When Jack Byrnes suffers a mild heart attack he must appoint a successor to the Byrnes kingdom his only option is Gaylord Focker

Little Fockers is the third movie in the meet the parent series, With Jack getting older and his other son in law “Dr. Bob” getting a divorce and leaving the family, The only option is to anoint Gaylord Focker the rightful heir and under Jacks steady eye see if he can balance raising 5 year old twins, renovating a house and suffering some financial difficulties all while bearing the burden of being the “God Focker”
I have never seen a film try and milk one wordplay joke so much in the history of cinema, Gaylord could milk Jack and get more comedic laughs at this point. The last name is Focker and its sounds so close to something else, we get it! It was amusing ten years ago but has worn so thin and reeks so badly of desperation that you can actually see the stink rise off the poster, If the goal was to sell this joke so often that you cringe rather than laugh then Little Fockers did one thing right.

The Characters are all but a parody of themselves De Niro’s Jack is now so over the top that rather than enjoying DeNiro in a comedy you feel sad for the guy.
Owen Wilson as Kevin was funny when it seemed like he was always better than Gaylord but now is so beyond believability that it appears that Stiller and Wilson decided to turn Kevin into “Hansel” from Zoolander. Adding Jessica Alba into the film as Andi Garcia (not funny at all) is now becoming the kiss of death, (If she is in the credits you have a 90% chance of a terrible movie.) Her character of a drug rep that used to be a nurse but talks like she is 15 is really, really ridiculously bad. Every scene is forced and painful to watch, with no cohesion whatsoever it’s as if they came up with a few things they thought would be funny and tried to develop a story around it. There is the Turkey cutting scene, The Jack Takes ED medicine and the kid walks in when Gaylord is trying to help him scene. Rinse wash repeat.

Lacking in any emotional impact or any concept of humor Little Fockers is an awful waste of time. My recommendation is to watch the commercial where De Niro says “Double Dose” a couple more times and know you just watched the best part.

Grade -58

The true story of the of professional Boxer “Irish” Micky Ward and his brother Dicky Ecklund a former boxer and now Micky’s trainer.

The Fighter follows Micky’s (Mark Wahlberg) early career from stepping stone to legitimate contender at the same time follows the life of his brother Dicky Ecklund(Christian Bale) who’s claim to fame is that he went ten rounds with Sugar Ray Leonard and knocked him down once. Dicky the more charismatic of the two also happens to be a crack addict, a film crew from HBO follows him around chronicling the ravages of drug abuse while Dicky is too high to realize it, instead he gets it in his head that they are documenting his comeback even though Dicky is 40 and not even physically capable of a comeback even if he wanted to. Intermixed between the two stories is Micky’s loyalty to his family and Mother/ Manager who doesn’t seem to have Micky’s best intentions in mind. It takes Micky falling in love with Charlene (Amy Adams) a local waitress to opens up his eyes to what is really going on.

Wahlberg is convincing as Micky even though he still falls into the trap of confusing whispering for showing emotion. Adams as the tough and educated Charlene gives a strong performance as the girlfriend who helps Micky achieve his dreams. However the real story of the fighter is the remarkable performance of an extremely slim and gaunt Christian Bale. As the drug addicted trainer who is more of a hindrance than a help to his brother, Bale is barely recognizable complete with a receding hairline, bald patch and an overly thin frame. The look in Bales eyes while Dicky is high is unmistakable as well as his ability to employ the mannerisms of the real Dicky Ecklund. Bale delivers an Oscar Worthy performance that is nothing short of astounding, he will most definitely get the nod in the supporting actor category. The other standout performance is Melissa Leo as Micky’s mom who is in total denial of the shape Dicky is in.

David O. Russell (Three Kings) proves once again why he is such an astounding Director. Bringing exceptionally strong performances to the screen while not forsaking the importance of still telling a good story. The Fighter is as much about Family and the perils of drug addiction, as it is the tale of the boxer from the small neighborhood finally making good. One of the best sports films of recent memory. Grade -92

A tough and hard drinking US Marshall helps a precocious young girl hunt down her father’s killer in the Indian Nation.

Joel & Ethan Cohen deliver their take on the famous Charles Portis novel. The Cohen’s wanted to make it clear that this is not a remake of the John Wayne film (where he won his lone academy award) instead theirs is a take on the Portis novel, and for good reason the book is excellent, it is immediately engaging and with a language its own is surprisingly funny.
While the Cohens only want to compare their film to the novel there is just no getting around comparing it to Wayne film as well.
The original film of the same name changes the ending and while it might have garnered Wayne the Oscar it is clear that it was awarded based on wanting to recognize his body of work rather than this singular performance. Wayne’s True Grit is simply put a very poor film at best with unintentionally overacted performances all around, its less than not good. The changes to the source material are not for the better and more importantly it fails to entertain, From the opening Scene with Glenn Campbell singing the theme song to the closing frame of Wayne on a horse it is a film that has not stood the test of time.
In stark contrast the Cohen’s take on this timeless tale is both highly entertaining and well acted across the board. As much a dark comedy as a western True Grit is (and I can’t believe I am about to say this) a Cohen Brothers film the whole family will enjoy.

Bridges take on the venerable Rueben “Rooster” Cogburn is a spot on, as the gruff but endearing law man on the hunt of the dim witted Tom Chainey (Josh Brolin) He epitomizes the character with the only comparison to Wayne being they both wear an eye patch (Although on different eyes)Thankfully due to Crazy Heart Bridges is finally lauded as the great Actor that he truly is, able to equally balance a skillful performance as well entertain the audience.
Rooster is teamed up with a Texas Ranger also on the hunt for Tom Chaney named LaBoeuf (pronounced “La Beef”) portrayed by Matt Damon who shows why Glenn Campbell is known for his singing and not his acting. Damon gives a magnificent and possibly the funniest performance of the film, his braggadocio and insistence on letting everyone know how Texas Rangers do things is a constant source of amusement. There is a sense that LaBoef wants to show off and at the same time gain the respect of Rooster that really cements their relationship.
The lynchpin of the film is newcomer Hailee Steinfeld as the resolute and feisty Mattie Ross. The entire film hangs on her performance (Kim Darby in the Wayne version comes off like a 3rd rate Jack McBrayer, I half expected her to tell me about NBC rather hunt down Tom Chaney) Hailee embodies the spirit of the Mattie Ross character pulling off the awkward dialog without a hitch and playing a character with a maturity level higher than her years. She should be applauded for capturing the essence of the headstrong Mattie Ross and giving a performance well beyond her years.

One particular piece that stands out compared to the original film is the wardrobe in the first version everyone is clean and creases can be seen as if dry cleaning and ironing was a major component to the western wardrobe. The costumes are unique and actually fit the times and the characters from Damon’s Texas Ranger Outfit to Lucky Ned’s Chaps there is an authenticity and an attention to detail that literally shames the Original.
True Grit is a vastly entertaining Western with unexpected Comic undertones. It brings new life to a forgotten Genre. It stays true to the novel and even the few changes the Cohen’s made are done seamlessly, the added dialogue feels as though it came from the mind of Charles Portis. True Grit brings the American western back to prominence; it’s a perfectly cast and expertly crafted tale of retribution. -Grade- 94

When a small town police officer gets in a car accident it causes him to reevaluate his life.

I Love You Philip Morris is such an implausible, unbelievable and outlandish story that it immediately seems to be a work of great fiction, However this is another example of how truth can be stranger than fiction.

Jim Carrey stars as Steven Russell; a small town happily married Georgian Police officer who utilizes the police tools at his disposal to locate the birth mother who gave him up for adoption setting the stage for much of Stevens life. Soon Steven is in a car accident and realizes that he is living a lie Steven decides that he is not going to hide being gay and leaves his wife and heads to Florida. Upon immersing himself in the South Florida lifestyle Steven soon realizes that he needs more disposable income to finance said lifestyle and at this point Steven relies on multiple Cons and Fraudulent behavior to pull it off, this ultimately lands him in jail where he meets the love of his life, a soft spoken and well meaning Philip Morris (Ewan McGregor). Steven will do anything to be with Philip and free him from Jail which leads to multiple prison escapes and even more Cons.

At the heart of the film is the love story between Steven and Philip, Philip who just wants to be with Steven and Steven who can’t seem to shake his Con Artist ways in spite of himself.  The lengths to which Steven will go are truly the most amazing part of the story he impersonates a lawyer and wins the case, he cons his way into being the CFO of a major corporation, not satisfied with that finds a way to embezzle funds to provide the lavish lifestyle he so desires for Philip and himself Just as impressive as his real world con work is his work inside the prison system, from lifting pens to dye his uniform green allowing him to impersonate a doctor and walk out the front door; to dressing up in a garish outfit and walking out of jail as a member of Vice. It is Stevens’s success rate at pulling off the implausible that truly amazes.

Carrey’s portrayal of Steven is easily one of his better performances gone are the usual mannerisms that discredit his performances and immediately remind you of his comedic work. One cannot say he doesn’t put his all into this performance. He is completely committed to his character. Likewise Ewans performance as Philip Morris provides the solid foundation which motivates Stevens’s actions. Filled with quirky humor this is one story that truly needs to be seen to be believed.

Grade-84