandon Lang (Matthew McConaughey) finds his calling selling football picks to gamblers. His record catches the eye of Walter Abrams (Al Pacino), the smooth-talking owner of a successful sports betting hotline. Walter offers Brandon a job, and soon the two of them are raking in the cash. But Brandon risks losing it all when his success goes to his head.

Two for the Money is a drama about sports betting and the price of success. Matthew McConaughey stars as Brandon Lang, a young tipster with a winning track record. Al Pacino plays opposite him as Walter Abrams, a flashy businessman who takes Brandon under his wing. Two for the Money shows the complex relationship between the two men and the way it fractures as Brandon loses his edge. The movie features solid character work and a decent story.

The heart of Two for the Money is its characters. Walter makes for an interesting figure. His business success is as much due to flash as substance, and his affable exterior hides his inner faults, including a paranoid streak, a gambling addiction, and a loose relationship with the truth. The one person keeping him under control is his wife Toni (Rene Russo), a woman with enough patience to keep Walter’s wilder impulses in check.

Two for the Money delves into the way Walter’s personality rubs off on Brandon, turning him from an earnest go-getter to the egotistical salesman Walter wants him to be. Their story has some good ups and downs as Brandon peels back the layers of Walter, the gambling business, and himself. However, the story itself is not that special. Two for the Money isn’t as flashy as other tales of wealth, and its ending doesn’t wrap things up as well as it could.

Two for the Money is a fine pick for anyone willing to spend some time with some believably flawed characters. The movie is much more modest than other movies that have similar premises, but its good performances and the subtle layers in its relationships let it bring something unique to the table. Those who prefer flashier stories, more masterful emotional arcs, or characters who are easier to like may want to steer clear.

For a wilder story about financial success and ruin, try The Wolf of Wall Street. For one with a more biographical angle, try Molly’s Game. For a drama about a man who nearly ruins himself gambling, try Rounders, The Gambler, or Mississippi Grind. For a financial drama with a similar relationship between its leads, try Wall Street. For an even more powerful performance from Al Pacino, try Donnie Brasco.

6.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 6.5 to 7.0 for believable characters missing the story to use them to their fullest.