I enjoyed an afternoon with "Mr. Wonderful"

Here, anyway, I'm speaking of the movie and not Sean ;)

This was actually something I watched a few weeks ago...something that had languished on my TiVo queue for a while...for one of those days when I was in the mood for what looked to be a predictable rom-com. Well, that day came and I was not disappointed--it was a good movie with a great cast. One thing I liked - the movie wasn't trying too hard...you knew what you were in for and even had a pretty good idea how the movie would end. This is not always a bad thing particularly when the story is told by actors like Matt Dillon, Annabella Sciorra, Mary-Louise Parker and William Hurt with good turns from a pre-Law & Order Vincent D'Onofrio and James Gandolfini years before his career-defining Tony Soprano role--these two just look so young here! (Film was released in '93 but these two, and William Hurt, look like kids).

The premise in this film is that Gus (Matt Dillon, as a Con Ed electrician) wants to go in with his friends and buy and restore a rundown bowling alley but, in order to contribute his share, he needs to find his ex-wife, Lee (Annabella Sciorra), a new husband so he can stop paying alimony. So, with her eventual permission, he sets about finding her a "Mr. Wonderful". The one problem? There is still some chemistry, or electricity, between the former spouses....who knows what will happen? ;)

As I said...nothing remarkable here...no big twist...just good storytelling with a great cast...not a surprise when you find out that this was directed by the late Anthony Minghella. An easy one to get into and all the actors I mentioned are just terrific, particularly Mary-Louise Parker as Gus's girlfriend. And, good use of NYC as a character. I also liked the music, too - struck me as the type of soundtrack that really had an 80's feel to it.

Perfect flick for a relaxing Saturday or Sunday afternoon.


SEE

Netfly

You ask? Well, the plural of Netflix, of course :) I figure it's gotta be like syllabus with the plural being syllabi as opposed to syllabuses (though this is accepted, even preferred by some). Same here - Netflixes just seems awkward to say.

Anyway...I'm excited that I have some new ones shipping today. En route are "Bride Wars", "Frost/Nixon" and "Marley & Me". I'm know Sean will have no interest whatsoever in the first flick although I'm actually not sure what my interest level will be--between the reviews I had read and what I had heard from friends...the word on this one is not great - hackneyed, a waste of talent (particularly with regard to Anne Hathaway, after her brilliant turn in "Rachel Getting Married", and Candice Bergen), and just shallow. Still, I did want to see it since I generally like Kate Hudson in comedies and having just gotten married in the fall thought it might be fun to see some of the wedding couture. As you see, not necessarily holding out high hopes for this one, but maybe it will surprise me.

In the event that "Bride Wars" is a bomb, I think the other two selections should hold their own. I've heard from several people that "Marley & Me" with Jennifer Aniston & Owen Wilson is funny & endearing. And, "Frost/Nixon" sounds like it will be a winner - it's directed by Ron Howard, whose efforts I generally like, and Frank Langella's performance as Nixon is purported to be brilliant.

I will keep you updated as to which, if any, of these Netflix are truly Netfly! ;)

"Respect the Process" and See "I Love You, Man"!!

I'm not even sure where in the movie the 'Respect the process' line is from...but it doesn't matter; what I am sure of is this--you will LOVE this movie!! My only condition to this recommendation - you must already like the comedy of Judd Apatow, Will Ferrell, Jason Segel, Seth Rogen, etc. In the event you don't find their silly, slightly immature, often raunchy, brilliant humor uproariously, fall-out-of-your seat funny then you just saved yourself $8-12 on a ticket (depending on your location).

Great comedic pairing of Jason Segel & Paul Rudd in the leads. Peter (Paul Rudd) has just become engaged to Zooey (Rashida Jones, formerly of "The Office") and it becomes painfully obvious that while she is easily able to gather eight of her closest friends to be bridesmaids, Peter has no one to stand up as his best man. As his family explains, 'he's always been more of a girlfriend guy'. So, he sets out to find a best friend. He receives some help along the way from his gay brother, Robbie (a very funny Andy Samberg) as well as from his mother (the wonderful Jane Curtin). Peter eventually meets Sydney (Jason Segel) and it's love at first sight. Sydney is everything that Peter is not - casual, cool, goes with the flow - and he seems to have a confidence in himself that Peter is missing. It's a great pairing and these two actors are two of my comedic favorites--I loved Rudd's work for years - "40 Year Old Virgin", "Anchorman" - and Segel is great as part of the ensemble cast of "How I Met Your Mother" and really carried the lead in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall", another great comedy with so many funny supporting cast (including Kenneth from "30 Rock"!). "I Love You, Man" also includes Jon Favreau & Jamie Pressly in smaller roles - both are funny and make the most of their material, particularly Favreau. Finally - as an added bonus - if you've ever liked Rush (or known people who have!)...well, they're featured in this movie as well.

I think an IMDB user summed up "I Love You, Man" best by saying - 'I loved it, man'. Me, too.


SEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!