michellederum
Lifetime Total
1+
IMDb Member
7 years
Reviews
The Winning Ticket (1935)
Lots and Lots of Shouting
A silly, lighthearted comedy made nearly unwatchable by the sustained level of shouting from start to finish. In an effort to hammer home the whole "Italian immigrant" flavor of the story, every character seems to have been given instructions to shout/yell/holler their lines three inches from each other's faces, while stomping and gesticulating wildly. I had a headache about 10 minutes in, and a full blown migraine by the end.
Leo Carillo plays the lead as Joe. He has some funny lines, punctuated by some charming facial expressions - a glimmer of what this comedy could have been. Try as he might, he can't contain the mess, as Luis Alberni (as cousin Tony) boils over and then proceeds to scorch the pot dry with his obnoxious, high-volume clowning. Not to be outdone or upstaged, virtually ever other actor follows suit.
Not surprisingly, Ted Healy brought an antagonistic, sour note to the cacophony. Louise Fazenda's quirky talents were unused, somewhat sadly.
Get your aspirin and earplugs ready for this one.
Leo Carillo plays the lead as Joe. He has some funny lines, punctuated by some charming facial expressions - a glimmer of what this comedy could have been. Try as he might, he can't contain the mess, as Luis Alberni (as cousin Tony) boils over and then proceeds to scorch the pot dry with his obnoxious, high-volume clowning. Not to be outdone or upstaged, virtually ever other actor follows suit.
Not surprisingly, Ted Healy brought an antagonistic, sour note to the cacophony. Louise Fazenda's quirky talents were unused, somewhat sadly.
Get your aspirin and earplugs ready for this one.
The Guilt Trip (2012)
Unexpectedly Charming
I was really surprised at how sweet this little movie is. I don't know why it didn't get better reviews. Rogen plays Andrew Brewster, an awkward chemist trying to hawk a cleaning product (Scioclean) he has developed. Streisand plays his widowed mother Joyce, who spends a tremendous amount of time meddling in her son's life. In an attempt to help Joyce break out of her rut, Andrew suggests they take a Mother-Son road trip across the country together. Unfortunately, that description sells this movie about as well as Rogen's character sells Scioclean.
Streisand is very watchable as the chatterbox Jewish mother. She's a fantastic actor, experienced and relaxed, who knows how to sell a scene without being schmaltzy. Rogen is not his usual "hammy" self in The Guilt Trip. He plays the uncomfortably stiff Andrew flawlessly. Mother and son each believe they have the answer to the other's "problems". Like most road trips, they discover more about themselves and each other than they expected.
This film is a character study with no real earth-shattering story. If you enjoy films like Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies, The Guilt Trip might appeal to you.
Streisand is very watchable as the chatterbox Jewish mother. She's a fantastic actor, experienced and relaxed, who knows how to sell a scene without being schmaltzy. Rogen is not his usual "hammy" self in The Guilt Trip. He plays the uncomfortably stiff Andrew flawlessly. Mother and son each believe they have the answer to the other's "problems". Like most road trips, they discover more about themselves and each other than they expected.
This film is a character study with no real earth-shattering story. If you enjoy films like Mike Leigh's Secrets & Lies, The Guilt Trip might appeal to you.