BLOCKERS: 3 ½ STARS
The advertising tagline for 鈥淏lockers鈥� says it all: 鈥淭eens Out to Have Fun. Parents Out to Stop It.鈥� Cue the hijinks as Leslie Mann, John Cena and Ike Barinholtz play parents who go to elaborate lengths to try and disrupt their daughters鈥� pact to do more than just shake their hips at their prom.
The laughs in 鈥淏lockers鈥� begin when single mom Lisa (Mann) intercepts texts鈥攃omplete with suggestive eggplants and drooling faces鈥攂etween her teenage daughter Julie (Kathryn Newton) and her besties, Kayla (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Sam (Gideon Adlon). The girls have grown up together and done everything as a group. Tonight they鈥檙e on the way to prom with a plan to do more than dance. 鈥淭onight is the first night of our adult life,鈥� says ringleader Kayla. 鈥淚 want to go to prom and lose my virginity.鈥� Lisa alerts the other parents, the boozy Hunter (Barinholtz) and muscle bound Mitchell (Cena), to make sure everyone that鈥檚 everyone makes it home safe and untouched. 鈥淚n times of crisis parents are known to have superhuman strength,鈥� says Lisa.
鈥淏lockers鈥� is a very silly movie that makes several very serious points. The adult leads go heavy on the slapstick and Barinholtz in particular is skilled in finding the laugh in throwaway lines. So you鈥檒l laugh. A lot. But in between Cena chugging beers in his butt鈥攜up, you read that right鈥攁nd Mann鈥檚 trademarked comic vulnerability are strong messages about female empowerment, about young women making their own decisions about not being damsels in distress. So, what could have been a distaff 鈥淎merican Pie鈥� is something more, something that feels timely. Although Brian and Jim Kehoe wrote the script, director Kay Cannon sees to it that 鈥淏lockers鈥� emphasises the female perspective.
鈥淏lockers鈥� is a sex comedy but for a new generation. Gone is the shame and guilt of 鈥淎merican Pie.鈥� They鈥檙e replaced with frank and open discussions about controlling their lives鈥攂oth the kids and the adults鈥攃oupled with some prerequisite heartstring plucking near the end. It鈥檚 not particularly memorable but the representation of teens as kids ruled by their brains as much as their hormones are a nice leap forward.
A QUIET PLACE: 4 STARS
Imagine living in complete silence. Never raising your voice over the level of a faint whisper. No music. No heavy footsteps. You can鈥檛 even sneeze. Silence. Then imagine your life depends on staying completely noiseless. That鈥檚 the situation for the Abbott family鈥攁nd the rest of the world鈥攊n the effective new thriller 鈥淎 Quiet Place.鈥�
Real life couple John Krasinski (who also wrote, produced and directed) and Emily Blunt are Lee and Evelyn, a mother and father fighting for the survival of their kids Beau (Cade Woodward), Regan (Millicent Simmonds) and Marcus (Noah Jupe) in a world where making a sound, any sound, can be deadly. Deadly blind aliens who hunt their prey through sound have invaded the world turning noisy people into human cold cuts. The family lives in silence, using sign language and eating off leaves to avoid the clinking of cutlery but what happens when a newborn baby cries? Can life go on?
The silence of the first half of 鈥淎 Quiet Place鈥� is deafening. There is no spoken dialogue for forty minutes, just dead air. In the way that many filmmakers use bombast to grab your attention Krasinski uses the absence of sound to focus the audience on the situation. Very little information is passed along. We don鈥檛 know where the aliens came from, why they鈥檙e terrorizing earth or how many there are. Ditto the Abbotts. We know nothing about them. The connection the family feels is transmitted through looks and actions, not words. This isn鈥檛 a story where character development is important; it鈥檚 a tale of survival pure and simple.
Tension grows in the first, artier half and pays dividends in the second more genre-based half. Set up out of the way Krasinski raises the stakes, putting the family directly in the way of the creatures. Like all good genre movies as the story escalates it becomes not simply about predatory monsters, all teeth and giant ears, but about a universal truth. In this case it is about a parent鈥檚 primal need to protect their kids at any cost. Krasinski nails this, providing both the b-movie thrills and chills necessary to the genre and a deep undercurrent of humanity.
He鈥檚 aided by the actors. Blunt is all poignancy and strength. Krasinski brings stoicism while the kids make us care about the family.
鈥淎 Quiet Place鈥� is a nervy little film. Other filmmakers might have tried to find a way to wedge in more dialogue or spell things out more clearly but the beauty of Krasinski鈥檚 approach is its simplicity. Uncluttered and low key, it鈥檚 a unique and unsettling horror film.
CHAPPAQUIDDICK: 4 STARS
鈥淐happaquiddick,鈥� a new film starring Jason Clarke and Kate Mara, recreates an infamous event to unveil the inner workings of one of America鈥檚 most powerful families.
Clarke, an Australian actor best known for his work in 鈥淶ero Dark Thirty,鈥� plays Senator Ted Kennedy, the youngest son of a political dynasty. As the movie begins brothers John and Bobby have both been assassinated, gunned down while in office. It鈥檚 1969 and Ted is eyeing a White House run in 1972.
The incident that gives the film its name took place on Friday, July 18, 1969. Kennedy threw a party on Chappaquiddick Island, a ferry ride away from Edgartown on the nearby larger island of Martha's Vineyard, as a reunion of the 鈥渂oiler-room girls,鈥� six women who were the engine of Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. Also in attendance is Kennedy's cousin (and fixer) Joseph Gargan (Ed Helms), former U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Paul F. Markham (Jim Gaffigan) and political campaign specialist Mary Jo Kopechne (Mara).
While the others drank, danced and dined Kennedy and Kopechne took a fateful drive that would end when Kennedy veered off a bridge and into a tidal channel. Kennedy escaped, leaving Kopechne to drown.
What follows is the battle between Ted鈥檚 conscience and his political well-being, a mish-mash of power, influence and morality. Kennedy ultimately fessed up, pleading guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an accident causing bodily injury, but not before crafting a carefully worded statement and faking a concussion.
鈥淐happaquiddick鈥檚鈥� story of a weak man who panicked is a compelling one, especially when embellished with layers of political and personal intrigue. Clarke is physically imposing, a bear of a man, but plays Kennedy as a little boy. Blustery on the outside but always looking to his wheelchair-bound father (Bruce Dern) for approval. Kennedy Sr., a power broker who valued his son鈥檚 success more than the boys themselves, is only onscreen for a few minutes but his presence and influence looms large in the story.
The wheeling and dealing that surrounds the partial cover-up of Ted鈥檚 involvement in Kopechne鈥檚 passing are in part to try and protect Kennedy鈥檚 upcoming run for the White House and in part to the father of all Kennedys happy. It鈥檚 a fascinating dynamic and director John Curran finds a balance between the two high-stakes situations.
A strong supporting cast, including Ed Helms in a rare dramatic role, help pull back the curtain on the latter day Camelot, revealing the behind-the-scenes machinations that kept Ted Kennedy in the Senate and out of jail. 鈥淐happaquiddick鈥� is step-by-step, methodical, but the crime procedural elements of the story are second to the examination of the Kennedy power structure.
THE MIRACLE SEASON: 2 STARS
From the title on down to the story and performances 鈥淭he Miracle Season鈥� is a film that trumpets its uplifting, inspirational point of view. The story may be rooted in tragedy but this is a tale of perseverance.
In 2011 the Iowa City West High School volleyball team were champions starting a new season. Team captain Caroline 'Line' Found (Danika Yarosh) is a popular student and daughter of the kindly Dr. Ernie Found (William Hurt). 鈥淪he reached out to everyone,鈥� says coach Kathy Bresnahan (Helen Hunt), 鈥渟trangers, opponents teachers, even lowly Coach. To Line they all meant the same thing, friends.鈥� When Line is killed in an accident the team, especially best friend Kelly (Erin Moriarty), must work through their grief if they want to 鈥淟ive Like Line鈥� and take the state championship.
鈥淢iracle Season" is exactly what you think it will be, a respectful movie that wears its heart on its sleeve. There鈥檚 barely a rough edge here anywhere, except in the underwritten script. Characters are inherently decent, inspired to be better people by the memory of their late friend. Good messages all round but it doesn鈥檛 really make for great drama. The spectre of Hallmark hangs heavy over every scene.
What鈥檚 left is Oscar winner Hunt as the tough love coach pumping her fist, mouthing the word 鈥測es鈥� as her team gains confidence on the court and lots of talk about winning for Line. Director Sean McNamara, who mined similar territory with Hunt in the film 鈥淪oul Surfer,鈥� is unafraid to pluck heartstrings, often steering the story into motivational melodrama. It鈥檚 likely some tears will be wrung from the easy emotion on display, but 鈥淢iracle Season,鈥� for all its good intentions, is a simply a generic sports movie.
ALLURE: 1 STAR
Evan Rachel Wood鈥檚 breakout movie was 鈥淭hirteen.鈥� She played Tracy Louise Freeland, a teen who spiralled downward into a morass of drugs, sex, and petty crime. Her new film, 鈥淎llure,鈥� is unrelated but feels like it could be a continuation of Tracy鈥檚 story.
Wood plays Laura Drake, a troubled 30-year-old woman who works for her father鈥檚 cleaning service. On one of her house calls she meets 16-year-old unhappy musical prodigy Eva (Julia Sarah Stone). As Eva鈥檚 mom (Maxim Roy) makes plans for them to move in with her boyfriend Laura befriends the girl, introducing her to pot and lending an understanding ear. When Eva explains why she is so unhappy鈥攕he doesn鈥檛 like the boyfriend and doesn鈥檛 want to move鈥擫aura comes on strong. 鈥淵ou don't have to do anything you don't want to do,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou don't have to let your mother control your life!鈥�
Seeing Eva鈥檚 tears Laura suggests a way out. 鈥淐ome live with me.鈥� Eva readily agrees and they leave without a word to anyone, including Eva鈥檚 mom. What begins as a break from Eva鈥檚 turbulent home life turns into a hostage situation when the police start poking around. 鈥淚'll go to jail if they find out what I did to help you,鈥� Laura says as she locks her young charge in a basement room, away from prying eyes. She is now an illegal guardian, kind of like a cool aunt, only with bad intentions.
When the furor over Eva鈥檚 disappearance dies down the two return to their version of normal life. Laura, an expert manipulator controls Eva physically and emotionally. 鈥淚 say what you can and cannot do,鈥� she hisses. As time goes on, whether it is Stockholm Syndrome or true emotion, they become a romantic couple as Laura spirals further out of control.
鈥淎llure鈥� is relentless in its downbeat look at life and relationships. A minor chord score underlines the overwrought drama, offering no relief from the deeply unpleasant story. Unpleasant is OK if it reveals inner truths about the characters but 鈥淎llure鈥� rarely really gets under the skin of Laura or Eva. They make inexplicable choices and most importantly, there are few moments that feel truthful.
