Category: Movies

The Last Time You Had Fun (2014)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Let’s hear it for indies that still dare to stubbornly make non-sequel/non-comic book, original films depicting real emotions & experiences.

Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Last Time You Had Fun:

Do you know how many great little movies come out every year that you never hear about? It’s sort of ridiculous. I try to focus on a lot of them on this site, but I can’t come close to keeping up with them. Some I watch and never get around to reviewing; many more just slip through the cracks.

The Last Time You Had Fun is a cute little film from Director Mo Perkins, writer Hal Haberman & Producer Drea Clark, focusing on a group of thirty-somethings on a single night in Los Angeles. That summary could be applied to about five other indie films every year, really, but that doesn’t mean that any of them are unworthy of your attention; quite the opposite. Any film reduced to its most basic plot recap sounds trite.

Featuring an ensemble cast consisting of Kyle Bornhiemer, Eliza Coupe, Mary Elizabeth Ellis and Demetri Martin, The Last Time You Had Fun is messy & complicated, just like life.

The Last Time You Had Fun follows two duos; sad sack Clark (Bornhiemer) and over-confident lawyer Will (Martin) & presumably stable Alison (Ellis) and her basket case sister Ida (Coupe).

Clark has gotten divorced earlier in the day and his best friend Will is trying to draw him out by throwing a divorce party; basically just trying to get Clark out of the house. Will succeeds in getting Clark to leave his teenage kids at home, but not in getting him to change out of his sweatpants.

Meanwhile, Alison’s seemingly normal home life is disrupted by the arrival of Ida, constantly reeling from her busted marriage and trying to sort it all out.

The four meet-cute at a wine bar and proceed to spend the night trying to reclaim some of their carefree youth.

If the picture were longer it wouldn’t be as effective; it’s great at a modest 82 minutes. The pace is just right – the action keeps moving, yet it retains that late night out vibe and the quiet moments that are so natural on an all-nighter. As the group wanders around the city trading carefree partying with brutal honesty, the constant presence of reality keeps bringing them down to Earth. They can try all sorts of “wild” things like sticking up through the moon roof of a limo “it always looks so fun in the movies” and acquiring marijuana, but nothing can shield them from the fact that these escapades are not only things of their past, but woefully inadequate in shaking up the ennui of life. Instead of feeling younger for their adventures, they likely feel even older.

All of the acting is fantastic; standouts are Bornhiemer, who had a small but fun part in She’s Out of My League, and Coupe from the world’s funniest too-soon-canceled show, Happy Endings. The funniest character in the picture, however, may be Betty (Charlyne Yi), their young limo driver, who wearily carts these would-be adventurers around town all night.

Most effective for a similarly aged audience, The Last Time You Had Fun remains an easy recommendation.

Poster:

Trailer:

Bechdel Test:

Pass

The Representation Test Score: B (7 pts)

(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)

[schema type=”movie” url=”http://thelasttimeyouhadfun.com/” name=”The Last Time You Had Fun” description=”When Clark and Will meet Alison and Ida in a wine bar, the foursome set out for an all-night adventure to have the most fun that four decidedly dysfunctional adults are capable of having. This is: The Last Time You Had Fun.” director=”Mo Perkins” actor_1=”Kyle Bornhiemer” actor_2=”Eliza Coupe” actor_3=”Mary Elizabeth Ellis” actor_4=”Demetri Martin” ]

Main Cast	Kyle Bornheimer Clark Eliza Coupe Ida Mary Elizabeth Ellis Alison Demetri Martin Will
Rating
Release Date	2014
Director	Mo Perkins
Genres	Comedy, Drama
Plot	When Clark and Will meet Alison and Ida in a wine bar, the foursome struggle to have the most fun that four, bickering, barely married, pre-middle-aged, decidedly dysfunctional adults are capable of having.
Poster
Runtime	82
Tagline
Writers	Hal Haberman (writer)
Year	2014

October 7, 2015

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW

Sure, it’s a love poem from Disney to Disney, but that doesn’t lessen the endeavor. There’s a great story here & it’s reportedly mostly true

Spoiler-free Movie Review of Saving Mr. Banks:

When news of the feature film Saving Mr. Banks first broke, my reaction was likely similar to that of many; “sounds like a great premise, but it’s probably going to be a total puff piece”. In some respects, that prediction was accurate on both counts; it certainly engages in some fictionalization, nevertheless it’s a great story.

Saving Mr. Banks tells the story of Walt Disney’s film adaptation of author P.L. Travers’ most famous character, Mary Poppins. Long before seeing the film, the story was legend; Disney promised his daughters that he would make a film version of the Mary Poppins stories and Travers, understandably protective of her work, was widely regarded as nearly impossible to work with in the process.

The film documents the realization of Disney’s twenty-year pursuit of the film rights to the character, placing the story at the film studio where Travers has finally travelled to work on the adaptation. For dramatic purposes, the script posits that Travers has yet to sign the paperwork giving her authorization for the film, thus raising the stakes for Disney’s virtual chess match with the author. In reality, Travers had already signed over the rights when these meetings took place; Disney wasn’t personally involved with every step of the contest, either. Other than those admittedly dramatically satisfying changes, the painful process was reportedly quite accurately depicted.

The film itself is a heartbreaker; entertains very adult themes even as it entertains. Lots of cutesy touches and those are great, but they wisely don’t distract or lessen the seriousness of the tale. Counterpoint to the Hollywood negotiations is the sad tale of the author’s youth which drove the creation of the character and provides context for her rigidity.

In the flashback scenes, young Helen Goff (Annie Rose Buckley) inhabits a seemingly idyllic world of fantasy at the encouragement of her dreamer father, Travers Goff (Colin Farrell). In reality, the doting husband and father badly hides his depression over the seriousness of the world with alcohol, losing his bank manager job and the family’s home in the process. Relocating to deepest Australia for a new chance, Helen’s world is a mixture of whimsy and worry, as her mother buckles under the pressure of raising the family in isolation and her father struggles to sustain his children’s sense of wonder while battling his own addiction.

The acting is absolutely marvelous; Emma Thompson is one of the most brilliant actresses of her generation or any other, and her turn as Helen Goff / Pamela Travers is sublime. She reportedly found the role very difficult, and small wonder. There’s such a depth of emotion and character here.

Her foil, Walt Disney himself, is played to perfection by Tom Hanks. Oddly enough for such an iconic figure, this is the first time the character has been played in a motion picture. You aren’t expecting a hatchet job from a Disney picture, and you don’t get one, but the film plays it mostly straight. While you’ll fall in love with Disney’s folksy charm, it doesn’t totally shy away from his warts, and the story is far more sympathetic to Travers.

The Disney team features some heavy hitters; Bradley Whitford as co-screenwriter Don DiGradis, B.J. Novak and Jason Schwartzman as songwriting team Robert and Richard Sherman, respectively, and Kathy Baker as Walt’s assistant Tommie.

Paul Giamatti also appears in a small but vital role as Ralph, the driver who attends to Mrs. Travers and provides world-wise repartee. A little surprising that he would sign on for such a small role, although it’s a great one that wouldn’t work with anyone else. So much depth to him.

Perhaps the most surprising performance comes from Colin Farrell in one of his best roles yet as Travers Goff. He really conveys the heartache of a man beaten down by life and his own demons. We keep getting glimpses of this fine actor – fame was the worst thing that ever happened to him – he is so effective in smaller roles and/or films. Ruth Wilson supports him ably as wife Margaret; a character that probably deserved more screen time but Wilson definitely knows how to make the most of it.

Directed by John Lee Hancock based on a script by Kelly Marcel and Sue Smith, Saving Mr. Banks is really a delight to watch. Could probably have used a five-minute trim, but editor Mark Livolsi keeps it all moving. Never boring, just kind of long. The look of the film is wonderful, from the photography of John Schwartzman to the fantastic set design and period outfits (too many to list).

Thomas Newman is tasked with creating a memorable score that hints at the Sherman’s work without aping it. The great writing room scenes are lovely; really make you (re)appreciate the artistry of the music and creation of this great film. The Sherman Brothers are such geniuses.

Saving Mr. Banks is not the total creampuff you were probably expecting. Sure, it does indulge in a bit of whitewashed fantasy that shows old Walt in the best possible light, but reportedly it’s a fair characterization. The film started life as an independent production, and the filmmakers were understandably nervous when the House of Mouse took ownership of it. However, by all reports Disney didn’t flex its muscles creatively and the final product is largely unchanged. There’s certainly a lot of creative license taken, but the tale is largely faithful to the spirit of the process if not entirely wedded to all the facts. Recommended.