The following is a review of Happiness I wrote for a film class I am currently taking. It is short and contains spoilers. I would have spent a lot more time on this except for the fact that he only wants about 500 words and asked us to not analyze anything in our reviews… so I did not.
My brother is doing a project on humor, what it takes to be funny, and why it’s important. I’m long winded, so the sound bit goes on for about 50 minutes. The interview was recorded over the phone, so the sound quality can be iffy at moments.
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3 more Albert Brooks movies examined after the jump! (more…)
Dir. Gregory La Cava
1926
I just saw a restored print of this obscure silent feature starring W.C. Fields at the MOMA theatre with live piano accompaniment by Ben Model. What an experience! If you can manage to find a silent film screening with live music, go. I can’t recommend it enough.
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My girlfriend recently asked me to take her to go see Will Ferrell’s new film, Step Brothers. I figured that after making her sit through Full Metal Jacket (not a chick flick) I owed it to her. She’s a fan of stupid comedies and I wasn’t expecting much more than a cheap laugh from the film. That being said, I was still disappointed. Before a fan of the film goes to the “you don’t know how to turn your brain off and enjoy a film” argument, I would like to say to my defense I enjoyed 300, Kung Pow, and even Beerfest so I am thoroughly able to turn my brain off when I want to.
Right off the bat, you know the film is going to be terrible when you find out that the plot is two forty year old men still living with their respective parents become step brothers. I mean, unless someone like Cassavetes or Polanski running with this plot, it is already doomed from the get go. The only hope a film like this would have would be to throw in some really original gags and go for over the top comedy and satire. Instead, the film was essentially a bad kid’s movie that was then seasoned with as much crude humor as possible to try to pass it off as viewable by adults. Some of the extreme vulgarity in other contexts might have been amusing, but in this case it just seemed horribly out of place. It is essentially like having Howard Stern dubbed in over a film about two developmentally disabled adults who are unable to fend for themselves and learning the meaning of family. Take out the Howard Stern part, and you have a silly, stupid film for small children that can instill some clichéd moral. This is perfect for a kid’s movie that no writer is going to waste any time actually trying to produce quality. Adding in adult humor transformed this into an abomination unfit for anyone.
Now, I’m sure this film has a massive fan base. At best this can be described as a bunch of disillusioned people depressed by the economy trying to find a way to escape. At worst, this is nothing short of an argument for eugenics on a massive level. Will Farrell has tried to milk the imitation of mentally handicapped children for as much money as possible, and sadly has been wildly successful. I’d like us as a society to stand up against this and spend our money on something better, but I know that is an idealistic fantasy. People have blown their money on much worse films (i.e. Epic Movie, Meet the Spartans, Scary Movie 2-4 ect.). Ultimately, the popularity of Will Farrell is an indicator of the state of our society, and I think that was the most depressing part of this film. Also, I really didn’t want to see Farrell’s testicles.
The bottom line, don’t waste your money on this film. If you are drunk, high, or just plain stupid it might be worth catching on HBO.