Pro: Men waiting for a sex-change operation can jump-start the process and increase their estrogen count simply by watching this movie!
Con: As cool as it may seem when you are alone, having man-breasts is just wrong.
Synopsis:
Jane, a tall, beautiful young woman (Katherine Heigl) just can’t say “no” to her friends, her family, or her secret love and boss (Edward Burns). In an attempt to avoid the emptiness in her own romantic life she has agreed to be the bridesmaid in 27 weddings. But when her sister (Malin Akerman) “steals” the man she loves and asks Jane to step into ugly bridesmaid dress number 28, Jane realizes it’s time to be the lead role in her own life, not the supporting player. With the unexpected romantic attention and help of a wedding announcements writer (James Marsden), Jane might just learn to say “no” while still being able to say “I do.” (VOMIT!)
My take:
Most men chafe at the idea of watching a “chick flick”, many times with very good reason, but occasionally one comes along that provides some comedy without making men cringe and attempt to castrate themselves with the DVD remote. While “27 Dresses” has the usual overabundance of emotion, syrupy sweet moments, and song/dance numbers, it actually has some funny lines and clever situations that are not predicated on the debasement of men as most films of this genre are. Although the movie lacks such male-approved staples such as gratuitous nudity and explosive violence, it manages to remain entertaining for most of its length (that’s what SHE said!).
A Conservative View:
As soon as you suggest that the characters in a modern romance aren’t “good” people because they engage in multiple easy, uncommitted sexual relationships, Liberals start howling that you are “prude”, “repressed”, or “religiously fanatic”. The implication being that in modern America any enlightened individual realizes that it is perfectly okay to have sex with anyone, anytime, anywhere and there are just no real consequences. Now “27 Dresses” wouldn’t have been a comedy, or at least much fun, if it delved into all the problems that are created by indiscriminate sexual congress, but did it have to portray sex so casually?
In the film, Jane’s best friend is, for lack of a better word, a total slammin’ whore. Yet nothing adverse happens to her at all. Jane’s sister sleeps with a man on the first night they meet -- not even a date -- and then later agrees to marry him. Jane herself sleeps with a man she does not love simply because he got her drunk and sang a song with her. The man she actually professes to love is in fact the one she hasn't slept with. It seems in this film, as in a perfect Liberal world, sex is completely divorced from love or even affection. The bizarre implication is that sex is something you would do BEFORE you dated to see if you liked the person enough to make the emotional commitment to spend time together fully clothed.
What a great world for single, atheist males; everyone else should be suspicious.
Although the reality of contemporary American mores would suggest that some of the characters in the film should have meaningless sex with strangers, the film wouldn’t have been less successful or entertaining if the main character had abstained. The movie could have ended exactly the same way if Jane had NOT slept with the writer, and the only thing that would have changed would be that she might actually have become a good role model for young woman.
Conclusion:
“27 Dresses” provides decent entertainment for the male gender, the female gender, and even perhaps the man-bra-wearing transgendered. The moral message about ever-slackening sexual restraint is disappointingly modern, but with a glimmer of hope: in the end most of the characters, slut and Puritan alike, just really want to get married.
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Country Remedy Movie Review
Pro: DVD case provided the name of the main character which I couldn’t recall.
Con: I didn’t care what his name was.
Synopsis:
A recently widowed big-city doctor must prove his “humanity” and suitability to become the youngest head of pediatrics at his hospital by moving to rural North Carolina and running a clinic over the summer. With his asthmatic son in tow, the exceptional physician moves into a rustic house and goes about the business of creating a medical practice with no budget, drunken contractors, suspicious townsfolk, and an attractive but hard-nosed mayor. Through the miracle of emergency situations Dr. Evan Gibbs learns the value of patience, perseverance, and family in this most uplifting yada yada yada…
My take:
When you are choosing a hemorrhoid cream, it’s always best to go with something established and time-tested lest you have a unexpected allergic reaction where you don’t want strangers poking around. In the same vein, “Country Remedy” is a pain in the butt.
No, that’s not right, I really meant “Country Remedy” was a very familiar story that will never have you mistaking Tabasco sauce for Tuck’s Medicated wipes. The plot, characters, and dramatic elements have all been seen before so many times that in fact you may wish for the excitement presented in the above mentioned scenario. Where other films try to grab the audience with such innovations as “creative storytelling” and “grippingly original characters”, “Country Remedy” makes due with day-old corned-beef hash reheated to a sloppy perfection. I’m not going to say that the movie was bad, but it simply wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before done better in many other movies.
An example: Just after the good doc is informed that he may return early to accept his promotion his son gets lost in the woods without an inhaler. Panic ensues, but the entire town shows up to look for the idiot child and eventually he is rescued. Guess what happens next? If you’ve seen more than three movies in your lifetime, you would know that the outpouring of affection for the newcomers by the town convinces our hero to stay. Would it have killed the makers of the movie to have him thank the town and move anyway instead offering to buy them shoes (which few of them seemed to posses)?
No, the doctor is attracted to the mayor, the kids do dumb things, the people are poor and pay for medical services with locally grown crops, and the doctor wins them all over by, what else, saving the lives of seemingly half the population within the space of a few weeks. Makes you wonder what they did before the Surgeon General arrived.
A Conservative View:
What I did like about this movie was that no one died, no one was really cruel, vile, or purposefully evil, and the doctor did NOT have a romance with the mayoral hottie despite all the story elements that would normally have thrown them together. Credit some courage on the part of the film makers for at least refusing to include one cliché. Also, since the movie showed small-town life as impoverished but still helpful and sane, Barrak Obama would hate the movie. That alone might make it worth a viewing.
Conclusion:
Family fare that won’t offend or unintentionally entertain. Watch it with younger children before bedtime so you can all get a much deserved night of rest.
Con: I didn’t care what his name was.
Synopsis:
A recently widowed big-city doctor must prove his “humanity” and suitability to become the youngest head of pediatrics at his hospital by moving to rural North Carolina and running a clinic over the summer. With his asthmatic son in tow, the exceptional physician moves into a rustic house and goes about the business of creating a medical practice with no budget, drunken contractors, suspicious townsfolk, and an attractive but hard-nosed mayor. Through the miracle of emergency situations Dr. Evan Gibbs learns the value of patience, perseverance, and family in this most uplifting yada yada yada…
My take:
When you are choosing a hemorrhoid cream, it’s always best to go with something established and time-tested lest you have a unexpected allergic reaction where you don’t want strangers poking around. In the same vein, “Country Remedy” is a pain in the butt.
No, that’s not right, I really meant “Country Remedy” was a very familiar story that will never have you mistaking Tabasco sauce for Tuck’s Medicated wipes. The plot, characters, and dramatic elements have all been seen before so many times that in fact you may wish for the excitement presented in the above mentioned scenario. Where other films try to grab the audience with such innovations as “creative storytelling” and “grippingly original characters”, “Country Remedy” makes due with day-old corned-beef hash reheated to a sloppy perfection. I’m not going to say that the movie was bad, but it simply wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen before done better in many other movies.
An example: Just after the good doc is informed that he may return early to accept his promotion his son gets lost in the woods without an inhaler. Panic ensues, but the entire town shows up to look for the idiot child and eventually he is rescued. Guess what happens next? If you’ve seen more than three movies in your lifetime, you would know that the outpouring of affection for the newcomers by the town convinces our hero to stay. Would it have killed the makers of the movie to have him thank the town and move anyway instead offering to buy them shoes (which few of them seemed to posses)?
No, the doctor is attracted to the mayor, the kids do dumb things, the people are poor and pay for medical services with locally grown crops, and the doctor wins them all over by, what else, saving the lives of seemingly half the population within the space of a few weeks. Makes you wonder what they did before the Surgeon General arrived.
A Conservative View:
What I did like about this movie was that no one died, no one was really cruel, vile, or purposefully evil, and the doctor did NOT have a romance with the mayoral hottie despite all the story elements that would normally have thrown them together. Credit some courage on the part of the film makers for at least refusing to include one cliché. Also, since the movie showed small-town life as impoverished but still helpful and sane, Barrak Obama would hate the movie. That alone might make it worth a viewing.
Conclusion:
Family fare that won’t offend or unintentionally entertain. Watch it with younger children before bedtime so you can all get a much deserved night of rest.
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