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amesrichards
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Moxie (2021)
A film with an identity crisis
I had high hopes for this film which were very quickly dashed. The main problem is that it doesn't know what it is. Is it a teen comedy, a coming-of-age tale, or a hard-hitting commentary on the systemic sexism and toxic masculinity that persists throughout society? For the most part it is nothing more than a very predictable, formulaic teen comedy, it just happens to also have a plot that proports to tackle the very vaguely labelled 'sexism' in the protagonist's high school. There's no reference to this being a wider problem, it is very much centred entirely around one 'bad apple' in one high school, and in doing so dismisses any idea that this might be global, systemic issue. Throughout the film we see constant sexual harassment, toxic masculinity, gaslighting and gross failures from teaching staff in their duty of care that's tantamount to abuse. And yet, ironically, none of these acts are depicted with the severity they warrant - it's all just considered 'sexism' and it largely remains light and 'funny'. Blink and you'll mis the trans character, who mentions that she's not allowed to audition for a female role in the school play, like its just an annoying inconvenience and not a child being discriminated against by her teachers. I did actually blink and miss the same sex kiss between two of the girls. Both really important issues that are introduced and then totally ignored thereafter. But worst of all, literally minutes before the end, the film decides to get dark and a rape is introduced (just another example of this pesky sexism)! But again, after shoehorning in this totally random 'plot twist' minutes before the end, again, there's no follow up - not one person suggests the victim report it to the police, the rapist gets no comeuppance; it's not even implied by maybe a shot of a police car approaching the school; he's not even stripped of his scholarship, nothing other than the totally inept, part-of-the-problem, neglectful, abusive head mistress calling him to her office! In a film that is claiming to be challenging sexual abuse and misogyny, it's infuriating that they didn't bother seeing this last-minute addition through to a conclusion that would have supported that message! But hey, the victim got to put on a pretty dress and go to a party with her new girlfriends, who all show their support by saying they believe her, so thank goodness for that! At best disappointing, at worst dangerous.
Upright (2019)
Gorgeous!
I absolutely loved Upright from start to finish. The premise is nothing new - a road trip movie where two strangers meet and form an unlikely bond - however, as the story unfolds, as do their back stories and it quickly becomes apparent that this is something quite special. Everything about Upright is spot on - the writing, direction, character development and oh my goodness, the acting - simply incredible on both the lead's parts. The categorisation of this series should be 'drama', but it beautifully blends sadness with humour throughout, perfectly capturing the bitter-sweetness of real life, and resulting in a deeply profound, yet uplifting experience for the viewer. Unmissable.
Snatched (2017)
A funny, entertaining evening with my mum
Aawwhhh, look - all the members of the 'I hate Amy Schumer' club got together and decided to each give her film 1 star! The majority of the negative reviews are barely a couple of lines, mostly just a list of negative adjectives that do not constitute a 'review'. It's strange how someone can think a film so utterly terrible and yet struggle to elaborate at all on why - it's almost as if they haven't actually seen the movie (mock gasp of shock!). So, in case anyone is interested, here is an actual review of a film I actually saw last night called 'Snatched'.
You'll most likely know the basic premise - Schumer and Hawn are a mother daughter duo who go on holiday and get kidnapped - madcap adventure ensues. I went to see this movie thinking, a bit of harmless,light-hearted, funny escapism - and that's exactly what I got. Is it going to win any Oscars...? Of course not! It's a slapstick comedy! But it delivered exactly what it promised. Schumer and Hawn's chemistry is brilliant, two incredibly talented comedy actors coming together was magical. The storyline is both weak and implausible - again, it's a slapstick comedy, who on earth is expecting realism here!? The great thing about it is that it doesn't take itself seriously at all! It doesn't try to be something it's not which is so refreshing in a comedy. It's a very well paced 90 minutes so there's no pointless padding out you see so often with comedies desperately trying to stretch out a movie, believing quantity is better than quality. Some of the characters are so tongue in cheek that the film borders on being a spoof - but this only adds an extra dimension to the humour and you just have to roll with it.
I loved seeing an average, curvy woman confidently wearing a bikini in a Hollywood movie. It seems there's either anorexic 'serious' female leads or obese 'comedy' leads - neither of which (sorry Melissa Mccarthy!) promote a healthy body image. I just feel sad that it has to get a special mention - it should be so commonplace that it's unremarkable, but it isn't.
I've tried to avoid giving any spoilers in this review, but just to prove I really have seen this movie and genuinely LOVED it - here are a few of my favourite bits hopefully described in a way that doesn't give away too much - the guy with the boat's back story, delivery and overall character, Joan Cusack popping up - another 'unconventional' Hollywood lady, the totally relatable, over- protective mothering scenes (actually this was the context of the whole film and the main reason I loved it!), Emily 'freshening up', Emily learning a new 'dance', the relationship between Emily and her grown-up, still living at home brother, Emily's encounter with the doctor...
In the future I will be mindful of extremely negative reviews and discount ones that are clearly part of a hate campaign by people who haven't seen the movie in question.