Everything Must Go

Mildly surprised by how much I liked this movie. It's a perfect venue for serious Will Ferrell and the whole supporting cast is pitch perfect. An understated performance like this one means I should probably watch Stranger than Fiction to see what I've been missing.
     There are a couple of elements in particular that make this film particularly worthwhile for me. It's quirkiness remains firmly grounded in reality, and moments of apparent mundanity are suffused with subtle depth. I greatly appreciate the ambiguous ending. A neat bow on this movie would have ruined the whole damn thing. By the same token, I like the fact that the main character doesn't just make a drive thru visit to rock bottom. Instead, he chills out there for quite some time in his recliner. The dude doesn't have a Tony Robbins epiphany. There is no ride off into the sunset. Instead, there's just a confused guy trying to make better decisions. I love the guts that takes from everyone involved with the project.
    My only minor annoyance with the film was the fact that two of the characters (more actually) have drinking problems. More specifically, the convienent character connections made with it in the context of the movie was the only time I was taken out of the viewing experience. Very specific and very small complaint, but because it's such a central part of the plot it bugged me enough to be worth a mention. Don't misunderstand, I don't mind it as a character flaw, but I thought it was a bit of a crutch for plot and character development. After saying all that, this movie is based on a short story, so that may all come from the source material.
     In the end, this movie pulls back the curtain to remind us that we're all screwed up. It's just that some people are better at faking it than others.

4/5 stars: Watch or Skip

The Lincoln Lawyer

A good movie that could have been great. Let's not pretend that McConaughey is a great actor...ever. Having said that, defense attorney is oddly in his uber narrow wheelhouse. Marisa Tomei has gone from overrated to underrated in recent years, and I would watch William H. Macy cross the street. So, the cast gets a check mark from me.
    However, the plot only gets half credit. It works well as a fun crime thriller with a twist that isn't a tired cliche, which is hard to find these days. The major flaw in this film stems from character development, a writing issue more than acting. On occasion, bad things happen in this movie, and characters are in danger. The problem is that you don't REALLY care what happens to them.
      A good cast and cool premise are more than enough to hold your interest, and it's definitley worth a watch. It's just that the characters are undercooked and one dimensional, only scratching the surface of what could have been some complex and intriguing relationships that would have added an extra level of enjoyment to the viewing experience.

3/5 stars Watch or Skip

*Editors Note*
I have a vast number of random movies on my DVR from various free weekends. I have no intention of this being a movie review blog long term. That said, I never write any more and I think some mini reviews could be a good way to force myself to start using these muscles again. Round about thanks to Jeff and Lauren's dormant movie blog for planting the seed that got me to shake off the cobwebs.