Is it 4pm? Did I just get home from school? Did I just turn on PBS? Is this an after school special? Or an after school punishment! "Life As a House" is one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. In any movie, most character arc's take a long time to happen, nothing happens overnight. In the beginning of the movie the character will be a tough angry person, and near the end we'll see that they've changed their ways. But the son in this movie changes faster than a politician seeking office. To me, it was more like a soap opera than a movie, with all the sleeping around, the forced one liners, and the unreal circumstances. There were some good parts to the movie, but the best part of the movie was seeing how bad it would get. I will admit, it was memorable, that is for sure.
60. Role Models
When asking advice about whether to see this or not, believe that there is quite a bit of crude language and behavior. It was not worth watching and I hope I forget some of the language and images that I saw. With that said, it did end up having a pretty good message, and if I were rating the movie based on the 2nd half, I'd say it was really good, with only minor language issues. The character was played by Jane Lynch, who I thought was hilarious in this movie. My least favorite character was Bobb'e J. Thompson, who played a troubled child. He cursed and said some crude things about women and I simply can't stand when a child actor is asked to do stuff like that. Big turnoff for me and that will be what I remember in this movie. Similar to the kids in the bouncy thing in the movie "Four Christmases"... kids doing things that adults shouldn't even be doing. While I found parts of this movie distasteful, it was still better than Life As a House, no question.
61. Evan Almighty
I was not as impressed with this movie as I was with it's predecessor "Bruce Almighty". In Bruce Almighty, the team of characters made the movie work so well, with each playing their role well, and Evan Baxter (Steve Carell) playing a support role to Jim Carrey's "Bruce". I wonder if the missing element in this film was Jim Carrey? Had he been in it, would have I liked it more? Overall, I laughed sometimes, not when they wanted me to, but I did laugh some. Knowing that Wanda Sykes was in this movie, my hopes were high, but most of her lines were so obviously written to be the "joke" of the scene, it was predictable. And I rarely laughed at whatever she said. My absolute favorite part is the portrayal of God in this movie. And actually I liked his character more in this movie than I did in "Bruce Almighty". He smiles. He laughs. He is love and compassion. He's not a cruel punisher. I think so many people in America see God as a being that rules from high above, he punishes, disciplines, and hates. While most of that is completely wrong (he does discipline and punish, I think), this movie shows characteristics of God that are refreshing and attractive. Kudos to that! This is a good family film, oh, and the way they integrated live animals into the film, remarkable! If you see it just for that, it's worth it, but I'd see it again just to see how loving and genuine the character of God is.
62. Up!
If you havent seen the movie, don't read this. Quite possibly my favorite movie this year. Someone wrote a comment on their facebook page about how remarkable it was to show such a heart wrenching love story without even using words, and I admit, they are right. Right from the get-go, I was hooked. This movie has every element that a good movie needs, drama, action, humor, love, and a proper ending. My favorite character, as I bet is true with most of you, is the bird Kevin. Loved that even when the young boy discovered the bird was a girl, he kept calling him by the name he gave the bird, Kevin. Hilarious. Really good movie, great for children, adults, senior adults. Go see it! Soon I'm going back to watch it in 3D.
63. The Wrestler
Hailed as the comeback movie for Mickey Rourke, I knew this movie would make my list eventually. And thanks to Redbox, it finally happened. I saw a few previews and trailers for this movie so I suspected I knew what it was about (and because of the title, duh) but there really wasnt much wrestling in the movie. It was more about what happened in between the characters rise to the top, and hitting the bottom of the barrel, then the return to wrestling. My first reaction once the movie ended was that I didnt like it. With so much cursing, the characters constant return to the strip club and all that entails, the drug use... not a very healthy lifestyle for him and hardly a positive influence for mine eyes. However, after discussing the movie with my friend Brad one night, I have changed my mind. Not about the cursing and drugs and nudity. I still wish there was a way to do this movie without all of that. But I love the message this movie sends: do what you love, love what you do. You see, after Mickey gets injured he takes a break from wrestling. He makes an attempt at normal life by working in a grocery store. Here is a superstar of wrestling slicing my deli meat for me. He is a personable fellow, so that makes my stop for hickory smoked turkey rather pleasant, but the guy behind the counter just doesnt fit there. Eventually Mickey realizes this and he quits in the most memorable of ways. I loved the way he went out of that store, busting bottles and burning bridges! And you know what, burning that bridge didnt matter, because he returned to what he loved, wrestling. And the final scene of him soaring off the top ropes summed up how much his character grew. I suppose he will remain a wrestler until his body just won't allow him anymore. During my talk with Brad, I wondered if they could have censored the circumstances and the trials of this man and achieved the same goal of this character and what they wanted me as a viewer to learn about him. Afterall, the content was my biggest objection, but I dont think it would have been as genuine if they censored those elements of the man's life. So consider me a fan of this movie, but don't expect me to recommend it to anyone that I care for. I can't willingly subject anyone to the unhealthy lifestyle of the character, and the potential negative influence watching this movie can have on someone.
