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Reviews
All About Steve (2009)
Come on Sandy, I know you can do better.
I love Sandra Bullock. I think she's beautiful, hilarious, and thoroughly charming. Above all, I almost always think she has great instincts when it comes to choosing films. She's probably the reason I was willing to give All About Steve a chance. The trailer promised a quirky comedy, and even with the negative reviews, I thought that this film was right up my ally.
Unfortunately, I was dead wrong. The script was a mess, as if it was trying too hard to be irreverent and failing miserably. The character of Mary Horowitz probably read as a sweet if off-kilter heroine, but she came across as annoying and overbearing. This was perhaps the first time I found Sandra Bullock unlikable. Furthermore, there really wasn't a plot, so-to-speak. It ran like a jumble of unfortunate situations one moment and a media satire the next. Bradley Cooper made a charismatic male lead, but he wasn't given very much to work with, and the character of Steve ended up being little more than a foil for Mary to toy with.
If you're looking for an unusual comedy guaranteed to make you laugh, you're better off watching some other film. In the tradition of romantic comedies, the best parts of the film were shown in the trailer. It wasn't the worst movie I've ever seen, but it is simply not worth the $10.
Waitress (2007)
Warm, realistic, and touching
Every once in a while, I find a movie that's not very well known and give it a chance. I, like many other moviegoers, believe that some of the most priceless gems are the hidden ones. While it's true that the movie reached critical success, it wasn't widely received the way a bigger budget movie might have been. But the amount it took to make the movie wasn't even relevant. The film was funny, poignant, and the overall effect was beautiful.
The movie's ultimate success has a great deal to do with the clever screenplay that Adrienne Shelly crafted. The dialogue was rich with sweet nuance and multiple interpretations. She knew how to make the characters multi-dimensional and make a seemingly simple plot move along seamlessly. Jenna Hunterson came off as a complex young woman trying to adapt to a lifestyle different than the one she would have picked. She has a strained relationship with her husband and hardly a penny to her name, and yet she doesn't lose her sweetness or her resilience. In addition, Earl would have been so easy to portray as a cookie-cutter bad guy. Several movies depict an openly aggressive man and a battered victim of a wife, but Adrienne Shelly refused to settle for mediocrity. She gave Earl a longing and a heart beneath his calloused exterior.
The other element required in a quality movie is a talented cast. Nothing can kill a great screenplay than substandard actors. Luckily, all of the roles were carefully picked, casting actors who should be more well-known. Keri Russell just sparkled as Jenna, bringing out all the warmth and sweetness in Jenna as well as the strength and tenacity. When she smiled, she brought the entire audience with her. Jeremy Sisto was incredibly convincing as Earl, and intelligent enough to maximize on his good qualities as well as their detestable counterparts. Nathan Fillion made a charming male co-star, and Cheryl Hines, Andy Griffith, Eddie Jemison, Lew Temple, and the late, lovely Adrienne Shelly rounded out the cast as the beguiling but big-hearted pie shop workers and customers.
I'd say that this is definitely worth buying on DVD and watching over and over again. There's a magic element to this movie, like a fairy-tale but much more realistic. With the great marriage of script and cast, Waitress is a treat to savor.