TOMORROWLAND (2023)

Directed By: Brad Bird 

Written By: Brad Bird And Damon Lindelof 

Story By: Brad Bird, Jeff Jensen and Damon Lindelof 

Cinematography: Claudio Miranda 

Editor: Walter Murch and Craig Wood

Cast: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Hugh Laurie, Raffey Cassidy, Kathryn Hahn, Keegan Michael Key, Chris Bauer, Judy Greer, Thomas Robinson

Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boy-genius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.

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This is a film sure to make the audience nostalgic At least it did for me. As to family films, but also even just Disney films that had a lot of action and were usually sci-fi, but also had an innocence to them.

It’s ambitious in a rare way that is more earnest and adventure filled. Again an AMBLIN type movie only here we deal with adults a bit more,  it still involves children at heart.

Yes, it’s obviously following in the trend of movies based on rides or Disney attractions, hoping for the same success as PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN. Though this one seems a little more thawed out maybe it’s because it’s based on an attraction at the more educational Epcot Center. This film takes place in a kind of land that they were hoping the attraction would be in first place showing cutting edge, scientific inventions and hoping to inspire young minds. Not to mention more family oriented. 

The film feels like a live action cartoon in scope. Not as in looking like animation filled with bad and unrealistic cgi. More just the energy and size of the production.  The energy is fun and infectious for the audience at first. As the film obviously promotes imagination and science. As well as big ideas and being creative. 

It even has legendary editor Walter Murch doing part of the editing. Truly making it kind of old school. 

Wouldn’t expect anything less from Director Brad Bird. Who seems to specialize in these types of science during and action films. From the days when he was making animated films and shorts. Though it has a bit of an JJ Abrams flavor. As it has that mystery box, Mcguffin that opens you up to the rest of the film and its themes. Maybe because it was written by his go to screenwriters Damon Linelof. 

The film is held or centered around a star. Who goes the film it’s own kind of Wizard of oz. As he really is the star of the second half of the movie. As star Brit Robertson passes the baton from the first half but still stays in the running. Only pushed to the background. As she is still the audience surrogate.

The film steals seems to encourage the destiny dead Mom narratives with the encouraging dad father figure or just dad issues even though here her father seems to be a good one. He just doesn’t know what to do with her ambition and still seems oddly out of touch even though he’s in her life.

The film does get a little cutesy, but should kind of have a wide audience other than Disney adults and families. Even if it does tend to get a little plan towards the end yet positive and tries to be enticing. It’s idealistic not excellent, but good enough.

It’s like Epcot center in general, a fun ride yet tries to teach and encourage intelligence.

This film should have had a better box office and be talked about more. Hopefully it find its crowd. 

Grade: B- 

OUR IDIOT BROTHER (2011)

 Directed By: Jesse Peretz Story By: Jesse Peretz, Evgenia Peretz & David Schisgall Written By: Evgenia Peretz & David Schisgall Cinematography: Yaron Orbach Editor: Jacob Craycroft & Andrew Mondshein

Cast: Paul Rudd, Zooey Deschanel, Adam Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Rashida Jones, Emily Mortimer, Steve Coogan, Kathryn Hahn, T.J. Miller, Shirley Knight, Sterling K. Brown, Hugh Dancy, Polly Draper 

A comedy centered on an idealist who barges into the lives of his three sisters.

FLOWER (2017)

 Directed by: Max Winkler Story by: Alex McAuley Written By: Max Winkler, Alex McAuley & Matt Spicer Cinematography: Carolina Costa Editor: Jeff Seiben & Sarah Beth Shapiro

Cast: Zoey Deutch, Joey Morgan, Kathryn Hahn, Tim Heidecker, Adam Scott, Dylan Gelula, Maya Eshat, Eric Edelstein

A sexually curious teen forms an unorthodox kinship with her mentally unstable stepbrother.

BAD MOMS (2016)

Written & Directed By: Jon Lucas & Scott Moore 
Cinematography By: Jim Denault 
Editor: Emma E. Hickox & James Thomas 


Cast: Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Christina Applegate, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Annie Mumolo, Jay Hernandez, Clark Duke, Wendell Pierce, Oona Laurence, Emjay Anthony, David Walton, Wanda Sykes

THE FAMILY FANG (2016)

Directed By: Jason Bateman 
Written By: David Lindsay-Abaire 
Based On The book By: Kevin Wilson 
Cinematography By: Ken Seng 
Editor: Robert Frazen 


Cast: Jason Bateman, Nicole Kidman, Christopher Walken, Kathryn Hahn, Marin Ireland, Harris Yulin, Josh Pais, Michael Chernus, Danny Burnstein, Steve Barrish, Steve Witting

THE DO-OVER (2016)

Directed By: Steven Brill 
Written By: Kevin Barentt & Chris Pappas 
Cinematography By: Dean Semler 
Editor: Tom Costain 


Cast: Adam Sandler, David Spade, Paula Patton, Kathryn Hahn, Catherine Bell, Nick Swardson, Renee Taylor, Matt Walsh, Sean Astin, Natasha Leggero, Luis Guzman, Torsten Voges, Michael Chicklis, Jonathan Loughran, Robert Smigel

SHE'S FUNNY THAT WAY (2015)

Directed By: Peter Bogdanovich 
Written By: Peter Bogdanovich & Louise Stratten 
Cinematography By: Yaron Orbach 
Editor: Nick Moore & Pax Wassermann 


Cast: Owen Wilson, Imogen Poots, Kathryn Hahn, Jennifer Aniston, Rhys Ifans, Austin Pendelton, Will Forte, Illeana Douglas, Jennifer Esposito, Lucy Punch, Colleen Camp, Debi Mazar, Cybill Shepherd, Richard Lewis

THE VISIT (2015)

Written & Directed By: M. Night Shyamalan 
Cinematography By: Maryse Alberti 
Editor: Luke Franco Ciarrocchi 

Cast: Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, Deanna Dunagan, Peter McRobbie, Kathryn Hahn

WE'RE THE MILLERS (2013)

Directed By: Rawson Marshall Thurber 
Written By: Sean Anders & John Morris and Bob Fisher & Steve Faber 
Story By: Bob Fisher & Steve Faber 
Cinematography By: Barry Peterson 
Editor: Michael L. Sale 


Cast: Jason Sudekis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Ed Helms, Nick Offerman, Luis Guzman, Will Poulter, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Quinn, Thomas Lennon, Ken Marino

AFTERNOON DELIGHT (2013)

Written & Directed By: Jill Soloway 
Cinematography By: Jim Frohna 
Editor: Catherine Haight 

Cast: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, Josh Radnor, Jane Lynch, Jessica St. Clair, Michaela Watkins, John Kapelos, Josh Stanberg, Keegan Michael-Key, Annie Mumolo

BAD WORDS (2014)

Directed By: Jason Bateman 
Written By: Andrew Dodge 
Cinematography By: Ken Seng 
Editor: Tatiana S. Riegel 

 Cast: Jason Bateman, Rohan Chand, Kathryn Hahn, Philip Baker Hall, Alison Janney, Ben Falcone, Beth Grant, Rachel Harris

THE DICTATOR (2012)

Directed by: Larry Charles
Written By: Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Berg, David Mandel & Jeff Schaffer
Cinematography By: Lawrence Sher
Editor: Greg Hayden & Eric Kissack

Cast: Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Bobby Lee, Aasif Mandavi, Jason Mantzoukas, Joey Slotnick, Kevin Corrigan, Chris Elliott, Kathryn Hahn, Megan Fox, Ian Roberts, Jon Glaser, Chris Parnell, Chris Gethard, Fred Armisen, J.B. Smoove

HOW DO YOU KNOW? (2010)

Written & Directed By: James L. Brooks
Cinematography By: Janusz Kaminski
Editor: Richard Marks & Tracey Wadmore-Smith
 
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson, Mark Linn Baker, Dominick Lombardozzi, Tony Shalhoub, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Price, Lenny Venito, Tara Subkoff 

Star softball player, Lisa, has just been cut from the national team; Scholarly businessman, George, has just been indicted from his father's company. With everything that they know in their lives taken from them, Lisa and George attempt to find romance. Lisa's potential boyfriend, Matty, however, is as clueless and perpetually single as they come, and George's girlfriend just dumped him. A chance hook-up through mutual friends, Lisa and George may be able to form a friendship or more, that can help them climb out of the piles of lemons that life has handed to them 

 I think this is a good film, but though it was made recently it feels like a film out of place. If this film had been made in the 1950s to 1980’s I think the film would still be seen as lighthearted and as fluff but as a penetrating piece of fluff. 

As it does well by exploring the issues and mindsets of the characters. It's just that the film feels so breezy, Laidback, and easy-going. Which is also how the performances go in the film. That there never truly feels like there is anything at stake there is conflict but the conflict is not that vital so the stakes are very low. 

Which makes the audience feel relaxed and like there is nothing worth paying too much attention to. The film is the happiest that James L. Brooks has made. His films are usually romantic but also paint a more cynical look at love and romance and the characters involved in them. They usually have a certain bite and are quotable. Here this film feels like it runs away from its usual trademarks and is just trying to make a crowd-pleaser. 

It feels like a lightweight Jerry Maguire. Where it is just as romantic with great odes to loves spoken by the characters. It just feels more false than truthful. The cast is enjoyable, Though felt Resse Witherspoon never had the proper chemistry with any of her love interests. Owen Wilson even seemed out of place in this film. I guess he felt goofier than real in the film. 

Jack Nicholson is here more as a supporting character that was a last-minute favor to the director as Bill Murray was supposed to play the role but dropped out at the last minute. He does good work but his role feels like an afterthought and like he is just there. Will admit this is one of the most strangely cast films I have ever seen. It almost seemed like the cast names were picked out of a bad or if the roles were offered to other bigger names and these were just the first to say yes as they went down the list. 

 The film has all the ingredients to make a truly good film, but the ingredients are mixed not to the right amounts so that while it has a unique taste it doesn’t come out the recipe is supposed to come out. I really wanted this film to be better but even when I saw the previews knew it didn’t look like the type of film I wanted to see. Even though I love most James L. Brooks films. This is the first one when I saw the trailer I really had little interest in the film. So much so that I actually avoided it in theaters. 

Which is a shame, not that I think I would have enjoyed it if I had seen it there. The film is very colorful and it is nice to see actors like Mark Linn baker have roles on the big screen again. The film feels closer to a theatrical stage play that is more expressive with locations than a Motion picture. The film just feels more focused on character and dialogue than most modern films. Which is supposed to be a good thing. It just feels like the cast was not up to the task to really sell the material and the Situations could have felt more vital than how they are presented. 

 The budget for the film was $120 million. Which while the film looks good doesn’t look like it cost that much so I am guessing a good chunk went to salaries. The film only made $30 million worldwide. The film isn’t horrible. I just can see what it strives to be and unfortunately falls short of. 

 

GRADE: C