Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare
Cinematic Sommelier
8.2
I forgot just how great this movie is! Above and beyond the Garth Brooks song as the credits roll, the finale of this one is one of the smoothest directing jobs I’ve seen in a long time! A heartfelt family affair wrapped around one of my favorite genres – time travel. Buckle up for one hell of a ride!
8.2
What could have fallen incredibly flat by playing itself instead decided to dive right into the deep end and take the audience on an incredible emotional journey I think we all can relate to. The reflection on the power of “what if” and unfinished business on our perception of reality. How different versions of love accompany us on this journey through life. A much sweeter ending than I was anticipating halfway through…
8.2
It’s amazing what trying to dodge a cover charge can lead to…
This one surprised the hell out of me. If you’ve listened to podcasts at all in the last decade, there’s a good chance you’ve heard a stand-up comic gushing about the life of a comic, grinding it out for years to build a set, learn to work a room, and the cost-benefit analysis that goes along with every step of the journey. This movie somehow tells that tale in a way that doesn’t seem stale and keeps you engaged the entire runtime in the sea of quirks. There’s not really a single character wasted in this entire thing, and each interaction’s awkwardness is somehow a springboard to a therapeutic release of sorts put to film. Will Arnett and Laura Dern absolutely kill it here.
7.9
A feel-good political drama/comedy? As insane as that sounds – yes. A great one, at that!
Get ready to hate this husband with every fiber of your being. Punchable doesn’t even begin to describe him by the time the third act rolls around. The messiness of the family was relatable and I was able to find a great comfort in the imperfection of almost everyone on the screen. There was a realness here that really made me feel at home for an hour and a half, and left me a bit bummed out that the credits were already rolling. We all need a good scream from time to time… I’m with you, Jamie Lee Curtis!
7.1
I guess this is one way to deal with your grief…
I genuinely did not see the third act coming! The two lead actors killed it in this tale of friendship and family, whether chosen or born into. A deeply personal study of relationships and psychology, and the complexity of dark humor within grief processing. Much deeper than I expected at the onset.
Brett Garten, Movie Extraordinare 