The Accidental Husband (Uma Thurman)

(Amazon UK link)

From time to time I check Amazon’s recommendations, read reviews, and - if I think I’d like a book or DVD - add it to my wishlist. I do this more with films than I do with books, since I know already which authors I like. I think Amazon probably makes recommendations based partly on genre, and partly on actors. This one has Colin Firth as one of the main three characters, and I’ve certainly liked other films where he takes a major role.

So I put it on my wishlist, and was given it, along with some other DVDs, for Christmas. We decided to watch it a couple of days later.

The star of ‘The Accidental Husband’ is Uma Thurman, an actress I know nothing about although I saw her in another film a few years ago. She plays the role of Dr Emma Lloyd, a radio presenter in New York. She doesn’t read the news or play records, however; her speciality is offering romantic relationship advice to listeners who phone in with problems. She’s popular with a lot of women, and is engaged to be married to Richard (Colin Firth).

All seems to be going smoothly in Emma’s life; but she’s not so popular with the ex-boyfriend of one her listeners. Patrick (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) decides to take an unusual form of revenge, with the help of a young geeky friend. And so, when Emma and Richard go to register their intention to marry, they discover something so bizarre that she’s convinced it must be a mistake…

The film is billed as a romantic comedy, and there were certainly one or two amusing moments in the film. It’s mostly quite light-hearted, and it made a good evening’s viewing. I was a little disappointed in the outcome; it was inevitable from fairly early in the film, but towards the end I began to hope I might have been wrong...

I felt a little sorry for Colin Firth, once again cast as a solid, dependable and ultimately dull kind of guy, while Patrick, a brave firefighter, is supposedly a romantic hero. I didn’t find him at all endearing; from his passive aggression as he takes his ‘revenge’, to a decidedly gross cake-tasting scene where he talks with his mouth full and behaves in an embarrassing way. There’s also a scene where he makes another character drunk, although he then behaves well afterwards.

However, the film is well-made, with an unusual storyline and some subplots I wasn’t expecting. There are some nice scenes with Emma's father, bizarrely known as 'Wilder' (Sam Shepard). On the whole we enjoyed the film, and I'd recommend it in a low-key way for anyone who likes this genre.

The rating is 12A (PG-13 in the US), which I thought about right. There’s one instance of ‘strong’ language, a non-explicit bedroom scene (and brief mention of it after the event) and I don’t recall any violence. I can’t imagine it would be of the slightest interest to anyone under the age of about fifteen.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Enough Said (Julia Louis-Dreyfus)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m not sure why this film was recommended to me by Amazon. I don’t think I’ve heard of any of the actors before, although it fits well into the ‘rom com’ genre. I put ‘Enough Said’ on my wishlist after reading a few reviews, and I was given the blu-ray for my birthday earlier in the year.

Last night we wanted something light to watch, and this fit the bill nicely. Julia Louis-Dreyfus stars as Eva, who works as a masseuse. She is fairly amicably divorced, and close to her eighteen-year-old daughter. At a party she meets a middle-aged and somewhat overweight man, Albert (James Gandolfini), and while she feels no attraction, she quite likes him and a friendship develops.

The friendship is obviously going to lead to something more (it’s that kind of film). But it’s taken fairly slowly, with a lot of banter and some good chemistry that leads them to becoming close friends. Albert is also divorced, and also has a daughter who’s about to head off for college. So the two have quite a bit in common, as well as their shared sense of humour.

Meanwhile, Eva has also become friendly with a poet called Marianne (Catherine Keener) after meeting her at the same party, and then becoming her masseuse. Marianne is yet another divorcee, who spends a lot of time ranting about her ex-husband, whom she rather despises.

The main plot focuses on a somewhat unlikely coincidence, which would be a spoiler to reveal, and then a great deal of cowardice - or perhaps outright dishonesty - on Eva’s behalf as she doesn’t reveal something she has discovered that could drastically affect her new friendships. A side-story, never fully resolved, involves her daughter’s best friend.

There are some amusing moments in this, and the acting is believable enough, although it’s a bit of a strange film without a great deal of plot. We could relate to the trauma of seeing one’s offspring depart for university, knowing they’re moving on and becoming separate. But the complexity of relationships, and the acceptance of divorce and remarriage as ‘normal’ was a bit depressing, and some of the humour was not really to our tastes.

The film is quite fast-paced, under an hour and a half in all, and we quite liked it, though it’s not one we’d necessarily watch again. I thought the rating of 12A (PG-13 in the US) was about right; there’s no violence and nothing explicit.

However I wouldn’t want to watch it with a younger teenager. There are a lot of ‘adult’ references, and frank discussion of body parts and intimacies. There is also quite a lot of bad language; not the worst words, but still more than I’m comfortable with.

The blu-ray has an ‘extra’ containing outtakes, mostly involving one or other character laughing at inappropriate times.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Sunshine on Leith (The Proclaimers)

(Amazon UK link)

I was staying with relatives. After an enjoyable family party, they suggested watching a DVD. From a pile of those I hadn’t seen, they suggested watching this one. None of us knew anything about it, other than that it included music from the band The Proclaimers. The front cover said it was the ‘feel-good’ film of the year in 2013, and it promised to be something a little different from the average rom-com.

‘Sunshine on Leith’ opens with some rather disturbing images of war, and I thought I might not like it… but the action quickly moves to the lives of two young soldiers (George McKay and Kevin Guthrie), returning to Edinburgh from a spell of duty in Afghanistan. One of them is in love with the other’s sister…

There are several subplots to this film, and I found it a bit hard to keep track of who was whom, as there were several characters, including large numbers of extras. There’s a new romance, an anniversary party for one of the soldiers’ parents (I never did remember which was which) and a disastrous proposal. There are several scenes set in pubs, and there’s also a traumatic side-story about an illegitimate daughter, recently discovered, which threatens to break up a happy marriage…

While the topics and settings are completely different, I was reminded more than once of the film ‘Mamma Mia’ featuring songs by Abba. It felt as though several of the scenes were set up in order to introduce a song, rather than because they added to the story - and, in classic musical style, everyone drops what they’re doing and the extras, who were hanging around drinking beer or just walking along the road, suddenly join in with well-executed choreography.

It was nicely done, and the finale - the one song we all knew - was very enjoyable. However not all the storylines were really resolved, and there were too many gut-wrenching moments for it to be a ‘feel-good’ film, as advertised. Still, it was a nice bit of escapism, worth seeing once.

The rating is PG, which I think is about right, although I doubt if it would appeal much to children. There’s a small amount of violence, nothing explicitly adult and not much implied.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

I Could Never be your Woman (Michelle Pfeiffer)

(Amazon UK link)

I was staying with relatives, to help celebrate my father’s 85th birthday. After a very enjoyable day, he suggested watching a DVD in the evening. I selected a few I hadn’t seen from the large collection, and he chose ‘I could never be your woman’. It stars one of his favourite actresses, Michelle Pfeiffer.

As with so many films I’ve seen recently, the main character, Rosie (Pfeiffer) is in her early forties, and divorced. She works as the producer of a sitcom which is becoming rather tired… and then her boss insists that she must abandon any remotely controversial storylines.

Rosie decides to introduce a new character, and struggles at first to find anyone remotely suitable. But eventually she offers a contract to Adam, an actor in his late twenties. He lifts the show somewhat, and he and Rosie find a mutual attraction, although neither is entirely comfortable about the difference in their ages.

Rosie is very close to her thirteen-year-old daughter Izzie (Saoirse Ronan), who’s going through puberty and has fallen for a boy in her class. He doesn’t seem to want to know, however. Rosie offers her daughter some advice, and I thought their scenes together were some of the best in the film.

Much of the story involves production scenes for Rosie’s TV show, and a very unpleasant PA who tries to cause trouble wherever she can. There were rather too many caricatured characters for my tastes, and an all-too-predictable storyline. It was brought out of the ordinary not by Pfeiffer, although she was good in her role, but by the scenes involving the young teenagers.

Bizarrely, given that the film is mostly set in the real (if somewhat soap-style) world, there are also mystical scenes with a woman whom I thought was supposed to be a guardian angel, or possibly even a voice of conscience. According to IMDB she is intended to be Mother Nature. These scenes spell out the theme of the movie, something to do with moving on and letting the younger generation fall in love and take their place in the world.

The rating is 12A (PG-13) in the US, and that seems to be to be correct. There’s nothing too explicit (although a great deal is implied) and there’s only one violent scene, which isn’t particularly traumatic. It might be of interest to younger teenagers, particularly if they enjoy films about TV production, but it’s really intended for an older audience.

Pleasant enough viewing, but it’s not a film I’d necessarily want to see again.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

In her Shoes (Cameron Diaz, Toni Collette)

(Amazon UK link)

My relatives in the UK like to shop for birthdays and Christmas from wish-lists (as do I). So from time to time, I browse Amazon’s recommendations to add a few books or DVDs to my list. I’m not entirely sure why this ‘In her shoes’ was suggested to me, however. Perhaps I had rated another film with Cameron Diaz. Or perhaps it was the genre - mildly amusing light ‘rom-com’ style - that led to this suggestion. In any case, the blurb sounded good, the reviews were mostly positive, so I added it. I was given it for Christmas nearly a year ago, and we finally decided to watch it last night.

Actually we had started to watch it about a month ago, on an evening when I was very tired. For some reason I found the opening sequences too confusing, and somewhat gross. We see a lot of shoes, and two young women. One of them is in compromising positions at an office party, then throws up and phones her sister, who’s in bed with someone else. It was hardly an auspicious opening on an evening when I wanted something light and totally undemanding.

However, last night I was more wide awake and willing to try again. I still didn’t much like the opening, but the story quickly becomes more interesting. Cameron Diaz’s character, Maggie, is basically a spoilt brat who can’t keep a job. She seduces men at every opportunity, and even steals money from family and friends. Her older sister Rose (Toni Collette) is sensible, hard-working… and lonely. In almost every respect she is a contrast to Maggie, except that they both like shoes.

They evidently have a stormy relationship, and Rose regularly bails her sister out while trying to persuade her to look for work. But this time Maggie does something so awful that Rose severs the relationship entirely. At that point, Maggie goes to visit a long-lost relative (Shirley MacLaine) and finds herself staying in a retirement centre for senior citizens. Gradually she starts to take more responsibility - and at the same time we see Rose begin to throw off some of the shackles of responsibility, and start to live a more bohemian lifestyle.

There’s a romance involved, but it’s not the main feature of the film, and the hero (Mark Feuerstein) begins as a rather dorky guy, pushing for a date in a not particularly attractive way. The scenes at the retirement centre are wonderful; there are some very amusing scenes, and some great lines. Apparently (as we learned in one of the ‘extras’ on the DVD) the people shown are not regular extras, but the people who were actually living in the centre concerned, playing parts that suited them best. They did a wonderful job, with humour and skill.

Rated 12A (PG-13 in the US), there’s nothing too explicit but several bedroom scenes with strong implications, and some mild swearing. I can’t imagine it would be of any interest to anyone younger than about fifteen anyway.

It’s not the kind of film I’m likely to watch again in a few years (not that I do that much anyway!) nor one I’ll necessarily remember in future. But the issues related to the importance of family connections lifted it a little above the average, and it made a very enjoyable evening’s viewing.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Intern (Robert de Niro, Anne Hathaway)

(Amazon UK link)

My husband saw this film - or part of it - on a flight, and liked it so much that he put it on his wish-list. He received it a while ago as a gift, and we finally sat down to watch it. I wasn’t particularly inspired by the blurb on the back, explaining that a retired man got a job as an intern. But it turned out to be an excellent film and I’m glad I was persuaded to see it. 

70-year-old Ben is the star of this film. Robert de Niro is perfect for the role, as an understated, likeable and hard-working guy. Ben has recently been widowed, and is finding time rather drags in his retirement. He is somewhat old-fashioned, and likes to have a routine for each day, but he misses the buzz of being at work. So when he sees an advert for a ‘senior’ aged intern at a clothes company, he decides to apply.

The first scenes are cleverly done. We learn a great deal about Ben as he prepares his resume - on video camera, not on paper. Unsurprisingly he is accepted for the job, and is put to work with the work-obsessed Jules Oston, the founder of the company. It’s an ideal part for Anne Hathaway, featuring a young, idealistic and driven woman who has quite a heart hidden beneath her high-flying exterior.

The story is character-based, with Ben as catalyst for a lot of changes to different people. He is a secure, confident person who is good at spotting when things need to be done. Perhaps he’s a tad too good to be true, but it didn’t matter. I found myself warming to him more and more. I couldn’t quite forget that Jules was Anne Hathaway; she does the ‘gradually transformed strong young woman’ role very well, but it would be nice to see her in something different. However, I can’t think of anyone who would have been more suited to the role of Jules.

There’s a surprising amount of humour in the film, some of it rather suggestive. The PG-13 or 12A rating is appropriate, although younger children would probably miss most of it; there’s nothing explicit. There's no violence either, though there's some mild (and very well done) slapstick. I particularly enjoyed the excellently choreographed burglary scene later in the story.

The scenery is excellent, the houses different in their layouts, but all welcoming and pleasant to the eye. One of the extras explains that the set designer and director were very picky about this kind of thing - and it certainly works well. There’s minimal bad language, no nudity, no violence… and a satisfying ending in all respects.

Thoroughly enjoyable to watch, and one that I expect to see more than once.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (Thomas Horn)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t remember how we acquired the DVD of ‘Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close’. It has been in our to-watch drawer for many months, perhaps a year or more. I had read some mixed reviews, and the premise, somehow, didn’t seem all that appealing.

However, we recently decided to watch it… and were captivated from the start. It’s a sad, tense opening as we meet young pre-teen Oskar (Thomas Horn) grieving the loss of his father. We soon learn that he died in the Twin Towers attack in September 2001. Oskar is a highly sensitive child, evidently on the autistic spectrum although, as he tells someone later, tests for Asperger’s Syndrome were inconclusive. He struggles to deal with loud noises and finds it difficult to understand strong emotion.

The early part of the film is a bit confusing chronologically. We see Oskar’s memories with his father (Tom Hanks), interspersed with the day everything changed, and his day-to-day life. His father and he do ‘quests’ or ‘challenges’ together, often based on unlikely stories. They give Oskar a chance to communicate with strangers.

Oskar and his mother (Sandra Bullock) have a difficult relationship. It is evidently made all the worse by their bereavement, and their reluctance to talk about it. But, a year after what Oskar calls ‘The Worst Day’, he goes into his father’s closet - unchanged, in a year - and by chance discovers a key. This leads him to what he believes is another vital ‘quest’, one that he hopes might help him make sense of what happened.

Much of the film is taken up with Oskar’s travels and interviews, which he records in detail in a scrapbook. It’s the story not just of the quest but of Oskar’s own growth in confidence, and his relationships with several other people, particularly family members. It’s beautifully done.

Despite a cast featuring famous names, young Thomas Horn is the real star of this film. We wondered why he was not better known. Apparently he had never acted before, and was chosen after a stunning performance on a TV quiz show. He is a natural for this role, showing emotion and fear in his expressions, and with excellent timing. His rapport with other characters is excellent, particularly with ‘The Renter’ (Max von Sydow) whose real relationship with Oskar is immediately apparent to the viewer.

Despite an unusual and essentially tragic plot, the film is mesmerising. The pace is perfect. The viewer sees Oskar’s confusion and need for some kind of closure, rooting for him to find it. The ending is perhaps a tad sudden, but I’m not sure how else it could have been done.

The rating is 12 in the UK, PG-13 in the US. I was a little surprised at this: there are no intimate or nude scenes, no overt violence, and bad language is only hinted at. I assume the rating is due to the overall emotion and the traumatic content of the start of the film. I certainly wouldn’t want an over-sensitive child to see it. But I would have expected the censors to rate it PG.

The only ‘extra’, other than language options, is one about finding Oskar. It has brief interviews with the director and some of the other actors, explaining how they worked with him as he knew nothing about films or acting beforehand.

Very highly recommended.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Cheaper by the Dozen (Steve Martin)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t remember where or even when we acquired this film. Perhaps it was at a charity shop, or a bazaar of some kind. Instead of going into our ‘not-yet-watched’ drawer of DVDs, it was put away with our main collection of DVDs. I’d forgotten it was there until, wanting something light (and not too long) to watch last night, I spotted it.

Steve Martin stars as Tom, the father of twelve children, aged twenty-three down to twins of about four years old. They live a boisterous, rather crowded lifestyle in a small town in Indiana, where they mostly get along well. Kate, the mother (Bonnie Hunt) has been writing a book about the family, and hopes to get it published.

Then, out of the blue, Tom is offered his dream job as an American football coach… in Illinois. None of the family want to move, but after much discussion, Kate decides to support him in this. He will be earning far more, and they’ll have a huge house and plenty of money; they’ll also be closer to their oldest daughter Norah, who lives with her boyfriend not far from their new house.

The plot revolves around their adjustments - or not - and their interactions with new neighbours, and school staff; there’s an underlying message about the importance of family life and interests, and the stresses that can be caused by high-profile jobs, even if they do earn a lot of money. There’s some humour; mostly of a slapstick nature, but very well choreographed and executed; it’s the kind of thing Steve Martin does exceptionally well.

I was most impressed, however, by the children. A day later I don’t remember all of them, nor the names of the four-year-old twins. But Mark (Forest Landis), the geeky, outsider of the family who is passionate about frogs, stands out as an exceptional actor; he can’t have been more than about eight or nine. The other child star was Sarah (Alyson Stoner), third of the girls. She is precocious, with excellent comic timing, and wonderful expressions. She’s the brains behind some of the children’s organised - and not-so-organised - ventures and tricks, and yet comes across as delightful too.

There are quite a few deleted scenes and ‘making of’ episodes, which we watched afterwards; they were well done too, and added to the interest. Moreover, I was surprised to learn that in parts of the United States a bouncy castle is known as a ‘moon bounce’.

I gather there was a 1950s film of the same name, based on the story of a real family with twelve children. This one, I’m told, doesn’t bear much resemblance to it. It’s not just that the situations and lifestyles are updated by fifty years; even the names are changed, and the only thing in common is a large family who move house. However, since I haven’t read the original book nor seen the earlier film, I have nothing to compare this negatively too - and enjoyed it very much.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Gene Wilder)

(Amazon UK link)

The 2005 film ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’, starring Johnny Depp, is well-known. It’s based on Roald Dahl’s classic children’s book, and is a little scary in places. When I first saw it, I skimmed the book and realised that Depp’s bizarre Wonka was really quite true to Dahl’s creation.

I had vague memories of a much older film of the same book, which I must have seen on television at some point. So when I spotted ‘Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory’ at a school bazaar, I decided to buy it. It sat on the children’s DVD shelf for a while, until - wanting something for my three-year-old grandson to watch on a very hot afternoon - he opted for it. I sat down with him, and watched it too.

I was a little surprised that it was made in 1971 as I had somehow thought it was a 1950s film. The style of speech does feel rather older, and the slower pace of the film made it ideal for my grandson, who watches almost no TV. That said, it would probably be considered dull by older children who are used to rapid changes of scene and fast action.

Gene Wilder stars as Willy Wonka, and he’s a rather nicer one than Johnny Depp’s portrayal. However, he has some strange quirks that are more in line with Dahl’s original than I remembered. Charlie (Peter Ostrum) is likeable, if a little too good to be true, and Jack Albertson is excellent as Grandpa Joe.

The story is well-known: five children win golden tickets, and are taken on a tour of Wonka’s factory. Four of them are obnoxious in different ways: one is a spoiled brat, one a TV addict, one a compulsive gum-chewer, and one a glutton. Wonka gives clear instructions, and one by one the children disobey him, including, at one point, Charlie and his grandfather. The children felt rather too caricatured, but perhaps that was intentional.

While there’s a lot of story in the 2005 version (some of it added to the original) and some excellent special effects, this 1971 version seemed to be more about machinery and scenes showing different kinds of chocolate. There are some good songs, particularly the one sung by the Oompa-Loompas, small people who work hard in the factory to keep everything going, and my grandson seemed to enjoy it.

It’s not a bad film for the era, but I now understand why a new version was made. This can still be found on Amazon in both DVD and blu-ray form, and is rated U (G in the US). It may be of interest for parents with young or sensitive children who might find the modern version (rated PG) a bit too overwhelming.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson)

(Amazon UK link)

It’s over ten years since I was given the DVD of ‘Nanny McPhee’. It made excellent post-Christmas viewing, and over the past few years it’s been watched a handful of times by some young visiting friends. However I didn’t have any particular desire to see it again myself.

But our three-year-old grandson is staying, and during some very hot weather recently, his parents thought it would be a good idea for him to have some quiet time in the air conditioning, watching a DVD. We don’t have anything intended for children this age, but the cover appealed to him and I couldn’t think of any reason why it might not be suitable. Indeed, I thought he might find it quite amusing since I remembered that it featured some very naughty children…

I ended up watching with my daughter-in-law and grandson. I remembered the storyline - a widowed father (Colin Firth) has seven children who are running riot in his household, scaring away a succession of nannies from the agency. The children are all excellent in this film, working together as a team, with excellent comic timing.

Then the mysterious wart-covered Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson, looking most unlike herself) arrives, and takes over….

There’s more than a hint of magic in the story; Nanny McPhee’s staff has some strange properties, which can keep children immobilised, or even reverse damage. The children don’t like her at all at first, and want to get rid of her. But gradually they realise that she’s on their side, and that they’re stressed and lonely. She says she is going to teach them some ‘lessons’ (such as getting out of bed in the mornings when called) but their father also has to learn to relate better to them.

Alongside this main storyline we learn that the family is supported by a strict great-aunt, as the father’s job cannot pay the bills and provide food for so many children. The great-aunt wants the father to remarry….

I was a little anxious at first, since my grandson is quite sensitive, and I’d forgotten just how loud and badly-behaved the children were at the start. I was also concerned that he might find Nanny McPhee rather frightening when she first appears. The fact that the father works as an undertaker seems rather inappropriate for a children’s film, but that went right over my grandson’s head, as did the fact that the children’s mother died after the baby was born.

It took him a while to get into the story, but towards the end he started laughing at a slapstick (and very messy) scene involving cake. He also loved the magical snow-covered Cinderella type ending.

Really more suitable for children of about six or seven upwards. The rating is U in the UK; the US rating of PG is, in my opinion, more appropriate. There are a couple of mild ‘bad’ words, though not noticeable by a three-year-old. There’s also a scene full of innuendoes, though nothing explicit. There’s a fair amount of mock violence too, more than I’d remembered, though mostly intended to be humorous.

But overall this is a very enjoyable film and I’m delighted that I had the opportunity to watch it again!

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Catch and Release (Jennifer Garner)

(Amazon UK link)

I’m not sure how this film ended up on my wish-list last year. Probably Amazon recommended it to me, based on the genre of film I like; I don’t think I’d come across any of the cast before, although I don’t always remember the names of actors and actresses.

I was given ‘Catch and Release’ for Christmas last year, and we decided to watch it last night. We knew the theme would be sad, at least initially. The blurb on the back told us that it was about a young woman whose fiancé had just died.

The story starts at the funeral itself, and we see Gray (Jennifer Garner) struggling to hold everything together as she deals with her own grief alongside that of her fiancé’s family and close friends. We learn that he died in some kind of accident while on a men’s weekend away, and that they had parted in anger. Gray escapes from the crowds to hide in the bathroom, only to overhear a very embarrassing incident with one of her former fiancé’s close friends, Fritz (Timothy Olyphant).

The rest of the film is about Gray and her interactions with the three close friends. Dennis (Sam Jaeger) is eager to do anything he can to help. Sam (Kevin Smith) is an irritating and overweight joker, although he too is grieving. Fritz appears not to care at all.

Unsurprisingly, and a little clichéd, Gray uncovers several secrets in her fiancé’s past which both shock and anger her. She starts to wonder if she had ever really known him at all… and gradually gets to know his friends better.

It’s a character-based story, and I liked the pace although it was a bit hard to tell the time-frame. Gray appears to recover rather rapidly, with the shocks she uncovers making her decide to live life to the full rather than becoming miserable.

Other a couple of others who were rather caricatured, we thought the people very believable. The three friends form a good contrast with each other. Every time Sam appears he’s eating very loudly, or talking with his mouth full, and I had to block my ears and close my eyes. It seemed unnecessary to make him so gross, although perhaps it was supposed to be amusing. Far from it with anyone who has misophonia, or who finds bad manners irritating.

I was particularly impressed with Fiona Shaw, who played the mother of Gray’s late fiancé. Her dignity and deep misery were shown perfectly, and we appreciated her gradual softening in the face of other people’s suffering.

Overall the story was really rather sad. Gray, inevitably, moves on although we felt it far too rapid and rather shallow. But the themes, in addition to the main depressing one are about unrequited love, betrayal and lies. It’s a testament to the director and writers that they made a very watchable and (in places) moving film.

Rated 12 (PG-13 in the US), which seems about right. The bedroom scenes are implied rather than explicit, and there’s no violence. Some bad language, mostly profanity.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep)

(Amazon UK link)

Browsing Amazon a while ago, I saw this DVD recommended to me. Reviews, for the most part, were good; in my experience anything starring Meryl Streep is likely to be excellent, and there was the bonus of Hugh Grant. So I put it on my wish-list, and was delighted to receive it (actually the Blu-ray edition) for a recent birthday.

‘Florence Foster Jenkins’ is about a late middle-aged woman - played by Streep - who is clearly not in the best of health. She is loved and protected by her husband who gives monologues in music halls… although we quickly learn that theirs is a rather strange relationship.

The story begins when Florence decides that she wants to take singing lessons again. There are some light-hearted scenes where they interview various applicants for the job of accompanist. The successful candidate, Cosmé McMoon (Simon Helburg), is young and dedicated, and can’t quite believe his good fortune. At least, until the first lesson, when he discovers that Florence’s singing leaves much to be desired…

I had read on the back of the blu-ray that the film is based on a true story. In a way, i wish I hadn’t known that. Part of the bittersweet humour of the film is about the way that everyone conspires to avoid letting Florence know that she really can’t sing. In a fictional setting, with reality suspended, I could have relaxed and probably enjoyed it. As it was, I kept thinking of how awful it would be if - or when - she eventually learned that her loved ones had been deceiving her.

It’s not a film for those with perfect pitch, or who find it painful to hear bad singing. I’m no musician, and I cringed at times. Meryl Streep does a wonderful job portraying Florence; as ever, she takes on the part fully, and the character felt all too flamboyantly real. Hugh Grant, too, while somewhat typecast as her husband, does very well, and Simon Helburg’s expressions as the accompanist are also a delight.

As a film, I’d give it five stars. The pace is good, the story sparkles, and the acting is excellent. But the story itself made me feel uncomfortable, hitting just a tad too close to real situations I’ve come across.

Rated PG in the UK, PG-13 in the US. Some of the implications and conversations are somewhat ‘adult’ although there is nothing explicit. Bad language is minimal and there is no violence; drinking and smoking are commonplace. Based on the content I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under the age of at least twelve.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 (Nia Vardalos)

(Amazon UK link)

Sequels to films can be a disappointment, so I didn’t take much notice when I heard that ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2’ was being produced. It didn’t even have an original title; we very much enjoyed the first ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’, but I expected that this version would be a pale imitation, or perhaps the same over again.

However, reviews were favourable, so when the DVD became available and the price wasn’t too high, I put it on my wishlist, and was given it for Christmas. We were hoping to see it with our younger son but he hasn’t been around for a while, so last night we watched it with some friends who also liked the first film.

The story involves the same family, but takes place ten years after the epilogue to the first film. Toula (Nia Vardalos) and Ian (John Corbett) are still happily married, although they don’t see much of each other; their daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) is now 17, and starting to look at university applications. Her grandparents want her to marry a Greek boy, but, like her mother, she wants to be independent and make her own decisions.

The ‘wedding’ in this movie takes place towards the end and turns the story upside down; it’s an amusing twist, although most of the reviews I had read gave spoilers, so I knew it was coming. It didn’t matter, really; the preparations, and the closeness of the Greek family remain amusing, with interludes in the family restaurant, and a couple of episodes where even small children have fun trying to find Greek derivations for words in the English language.

There’s plenty of humour that made us smile, including one or two places where we laughed aloud. Greek culture is clearly caricatured, but so is American culture, and the clashes between the two are shown, although not as obviously as in the first film. And yes, there's much that's a re-hash of what worked so well in the original movie - but we didn't have a problem with that.

It’s a story about marriage, primarily; about the kind of relationship that lasts decades, moving through difficulties and arguments, finding what loyalty and long-lasting love really mean. As such I thought it quite uplifting, in a light-hearted way. Of course some of the scenes are exaggerated, although having lived for nearly 20 years in a country that’s culturally Greek, they’re not as caricatured as some would assume.

It’s also about the balance of culture and freedom, of the empowerment of women, and of the difficulties of letting go of teenagers. But they’re not issues that are pushed; they’re there to be picked up or ignored. The film moves at a good pace, and I found myself quite involved in the family dynamics, oddly disappointed when it ended.

All in all, I thought it was a good film, and pleasant for a relaxed evening’s viewing without too much brain power needed. It helps to have seen the first film, but probably isn’t essential.

Rated 12 (12A in the US) which I think is about right. While there's no nudity or violence, and I didn't notice any bad language at all, there are several suggestive scenes and references, and frank discussions about making babies that would be irrelevant and possibly embarrassing to younger children.

Definitely recommended.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

She's the One (Edward Burns, Mike McGlone)

(Amazon UK link)

From time to time I browse the recommendations on Amazon, wondering what new books or DVDs might be recommended. In one such exploration, they suggested I might like this film: it’s twenty years old but I hadn’t previously heard of it. Reviews were mixed, but I quite like some of the actors mentioned, so I put it on my wishlist and was given it for Christmas.

‘She’s the One’ is about two Italian-American brothers called Micky (Edward Burns) and Francis (Mike McGlone). Their father is likeable but quite controlling, and this has led to them veering in different directions career-wise. Micky, who is mostly quite laid-back, is a taxi driver in New York, while Francis has become a high-flying and materialistic businessman.

We soon learn that Francis is married to an attractive woman (Jennifer Aniston) but has mostly lost interest in her. This is apparently because he spends so much time working, even taking his computer to bed. Micky is not married. He was once engaged, but walked out on his fiancee after he found her in a compromising position with someone else…

To say more would be a spoiler in a film that’s rather low on plot anyway. The two main subplots (a new romance for Micky, and the reason why Francis rejects his wife’s advances) are so bizarre in their detail that they provide the main interest. I’m glad we didn’t read the back of the DVD case, as it gives the entire plot in a couple of sentences.

We were a bit bemused at first, as unlikely events start rolling out. Mickey seems like a likeable person, although as we gradually discover, he and his brother have a love-hate relationship that involves a lot of jealousies and rivalry. Francis, however, is one of the most unpleasant, self-centred characters I can recall seeing on a film of this kind. He does not seem to have any redeeming features; he even chain smokes.

Cameron Diaz plays another extremely selfish and unpleasant character, one who made me cringe in almost every scene involving her. Chemistry is lacking between the various couples, and to have two out of the five principles dislikable made it a strange film to watch.

On the plus side, the pace of the film is good; it’s just over an hour and a half long, and it doesn’t flag. There are some amusing lines too, several that made us smile and one or two that made us chuckle. The ending is positive and encouraging, at least as far as one of the storylines goes.

The amount of bad language and innuendo is excessive in my view and in most cases unnecessary, other than to give this a 15 rating (R in the United States) despite minimal violence and no overt sexuality or nudity. I can’t imagine it would appeal to anyone under the age of 15 anyway.

As a commentary on modern society (or, at any rate, the society of the mid-1990s when this was produced) it's a bit depressing, but perhaps the conclusion makes up for it.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Man Up (Lake Bell, Simon Pegg)

(Amazon UK link)

Once again, this is a DVD that was recommended to me by Amazon, so I put it on my wishlist. I was given it for Christmas, and we decided to watch it last night. 

Billed as a ‘romantic comedy’, however we were aware that this phrase covers all sorts, from bittersweet poignant films with just the odd moment of wry humour through to those where the romance is minimal and the comedy element, whether humorous or not, more significant.

However, ‘Man Up’ managed to fit the bill perfectly. The storyline is that of a potential romance: it takes place over just one day. There’s humour too, with a somewhat ridiculous premise: a girl ends up on someone else’s blind date.

Nancy (Lake Bell) is fed up of dating and heartbreak, and as we meet her at the start of the film, she is keen to avoid too much partying or being set up with guys. On the train, on the way to help her parents celebrate an important anniversary, she realises someone has left a book behind. 

In an attempt to return the book, she is mistaken for the girl concerned by the rather nervous Jack (Simon Pegg). He thinks she is Jessica, a friend-of-a-friend ten years younger than Nancy, and Nancy doesn’t get a chance to tell him the truth at first. Before long, she doesn’t want to…

The film then takes them to bars and clubs, as they get to know each other and find a great deal in common. It could have been silly or trite, but the dialogue is fast-paced and the chemistry between the two is exceptionally strong. There are humorous moments, although nothing that made us laugh aloud, and the whole is a light-hearted romp, with dramatic tension as we know that, at some point, Nancy is going to have to confess…

I was surprised how much I enjoyed this film, as the story itself is pretty thin, and there is rather more bad language than I’m comfortable with. There's also a great deal of innuendo, most of which isn’t necessary, and which is - I assume - what gives it a 15 rating in the UK, and as high as R in the United States. There’s no nudity as such, nor any scenes of intimacy or violence. It could have been suitable for younger teenagers and I thought it a pity that the writer and director felt it necessary to include so many overt sexual references and swearing.

Still, that’s my only gripe. Inevitably there are caricatures: I thought Nancy’s parents rather too sweet, and the real Jessica (Ophelia Lovibond) is sickly-sweet, self-centred and not very intelligent. The barman Sean (Rory Kinnear) would be creepy if he wasn’t so exaggerated. But it doesn’t matter; the two principals work so well together that the rest are in the background, and reality can be somewhat suspended for the course of the film.

We watched the documentary on the DVD after the end of the film, and were astounded to learn that Lake Bell is American; while there are hints of that in the way she plays Nancy, we would not have guessed from her accent, which sounds flawlessly British.

Recommended, if you don’t mind the ‘adult’ content.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson)

(Amazon UK link)

We had a bit more time available than usual, so decided to watch a film that’s been waiting in our drawer for quite some time. I was reluctant at first to see the Harry Potter films; I did watch the first couple at the cinema, but found the second one rather disturbing, and when I heard that the later ones were ‘darker’, I determined not to see them.

However they came out on DVD, and since I have enjoyed the books so much, we decided to acquire the DVD versions to watch at home - a much less disturbing scenario than the cinema. It’s a while since we watched the fifth in the series, ‘Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix’, but despite the dark ending I thought it excellent. So finally we sat down to watch the sixth film.

It’s some time since I’ve read the book ‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’, indeed more than time for a re-read. But the benefit of that is that although I remembered the main plot points, and the dramatic ending, I have forgotten all the details and conversations, so wasn’t disturbed by finding the film - as is inevitably the case - rather different from the film.

The story opens with high drama, as parts of London are being destroyed, and people are becoming terrified. We don’t meet Harry at the Dursleys this time; instead Professor Dumbledore takes him on some visits, in particular trying to persuade an old friend, Professor Slughorn, to come and work at Hogwarts.

After a short stay at his friend Ron Weasley’s, with yet more problems arising, Harry and friends set out for school, discovering high security everywhere.

There’s not much action taking place in the classroom, other than the lab where Harry discovers an old textbook that belonged to the mysterious ‘half-blood prince’. He is now clearer as to what his destiny is likely to be, and a lot more grown up than in previous films.

There’s low-key love interest in the book, with some jealousies and a lot of ‘snogging’, though mostly off-stage and what’s scene is fairly discreet. There’s minor bad language too, in a few places, but the reason for the UK ‘12’ rating is, I assume, that there’s a lot of suspense and some violence, with a lot that would be very disturbing if seen by a sensitive child who did not know what was coming. The US rating is PG, perhaps because there's no 'strong' language, or nudity.

The acting is excellent, and I found myself caught up in the story, hardly noticing two and a half hours going by. The pace was rapid but not so much that I got lost; it helps, of course, to have read the book, and to have been aware of what happened earlier in the series.

All in all we thought it extremely well done, preparing the way for the finale, which is in two parts and which we have still to watch.

Highly recommended, but in my opinion it's best to watch the earlier ones (or read the books) first.

Reviews of the other Harry Potter films:

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 1)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (part 2)

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

As Good As It Gets (Jack Nicholson)

(Amazon UK link)

This is another of those films that was recommended to me by Amazon based on my previous viewing preferences. It sounded intriguing so I put it on my wishlist, and was given it for Christmas. We decided to watch it last night.

‘As good as it gets’ stars Jack Nicholson as the obsessive-compulsive Melvin. He isn’t just paranoid about germs and cracks in the roads; he is an aggressively unpleasant and bigoted man who is rude to - and about - everyone he comes across. However, and rather bizarrely, he is also a highly successful romantic novelist.

One of his neighbours (Greg Kinnear) is an artist with a dog whom Melvin particularly dislikes. However after a very unpleasant incident, Melvin finds himself looking after the dog… and slowly a slightly more human side emerges. I found Melvin decidedly annoying at first: not for his OCD but for his extreme rudeness, and never really warmed to him.

The storyline is all rather unlikely, involving a waitress (Helen Hunt) in a restaurant who tolerates Melvin’s strange quirks. Minor characters include a sick child, a flamboyant agent, a somewhat clingy (though helpful) mother, and a friendly doctor. They are all somewhat caricatured, which made it easy to remember who was whom.

The film was made in 1997 so it’s inevitably somewhat dated - the old-fashioned telephones are a giveaway clue. Moreover, some of the racist, homophobic and other similarly bigoted lines, while presumably meant to be funny, are a bit shocking; as are the cheers when someone is thrown out of a restaurant.

Still, there’s a little slapstick humour and some nicely done asides that work well. Overall it’s quite a light-hearted film despite the one scene of violence and some quite serious issues. It’s very well made, and while I found it hard to see any chemistry between the two main characters, it was overall an enjoyable film. Helen Hunt and Greg Kinnear are both excellent, but I never entirely believed in Jack Nicholson, even though he delivers some of the best lines (and won an Oscar for his role).

The rating is 15 which I would say is right: while there are no extreme scenes of intimacy or overt nudity, there’s a great deal that’s implied, and a lot of suggestive (and indeed overt) dialogue. There is one violent scene and also a few instances of ‘strong’ language. In the United States the rating is PG-13, which surprised me, as their censors are usually stricter than those in the UK.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews<

How about you? (Hayley Atwell)

(Amazon UK link)

This is one of the DVDs that Amazon recommended to me some months ago, based on what I liked already. The blurb suggested a feel-good film with some humour as well as some more serious parts. The front cover suggested a light Christmassy story. I put it on my wishlist, and was given it for Christmas.

We were tired last night and wanted to watch something short and fairly light. At just under 90 minutes, ‘How about you?’ looked as if it would be ideal. I was particularly interested to note that it’s based on a story by Maeve Binchy; I couldn’t recall it, but, later, found it in her short story collection ‘This Year it will be Different’.

The film is almost all set in a care home for the elderly, run - and owned - by a young woman called Kate (Orla Brady). She’s constantly stressed, because four of her long-term residents are rude and unhelpful. This means that potential newcomers are put off, some current residents are so upset that they leave, and even staff don’t stick around. Finances are tight and there’s a constant threat of being closed down by the overzealous health and safety officer.

It’s nicely produced with a good pace, but the first half hour is quite depressing rather than humorous. It doesn’t help when Kate’s younger and somewhat irresponsible sister Ellie (Hayley Attwell) asks for a job. She persuades Kate to take her on despite a tense relationship, and Ellie comes up against the unpleasant quartet more than once.

As Christmas approaches, most of the residents leave to stay with family and friends, and staff are given a break. Kate expects to stay with the four difficult folk. But then an emergency crops up and Ellie, to her horror, is left in charge.

Two of the people who remain are the spinster sisters, Heather (Brenda Fricker) and Hazel (Imelda Staunton). They spend their time bickering and being rude in a loud way. Then Georgia (Vanessa Redgrave) makes constant demands for cocktails, and plays the diva whenever she can. The fourth of the difficult quartet is Donald (Joss Ackland), who expects a cooked breakfast at 6.00 every morning...

Naturally enough, as it’s supposed to be a feel-good film, Ellie’s outspokenness breaks down some barriers, although she also creates more tensions in other ways. The second half of the film is somewhat lighter than the first part, and there are moments that made us smile, although it certainly isn’t ‘hilarious’ as the blurb suggests.

The film is darker and, in places, sadder than the original story. While the ending was positive and quite encouraging, we wished we had been aware that it was a serious film with one or two lighter moments rather than being a light-hearted one overall.

The acting is great, the pace just right, the music works well, even if the repetition of the title song becomes a trifle old. I liked the mild Irish accents too. There were several instances of ‘strong’ language, which, along with some recreational drug usage, gives this film a 15 rating in the UK; neither feature in Binchy’s original story.

On the whole we enjoyed it, and will no doubt see it again some time.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews

Along Came Polly (Ben Stiller, Jennifer Aniston)

(Amazon UK link)

We were staying with relatives for a few days, and they suggested watching a DVD one evening. We had not heard of this one, but it was a new arrival in the household and we hoped that it would make an undemanding, possibly amusing watch for ninety minutes or so.

‘Along came Polly’ stars Ben Stiller as a rather uptight risk assessor called Reuben. It opens, as the titles are showing, with scenes from his wedding day to the ‘perfect’ Lisa, a girl he has wooed gradually over four years. The film proper starts when they are on the beach on the first day of their honeymoon… and disaster, for Reuben, ensues.

Confused and hurt he returns home and is persuaded by his close friend Sandy (Philip Seymour Hoffman) to go to a social event, where he bumps into Polly (Jennifer Aniston), someone he has not seen since junior high school. He takes this as a sign that he should perhaps move on and start dating again, but he is very nervous indeed…

Polly turns out to be Reuben’s polar opposite, a free spirit who lives a bohemian life, and who likes to take all kinds of risks. Alongside their growing relationship Reuben is trying to evaluate whether or not his company should ensure a wealthy businessman who spends his leisure time taking as many dangerous risk as possible.

Most of the humour is mild slapstick, with some rather uncomfortable bathroom scenes that I didn’t find amusing at all. I also really didn’t like the way that Polly’s elderly ferret kept bumping into things. But still, the chemistry is good between the two principals, and there’s some nice scripting. The film moves at a good pace, and if the ending is somewhat predictable, it’s satisfactory.

As a story about opposites attracting, it’s perhaps caricatured; most of the minor characters and subplots are strongly so. Nonetheless it gives rise to some interesting questions about how far it makes sense to avoid risks, and what commitment means.

The film is rated 12 (PG-13 in the US), presumably for bedroom scenes and implications, and a bit of rear-view nudity. There's minor violence a couple of times too, but I don't recall any 'strong' language, which is quite refreshing for a film made this century. Unlikely to be of any interest to children, other than perhaps the unpleasant bathroom scenes.

A pleasant evening’s light viewing, but not a film I’d necessarily want to see again.

Review copyright 2017 Sue's DVD Reviews