Largely more of the same; possibly cuter with the emphasis on kids. More streamlined, which is good. Hard pressed to fill out even 140RVW…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Oh, God! Book II:
I’m not kidding – I really had a hard time even coming up with 140 characters about Oh, God! Book II…
Umm…it’s good? I frankly think in some ways Oh, God! Book II is better than the original, even without the novelty of the original premise. It’s just a cleaner story. On the other hand, if the first one was too long and it had to establish the whole concept of God coming to Earth and recruiting a spokesperson, you can reasonably assume that this simpler story should take less time. Which it doesn’t.
Louanne, the young actress who plays the eleven-year-old lead character Tracy Richards, is marvelous; very cute and precocious, but more importantly a kid. She acts like a kid, she gets frustrated with God about being put-upon and things being unfair. Really a nice contrast to the lead character in the original, worried about his job and family. Both work great, but differently…
Oh, God! Book II is a good picture; don’t let my extraordinarily brief review give you a different impression. It’s just that it is exactly what it looks like; if you saw the first one, you sort of saw the second one, too. Your preference almost certainly would be for whichever one you saw first. All of these would make better TV shows than feature films, but that’s sort of a minor point. They’re cute and fun…
I never before this moment noticed the KISS poster hanging on the wall of what is otherwise a fairly straightforward 11-year-old girl’s room. In the 70’s anyway. Which this isn’t. I’d like to think it’s some sort of rebellious statement from the set designer; “Take that, right-wing music censors! Even God’s chosen one listens to KISS…”
[schema type=”movie” name=”Oh, God! Book II” description=”God asks a young girl to help spread his word and influence with a slogan.” director=”Gilbert Cates” actor_1=”George Burns” ]
Bet you haven’t thought of this one in forever, huh? Neither had I. Interesting to remember movies used to be this pace and no one minded…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Oh, God!:
Would you believe I actually read this book before seeing the movie? It’s true. I saw the sequels as a kid, but I have just about no recollection of seeing the original picture. I do, however, remember finding the worn little paperback novel by Avery Corman in a used bookstore in Newton Highlands. It was probably age-inappropriate, but only barely – it’s not like this story ever goes very blue or very dark.
I haven’t read the novel since I was a kid, but watching Oh, God! now, it plays almost verbatim to my memory of the story. The original novel was adapted by Larry Gelbart, whose screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award.
It was actually really interesting watching this film series with my family. My daughter absolutely ate it up; I was quite pleasantly surprised. I knew she’d love Oh, God! Book II if we ever got to it, but that was far from a certainty. I really had no idea how she’d respond to something so dated. She’s watched older films, of course, but Oh, God! absolutely screams 1977 and I knew I’d need to explain about payphones, etc. She really enjoyed it, though…
It’s sort of funny to look back on this film. At the time it was a big hit; it was the sixth biggest picture in 1977. It made more than Annie Hall and The Spy Who Loved Me!
(Sidebar: what a mixed bag 1977 was – we got classic films like Star Wars, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Slapshot, but it also saw the deaths of Elvis Presley, Groucho & Gummo Marx, Charlie Chaplin and Howard Hawks…)
The story is cute and covertly subversive. Not only were they able to talk about God in a feature film, they managed to get across huge section of preaching disguised as dialogue. George Burns is a real Trojan Horse – when he delivers the message, people listen…
Aside from Burns, it’s a bizarre cast. First off, John Denver is just not a lead actor. I like his everyman appeal and everything, but it seems as though every single line of dialogue is shouted. Terri Garr is well cast as his put-upon wife, or maybe I just love Terri Garr too much to be objective.
But the supporting roles: Donald Pleasence, Dinah Shore, and Paul Sorvino as a bible-thumping televangelist – it’s truly odd stuff. Barnard Hughes is a judge for goodness sake – that’s how stodgy it is…
I know it’s a cute little comedy and everything, but if God were to come to Earth and try to convince a courtroom full of people of his existence, I have a hard time believing he’d use card tricks. This movie came out five months after Star Wars – that’s just not going to get her done…
Oh, God! is a fun little picture. At 98 minutes it’s far too long to hold the attention of modern filmgoers. It was probably too long even then – the thing really creeps along considering how few actual events are pictured. But if you can slow yourself down and make time for it, Oh, God! really is a clever little film. It’s not as entertaining maybe as the sequels (to my eye), but there’s some really good dialogue. Recommended…
[schema type=”movie” name=”Oh, God!” description=”When God appears to an assistant grocery manager as a good natured old man, the Almighty selects him as his messenger for the modern world.” director=”Carl Reiner” producer=”Jerry Weintraub” actor_1=”George Burns”]
I don’t know what movie all those other reviewers were watching, but the one I saw was a smart, good-hearted, gorgeous family-friendly film.
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Tomorrowland:
You almost got me. I’m susceptible to buzz and hype at least as much as the next guy, and the poor reviews almost convinced me not to go see Tomorrowland. Despite all of the previews looking great, despite the guiding hand of Brad Bird, despite the intriguing premise, I nearly skipped it. Just because everyone seemed to hate it. Shame on me. I should know better.
Co-produced and co-written by Damon Lindelhof and director Brad Bird (based on a story by Lindelhof, Bird and long-time EW film critic Jeff Jensen), Tomorrowland is a science-fiction film that dares to be an original story. That may be the most revolutionary thing about it in 2015. It isn’t a sequel or a reboot (though it does have a minor tie-in/brand recognition with the Disney theme parks).
More than anything, it shares a sensibility with the dreams and ideals of Walt Disney himself. In this way it echoes the excellent and underrated 2007 CG-animated Disney film, Meet the Robinsons, and its borrowed from Walt motto “keep moving forward”.
Tomorrowland celebrates dreamers and curiosity and will probably be ridiculed for its earnestness and naivete. Oh well. There’s nothing wrong with trying hard to do something unique and inspirational. If your work comes off as cloying and saccharine, well, maybe you have a little work to do on your screenwriting. But if it simply is criticized by the jaded for well-meaning sincerity, I think you have to take that in stride.
One of the reasons I enjoyed the picture so much may be that I’d avoided learning too much about it ahead of time. The couple of teasers I saw were enough to pique my interest, but I didn’t even see the trailers that gave away too much. I didn’t even know Hugh Laurie was in the film. When compiling the assets for this review, I found trailers that included shots of practically all the twists of the picture, including one uninterrupted chase scene that was one of the films highlights. Stop giving away so much in trailers, people!
In the acting department, George Clooney is great at world-weary, so it comes across perfectly here, even if he’s a little less convincing as a former idealist. Despite the star-friendly billing, Britt Robertson as dreamer/doer Casey Newton is the real lead of the film, and she’s quite good. Most of the scenes are stolen, however, by tween actor Raffey Cassidy, who is marvelous as the mysterious Athena. Hugh Laurie is his usual wonderfully cranky self. Oh, and Keegan-Michael Key popped up, which always makes me happy!
The look of the film is wonderful; both the production design (Scott Chambliss) and the cinematography (Claudio Miranda). The effects are great, even if the whole picture somewhat screams CGI. Not always a bad thing, plus I really like the futuristic designs. It’s 2015, so of course the color timing is ridiculously excessive, but everyone is guilty of that now. The music by Michael Giacchino is also lovely – the theme was in my head for the rest of the day.
Mostly, though, the story just plays. It is well-written and enjoyable, it doesn’t pander or needlessly scare kids. It is a solid PG, which is noteworthy in of itself. The film was made to watch with the whole family and to be enjoyed by all ages. Often that sounds like a curse on the lines of “may you live in interesting times”, but despite the knee-jerk reaction you may have, the phrase family-friendly is not actually supposed to equal low-quality film-making.
Tomorrowland is an excellent film. My family and I loved it without qualification. Take your kids and go see it. And if you don’t have kids, you were one once, right? Tomorrowland is an old-school adventure film in the spirit of the 1980’s. Or the 1970’s. Or any age in which kids looked to the sky and dreamed…
Update June 22, 2015:
You know, when I wrote my review of Tomorrowland, I was so focused on refuting the negative press on it that I think I may have come off as a little defensive. More importantly, I spent so much time on why it wasn’t bad, I’m not sure I adequately pointed out why it was so good. The biggest thing I missed on (somewhat ironically, considering the pro-female message I hope to impart with my little ramblings) was what a female positive film it is. I freely admit I took it for granted before reading a very well-written post by Reel Girl Margot Magowan. It was a lightbulb moment for me. The stars of the picture are two wonderfully strong, complex and detailed females who are allowed to be fully realized characters with all of the traits of complete human experience. How did I not draw attention to this point? I guess the positivity of the film got to me and I momentarily let myself believe that we live in a world where I shouldn’t have to note the atypical characterization; for once I just assumed that prominently featuring one half of the human race in a positive light shouldn’t need to be regarded as a novelty or even praiseworthy, but expected. Alas, I’m pining for Tomorrowland, too…
[schema type=”movie” url=”http://movies.disney.com/tomorrowland/” name=”Tomorrowland” description=”Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.” director=”Brad Bird” actor_1=”George Clooney” ]
Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.
The best film sequel of all time? Easily. The best SW film? Probably. One of the greatest films of all time? Absolutely. Risky at time? Yes.
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980):
With a new Star Wars film coming out later in 2015, I’m going to be writing in-depth pieces on each film, so I think I’ll leave more discussion of The Empire Strikes Back for later. For now, enjoy the 35th anniversary of Episode V and watch it for the zillionth time. A New Hope will always be my favorite Star Wars film, but it’s pretty hard to argue that Empire isn’t a better film in nearly every way.
[schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.starwars.com/films/star-wars-episode-v-the-empire-strikes-back” name=”Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back” description=”After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.” director=”Irvin Kershner” producer=”Gary Kurtz” actor_1=”Mark Hamill” ]
After the rebels have been brutally overpowered by the Empire on their newly established base, Luke Skywalker takes advanced Jedi training with Master Yoda, while his friends are pursued by Darth Vader as part of his plan to capture Luke.
Definition of a vanity picture, Stiller’s fingerprints all over this, everything framed to make him look good. Didn’t say it’s bad though…
Spoiler-free Movie Review of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty:
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is what you would have to call Hollywood catnip. Actors, producers, writers, studio heads – they all go wild for it. There are certain properties that Hollywood types just can’t seem to get enough of. This story provides a number of reasons to justify the infatuation:
It’s already a success. Nothing makes a producer salivate so much as a proven track record. This more than any other reason is why they produce so many adaptations and remakes; you’re starting off ahead, since the property has made money at least once already.
It’s a short story, which means you can proceed in the certain knowledge of a built-in audience of people intrigued by the the familiar story, but then do more or less whatever you want, since there’s so much space to fill in. This has an unintended but very welcome side benefit: you can then remake it again and again, since new writers and directors will want to put their own spin on it and “take it in a new direction”.
It’s lead actor-bait. A role that allows an actor to so completely dominate a project appeals to all pretentious ball-hogging narcissists who know deep in their hearts that they really won’t be considered an ACTOR until they are on stage and this is a vehicle that might demonstrate their stage-worthiness. In other words, everybody…
I left one out; probably the only one that really matters: it’s a great story…
James Thurber’s original short story, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty was first published in the New Yorker magazine 1939 and has probably appeared in every single high school English textbook since. It’s been adapted into two feature films, two radio programs and a Broadway musical. (That I know of. There are probably even more adaptations out there.) It’s easy to understand why everyone, from librarians and teachers to writers, producers and Hollywood A-listers are enamored with the tale. It’s a lovely bit of writing from one of America’s great humorists.
More importantly, Thurber tapped into the uniquely human desire to daydream and fantasize about a life more dramatic. Everyone wants to be the hero of the story. Even if you’d rather be the villain of the story, at least we’re all looking for the lead.
Interesting then that actors, who actually get to play out larger than life fantasies for a living would still be so attracted to the part. I suppose we all strive for something more, even if your more may be more more than mine…
Maybe one of the reasons for the story’s lasting impact owes to Thurber’s economy. Everyone can empathize with Walter Mitty’s mental escapes from the mundanity of his life, but it is even easier to make that connection with so simple a tale. Despite the details of Mitty’s life (and secret life) which clearly date the story, Walter’s longing is so universal that it the specifics of the tale are like guidelines drawn in pencil on which you can build your own secret life.
The obvious conclusion to draw is that any longer telling of the story is DOA, destined to fail. A short story may observe a butterfly’s wanderings, but a detailed and complete narrative requires that we bring it to ground, pinning it down for close examination.
I’m not sure I’d go as far as calling attempts to adapt Walter Mitty foolish and/or doomed. But it’s definitely a tall order to flesh out the character without losing the allegory.
This particular version of the film languished in a development hell lengthy even by Hollywood standards. Amazingly, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. still had the film rights after his father made the 1947 Danny Kaye version. In the 19 years leading up to the release of Stiller’s picture, the project passed through four studios, five lead actors, six directors, seven writers, and more production companies and producers than can easily be counted. There were even two generations of Goldwyns producing by the end. (Three if you count Sam Sr.)
In previous reviews, I have previously copped to disliking Ben Stiller, but when I found that the other actors attached to various incarnations of the project included Jim Carrey, Owen Wilson, Mike Myers & Sacha Baron Cohen, Stiller suddenly looked like the most subtle choice. Now there’s a scary thought…
Walter Mitty is unquestionably Stiller’s picture. He directs, produces and plays the titular character. He has never been so understated or likable. He shows a maturity several decades overdue, but welcome nevertheless. My biggest quibble is how vain this project feels. He wants to make himself look good – hey, that’s fine. But it comes a bit at the expense of the narrative. Stiller handles the emerging adventurer Mitty quite well. He’s less convincing as the sad sack at the beginning of the picture, though, and his transformation begins so early and quickly that it isn’t as dramatic of a victory for Walter. He was a little too confident in the first place.
For what is essentially a one-man show, there are certainly a lot of names filling out the cast. Kristen Wiig shows a bit of versatility with a completely straight role and it works well. It’s understandable both that Walter would be fascinated by the character of Cheryl, and that he might plausibly entertain a hope of a chance.
Walter’s family members are played by fine actresses, Kathryn Hahn & Shirley MacLaine, but the characters are barely necessary. Adam Scott has a nice little jerk part, but Stiller’s Mitty isn’t as cowed as he probably should be. Sean Penn has a small role as the photographer whose work provides the MacGuffin. He’s Sean Penn…
Most unexpected is a running gag role from Patton Oswalt that I won’t spoil. It’s really good fun.
I mostly really enjoyed this telling of the story and setting the narrative at LIFE Magazine for their final print issue is a great touch. It’s a unique lens for a story like this, and they make great use of repeating several times the motto of LIFE Magazine: “To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life.” It’s lovely. Of course, that isn’t the motto of LIFE Magazine. Also, LIFE stopped being printed as a weekly magazine in 1972 and as a monthly in 2002, but hey, who’s splitting hairs…
At times the picture is lovely to look at, thanks to the cinematography of Stuart Dryburgh. There are some very garish and over the top scenes, though, most notably a scene cued to Bowie’s “Space Oddity”. Usually lack of subtlety in a Ben Stiller movie is table stakes. But here it’s not that he’s grandstanding as an actor; he’s overdoing things as a director.
Also, the product placement in this film is shameless. Really obnoxious.
The 2013 version of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty far exceeded my expectations. It certainly contains an unhealthy amount of schmaltz, but it isn’t a schmaltzy movie. You can use words like heart-warming without feeling silly, and I certainly have a soft spot for the “embrace life” type of story.
It did leave me with an increasingly familiar question, though. Why did this need to be an adaptation in the first place? Tonally it has more in common with a fistful of other inspirational films than with the original story. And if Walter isn’t hen-pecked by an unhappy wife and looking for overshoes and puppy biscuits in Connecticut while dreaming of being a surgeon/spy/pilot, then is this story really Walter Mitty at all?
[schema type=”movie” url=”http://www.waltermitty.com/index.php” name=”The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)” description=”A moment comes when you stop dreaming, start living and discover your destiny. For day dreamer Walter Mitty, that time is now. When his job, along with that of his coworker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action and embarks on an incredible journey. Ben Stiller directs and co-stars in this inspiring story about an ordinary man who leaps into the extraordinary adventure that is life.” director=”Ben Stiller” actor_1=”Ben Stiller” ]
When his job along with that of his co-worker are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.
