Benny & Joon

First of all, this movie is most likely not a believable portrayal of mental illness. Hopefully, it's not meant to be. Don't take it too seriously, and you'll probably be amused. Look into it too hard, and you'll be offended by the easy dismissal of Joon's problems (schizophrenia?) For a more somber portrayal of the same topic, watch the australian biopic of pianist David Helfgott, "Shine," or to a lesser degree, see Simon Rumley's "The Living and the Dead." Anyway. Back to the point.

Get rid of Johnny Depp, and you've got a well-acted, bland, fairly impausible tale of siblings and mental illness. Add Johnny Depp, and you've got a quirky, highly entertaining... comedy? Drama? Romance? Like Amy Adams in "Junebug," he makes the movie. Don't get me wrong, Depp's character, Sam, doesn't have near the depth that Adams' did, but he's very funny, awfully strange, and likable.

The plot- Benny (Quinn,) a mechanic, has spent his whole life caring for his mentally ill younger sister Joon (Masterson.) He's encouraged by a co-worker to 'go out and enjoy life,' but wants to leave Joon alone as little as possible. A psychiatrist pressures Benny to put her in a group home, but Benny is set on keeping his sister with him. Joon doesn't want to go to a home either, as she's fond of her brother and doesn't enjoy the company of her 'peers.' However, she's a trial to care for, because she has fits, hears voices, and every now and again sets something on fire.

One day Benny's playing some poker with his friends, betting small objects, when Joon joins in. While Benny leaves for a bit, Joon loses a bet and the two of them are forced to take in the winner's cousin. Obviously, Benny's not pleased, and Joon plays the 'poor exploited girl' in order to take back her loss. However, Benny finally agrees and Sam (Depp) joins the household.

With Joon, Benny probably thought he had enough weirdness for a lifetime, but with the arrival of Sam he gets even more than he bargained for. Sam is mentally stable, though- sort of. Besides, wearing a top hat and carrying a cane wherever he goes, he prepares grilled cheese with an iron, knows a grade-B horror movie's quotes by heart, and does tricks with his hat, forks, bread, etc., etc.

Of course Joon likes him. Almost everyone seems to like him (except his cousin,) though they treat him with quizzical disbelief. Sam tries to get a job at a video store, but leaves when he's unable to fill out a sheet. It seems that he has a learning disability, since his childlike attempts at writing seem odd with his obvious intelligence.

Time passes, and Joon and Sam fall in love. After consummating their relationship, they feel the need to tell Benny. Bad idea. Benny, who feels his sister's been taken advantage of, throws Sam out of the house (literally, not figuratively) and screams in Joon's face telling her she's crazy, as well as revealing the doctor's professional opinion to put her away. Under the obvious stress, Joon has a mental breakdown and is sent to a mental hospital. Together, Sam and Benny come up with a highly outrageous plan to break her free.

Joon's issues veer between serious (Schizophrenic breakdowns) and wacky (making a peanut butter and cereal smoothie or walking through the streets with a scuba mask.) Could Joon actually live on her own without freaking out and becoming delusional? Probably not. Obviously, buckets of belief must be suspended to enjoy the movie. However, the acting is very good and Sam's seriously weird impressions are nothing short of hilarious. (Rated PG)

The School of Rock

Dewey Finn (Jack Black)'s prospects are quickly sinking. His meek former bandmember/ roommate, Ned Schneebly (Mike White) is hesitant to make him pay his long-due rent, but Ned's more controlling girlfriend (Sarah Silverman) is understandably eager to have him out of the picture. He's just been kicked out by his rock-n-roll band, so now he jobless and on the verge of being forced to leave his residence. What's a narcissistic, immature, quasi-talented musician to do?

Well, Dewey's first strategy is to sleep, waking occasionally to halfheartedly attempt to recruit new bandmembers and throw insults in Ned's girlfriend's direction. Suddenly, however, he has an idea. Ned wants to become a substitute on his way to be a full-fledged educator, and may get a call if the main teacher falls ill. When that call comes, Dewey says he's Ned Schneebly and fails to mention the message to the real Ned.

The first day, "Ned" comes to school with a hangover and allows the class to do what they want while he catches up on some sleep. Unfortunately, he has the luck to get Summer, a precocious teacher's pet who is the only one in the class who has an eager desire to learn. Finally, he grabs a collection of instruments from his van and decides to teach the youngsters some rock, partially because it's the only thing he's good at and to staunch the kids' boredom.

Apparently the rocking and rolling sounds aren't loud enough to make the uptight principal (Joan Cusack) become sure that something other than math and reading are going on in the classroom, but she is clever enough to make several tries to check on them. Luckily Dewey and the kids manage to hide the instruments and fake other studies (except the guitar incident.) However, the real Ned Scheebly is bound to figure out his buddy's up to something, and Dewey's foil may be detected before he gets to his goal, entering the kids in the battle of the bands competition in a desperate effort to become financially secure.

I guess that maybe many people won't see this because they dislike Jack Black, or have not gotten over some of his stupider roles in the past. Luckily, I rented the movie with a kinder predisposition, because a friend had enjoyed it and I had read some good reviews (plus I really didn't have an opinion on Jack Black.) To my pleasure, I found that I was massively entertained. Sure, it's predictable, implausible, and scattered with bits where Dewey chews up the scenery. But it was funny. It had clever dialogue, entertaining characters, and I personally found it more enjoyable than a slightly similar, older unorthodox-teacher movie, "Kindergarten Cop."

For one thing, it genuinely manages to be halfway family-friendly and please different audiences. Aside from some language, drinking, and a potentially disturbing double-entendre, it can probably be considered in ways cleaner than many Dreamworks productions. Don't get me wrong, I'm no war-mongering 'keep the children innocent' idealist, but I'm sure, that for some families, little sexual content and no violence will be a relief.

Also, the movie doesn't take itself too seriously. Sure, Dewey's going to become nicer, more responsible, and feel bad for using the kids, but it never gets really sappy. One of the students has a tough relationship with his dad, but "The School of Rock" never tries to dabble in more serious issues such as child abuse. Kids get bullied, the principal is depressed, but this movie tries to keep tongue firmly in cheek.

The problem with reviewing is that you don't know how to rate a film. For instance some of the movies I've seen, such "The Living and the Dead," are flawed but fearlessly original productions that play with genres and challenge the brain. Original they may be, but that doesn't mean they're much fun going down. Than we have "The School of Rock." Cliched, mainstream- but it's purpose is to entertain, ultimately, it's a fun, funny crowd-pleaser. Originality is great, but sometimes you need something that's enjoyable to watch. If your idea of a good movie is one that keeps you laughing throughout, is placed somewhere outside reality, and begins and ends with a rock-n-roll number, I highly recommend this (Rated PG-13.)

Trailer Not Available

Junebug

Madeline (Embeth Davidtz) is an eccentric art dealer specializing in Outsider works who's just gotten married to her former boyfriend, George. He takes her to meet his dysfunctional Southern family, and to accompany his sister-in-law when she has her baby. Uh-oh. Judging from the plotlines of multiple comedies, one can guess that the situation has a good chance of getting messy.

But this isn't a comedy, really. It's a recent addition in the 'family problems' sect of the independent indrustry. Don't give up hope, though- this is a better addition to the 'dysfunctional' sub-genre than some. Watch it instead (or as well as) "The Savages," for example, or "Smart People." First of all, we have Amy Adams, playing an immensely likable character, who gives "Junebug" a hoist.

Actually, Madeline also needs to visit the area to talk with one of her latest charges, a dim-witted fellow who like to paint well-endowed people doing battle (don't ask) so she can help him sell his 'art.' Off they go, although, George is probably nervous due to a feud between he and his younger brother, Johnny. Why is there a feud? It's not clear. A lot of things go unsaid in this film.

There are four people- actually, five- living under the same roof. The matriarch is Peg (Celia Weston,) an unpleasant woman who immediately to takes a disliking to Madeline. Her husband is Eugene (Scott Wilson,) a man who makes 'people of few words' look like incredible chatterboxes. Peg and Eugene have one son, Johnny (Ben McKenzie,) a surly, bad-tempered young man with a grudge against George. Lastly is Johnny's wife Ashley (Amy Adams,) the only openly welcoming member of the family, who's expecting.

"Junebug" is hardly an action-packed movie. What proceeds is the interactions between George's family and the couple. Ashley, who's apparently starved for a social life with her withdrawn in-laws, practically falls over herself trying to make Madeline feel at home. Peg complains, Eugene quietly looks for his lost screwdriver, and Johnny keeps a distance from George and Madeline. As the story goes on, a situation arises when George feels torn between his family's needs and his wife's.

The slow pace gives "Junebug" a real, quiet feel. Something that sets it apart from many other movies of this type, however, are the surprisingly likable characters. With the exception of a few, most of the main protagonists are generally decent. It is like "Little Miss Sunshine" in that respect. Although spending an afternoon with many of them is the last thing on your mind, they are not of a love-to-hate, akin to "The Squid and the Whale," group.

As before, mentioned Amy Adams all but steals the show as Ashley. She is off-beat without being full of forced quirkiness, and her relentless sense of optimism is nearly irritating at times, but you can't help but like her. Most of the character's are semi-interesting, but Ashley is really the main character, the living, breathing person among the mix.

What did I feel after watching "Junebug?" The directer wasn't especially original with the plot-line, but one can sense the talent behind the execution. It won't be added to my favorites list any time soon, but it was what it was, and absolutely watchable (Rated R.)

Trailer Not Available

Special

Les Franken (Michael Rapaport) just wants to make a difference- an prospect that's elusive in his dead-end life. Working as meter reader, he is on the hook with his boss for being too nice and allowing manipulative people to not pay up, and he spends most of his time at home reading comic books and hanging out with his two best friends. On a whim, he decides to enroll in a drug study and allows a psychiatrist to test an antidepressant on him before putting it in for circulation.

Les takes his first pill, and chaos ensues. Convinced the medication has given him special powers, he begins hallucinating, and even 'reads' the psychiatrist's thoughts. Obviously excited at his new 'gifts' of telepathy, transportation, levitation, etc., he promptly tells his friends, who assume he's joking. The psychiatrist tells Les to dispose of the remaining pills, but Les hears him tell him telepathically to keep taking them and that some evil-doers might not want Les to have his special abilities so they have to cover it up.

Les now has a purpose, and he gets a suit for himself and begins his life of fighting crime by stopping a convenience store robbery by tacking the would-be (and armed) thief. As his desperate attempts to help neighbors (often putting innocent people through hell in the process) continue, it becomes more clear that he is, actually, in danger, though not in the way that he, in his delusional state, would expect.

"Special" begins as an offbeat, admittedly black comedy, but as Les become increasingly deranged the story takes a darker turn. Les wants to prove to himself and others that he can make a difference, but the unhealthy mixture of a bad psychological reaction, his hope to help people, and comic books make the situation a disaster for everyone involved.

The movie got confusing at times, but the main character was genuinely interesting. It was hard not to like him and his intentions, even when his paranoia became disturbing and violent. I've never seen Michael Rapaport in anything before this, but I think he did a decent job, balancing humor and delusion without going way over the top. It would have been nice to have seen the other characters developed a little more, but as a weird character study, it works.

It's good to see an original 'quirky' film. Lately, independent film-making has tried so hard to be original that it becomes dull. Troubled teens, dysfunctional families- you know the drill. It's difficult to place "Special." It's not dark enough to be compared to "The Living and the Dead," but it's not nearly as sweet as "Lars and the Real Girl" either. The story strains credibility, but if you think you might like a depressing, offbeat drama with a clever premise, you should maybe give this a shot. (Rated R)

Mozart and the Whale

In a fair amount of books and movies dealing with Autism and Asperger's, the related disorder, a scene is put where a person, generally a psychiatrist, explains the situation to another character. This is most likely not added to aid character or plot development. Probably this part is there to help people who are not 'in' the know about it, in other words, people who don't get what these conditions are so they'll understand the story better.

In "Mozart and the Whale," the main character, Donald (Josh Hartnett,) takes pauses in the beginning to talk about life with Asperger's. One might think these would be interesting, and a good departure from the 'shrink explains' cliche, but actually it becomes rather irksome. Judging from this movie, people on the autistic spectrum like nothing more than to sit around and discuss their conditions.

"Mozart and the Whale" is a romantic drama based on the memoir of the same title, which I've never read. The main characters, Donald and Isabella (Radha Mitchell,) have Asperger's Syndrome and meet during a support group meeting. The film chronicles how their relationship begins and the difficulties of trying to coexist in a romantic situation on the autism spectrum.

Well, I'm guessing some people might have no clue what Asperger's is. I suppose though, by telling you I will be making the same 'mistake' the film did and boring people who already understand it. I guess the difference was that Donald was discussing this with fellow aspergians that were already in a support group, and probably didn't need instruction. Then again, maybe you don't either. in that case, skip the following paragraph and cut to the chase.

Asperger's, in short, is a difference in the mind that cause difficulties relating to people, and in some cases, uncommon reactions to certain stimuli. It's related to a more commonly known condition, autism, but tends to be milder. People with Asperger's have problems with social skills, have certain interests they dwell on, and don't easily 'change gears.' Some of them are introverted, and others try to relate, but come off as sort of odd. Introversion, possibly, could be a reaction to being misunderstood. Generally they are gifted, and grow up to live more independently than people who are autistic.

In the beginning of "Mozart and the Whale," Donald meets Isabella, a new addition to the support group. Isabella is a bright, excitable, and socially challenged artist who immediately tells fellow group members about being raped as a teenager. Obviously she is angered when a severely autistic woman displays a grossly inappropriate reaction and begins laughing, although she doesn't understand the woman's problems, or her own flawed behavior. Infuriated, she is just stopped from leaving by Donald, who convinces her to keep going to meetings.

One of the group members has a nervous crush on Isabella, but she is more interested in Donald. Soon, she invites him to a costume party, which he doesn't arrive for. She comes and knocks on his door dressed as Mozart, and he joins her to walk with her, him in a whale costume (hence the title.) They spend time together, and even a near-breakdown from stimulus overload at the carnival doesn't ruin the night. Before departing, the have their first kiss.

After their bond deepens and they move in with each other, they start having problems in their relationship. Several times they leave each other, but get back together. However, problems arise when Isabella feels that Donald is unaccepting and is trying to 'normalize' them for the outside world, and she and Donald break up. The two of them feel lost without the other, and Isabella becomes suicidal, but they're afraid to get back together.

"Mozart and the Whale" is a decent movie, although at times it becomes irritating, especially at the beginning. When we are first introduced to the main characters, the director seems to be afraid we'll forget the condition of the group members, so we're constantly hit atop the head with 'autistic' symptoms. The characters mention their disorder just about every five minutes, and their 'interests,' such as mathematics or art, seem so hackneyed that it's difficult to relate to many of them.

On the plus side, the movie is made so that each person, in many ways, is vastly different from the others. Although they share Asperger's, their general personality and mannerisms are their own, though at times overdone. Actually, Donald and Isabella are not very alike, although they both lack proper social skills.

All in all, "Mozart and the Whale" seems like more of a tool to explain Asperger's than a proper story. I don't have the book to judge from, but the film is well-intentioned but plods heavily at times. It's definitely not the worst view of the Autistic spectrum, but it's far from the best (Rated PG-13.)

Trailer Not Available

Marley and Me

Warning: This review may contain spoilers. If you don't know how the movie or book ends, read at your own risk.

Based on the Bestselling memoir by John Grogan, "Marley and Me" is an emotional comedy drama that might have little to offer non-animal lovers. Despite deceptive trailers, it is not really a 'kid's' movie at all. This is a definite tearjerker, and will probably leave many adults in shambles by the end. Kids can watch it, it's just not a 'turn on the movie so mom can take a nap' kind of flick. It was mostly made for grownups, so if your five-year-old doesn't know the concept of death and starts asking "Where did Marley go?," don't blame me.

Celebrities Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston (of Rachel fame) play John and Jenny Grogan, respectively. As the story starts, they're a newly married couple living together. John is trying to get a job, and Jenny hopes to have children. After he gets into journalism, a friend recommends that he buy Jenny a pet dog, to ease her concern that that she is incapable of raising anything, including a plant.

So he drives Jenny to a dog breeder, without telling her firsthand his plan. There they are greeted by a litter of adorable Labrador Retriever puppies. She's delighted, and immediately sets out to pick one. One puppy stands out. It's on clearance, and is a great deal cheaper than the others. To save some money, the couple buys him. Yep, you guessed it. That's Marley. Shortly afterward, Jenny has to leave town so John looks after Marley, named by him from the famous musician.

From day one, Marley is a handful. The first night, he howls loudly from his bed in the garage until John lets him inside. While John goes to pick up Jenny, Marley tears apart the house. Despite his awful behavior, the two love him unconditionally and (dare I say it) spoil him rotten. Shortly afterward, Jenny gets pregnant but miscarries. To make his grieving wife feel better, John takes her on a trip to Scotland and leaves Marley in the care of an unsuspecting young woman. By the time they return, the practically hysterical dog sitter informs them that "That is not a dog. That is evil with a dog face."

Eventually, Jenny gets pregnant again and gives birth to a healthy baby boy. By their second living child, she starts to become overwhelmed by the pressure of caring for rwo small kids and a rambunctious dog. At that time, Jenny tells John to get rid of Marley, so he sends him to the friend's house until she calms down. The years go by, and Marley becomes less of a burden and more of a faithful (although perhaps not useful) member of the the household. As he stays by them and his muzzle grays, the viewer becomes aware that in movie dog years, he's getting old.

I'm a dog owner, and therefore that makes me me more fond of this film. People who don't like dogs are unlikely to find much in this two hour family saga. Don't get me wrong, the humans play an important role too, but most of the laughs (near the beginning) and tears (around the end) revolve around Marleys effect on the people around them. When the dog aspect comes to a halt, Alan Arkin provides comic relief as John's eccentric boss.

Okay- I cried- you might be a stone not to, but one aspect of "Marley and Me" irked me. Sure, a beloved old dog reaching the end of his life is many people's weak spot. The thing is, the director obviously knows that and plays it to the best of his abilities.The subject is enough to depress, but he seems to feel he needs to ham it up as much as possible. You can almost hear him in his studio, telling his crew to turn the melodramatic music up.

"You're not crying yet? How about I have the little boy play videos of young Marley while the dog breathes his last? Are you crying now? Huh? HUH?"

This would be unforgivable if the movie did not move audiences, but I'll admit that most of my family was practically in tears by the film's close. Although it feels like sort of a cheat, genuine emotion and decent acting went into this production, so I can only complain so much. I think it's great film for dog lovers and "chick flick" fans alike. Athough I doubt that 'chicks' will be the only ones moved by it (Rated PG.)

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Death at a Funeral (2007)

Bizarre, unabashedly black comedy chronicles a dysfunctional British family mourning the death of their patriarch. Well, they try to, anyway. Family tensions give way to total chaos with the arrival of a mysterious dwarf blackmailer, Hallucinogens accidentally passed around, and Uncle Alfie, an obnoxious foul-mouthed old man.

In the beginning, we are introduced to a whole host of strange characters. There's a slightly hypochondriac man, obsessed with a pigment mutation on his hand. There's a guy who's a successful novelist and his writer wanna-be brother. Well, I'm not going to rattle off every single person in the movie. I can't remember most of their names, actually.

The most normal people in the bunch are a woman named Martha and her quiet fiance' (Alan Tudyk.) Before they arrive at the funeral, they stop at a relatives place. Simon is stressed out, and Martha gives him a dose of Valium to calm his nerves. What they don't know is, it's not Valium. The owner of the bottle is a drug addict, and it's actually a Hallucinogenic concoction. Unfortunately, the drug goes straight to Simon's head and, sure enough, he begin behaving strangely and seeing things.

Simon is already disliked by the deceased's brother, Martha's father, for unknown reasons. Apparently, though, showing affection towards rooster garden ornaments and stumbling around in a drug-induced haze doesn't do much for your popularity. Things get worse when Simon sees something 'moving' inside the coffin and knocks it to the ground, spilling the body and sending the dead man's wife into tears.

The not-so-successful guy, who's busy writing the eulogy his friends want his brother to do, is surprised to see a strange dwarf standing by the table. Well, I'd hesitate to spoil this, but the preview will divulge it anyway. The unnamed dwarf takes takes him aside and shows him a pack of pictures of the small man and his dad together. Professing that they were good friends, he flips through the multiple photos of the two together.

The son is confused that he has never seen or heard of the dwarf, being that they were apparently close. The truth, however, comes out with the last picture. This one is a graphic shot of dad and the dwarf in an- um- compromising position. As if finding out your dad had an alternate lifestyle that he shared with a little person wasn't enough, he is informed that if the dwarf isn't given some of the will, the photos will be shown to the entire family, shocking them and traumatizing his mourning mother.

So you thought family had issues? The son is already having financial problems, so he is less than happy to hand the money over. However, he is even less keen on driving his mum to an early grave. So he asks his brother for help, and they try to come up with a way to make the guy leave.

Meanwhile, Simon has barricaded in the upstairs bathroom playing with tissue and his fiance', trying to get him to come out, is being leered at by a creepy guy she once had a one-night stand with. Wheelchair-bound Alfie's toilet problems only complicate things. To put it simply, pretty much everything that can happen does. The film's events tell the story of possibly one of the most chaotic, awful funerals in the history of cinema.

Make no mistake- this film's preview makes it look far inferior to the actual result. Though not without it's flaws, "Death at a Funeral" is funnier than many films I've seen this year. It's lines and timing were often hilarious. Sometimes, however, I felt they went too far in the humor's dark weirdness. At some points, I was close to being offended, and found little entertainment in the increasingly sick situations that were playing out.

Also, Alan Tudyk appears to get most of the great lines . Even though the wanna-be writer's beginning of his eulogy- "it seems that my father has more friends now that he's dead than when he was alive-' is somewhat funny by itself, it is Simon's grossly inappropriate reaction (hysterical laughing) that really drives the joke home. Simon, in fact, has so many funny parts you feel the directer should share the wealth a bit.

My new philosophy, though, is this- don't rag on a movie that makes me laugh as hard as this one did. Fans of dark humor will probably like it even more than me. This is definitely one of those movies that exceeded and soared beyond my original expectations. (Rated R)

Recommendation- Another high-speed farce you can see concerning myriad disasters befalling a family during a gathering is Only Human