Bell and Grammer are a breath of sunshine

LIKE FATHER (2018)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

At the start of the newest Netflix comedy-drama, "Like Father," there is a big wedding where Kristin Bell is Rachel Hamilton, the bride whose heart really belongs to her cell phone. She is not married to it, but she is married to her job as a New York ad exec. We also get overhead shots of the city (something I really cannot stand to see in movies anymore). She is dumped at the altar because her bouquet falls and out slips her cell phone, which is almost always superglued to her hand. The groom can't stand it and walks out in the middle of the ceremony. Once these scenes are played out which, to my recollection, I have seen more often in similar movies than I can count, I almost tuned out. But a sneaky resonant joy erupts in "Like Father," the joy of watching two solid character portrayals played by two distinctive actors, Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer, who are largely underrated talents in movies. This one worked me over.

After Rachel is left to ponder her nonexistent marriage, she decides to take the honeymoon cruise. The problem is her dad (Kelsey Grammer) is in the Big Apple for her wedding though he hasn't seen her since she was little. Clearly, there is much ill will from Rachel and, after a night of reluctantly drinking with him, they go on to this cruise. Nope, do not let your mind go there, nothing incestual of any nature here except a dad trying to reconnect with his daughter.

It is awkward at first as people on board the cruise think they are a married couple! After a few karaoke interludes, Rachel fooling around with a male passenger (Seth Rogen, whose character is not a stoner!), a foray into the waterfalls of the Caribbean and some pot smoking, the truth comes out. It is one of two remarkable scenes between Bell and Grammer, the first about why he left the family and the other is a confession on why he came out to see Rachel. Both scenes are honestly depicted without a false note, showcasing the watchable Kelsey Grammer as an older man who has nothing left in his life except Rachel. Bell's Rachel has had two people ditch her in her life yet eventually understands that obsessive workloads are secondary to family unity. Sure, these same sad notes of torn families and father-daughter discord are nothing new yet both actors bring such sincerity and focused sensitivity to it that you can't help but cling to them.

"Like Father" is a nuanced emotional experience, with Grammer never overplaying his hand and Kristen Bell showing the true colors of an extraordinary actress (watch episodes of TV's "The Good Place" for further proof), particularly one moment where she slowly sobs after listening to her dad's reasons for abandoning the family. Every time she is on screen, she sparkles and there is never a wasted moment. Visually, the movie has the splendor of the colorful Caribbean and the enormity of the cruise itself, which looks like it is more than fifty stories high. But it is finely detailed moments, such as Bell walking in the streets of New York as a big bubble passes and bursts behind her or the darkly cavernous look of the New York bar, where we also get insights into her transfixed mood - there is texture there but you have to look closer. Writer-director Laura Miller Rogen (no free Carribean cruises to those who can't guess who she is married to) infuses this oft-told tale with simplicity and warmth, aided enormously by Bell and Grammer. I'd like to see these two actors together again - they are a breath of sunshine.

A Mission You Need to Accept

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL (2011)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Usually the fourth chapter in a movie series is not supposed to be better than all the sequels that preceded it. Sequels are often inferior rehashes, never coming close to the spirit of the original. The "Mission: Impossible" movies are a curious case because the original was so-so, the first sequel was worse and the third was better than expected. Now comes "Ghost Protocol" which is the best by far, a a hair-raising, nerve-pinching, absolutely smashing movie that is quadruple the excitement of past installments and far superior to the "Bourne" movies. Yes, Virginia, this is one hell of an entertainment.

As the movie starts, superheroic IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is sprung from a Russian prison by IMF agents, including the luminous fighting machine, Jane Carter (Paula Patton) and a Q-like tech expert named Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg). Benji has all sorts of technical equipment that would make James Bond quiver at their very inventiveness, including a hologram that induces the virtual replica of a hallway (originally seen in early "M:I" TV series episode) and some sort of metal suit that would be at home in an Iron Man flick. Anyways, there is a plot here dealing with a villain known as Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist) who demolishes the Kremlin building so it can be blamed on the U.S. thus starting some sort of nuclear war! Hendricks' plan is to destroy this world and start anew, bringing peace back. His plan makes about as much sense as any Bond villain's world domination plan. The trick is for Ethan Hunt and his small team, including an IMF analyst (Jeremy Renner), to infiltrate Hendricks who is carrying around nuclear arm codes in a suitcase! Well, of course.

To its credit, "Ghost Protocol" is not as labyrinthian as other "M:I" efforts - this is an elongated chase picture full of razzle-dazzle effects and amazing stunts that will leave you breathless though it still has an intricately layered plot. Still whether it is Ethan Hunt dangling with a super-suction glove of some kind outside of the tallest skyscraper in the world, Dubai's own Burj Khalifa, or Ethan running from the Kremlin explosion, or Ethan racing around in a futuristic-looking car that is as cool as a DeLorean or running from an emerging sandstorm, the movie never quits throwing one spectacle after another at you in elegant fashion thanks to director Brad Bird and brisk editing by Paul Hirsch. It also works at evoking suspense, particularly the nifty sequence where a meeting occurs that requires Hunt and Benji to not wear masks and somehow fool a dangerous assassin with the passing of nuclear codes and an electronic eye that takes pictures! This needs to be seen to be believed. Added to that is an elegant seduction sequence involving Paula Patton that would make Brian De Palma (who helmed the original "M:I" film) envious.

Tom Cruise is laser-focused here, showcasing a true hero who makes snap judgments and has no time to waste. If he has to ram a car down a few stories at a parking garage, doggone it, he will do it. Paula Patton far surpasses any female characters we might remember from past installments - a standalone movie with her would be kickass entertainment. The comic relief from Simon Pegg comes in short spurts and yet they work - they make us laugh after seeing so many death-defying stunts in full IMAX glory. And it is a kick to see the brief cameo of Tom Wilkinson as an IMF Secretary. Let me put it this way: this is one "Mission: Impossible" movie I would love to own on Blu-Ray. 

Sexism in 1970's Tennis

BATTLE OF THE SEXES (2017)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

When Billie Jean King beat Bobby Riggs in an exhibition match, the whole world was watching (90 million TV viewers tuned in). It was a trendsetting movement, to prove that women could in fact beat men at their own game. In the case of Billie Jean King, it was tennis which is now seen as a sport that can be played by any gender. But in the early 1970's, women were seen as second-class citizens (and to some degree, they still are but that is a topic for another day) and when it came to sports, men were seen as the virile athletes who could do no wrong. "Battle of the Sexes" is a noble and often electrifying attempt to see the tennis world through women's eyes. It is not as vivid an examination as I would've hoped but it is a damn good movie, a pungent and often funny look at the sexist attitudes that pervaded our national consciousness.

Emma Stone (absolutely tremendous) is Billie Jean King, the 29-year-old Wimbledon player who is the number one female tennis player yet her salary, and that of other female tennis players, is that of a mere pittance compared with the males. Right at the start of the film, Billie Jean and World Tennis magazine founder Gladys Heldman (Sarah Silverman, a riot to watch) complain to sexist tour promoter Jack Kramer (Bill Pullman) whose logic extends to that of men needing to support their families - women are not the breadwinners. Since their reasonable demands will not be met, Billie Jean and Gladys do not hold back as they withdraw from the Lawn Tennis Association and form their own Women’s Tennis Association, all for $1 contracts. There is support but it is the chauvinistic Riggs who is none too excited by women playing a sport he loves. He comes out of retirement to prove his worth by asking another player, Margaret Court (Jessica McNamee), to play against him. Margaret falls for Riggs' proposal to play an exhibition game and loses and that is when Billie Jean decides to go to the forefront despite initially backing away from a match.

There is a lot more at stake than Billie Jean proving that her fellow sisters can take down a man. She begins having an affair with the team's hairdresser, Marilyn Barnett (a striking Andrea Riseborough), but the relationship could prove detrimental to Billie Jean King's brand, her team and the sponsors. Being a lesbian in the 1970's was seen as an affront to moral decency (put rather bluntly by the religious Margaret Court). King has to make a choice to let go of her sexual identity and play the game. Will she or won't she? That is no mystery since this is all based an a true story.

"Battle of the Sexes" often juxtaposes the feminist agenda of the game with the fractured relationships flawlessly. Whether it is seeing Riggs' justifying his gambling addiction and keeping a marriage alive with his rich wife (Elisabeth Shue) and her desire to have a husband and not someone looking for the latest scheme, or Billie Jean struggling with Marilyn's love and a seemingly loveless marriage to her husband, the film never loses its footing on what matters most and what is central to its narrative - the human relationships. An early scene between Billie Jean and Marilyn where Marilyn cuts the tennis pro's hair is so intoxicatingly romantic that it pretty much stops time. It is a pivotal moment for Billie Jean - when you know something is right and true, go with it.

Shrewdly directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris ("Little Miss Sunshine"), I kinda wish more time was devoted to the politics of tennis and how these matches were organized, not to mention the legal trouble between Barnett and King and the probability that Riggs owed money to the mob, but these are relatively moot complaints. "Battle of the Sexes" also ends abruptly but that is usually the mark of a near-great movie that is so richly textured and so persuasively acted that it is impossible to dismiss on any level (for some reason, the movie was an unexplained box-office failure). Emma Stone gives a performance of rare subtlety as does Steve Carrell who exudes the energy level of an ambitious man who refuses to see that the times are a changin'. Both actors rise up to the occasion, delivering on the essence of the times when men thought they still had something to prove, and women struggled to keep proving their worth. 

Infectious celebration of Life

MONSOON WEDDING (2001) 

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia 

Originally viewed on May 17th, 2002 

Mira Nair's "Monsoon Wedding" is possibly the most infectious, joyous celebration of life and love in a family I've seen in quite some time. We live in cynical times where pessimism often leads to an optimistic denouement. Here we have a film that celebrates all the quirks and eccentricities present in every family, never forgetting what makes them human and that they all share the same foibles as everyone else.

The film begins with an arranged marriage and the preparations necessary for a wedding ceremony. They involve the usual talk about the color of the decorations, the dresses, the money needed to cover costs, and so on. The fact that this is Delhi, not some suburban American town, shows how universal the film's characters are. The Vermas, an upper-class Punjabi family, is negotiating the arrangements to be made for this wedding. Marigolds are the decor used for the marital gate, organized by the wedding planner, P.K. Dube (Vijay Raaz), who is like the Hindi version of Steve Buscemi, always goofy and laughing too loudly - one happy soul. P.K is enamored with the family's maid, Alice (Tilotama Shome), a shy girl who loves to dress in the Vermas' luxurious colorful outfits, imagining herself as a princess.

The Vermas family consists of Lalit (Naseeruddin Shah), the nervous, bickering patriarch of the family, his wife, Pimmi (Lilette Dubey), and his daughter, Aditi (Vasundhara Das), who is to be wed to a Houston computer programmer, Hemant (Parvin Dabas). There is also Varun (Ishaan Nair), the teenage son who wants to dance and be creative and not be subjected to the family's traditional education; the unmarried Ria (Shefali Shetti), Aditi's cousin, who has a dark secret regarding a longtime friend of the family; and Ayesha (Neha Dubey), who practices her dance moves with Varum. Ayesha has one musical sequence that is as vibrant and energetic as any dance sequence from any Hollywood musical. Welcome to Bollywood - their energy is as pure as anything I've seen (Of course, I am speaking as a viewer who has not seen many Indian films.)

There are lots of complications in preparation for this wedding. Lalit does not want white used for the outside tent because white is typically used for funerals, thus he insists that the goofy P.K. use a variety of colors. Alice is accused of stealing from the Vermas, though P.K. knows it is not true. Aditi is having a secret affair with a married talk-show host, and wonders if she should tell her groom-to-be, which could prove damaging for the all the families who are invited to this wedding. The tension builds as Ria senses that the friend of the family, Tej (Rajat Kapoor), may use his past indiscretions with her on a young child. P.K. wonders if he can have Alice as the love of his life, and well, there is nothing here that you have not seen before. The difference, as always, is in the execution and director Nair has crafted a boisterous story of loving human beings who try to stick together as a family despite the changes in the times. Nothing that unfolds in the film, with regard to relationships, is ever surprising yet it is so humanly and compassionately written that you can't help but feel closely connected to the Vermas.

Shot in grainy 16mm film, "Monsoon Wedding" is a thunderous joy, a film to make you leap out of your chair after it is over with renewed appreciation, not only for cinema, but for life itself and that is one major accomplishment in such pessimistic times. Among the other virtues are terrific music, crude yet beautifully shot sequences with voluptuous colors, benign characters and simple human emotions (not to mention a heart-rending sequence with Lalit and Ria), "Monsoon Wedding" is one of the marvels of 2002. Don't be surprised if you feel the need to roam the streets and dance while listening to Indian music after seeing it. 

Cradle lands with a thud

CRADLE WILL ROCK (1999)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally written in 1999)

The Depression era was rife with political turmoil, destitutes, and the Federal Theatre threatened with Communist accusations and a significant reduction in number of employees. "The Cradle Will Rock," the title is from a 1937 political musical by Marc Blitzstein, examines these trying times but the end result is relentlessly boring and unengaging.

There is the opening, unbroken long take of a homeless woman, Olive Stanton (Emily Watson), waking up in a movie theatre as she leaves hastily, trying to avoid being seen by the management and walking out of the place while other characters march past her such as Joan Cusack as a theatre employer. Then the camera continues to swoop above Watson as it unearths the radical composer Blitzstein (Hank Azaria), seen playing the piano in his apartment. He is dead tired and has had sleepless nights trying to compose the definitive musical. Four years later, the musical is in rehearsals with the director, Orson Welles (Angus Macfayden), who is also enjoying the run of his famous play "Dr. Faustus," and he has producer and rival John Houseman (Cary Elwes) in tow. Emily Watson shows up as the stagehand who hopes to share the limelight with the cast, and wants a chance to play the prostitute role.

There are a number of characters and subplots to juggle here, such as John Cusack as Nelson Rockefeller who is overseeing the mural painted by Diego Rivera (Ruben Blades), though he questions the need for a portrait of Stalin; Vanessa Redgrave as the rich socialite, Countess La Grange, who has high hopes for the musical; Susan Sarandon as the Italian Fascist, who is Mussolini's ex-lover, and also questions Diego's mural; Bill Murray as a stoic ventriloquist who reluctantly holds anticommunist ideals; John Turturro as a loud Italian actor in the musical; the grandly titanic presence of Philip Baker Hall as Gray Mathers, a steel magnate who objects to the musical; and lastly, Cherry Jones as Hallie Flanagan of the Federal Theatre, accused of Communist associations and forced to close down the theatre.

Tim Robbins, serving as writer and director, has an ambitious project at the helm but he fails to make it come alive. The staging and pacing of the film deadens to a halt - the only time the film breathes is when Cherry Jones appears - she delivers firepower and authority as the leading player of the Federal Theatre, defending the right to artistic freedom. The other characters, with the exception of Blades's witty Rivera, slip in and out of the screen barely making an impression. There is some humor in seeing Cusack's Rockefeller arguing with Rivera, or dancing with Frida Kahlo, Rivera's sullen wife, but not enough to take notice. Bill Murray walks away from the film without registering half of the charisma he brought to "Rushmore." Emily Watson, a gifted actress, is dull to watch in this film - the transition from the homeless, sympathetic Olive Stanton to a whimpering cipher does not make for a full-bodied character.

But the biggest disappointment are the portrayals of Welles and Houseman, presented as nothing more than two arrogant, one-dimensional boors. Macfayden rolls his eyes and overdoes Welles's body language - Robbins's interpretation indicates that Welles was a drunk and uncontrollable. If that is true, Welles would not have the repertoire he established in the theatre world from the 30's and onward. Considering this film was originally going to be written and directed by Welles, this is more than a major offense.

"The Cradle Will Rock" has some believably overwrought sequences where we see what it is like to produce a musical play - the pains and frustrations are there in ample supply. I liked the presentation of this fascinating era in all its period decor and fashion style (an Academy Award nomination is due). The final sequence, where we see Blitztein playing the piano and singing all the roles at the Venice Theatre until each actor performs from their seats in the audience, is somewhat touching and sentimental. But it is a hopelessly inert film that caused me to shut my eyes more than once. Instead of rocking us with excitement and entertainment, this cradle lands with a thud.

Risky Business with a Junior Bond

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE (1996)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Combination of my 1996 and 2000 reviews

Back in 1996, I made the comment that Tom Cruise's films seemed to be less 

than stellar achievements. However, since then he has proven to be a solid

actor with "Jerry Maguire," "Eyes Wide Shut," and "Magnolia." Mostly, Cruise

has become the Dick Clark of superstars who never seems to age and always

plays righteous, good all-American boys a'la "Top Gun."  Like some of his

lesser achievements, "Far and Away" and "The Firm," "Mission: Impossible" is

somewhat fluffy and mediocre yet it boasts some electrifying, entertaining

sequences amidst all the muddle.

Based on the hit television series of yesteryear, Tom Cruise plays Ethan

Hunt, an able protege of veteran IMF (as in Impossible Mission Force) agent

Jim Phelps (Jon Voight), and along with Phelps's team of undercover

operatives, they attempt to capture a Russian agent with plans to steal a

disc containing the identities of American agents stationed in Europe. Whew!

Of course, something invariably goes wrong with Phelps's master plan and it

is up to Hunt and a surviving female operative (Emanuelle Beart from "Nelly

and Monsieur Arnaud") to uncover the enemy who may be a former IMF agent.

The movie begins to lose track of an always intriguing premise - corruption

at the heart of an organization, which in this case is the IMF. There are

multiple twists upon twists upon some clever turns, and lots of latex

disguises courtesy of ILM. The elaborate plot does become a bit confusing

after awhile, but at least we have action scenes to marvel at.

There are two terrific action set pieces that are as thrilling and enticing as

anything I've seen since 1993's "The Fugitive." In one spectacular sequence,

Hunt descends from a ceiling onto a computer room which has a heat sensitive

alarm that can be triggered if the room temperature is above 98 degrees. This

sequence is filled with unbridled tension thanks to director De Palma's

uncanny choice of camera shots and editing strategies. The sequence, though,

works mainly because the soundtrack is filled with such utter, complete silence that all you can hear is Hunt's drops of sweat.

Another titillating sequence occurs when the impenetrable Hunt is fighting

the villains on top of a super speeding train, which is also dragging a

helicopter. Scenes like this give "Mission: Impossible" an edge that

literally keeps you on the edge of your seat.

The ultimate flaw in "Mission" is that the plot is so convoluted that we stop

caring about certain characters, including Phelps (a far too restrained Jon

Voight) and the luminous Emanuelle Beart (Phelp's wife), both of whom become

as one-note as you can expect. This is really Cruise's show all the way (he

is also the producer) and he inhabits every single scene, making the

character of Ethan Hunt knowing, charismatic, witty and resourceful like

just about every other character Cruise has played.  I can't imagine anyone

else playing the role with the same level of sincerity - if only he would age

a bit. This often feels like "Risky Business" crossed with the James Bond

genre.

Cruise has some able support from bald-headed Ving Rhames ("Pulp Fiction"),

Jean Reno ("The Professional"), whose character has the tools to break into

any security system, Henry Czerny as the coldly calculating IMF chief, and

the wonderfully restrained Vanessa Redgrave (!) as some kind of underground

mastermind. There is also a funny, unbilled cameo by Emilio Estevez. Only

Voight and Beart seem to be sleepwalking through the proceedings.

Another plus is veteran director Brian De Palma who does a professionally

slick job of directing, though his trademark style of nervous energy is

largely absent this time. For better or worse, "Mission: Impossible" is

fitfully exciting, electrifying nonsense...and terribly confusing and

impossible to follow.

Cruise jumping around sans couch

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE III (2006)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Original review from 2006)

I could not make much out of the plot of "Mission: Impossible III" but I will say, despite Cruise's increasingly negative personal clout, this movie is entertaining and thrill-happy and Tom Cruise makes a convincing hero. For myself, that is good enough.

Cruise once again plays Ethan Hunt, a devil-may-care, fearless IMF agent who seems willing to settle for domesticity with a Katie Holmes-lookalike (Michelle Monaghan). He is devoted to her and they are

engaged, until he gets a call about locating a certain IMF agent in peril, his protege Lindsey Farris (Keri Russell, who is cast against type ). The agent is rescued in one elaborate set-up, but she also has a time-release explosive charge in her head (guess who else will

suffer that same fate). Eventually, the contraption of a plot involves

some MacGuffin known as the Rabbit's Foot that must be stolen from a

sadistic villain, Owen Davian (Philip Seymour Hoffman). I wish I could

say more about the villain but there is not much more - he is evil

incarnate and wishes great harm to Ethan and his fiancee. The Rabbit's

Foot is stolen and now the villain expects Hunt to return it to him or

else the fiancee dies.

I'll make it brief: "Mission: Impossible III" works. It is lightning-

paced, despite a fairly slow build-up, it has plenty of high-tech

action scenes, explosions delivered on cue, lots of gunfire and

machine gunfire, and some canny disguises and double-crosses (the

latter of which one is fairly predictable). There is a terrifically

nailbiting sequence where Ethan Hunt is suspended between two towers,

slides in and out of them like a cat, uses a parachute and is almost

hit by a truck. And Tom Cruise is as strong and empathetic as before -

the Sincere Hero is still alive and well and Cruise ably performs this

part to the hilt.

The big disappointment may be Philip Seymour Hoffman, who is fairly

one-note in his acting here (not his fault since it is a one-note,

underwritten part). He is threatening only because he tells us so (as

in the opening scene), but I don't think he is terribly convincing.

Some other actor, perhaps more experienced in cinematic villainy,

might have taken this role and made it a scenery-chewing show-

stopper.

If nothing else, "Mission: Impossible III" is an improvement over the

hazardous-to-your-health "Mission: Impossible II." This movie is more

fun, more energetic, more alive and preposterous as hell. Not a great

movie and not deserving of any list of the best action films of all

time, but that is okay. It is Cruise jumping around the screen with

great ease, instead of jumping around in a couch.