We’re going to see a movie tonight. It’s a date night. And we’re going to see Date Night.
Iron Man 2 looks more exciting, but it doesn’t have the same sort of ring that “date night to Date Night” does.
I’ve read some reviews of Date Night, and they’re not all great. Some were pretty good, though. And more importantly, my friends on Facebook (and friends of friends who commented after me) have loved it. So, Date Night squared it is.
All this movie thought reminded me that I haven’t reviewed any movies for quite a while. Unfortunately for us both, I remembered why when I looked at my list of recently watched movies.
Mainly – I haven’t seen any great movies lately. But, I do make it a goal (why, I don’t know, so don’t even ask me) to tell you my take on just about every movie I watch. So, here goes:
Post Grad: I loved Gilmore Girls, and this movie stars Alexis Bledel. On top of that, the preview made the movie look like it was about a girl trying to figure out her career path. And you know that’s something I’ve struggled with. The difference? I’ve been struggling for a decade and still don’t have an answer. The character in this movie struggles for a summer and – don’t worry, I’m not really spoiling anything here – finds an answer. So, instead of being helpful or inspiring, this one ended up being a little depressing for me. Almost as discouraging as reading another story about another “not yet 30” person finding wild success.
On a positive note, Rory is still as cute as ever. And her family was a larger focus of the movie than I expected, which I really liked. In fact, I think the family situations and relationships were my favorite part.
Did You Hear About the Morgans? I knew it. I knew this would be stupid. But I just can’t resist a romantic comedy. I should have, though. I don’t like Sarah Jessica Parker. I just don’t. I don’t think I ever need to see her in another film again. And Hugh Grant? Well, I like him and all. But really – and I know this is terrible, and I’m no spring chicken myself – I think he’s a little bit old to be playing the same old romantic lead character he has for years. YEARS.
Leap Year: Speaking of year . . . Do you see how that happened? I didn’t even plan it. It just . . . happened.
Anyway, this was cute. Silly, yes. Predictable, of course. But hello! It has Irish accents and Irish landscapes and even an Irish castle. You pretty much can’t go wrong with that. I do wish I’d watched it with the subtitles on, because the accents are pretty thick and I was pretty tired. But even though the whole thing was clichéd and silly, I liked it well enough.
(Ugh! Don’t be put off by my faint praise! If you like chick flicks, it really is fine. And, really, for a dollar?)
The Informant! I saved the best for last, but WOW, this was not what I expected.
I expected laugh-out-loud funny. I expected exciting caper. I expected to enjoy it much more than Mark and Smitty, who both had the nerve to (separately) watch the movie without me and then went on to say things like, “It wasn’t what I expected.”
But when Mark was sweet enough to secretly rent this for me after my second weekend of verge-of-death (also known as “sinus infection,” but really, that does not sound serious enough to describe my illness), I found myself saying the same thing: “It sure wasn’t what I expected.”
Was it funny? Yes, really funny. But in a smart, make-you-think sort of way. And definitely not in a laugh-out-loud sort of way.
It’s long, it’s interesting and it has more surprises than I can even tell you here. So, all in all, I’d highly recommend renting this one. Just don’t be expecting . . . well, anything.
Have you rented any good – or not good, if it so happens – movies lately?
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