Evening (Vanessa Redgrave, Claire Danes)

(Amazon UK link)

We’re mostly re-watching films that we haven’t seen for eight or nine years, most of which we have almost entirely forgotten. One of the DVDs I moved to our ‘watch soon’ drawer is ‘Evening’. Neither of us had any memory of having seen it before, although we saw it in October 2014. So we decided to watch it last night. During the film some parts did come back to us, including the inevitable final outcome.

Vanessa Redgrave is perfect as Ann, the central character, drifting in and out of consciousness as she lies, dying, in her bedroom. We don’t learn what’s wrong with her, and it doesn’t much matter. She looks suitably old and frail, visited by her adult daughters Constance (Natasha Richardson) and Nina (Toni Collette). It wasn’t until we saw the ‘extras’ that we discovered that Natasha Richardson is Vanessa Redgrave’s daughter in real life.

As Ann thinks about her life, which she feels hasn’t been all that worthwhile, she recalls vividly a weekend about fifty years earlier when she was chief bridesmaid at her friend Lila’s wedding. The young Ann is played by Claire Danes, and Lila by Mamie Gummer. Lila is from a wealthy family, and Ann apparently hasn’t visited their huge house before. She arrives with Lila’s younger brother Buddy (Hugh Dancy) whom she clearly knows well, and who shows her around. Buddy, we quickly learn, is not happy - he drinks far too much and tries to turn everything into a joke.

Then there’s Harris (Patrick Wilson) who grew up as the son of one of the family servants. But Buddy treated him like a brother, and Harris has long left home and is qualified as a doctor. Lila was in love with Harris as a teenager, and Buddy thinks she still is… so he pleads with Ann to stop her getting married to someone whom she likes and respects very much, but isn’t in love with.

I found the storyline a bit confusing at first, switching as it does between the present Ann on her deathbed and the young, vivacious Ann who’s a little awkward as a person, but a beautiful singer. I couldn’t remember whether the wedding went ahead or not, or what happened with Harris, or Buddy, though there are hints quite early in the book suggesting that not everything is going to turn out well during the wedding weekend.

By the time I’d been watching for about ten minutes, I was completely hooked by this film which is beautifully made. It could have been morose or depressing, but instead it’s encouraging and ultimately quite uplifting. There’s a little bit of low-key humour - the elderly Ann, a couple of times, sees her staid night-nurse (Eileen Atkins) as someone angelic - or perhaps a fairy - although even these scenes are laced with poignancy.

The sisters Constance and Nina seem to squabble unpleasantly in a way I found unbelievable when we first saw this. But now, realising that it stemmed partly from their grief, and partly their unusual and sometimes stressful upbringing (as well as quite stark personality differences) it felt realistic, albeit sad; yet even these acrimonious interchanges are alternated with evidence of deep connection between the two.

Meryl Streep makes a brief appearance towards the end, as the adult Lila - and, as I had recalled, Streep is the actual mother of Mamie Gummer who plays young Lila, so that worked exceptionally well.  Lila and Ann share a moving scene that mirrors a similar one from the morning of Lila’s wedding day.

All in all, we thought it a lovely film despite the subject matter, and appreciated the extras - a few deleted scenes that were well worth seeing, and a good ‘making of’ documentary that wasn’t too long.

The rating is 12 (PG-13 in the US) which seems about right; there’s nothing explicit and only one instance of ‘strong’ language, but there are a couple of quite disturbing scenes and the subject matter isn’t appropriate for children.

Highly recommended.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Marley and Me (Jennifer Aniston, Owen Wilson)

(Amazon UK link)

We’re enjoying a spate of re-watching DVDs we last saw six or seven years ago, some of which we had entirely forgotten. Last night we decided on the 2008 film ‘Marley and Me’, which promised to be ‘warm, funny and deeply moving’ according to the front of the box. We first saw this in 2014, and while I had a memory of a rather sad ending, neither of us had any recall of the story, or the characters.

The film features a young married couple called John (Owen Wilson) and Jenny Grogan (Jennifer Aniston). The chemistry between them is excellent, starting with a few shots right after their wedding, where we learn that Jenny is an organised, scheduled kind of person who sees her future life in a series of steps. John, by contrast, is quite laid back. Both of them work as writers for different newspapers, although it’s quickly evident that Jenny is being featured rather more than John is.

But John’s time comes when he’s offered a temporary slot with a personal column, and discovers he has quite a gift for this kind of thing. He’s a bit concerned that Jenny is getting broody… so he decides to buy her a dog for her birthday. Marley is a delightful, loving puppy… but very mischievous. He chews everything he finds, knocks people over, and is generally rambunctious and exhausting. And he keeps growing…

The story follows the Grogan family over the next twelve years or so, with some heartbreak, some major stresses and a great deal of happiness as the longed-for babies arrive and start to grow up. Marley is protective and loving of the children, but continues causing havoc wherever he goes. There are many amusing scenes which made us  laugh aloud: in particular one where he tries to jump out of a car window and almost succeeds…

But although there’s a lot of slapstick, there’s also some poignancy. Marley shows himself to be aware of people being upset, and despite his many faults - his family consider him the worst dog in the world - he’s very loving. We’re not ‘dog people’ but we found some parts quite moving, particularly the end. It’s foreshadowed a few times, and beautifully done, but could be upsetting to sensitive folk.

The rating is PG which is a tad surprising as there are quite a few innuendoes, a dog humping furniture, and a couple of scenes where, while nothing explicit is shown, it’s clear what is going on. There’s also a brief scene describing some violence relating to a neighbour, with a petrified, sobbing teenager; I’m not sure why that scene is in the film as it doesn’t seem to have any significance other than to prod John to consider moving.

The language is relatively mild although there are some profanities; but the scene at the end could be very upsetting to children with pets. I wouldn’t personally recommend this to anyone below the age of about twelve, and even then it would depend on the teenager in question.

However, from our point of view it was a great film, well made with a clever script and great acting. We very much appreciated the fact that John and Jenny were committed to each other long-term, despite several arguments and stressful periods in their marriage. It’s a positive message, one that is all too often absent in modern films.

There are a lot of extras on our DVD; we didn’t watch all of them, but were very interested to learn that there were 22 different dogs who played Marley, and to see some of the performances from the perspective of the dog trainers. Some of the deleted scenes added to the story, too and we weren’t entirely sure why they weren’t included, other than to cut the running time.

Definitely recommended for adults and teens if you like a somewhat different kind of character-based film, which was apparently based on a real life reporter and his dog, and if you don’t mind some very poignant scenes as well as the humour.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Gambit (Colin Firth)

(Amazon UK link)

We wanted something light-weight to watch, preferably amusing, and without any deep emotional pulling of heartstrings. Too much trauma is going on in the real world at present and we needed a couple of hours of escapism. Looking through our shelves, I pulled out ‘Gambit’, a film we saw back in 2014 but had entirely forgotten. With an all-star cast and a blurb suggesting it was essentially a comedy, it seemed like a good choice.

Colin Firth is the main character in this 2012 film set mostly in the UK. He is superbly cast as Harry Deane, an art curator who works for an arrogant, rude multi-millionaire called Lionel - also perfectly played by Alan Rickman. Harry is friendly with The Major (Tom Courtenay) who is an excellent artist, and who has made copies of some well-known paintings that are almost indistinguishable from the originals.

So Harry has come up with a cunning plan to fool his boss into paying millions for a copy of a painting he has been looking at. He plots a careful strategy involving a cowgirl called PJ Puznowski (Cameron Diaz) and everything seems to be going as he expected… until we realised that the first part of the film, much of it narrated by The Major, is his imagination.

The story then moves to reality.  It contrasts rather dramatically with the planned smooth-running heist and is all the more amusing due to knowing what Harry had hoped for. He is punched in the face several times by different people, finds PJ much louder and more outspoken than he had expected, and ends up spending significant amounts of money that he can’t afford. He also has an unpleasant time when he’s locked in a hotel laundry room…

Stanley Tucci has a part too, as another art curator, and there are some amusing scenes with a group of Japanese men with whom Lionel wants to do business. We very much liked scenes in the Savoy Hotel (the real hotel in London was, apparently used) involving two increasingly bemused but very professional staff on the desk, dealing competently with the most unlikely of circumstances.

The script and timing are excellent. Colin Firth plays everything straight faced, even when innuendoes abound at times, in his somewhat typical role as a slightly anxious but very intelligent man. Alan Rickman is utterly obnoxious, oozing charm when he wants to, convinced he is attractive to PJ (and perhaps he is…). Cameron Diaz could have been born to the part too - her Texan accent sounds flawless to me, and her chemistry with both the main male roles is entirely believable.

It’s a ridiculous story, of course, with extra humour from incidents including asides, misunderstandings, the loss of some trousers, and a rather unusual security system for Lionel’s paintings. And the ending - which, along with the rest of the story, we had entirely forgotten - was just perfect.

‘Gambit’ is rated 12A (PG-13 in the US), perhaps because of the number of times poor Harry is punched, and some relatively mild bad language, mostly in the context of name-calling. There’s some flesh displayed too, but nothing explicit, and while there are many innuendoes, there are no bedroom scenes at all.

There’s an interesting ‘extra’ on our DVD about the making of the film, though it’s mostly about the choice of cast, and why they got involved in the film.

Definitely recommended if you want a light-hearted but reasonably intelligent comedy with a well-known cast.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Life as we know it (Katherine Heigl, Josh Duhamel)

(Amazon UK link)

I don’t remember where ‘Life as we know it’ was recommended to me; perhaps Amazon thought I would like it based on films I have previously enjoyed. Anyway, I had it on my wishlist, and was given it for Christmas last year. We watched with no idea what to expect, although the style of the DVD cover suggested a light rom-com. I don’t usually read the blurb so as not to spoil any surprises.

We found the start of the film a bit confusing, with several young people all speaking very rapidly with strong American accents. Gradually we worked out that there were four main characters: a couple with a baby called Sophie, and their two closest friends who are the baby’s godparents. The only problem is that the godparents - Holly (Katherine Heigl) and Messer (Josh Duhamel) really, really don’t like each other.

Something unexpected and terrible happens, which results in Holly and Messer having to share looking after Sophie, who is just past her first birthday. They both love her, but have no idea how to look after a baby: there are some mildly amusing scenes as they attempt to feed her, change nappies, and so on. It’s quite cute, mainly because Sophie is an absolute delight. Unfortunately there are no extras to this, other than some deleted scenes, as we would have liked a documentary explaining how this worked so very well. However, according to IMDb, baby Sophie was played by triplet sisters, Alexis, Brooke and Brynn Clagett.

The plot is somewhat predictable - gradually the two become more adept at looking after Sophie, excited by her reaching various milestones, and gradually they realise that actually they do rather like each other. There are stresses as they try to juggle their careers and private lives, and some quite amusing scenes involving a social worker Janine (Sarah Burns) who tries to figure out whether or not they should have the care of Sophie - and who is clearly rooting for them, reassuring them that many cases are much more difficult, and that her role is to ensure whatever is best for Sophie.

Overall we thought it well done, made special by the baby. The script works at a good pace, and although there are some irritating parts (from the one-night stands through to trying to feed a year-old toddler blended fruit rather than regular food) it’s mostly a mixture of poignancy and fun. It’s not particularly deep or thought-provoking, and I couldn’t keep track of  everyone’s names (other than Sophie’s) - but it made a good evening’s light viewing. Some of the comic timing was excellent.

The deleted scenes were worth watching - there are quite a few of them, and while a couple are somewhat gross, others add rather nicely to the film; it’s probably right that they weren’t included, but they rounded it out well after seeing the whole.

I expect we’ll watch this again in another five or six years, by which time we’ll have forgotten pretty much everything about it.

The rating is 12 which I think is about right; the intimacies are implied rather than explicit, and there’s not too much bad language. But the theme wouldn’t be of much interest to anyone below the age of about sixteen.

Recommended in a low key way if you want something light with a touch of poignancy.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Bucket List (Morgan Freeman, Jack Nicholson)

(Amazon UK link)

I’d heard of the film ‘The Bucket List’ about ten years ago, after a friend watched it. She introduced me to the idea of a ‘Bucket List’ - things we hope to do before we ‘kick the bucket’. It’s a phrase that has become so widely used now that it’s hard to remember that it was coined by this film in 2007. We hadn’t seen the film, so when I saw a new DVD - still sealed in cellophane - at a church sale, I didn’t hesitate to pay 50 cents to buy it, and we decided to watch it last night.

Part of the reason for picking the film up is that one of the main characters is Morgan Freeman, who is one of my favourite actors. The other is Jack Nicholson, who is also well-known. I knew the outline of the story, such as it is: two terminally ill patients decide to make a list of things they have always wanted to do, and then actually do them. But I had no idea how it would all pan out.

The first twenty minutes or so of the film are so depressing that, despite the high quality acting and script, we almost stopped watching. We meet Carter (Morgan Freeman) who works as a mechanic in a garage, and Edward (Jack Nicholson) who is a high-powered millionaire businessman. Carter is clearly a likeable and highly knowledgeable man, while Edward is pushy, arrogant and loud. He owns the hospital where he is subsequently taken, and finds himself in a room with Carter.

That part is fine, but there is rather a lot of medical talk, unpleasant images of Edward reacting badly to chemotherapy (albeit from behind) and their eventual diagnoses. In the context of what’s supposed to be a light comedy drama, this seemed very heavy. Then their rapid apparent recoveries, and seeing them setting out to travel the world and fulfil their dreams (funded by Edward) feels a bit unlikely.  

But of course it’s an unlikely premise anyway. I didn’t find Edward’s character particularly believable, although I liked Carter very much. Edward is the one who pushes them to go, persuading Carter that they might as well enjoy their last few months. Carter’s wife Virginia is not convinced; she’s a nurse, and understands his illness and that she may lose him. She doesn’t want him away, possibly becoming ill again while out of the country.

The travelling part of the film is a series of short snippets - the two drive racing cars, visit the pyramids and many other landmarks that Carter had only ever dreamed of. We learn that he had wanted to be a history teacher, but took a job as mechanic when his wife learned that she was expecting their first child. He never fulfilled that dream, although his knowledge is so extensive that he is able to explain many artefacts and historical detail to Edward as they travel.

It’s well done, and in places amusing, although there’s always the diagnosis in the background, and I kept wondering when one or other of the men would show signs of becoming ill again. There’s an excellent supporting character in Thomas (Sean Hayes) who is Edward’s PA, treated badly at times but willing to speak his mind too. Gradually Edward does start to think more of Carter and his family than himself, although he remains quite self-centred.

I did appreciate the way that Morgan Freeman’s character is so likeable, with a strong Christian faith which he only mentions when directly asked. There are a few brief conversations about the nature of faith and God, and he isn’t at all pushy. But he’s clearly lived an upright, moral and loving life; and while he’s a bit disillusioned with his marriage and family, an incident happens that puts it all into perspective.

The ending of the film is perhaps a tad schmaltzy, but that’s fine. Given that it’s (predictably) not a happy ending, I thought it well done, with one of the characters, at least, finding hope for the future. And it’s really the only ‘story’ part. The idea of a ‘bucket list’ was novel when it was introduced; the film made a great impression on my friend ten years ago. But now, with the phrase in common parlance, and the basic plot well known, there wasn’t much that was moving or which we could relate to. If it weren’t for the excellent performances from the two main characters, I wouldn’t recommend it at all.

The rating is 12, which I think is right, given the subject matter of the film. There’s very little bad language, and nothing explicit but unlikely to be of much interest to anyone under the age of about fifty anyway.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

The Hundred-Foot Journey (Manish Dayal)

(Amazon UK link)

About five and a half years ago, I watched ‘The Hundred-Foot Journey’ at a friend’s house. I liked it so much that I put it on my wishlist, and was subsequently given it by one of my relatives. But as I had seen it already, I didn’t pull it out to watch with my husband until this week.

My only memory of the story was that it was about a restaurant, and that there was some conflict. I had entirely forgotten the storyline, and in particular the traumatic opening scenes. There’s a major conflict in India, and a family who own a popular restaurant are forced to flee. Sadly one of the family dies in the fire, so they are grieving as well as running for their lives.

There’s a brief stay in London, and then they decide to try mainland Europe, with all their belongings packed into a rickety van. Inevitably it starts to go wrong… and they meet the delightful Marguerite (Charlotte Le Bon) who gives them shelter and some French food. She works at a local restaurant, which is owned by the imposing Madame Mallory (brilliantly played by Helen Mirren), rather a high class place which boasts of a Michelin star.

The family head, known as Papa (Om Puri) decides to buy a derelict building, just a hundred feet over the road from Madame Mallory’s place. It was formerly a restaurant, so he is convinced it can be rebuilt… but, unsurprisingly, some of the locals object. There’s quite a disturbing amount of racism as well as ignorance of Indian cuisine, and the rivalry between the two restaurants is quite intense, unpleasant at times.

Helen Mirren is billed as the star of this, but although she is excellent, Manish Dayal is the main character. He plays Hassan, the son of the family most dedicated to cooking. The story really revolves around him as he takes on the role of family provider, while accepting his father’s leadership and sometimes strange decisions. He works hard at his craft, and also studies late at night to learn about the secrets of French cuisine. He also finds himself very attracted to Marguerite - and yet competing with her, at the same time, as a chef.

There are some stresses in the film, as tensions rise; racism is an ongoing thread, and there are some good contrasts between the different cultures and cooking styles of Europeans and Indians. There’s humour too; not laugh-aloud jokes or slapstick, but amusing comments or actions, which give relief to the heightened tension as the Indian family fight to make their dream fulfilled.

I had not recalled any of the threads of the plot, so found myself enjoying it all over again. The acting is flawless, the people believable, and the pace suited us perfectly. We both thought it an excellent film. It’s rated PG but I can’t imagine it would be of any interest to children or younger teens unless they have a passion for cookery. I would have thought 12 would be a more suitable rating. There’s very little bad language and no scenes of intimacy beyond a kiss, but there’s violence and some quite disturbing sections of the film, particularly at the beginning.

However, for older teens and adults, I would recommend 'The Hundred-Foot Journey' very highly.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews

Man Up (Lake Bell)

(Amazon UK link)

We couldn’t remember the film ‘Man Up’, which was sitting on our shelves, although as it turns out, we first saw it as recently as five years ago. Indeed, I started to recognise scenes and storylines as we watched, but I had entirely forgotten the outcome, and most of the detail.

Lake Bell stars as the somewhat nerdy and gauche Nancy. We meet her in a hotel room, trying on make-up and practising introductory phrases… and then she decides she really doesn’t want to join in a huge, noisy Hawaiian themed party which she has been invited to. This is partly because it’s really not her scene, but also partly because her friends are setting her up with a man who they think will be perfect for her.

She joins the party and he is far from perfect. We next see her in the train, on the way to another party; this time to celebrate her parents’ fortieth anniversary. Her sister keeps calling her, worried that she might not turn up, although it transpires that Nancy is usually quite predictable and reliable. She gets into conversation with a girl on the train, who leaves a book behind…

Nancy tries to find the girl to return the book, knowing she needs it in order to meet someone. This leads to a sequence of misunderstandings which result in her pretending to be the other girl, without actually stating it, and spending the day with Jack (Simon Pegg). They get along well, both of them a bit awkward but gradually discovering things in common including a passion for ten-pin bowling.

Into the plot comes the sleazy Sean (Rory Kinnear) who remembers Nancy from secondary school, and always had a crush on her… a crush which turned into a somewhat creepy obsession. I didn’t find him amusing at all, although I think he was meant to be. Instead he comes across as a complete loser with a mind in the gutter and a bizarre sense of entitlement.

There’s not a whole lot of plot - the film is less than 90 minutes, and basically covers a single day where a great deal of alcohol is consumed, and the two main characters discover they rather like each other… but when Jack eventually learns the truth about Nancy, he is determined to meet the real Jessica, while Nancy gets to her parents’ party, albeit very late.

The acting is good, if exaggerated at times, although I couldn’t really relate to Nancy, who’s such a mixture of naivety (despite being 34) and confidence - she seems to take any opportunity to talk in adult language.

And yes, there’s an inevitable epilogue to this, one that I thought was well done if a tad ridiculous, and quite amusing. Unfortunately, although the film was free of any violence or overt scenes of intimacy, there were almost continual references to sexual activities, and a fair amount of bad language. I didn’t feel any of it was necessary - we really didn’t need to know Nancy’s theories or past, and it all rather detracts from the emotional impact of the film which is about taking chances, being spontaneous, and trusting instincts.

So the rating of 15 is about right; not that it would be of much interest to anyone younger. I would have liked it better if the language and innuendoes had been more subtle or even non-existent. But perhaps the producers didn’t want it to be rated 12. In the stricter ratings of the US, this film is rated R which does seem a tad excessive.

We didn’t watch the ‘extra’ on the DVD this time.

You can read detailed information about this film, and a short trailer, at the IMDb site: Man Up. 

Review copyright 2022 Sue's DVD Reviews