The Amateurs

Jeff Bridges is one of my favorite actors; Tim Blake Nelson, Joe Pants, and Glenn Headley, while not my 'faves', are nonetheless always a good supporting cast, sturdy character actors. Anyway, I was predisposed to like this movie, and I kinda did. It wasn't a great movie, which was a surprise and a disappointment. It was sort of dim, and had--- not a darkness, exactly--- but a kind of a threadbare-ness, a shabbiness about it. It wasn't just that the characters portrayed were low-lifes, poor, uneducated, and mostly losers (albeit kindly ones). The dimness went deeper than that. Maybe the film was blurred, or the lighting wasn't crisp--- dunno. But SOMETHING was 'off', like milk on the last day of its shelf life. You keep asking yourself--- has this gone bad? But then, you keep drinking it.

And the studio changed the movie's name. I saw it in Wales (in the UK), months ago. Evidently the advance buzz was pretty bad. So they changed it from 'The Moguls' to 'The Amateurs'. A sure sign of desperation. But, alas, that's not going to save it.

Jeff Bridges plays lovable, 'ordinary' guys that are extra solid, and extra real. He plays characters that are very easy for a man (I'm about his age, and coincidentally lived in Santa Barbara, his town, for years) to relate to. At least I do. It appears, based on his wide appeal, that women like him too. I also admire him for eschewing the Red Carpet, paparazzi-chasing kind of celebrity grab that so many other actors have fallen prey to (IMHO: Brad Pitt, Ben Afflect, Julia Roberts, to name but a few). Unfortunately, the tone set here was either missed, or set too low. Bridge's characters, and the supporting cast's characters, are just too loser-y, too dim, too depressing.

This movie also reminded me of 'The Big Lebowski'--- another Jeff Bridges movie, and another dark-ish movie about low-lifes, but one that was much, much better done than 'The Moguls' (now known as 'The Amateurs'). The derivativeness kind of rankled with me a bit.

This movie could have been brighter, funnier, and stronger. It could have been better. It has a few things to admire, though, so if you've seen everything else at your theater, or nothing else strikes your fancy, try this one. And, let's all hope meanwhile that Jeff Bridges' next movie will be more like his usual great work.

OK, so I have to say, any movie about porn, well, conjures up the idea that you're going to have nudity all over the place. Yet somehow this film about porn has next to none of it, and that's a good thing. In the place of bare asses, it has some great performances and funny sequences. Notably Jeff Bridges' character channels a Dude-like vibe while still feeling fresh and different. Joey Pants is bizarre and at the same time likable in his role whose name you just need to watch to see and laugh at. Finally Ted Danson is so completely cast against everything I have seen him in previously and it works. It's a sad state of affairs in Hollywood when you see a preview for a film like this and cringe, knowingly the almost inevitable result would be a lame script with called-in performances. Thankfully, the result is an unexpectedly good natured romp…about porn. I hope this film gets the attention and wide release it deserves.

He's been playing the same character for a while now. Admittedly, he does a better and low-key job in this than The Big Leibowski, but he seems to be coasting the last few years. A bunch of very good actors playing in a small movie makes this an above average movie, but not by much.

It's another bunch of middle-aged losers trying for their moment of glory. This time, it's a group of bar flies (which the name of their softball team recognizes) who get together and try to produce their own amateur porn movie. All the typical comedy situations you'd expect occur. Much of the humor is provided by Bridges' characters voice over, especially some admitting to obvious foreshadowing.

As mentioned, it's very predictable, with no real surprises but is saved by most of the supporting actors playing it very naturally. The only ones who go overboard are Bridges and Danson but not by much. Overall it's a nice movie to rent for some laughs

For those of you in search of a movie that will make you laugh, here is your pick. I have read comments from users saying that this movie "didn't seem real" or "wasn't believable". To you, I ask: What did you think you were watching? I saw this screening at the Newport Film Festival and thought it was amazing. Some movies (gasp) are out there to entertain and this does just that... fantastically. It is a story that laughs at the ups and downs of the human experience while portraying the sometimes very harsh reality of middle-class struggle. It gives us a story we recognize to a certain extent, but garnishes it with a great variety of endearing characters. As an example the group of "guys" has a wonderfully accepted gay guy who asked the guys to call him MOOSE. (played oh-so-well by Ted Danson) We see the standard group of small town guys, going nowhere with their lives, yet they aren't the stereotypical unrelatable morons of modern day cinema; They, in a very round about and strange way, have morals and try to do well in life, despite their position. Go see this movie... it is a wonderful treat and a great time at the theatre.

The Amateurs (formerly known in the USA as The Moguls) is a really fun, nicely directed movie with heart. Slightly odd, quirky characters banding together to make a porno movie, and getting much more in the process.

There were very few stereotypes in this movie (Ernest, played by Troy Brenna was one) and the story was unpredictable and fun to follow. I appreciate that many of the characters, whom you would normally presume are just there as comic relief, really become significant for other reasons. Some scenes were flat out hilarious (Watch Eileen Brennan in the few scenes she's given).

The matter of fact way that the characters approach making their film provides some of the great moments in this movie.

I highly recommend "The Amateurs" because it's just a great way to spend an evening.

The BIGGEST Critic