Laggies

Lynn Shelton, 2014

IMDB

3/5

Laggies is an interesting film because it takes a completely unrealistic and far-fetched premise and puts it in the hand of a capable director in Lynn Shelton. There are so many reasons that a film like this should not be good. We've seen similar movies before, a lead character going through some form of mid-life crisis and buddies up with a young person to try and relive their youth. Big did it well, conversely. Billy Madison showed us the humor in the immature adult spending lots of time with kids in a more slapstick fashion. Lost in Translation artfully showed an unusual relationship between a senior(ish) male and twenty-something female. In tone Laggies could be compared to Crazy Stupid Love in the sense that it's a somewhat chaotic story with a blend of love and friendship between three people that extends to more than three people.

Adulthood seems to hit Megan (Knightley) all at once. She's thrown into a bachelorette party where her career goals are immediately under examination. Flash to the wedding where she is not only under pressure to perform horribly garish tasks for the bride but she is put under pressure by her boyfriend and then close friends. And of course the pressure on her only piles up from there, giving her no choice but to drive away from it all. Of course you are sympathetic for Megan and don't blame her for running away from a situation that would really never happen in real life. Stresses that you are confronted with over the course of a few years suddenly hit Megan in what seems like twenty minutes! That's basically the way the movie goes. A bunch of situations that wouldn't ever really happen, but you somehow remain engaged. This is probably because Laggies makes better decisions than similarly-themed Young Adult by pumping more emotion into the story. Theron's character in Young Adult was selfish and unapologetic, while Megan is charming and innocent. The film just wouldn't have been able to stay interesting without the performances by Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz and Sam Rockwell. The level of undeniable talent between those three is enough fuel to carry this ridiculous story to the actually-quite-satisfying end.

Robot & Frank

Jake Schreier, 2012

Can I Stream it?

3/5

Retired thief Frank (Frank Langella) has become a strain on his adult children Hunter (James Marsden) and Madison (Liv Tyler). When Hunter suddenly delivers a robot to the home in an effort to assist him with household duties, his father is at first quite resistant to the idea. But Frank soon forms a bond with the machine and finds companionship from an unlikely source.

Written by Christopher Ford, the unlikely friendship piece is based in the not-so-distant future. Sophisticated robots are completely attainable, albeit a bit expensive, but people still drive Audi's that are of similar design of today's models. Libraries exist, although on their way out as shown in the small town of Cold Spring (which was actually shot in the more populated Westchester town of Rye, NY). This whole Library on it's way out theme is part of the film, and actually kind of ambiguous. Librarian Jennifer (Susan Sarandon) informs Frank the facility is about to change form into some kind of experimental avant-garde locale that will still be a hub for reading, although it's not quite clear how. Not so important as the story really focuses on Frank and his struggles with himself. He is forgetful but also morally questionable. He is sympathetic while also at the same time quite stubborn and moderately manipulative. Frank is without a doubt a complicated character. His dementia is questionable throughout the film. His son Hunter, long skeptical especially after enduring his father's years in prison, assumes the robot will take a bit of the load off of his back. He is after all making long trips to his father's rural home and away from his own family. He is a straight-laced man, presumably eager to not repeat the same mistakes his father made.

The film is rooted in good performances, without the need for any real special effects or camera trickery. The dynamic between the man and the machine is believable, quite compelling actually. Certainly an study on our culture's dependence on technology, and the inevitable growing dependence. When the final credits roll and you see the stock footage with actual robots in the media and that addicting electronic song plays out, you will likely continue to sit there taking the last bits in.

Top Five Unlikely Friendships in Film

The unlikely friendship theme is played out in film so often. It's a reliable device that pulls the audience in, a lot of the time playing off of an opposites-attract dynamic. Sometimes it's about two universes colliding. Other times it may be about two people just trying to get through something together. They don't always get through something together either. Sometimes the couple truly engages you for the sometimes short period of time they are together on screen, only to break your heart when the pairing is gone.

5. Chuck and Wilson - (Cast Away, 2000)

Quite possibly the most unlikely based on the fact that it's literally a man forming a connection with an inanimate object. One of Hank's best performances, he really puts it out there in this Zemeckis picture.


4. Red and Andy (The Shawshank Redemption, 1994)

If Andy didn't get wrongly convicted of murdering his wife, he would have certainly never met fellow prisoner Red. But meeting Red changes his life and saves it in certain ways. Their long-standing company becomes eternalized as one of the most meaningful friendships in cinema in this widely-appreciated picture.


3. Philippe & Driss (The Intouchables, 2011)

One of the more heart-warming selections on the list from an under-rated French film. Driss gets hired by Philippe and turns his life upside down.


2. Leon and Matilda (Leon: The Professional, 1994)

Two oddly different people of vastly different ages who share dark pasts come together in this great Luc Besson picture. This film also showcases the very obvious natural talent of a young Natalie Portman.


1. Elliot and E.T. (E.T., 1982) 

The ultimate sentimental unlikely friendship tale. Elliot finds a creature who becomes his best friend. It's this bond between them that fuels this Spielberg masterpiece.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles

John Hughes, 1987

Netflix

3/5

Neal Page (Steve Martin) is a marketing executive rushing to catch a plane from New York to Chicago two days before Thanksgiving. Struggling to flag down a taxi cab, he has to pay a stranger off quickly to take theirs only to have it abruptly stolen from him by shower-ring salesman Del Griffith (John Candy). Little does he know his confrontations with Del would continue to become unavoidable as an unlikely friendship forms over the bad circumstances that he continues to fall into.

A heartfelt picture, light on story but carrying comedic weight. Made in a time when Steve Martin was making crowds laugh, and not making them listen to him playing banjo. You are hit with the stick of the time period early on with the very present synthesizer sounds. You continue to be constantly reminded that you are in the 1980's with the automobiles, clothing, vibrating beds, primitive credit card machines with paper carbon slips, smoking indoors. Bad karma has struck Neal. His misfortune continues to mount, as Chicago continues to feel further and further away. Opposites attract because they have to when you are unavoidably stuck with the other person. Interestingly the sense of the film being dated is felt with the evident homophobia when they wake up in bed with each other and have to force a Chicago Bears reference to prove to each other, you know, that they aren't into that kind of thing.

The obvious concept quite early on is that they are living in very different worlds. Not only from a social class perspective. When any little conflict may arise in Neal's day, his whole world is shaken up. Not a good way to live your life, as it only sets you up for constant disappointment. Your flight is cancelled? Big deal. You can get the next one. Car broken down? Big deal, it can be fixed. It can always get worse. And it will. Life is not about stepping over everyone around you to get to your destination. It's about community, living in the moment, savoring the experience - regardless of how horrible it can be. While Del Griffith's character is an exaggeration of the annoying heavy-set guy (the coughing in the motel room is a bit much), he is likable nonetheless because of his obvious sense of optimism. He's been in the run down motel rooms before. He knows how to make the best of a situation. Neal is so caught up in his own life that he barely gives Del's life experience any thought. By the time that he does during a reflective state, Hughes has to wrap up the film quite quickly. And while the final moments of the film are played out effectively, they do feel a bit rushed and ultimately predictable. So clearly the film is not without it's flaws, but to be fair it was not made to break ground. To it's credit - the story opens up, delivers consistent laughs, and wraps it all up nicely. Perhaps it could be credited with influencing later slapstick films with stranded pairs like Dumb and Dumber or Tommy Boy. It's an amusing Thanksgiving story with a lot of situational comedy. Loaded with characters like a lot of Hughes' other work. And it certainly makes you miss the late great John Candy.

The Way Way Back

Nat Faxon & Jim Rash, 2013

4/5

Duncan (Liam Jones) is a fourteen year old loner forced to tag along with his mother Pam (Toni Collette) and her boyfriend Trent (Steve Carrell) on a trip to his beach house. Eager to escape the boredom of his mother and Trent's dinner parties, he leaves the beach house in search of some excitement. He finds it at a local water park where he meets immature park worker Owen (Sam Rockwell). Owen takes him under his wing and tries to pull Duncan out of his shell.

If The Sandlot and Adventureland had a baby, it would be The Way Way Back. It's a coming of age tale that does cross some similar themes with some of the other films in it's category, but also contains some raw honesty and emotional value that add some distinction. Duncan's character immediately draws sympathy as Trent asks him what number out of 10 he thinks he is, only to answer his own question by callously saying he believes he's a "3". This not only makes you feel for Duncan, but also shows you that Trent's character is going to be a true departure from Carrell's typical work. Liam Jones does a great job of playing a character that may not necessarily talk your ear off, but his body language and facial expressions paint a detailed picture. Clearly never equipped with proper social skills, his mother partly to blame - at least in the short term. She is so preoccupied with making her relationship work with Trent that she doesn't have time to spend with Duncan. Instead, she leaves a few dollars on the table with a quick note and (ironically) urges him to go out and make some friends. While his mother is clearly settling on a relationship, Owen has settled on his job at the water-park. He clearly sees something early on in Duncan, likely within himself, and generously offers him a job at the park with no former background check. Owen soon serves as an exorcist to Duncan's reserved demeanor, urging him to come out of his shell. To do this, he needs to respect Duncan and treat him as an equal.

Faxon and Rash made some decisions that really added some originality. The scene where Duncan is forced to take the cardboard from the street-dancers could have gone in a different direction. The dancers could have put him on the spot and completely humiliated him, setting him way back from the progress he had already made. Instead, they encouraged him to give the dancing a shot. While it may be a more Disney-esque route, it was refreshing. Even the casting of Duncan proves to be a bold move. Instead of casting a good looking young guy who pretends to be the dork (seen that before), they go with Liam Jones who really seems to live the part. Instead of the filmmakers mailing it in when it comes to the interpersonal relationships involved, they do the opposite. They are challenged. When Duncan gets to a breaking point with his frustration over his mothers complete lack of confidence in her relationship - he is vocal about it. You feel the disappointment, you feel the frustration. You feel the sympathy. And you feel proud of him. In the end it's a film really designed to see the story through the eyes of Duncan. And in ninety minutes, it is transformative. At that age, when working at a place like The Water Whiz, the older people you work for seem almost god-like at times. You can't wait to get to their age, so you can be exactly like them. Little do you know, you'll grow up to have a completely different perspective and what you should have done is just appreciated that moment in time to it's fullest. Owen knows this, and realizes that Duncan just doesn't know it yet - but he'll move on to bigger things. But until then, the best seat in the house will be the one in the way, way back.