Double Team'd: One Hill of a Time!

Since I recently gave Jay Baruchel the Whore treatment, I thought it only fair that his buddy, Jonah Hill, get Double Team'd as well. Let's see if his summer movies have fared any better.

Cyrus


Release: 06.18.10 (limited)
Rated R
1 hour, 31 minutes


Matinee



With her wedding to Tim (Matt Walsh, Mystery Team) impending, Jamie (Catherine Keener, Hamlet 2) tries to get her dependent ex-husband, John (John C. Reilly, Chicago), back into the dating scene. After one too many drinks, John is discovered releasing the Red Bull into the bushes by Molly (Marisa Tomei, Alfie). Their connection is electric. As the sparks start to fly, John discovers Molly already has a man in her life: her eccentric, twenty-one year-old son, Cyrus (Jonah Hill, Grandma's Boy).

Writing-directing brothers Jay and Mark Duplass (Baghead) crafted an enjoyable, albeit languid, tale about the courtship between two emotionally dysfunctional people. The slow pacing was made worse by the fact that nearly every pivotal moment had been laid out in the trailer.

The cast gave excellent performances, although I wish Matt Walsh had have gotten a little more screen time. His character wouldn't have added anything to the story, but I just wanted more of him. Hill and Reilly handle the tête-à-tête between their characters superbly. It's never outrageous or unbelievable, but the love both men have for Molly is apparent.

Dirty Undies
I'm wondering if the Duplass brothers meant to capture Reilly's tighty-whitey package so vividly. I don't think I ever expected to see that side of the man. Tomei proves she's still the go-to gal for sexy, older women roles.

The Money Shot
When it was over, I felt there was an entire act missing from Cyrus. The story only touches the surface of the relationships and conflicts between Jamie, John, Molly and Cyrus. Fun? Yes. Wholly satisfying? Not completely.




Get Him to the Greek

Release: 06.04.10
DVD Release: 09.28.10
Rated R
1 hour, 49 minutes


Second Run Seats



Pinnacle Records is in dire need of generating some capital. During a staff meeting, Aaron Green (Jonah Hill, Funny People) has a great idea to infuse the label with cash: throw a tenth anniversary concert with rock legend Aldous Snow (Russell Brand, Forgetting Sarah Marshall) at L.A.'s Greek Theater. Loving the idea, his boss, Sergio Roma (Sean Combs, Monster's Ball), assigns Aaron the task of getting Snow to the show.

While it sounds easy enough, Snow is a drunken, drugged-out, uncontrollable ass. From this, hilarity (mostly) ensues. Director Nicholas Stoller's sophomore project never quite matches the outlandish good time, or the heartfelt emotion, of Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Maybe that wasn't what he was going for, but the unwieldy final act says otherwise.

Aziz Ansari (Funny People) and Carla Gallo (40 Year Old Virgin) had brief, but funny scenes. The backdrop was also littered with some decent cameos from the music world. Audiences have said Sean 'P. Diddy' Combs' acting was great. He was wildly funny, but honestly, how hard is it for him to play a self-serving record producer?

Dirty Undies
Greek was chock full of sex, drugs, drinking, but very little rock 'n' roll. I think Snow's ex-lover, Jackie Q (Rose Byrne, Knowing), had the best song, Ring 'Round. By the way, I never thought Byrne was my cup of tea, but she cleans up nice.

The Money Shot
Get Him to the Greek had me cracking up about as much as it had me checking my watch. I think I was more concerned by Jonah Hill's weight than his plight to reinvigorate the career of a washed-up rockstar. (Seriously, Hill looks friggin' huge in this. Not good, dude.) It's a movie I'm glad I got to see, and maybe in ten years, I'd give it an obligatory anniversary viewing.

I am McLovin' Superbad!

Superbad

Release:08/17/2007
Rated: R
1 hour, 54 minutes

FULL PRICE ($$$$)

I know I am a week late with this much anticipated review, but hey, I can’t be fortunate enough to catch sneak previews all the time! But there’s no time for rambling, on with the review:

“Knocked Up” star Seth Rogen and his colleague Evan Goldberg were finally able to greenlight a film the two started writing at the age of thirteen. Their movie, “Superbad,” is a coming-of-age film about best friends Seth and Evan. In the penultimate weeks of their high school years, Seth and Evan are invited to a house party where they may finally hook up with their dream girls, assuming they can use their buddy Fogell and his fake ID to shower the party with booze. This simple task starts a spiraling series of events involving cops, seedy parties with seedier people, and constant bickering that jeopardizes more than their chance to score.

I knew the moment I saw Jonah Hill in “The 40 Year Old Virgin” that he would soon hit it big. Likewise, watching Michael Cera week to week in “Arrested Development” gave me the same tingly feeling, until they cancelled the brilliant and underrated show. Fortunately everything happens for a reason and that reason is “Superbad.” If Cera and Hill were never on your radar that will soon change. Hill plays up Seth as wild and offensive as are his curly, unkempt locks. Cera portrays Evan as the straight man, complementing Hill with a deadpan delivery and somber tone. The duo’s timing meshes perfectly, creating a real sense of camaraderie. Aside from writing the script, Seth Rogen appears alongside SNL cast member Bill Hader (*Hot Rod) as a pair of police who wreak their own brand of insanely riotous mayhem. Hands down, Fogell, a.k.a. McLovin’ will be the most remembered and revered character. This third Musketeer, portrayed by newcomer Christopher Mintz-Plasse, may not be ready for stardom. Let us hope he can handle his skyrocketing fame more deftly than the other recent cult icon, Jon Heder, whose debut in Napoleon Dynamite has been followed by many shortcomings.

While the actors are adept at delivering, the material they are given is equally brilliant. The situations are totally outlandish as with any goofball comedy, but Rogen and Goldberg manage to add a vein of reality that grounds the incidents in an all-too-familiar setting. Looking at “Superbad” on the whole, audience members will be saying, I know a guy just like that! The ability to create such relatable and honest characters and situations is what takes “Superbad” beyond the average film. If there is one glaring weakness in the film, it is the lack of development of the female characters. But assuming Rogen and Goldberg couldn’t know how a woman thinks, maybe it was a smart move on their parts to focus solely on how the guys roll.

Dirty Undies

The various fracases that Seth, Evan, and Fogell are embroiled in, while not overly violent, do leave a few bruises and bloody a few garments, but I will leave it at that. Ironically, nudity is virtually nonexistent. Its constant vulgarity and frank expletives, big talk from small-balled boys, and sexually degrading remarks both appropriate and inappropriate to nearly every situation will have your ears ringing as you realize you can’t wait to see this again!

The Money Shot

“Superbad” has been touted as a film that is, in some ways, in the vein of the “American Pie’ series; basically, a dirty comedy about teenage guys. Mostly “Superbad” excels beyond the by-the-numbers predictability to deliver raunch with a sliver of tenderness at its core. Heck, if you don’t go for any other reason, go so you will fully understand the true glory behind the soon-be-iconic “I am McLovin’!”