Five reviews for the price of one
“Charlotte’s Web” A-
The second adaptation of E.B. White’s beloved 1952 children’s book (the first film adaptation was in 1973) features an all-star cast and plenty of over-sweetened cheesiness.
But the film manages to transcend the expected cheese to become a happy and heartfelt story that is easily enjoyed by adults as well as children.
The spunky farm girl, Fern (Dakota Fanning, “Dreamer”), stops her father from killing the runt of his latest litter of pigs. She names the rescued pig Wilbur and forms an inseparable bond with her new friend.
As Wilbur (voiced by Dominic Scott Kay, “The Wild”) grows up, he becomes acquainted with his family of farm animals, including some gabbing geese (Oprah Winfrey, “Beloved”; Cedric the Entertainer, “Barbershop”), a selfish rat (Steve Buscemi, “The Island”), worrisome cows (Kathy Bates, “Failure to Launch”; Reba McIntire, “Reba”) and a regal spider named Charlotte (Julia Roberts, “Ocean’s Twelve”).
To save Wilbur from becoming a Christmas dinner entrée, Charlotte spins her web in the doorway of the barn to display glimmering adjectives describing the pig.
Essentially, the story gives a beautiful and hopeful example of sacrifice and individual worth. Directed modestly by Gary Winick (“13 Going on 30”), this film features some marvelously orchestrated music that helps to enhance the emotion of such an endearing story.
“The Holiday”
B+
Cameron Diaz (“In Her Shoes”) is at the helm of the latest romantic comedy to come from writer-director Nancy Meyers (“Something’s Gotta Give”).
I feel that if Diaz ever goes to college, she would major in something like bubbliness. Aside from being pretty, that is really all she offers in this film.
Diaz plays Amanda, a successful movie trailer producer living in Beverly Hills and suffering from an unfaithful boyfriend.
Across the globe, we have a decidedly less bubbly and more realistic performance from Kate Winslet (“All the King’s Men”) as Iris, a lonely newspaper columnist in England who suffers from unrequited love.
As part of a novel exchange program, these two women meet each other online and decide to switch houses for their Christmas vacation and, in doing so, get away from the frustrating men in their lives. Both women, however, meet new men while vacationing away from home.
Will romance blossom for these deserving young ladies, or will they just get to have a short fling?
You already know what’s going to happen in this film even before the opening credits are over. And I think that’s the reason this film manages to be so warm and cheerful.
All the actors demonstrate flawless chemistry with their romantic opposites, and a poignant sub-plot gives a keen comparison of old Hollywood with the nauseatingly synthetic Hollywood of today. There are moments where there is way too much unrealistic sweetness going on, but “The Holiday” remains an enchanting romantic getaway from the blandness of reality.
“The Pursuit of Happyness”
A-
This adaptation of a true story rings very true and very real for many of us who are struggling with professional employment and trying to build lives of our own.
Will Smith (“Hitch”) plays an average man struggling with these challenges. Trying to make a living in the early 1980s in San Francisco by selling medical equipment, Smith plays real-life businessman, Chris Gardner.
The medical equipment that Chris sells is no longer a novelty, and as his monthly income gradually dissolves, he and his son slowly sink into poverty.
Chris tries to change his profession by abandoning his nowhere job and applying for an internship at a powerful stockbroker company.
This film demonstrates great realism through its intimacy and humility as Chris is spread thinner and thinner, trying to transform his internship into a career while also trying to earn a living and keep his son.
Nothing is sugar-coated in this film. (Chris remains surrounded by extremely stressful odds which eventually lead him to homelessness.) And that lack of sugar makes the film much sweeter as a whole. Ultimately, it gives an empowering and simple example of the American dream.
While full of inspiration and featuring an engaging performance from Smith, the film galvanizes the audience from time to time to evoke deep sympathy or compassion. But the film remains a great experience for all despite the moments when it tries to gently squeeze your emotions out of you.
“Night at the Museum”
C
Although this film is overflowing with creativity, it seems best suited for an audience of 10-year-olds. And while the creativity of this film is fun at first, it gets tiresome toward the end.
Ben Stiller (“Meet the Fockers”) is probably in his least comfortable role here, essentially because he plays a normal person. As a wandering single dad who can’t hold down a job, he finally gets hired as the night guard for the Museum of Natural History in New York City.
He soon understands that this won’t be a simple job, because everything comes to life inside the museum once the sun sets. The reason for this peculiarity is conveniently due to a mysterious curse from an Egyptian artifact in the museum.
So for most of the film, we watch Stiller interact with the animals of the African savannah, stuffed statues of historical leaders and the skeleton of a T-Rex among other things. Sometimes these interactions are funny (Owen Wilson is memorable as a fanatical cowboy), and sometimes they’re stupid (How long can Stiller and a mischievous monkey slap each other before you stop laughing?)
You certainly don’t have to think very hard watching this film, because if you do, things won’t make any sense. Directed by Shawn Levy (“Just Married”), this children’s book adaptation gives a lot of effort, but its imbalance of creativity over plot cohesiveness makes it topple down on itself.
“We Are Marshall” B+
As the latest product to come off the conveyor belt of underdog sports films based on a true story, it’s easy to feel a little skeptical or even jaded about “We Are Marshall.” But this one is a sports film that isn’t just about what happens on the field. It’s about something more.
In the early 1970s, a plane crash brought about the death of the Marshall University football team, killing almost every athlete and coach. In the movie, the university’s livelihood hangs by a thread as the small, West Virginia community mourns their enormous loss.
The community finds their flickering ray of hope in Matthew McConaughey (“Failure to Launch”), who plays the football team’s new coach, full of optimism and home-grown charm.
The premise of this film provides a great emotional connection to our own university, reminding us of the College of Agriculture’s fatal car crash during Fall Semester 2005.
As the university’s football team is re-built, the film does well at giving us reminders that sustaining hope is not easy, and moving forward can hurt. History is made from this story as Marshall University becomes the first to allow college freshmen to play football.
Sadly, “We Are Marshall” does not totally overcome the clichés that lay in its path from previous sports films. But it still offers powerful game scenes on the field, realism from all the actors and perhaps the best message of any sports film: that winning isn’t the only way to succeed.
Casey T. Allen is the Utah Statesman film critic. Comments can be sent to him at caseyal@cc.usu.edu.