The kids are cool, the cars are hot, and the tunes are always rockin’ and rollin’ when one of the most beloved musical comedies of all time, Grease, returns to select theaters nationwide to celebrate its 45th anniversary on Sunday, May 14 and Wednesday, May 17, courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Fathom Events.
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Fathom Events
When young lovers Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) and Danny (John Travolta) suddenly find themselves reunited after a summer fling at Rydell High and separated by opposing cliques. They must decide if they can overcome their differences and rekindle their romance before their summer dreams are ripped at the seams. The film also stars Stockard Channing, Jeff Conaway, Frankie Avalon, Sid Caesar, and Joan Blondell, and boasts an iconic soundtrack that includes “You’re The One That I Want,” “Summer Nights,” “We Go Together,” and “Hopelessly Devoted To You.”
The screening includes an exclusive featurette from film historian Leonard Maltin, examining the hit musical’s continued impact and influence throughout the years.
Locally the film will be screened at Island 16 Cinema de Lux in Holtsville, AMC Loews Stony Brook 17 and Showcase Cinema de Lux in Farmingdale on May 14 at 4 p.m. and again at 7 p.m. and on May 17 at 7 p.m.
Special anniversary screenings continue into the summer with Hairspray in June, National Lampoon’s Vacation in July and Enter the Dragon in August. To order tickets in advance, visit www.fathomevents.com.
A scene from 'Peter Pan and Wendy' Photo from Disney +
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
Peter Pan traces his roots back to 1902. Created by Scottish author J.M. Barrie, the Boy Who Wouldn’t Grow Up first appeared in The Little White Bird before being placed center stage in Barrie’s play, Peter Pan (1904). In many stage incarnations, Peter was most often played by a young-looking actress, notably Maud Adams, Mary Martin (the 1954 Broadway musical broadcast on television), Sandy Duncan, and Kathy Rigby.
Alexander Molony as Peter Pan. Photo from Disney +
There are dozens of cinematic adaptations, both animated and live-action. The story has been revisited and reinvented from the 1924 silent film, spanning Disney’s memorable (and, for many, definitive) 1953 cartoon, to Robin William’s grown Peter in Hook (1991). Captain Hooks have included Boris Karloff, Hans Conried, Jason Isaacs, Stanley Tucci, and Dustin Hoffman.
Now, Peter Pan and Wendy arrives on Disney+. Based on the Barrie source and Disney’s animated feature, the film’s first half covers no new ground, with the opening scene remain predictably problematic. The standard exposition remains the same, showing the Darlings in the early nineteenth-century nursery. The children play pirates, resist bedtime, the mother sings a lullaby, etc. The new piece is Wendy, the eldest child, being sent away to boarding school, something in which she has no interest. Wendy is frustrated by life’s changes, and she makes the wish never to grow up. A vague nod towards the theme of time threads through the opening and carries lightly throughout.
Ever Anderson as Wendy in a scene from ‘Peter Pan and Wendy’. Photo courtesy of Disney +
The first half of the film feels like a musical without the songs. Each section builds but never quite reaches a climax before shifting to the next moment. Because it offers little original to the well-trod story, the action treads water. However, director David Lowery (who has penned the screenplay with Toby Halbrooks) accelerates the plot by having the pirate’s capture of the children moved to their arrival in Neverland. This allows for a slightly more original second half with a new point of view.
The emphasis in Peter Pan and Wendy is a message of female empowerment, with the most self-actualized Wendy to date. Here, the protagonist works with a misunderstood Tinker Bell and a re-envisioned Princess Tiger Lily. This Peter Pan is truly the story of Wendy Darling, and where it places this focus, it soars. In addition, there are as many girls as boys in Peter’s tribe, and even a few female pirates. The creators present an overall welcome diversity that feels in no way forced and celebrates both the freedom of fantasy and the changing times.
Jude Law as Captain Hook. Photo from Disney +
Also introduced is a revised history of Peter and Captain Hook. Revealed is the friendship between the young Hook—James—and Peter. James left Neverland to search for his mother, creating a schism between them. Hook failed to reconnect with his parent and was rescued and recruited by the pirates, quickly ascending to captainship. The narrative is a bit convoluted, but once clarified, it provides a certain understanding between the enemies and an almost cathartic resolution.
Alexander Molony is a subdued Peter Pan, stronger in the quiet moments but hesitant in the more bombastic. Perhaps, Lowery chose this approach to highlight Wendy’s independence and maturation. Ever Anderson’s Wendy starts hesitantly but builds in power, stature, and depth in the character’s arc. Anderson easily avoids precociousness, offering a likable, humorous, and resourceful center.
Jude Law presents a less flamboyant Captain Hook but cleverly mines the subtlety. His Hook is smoothly wicked yet introspective, genuinely bloodthirsty, and wholly believable, finally owning the character in his unique approach. The underlying sadness enriches his Hook/James. Barely recognizable, Jim Gaffigan eschews the expectation of an over-the-top Smee and leans towards charmingly underplaying. Alyssa Wapanatâhk and Yara Shahidi do their best with the underwritten Tiger Lily and Tinker Bell, with Shahidi’s final interaction with Wendy strongly resonating.
Jim Gaffigan as See. Photo from Disney +
The almost traditional screenplay has flashes of wit, but more would have been welcome. Peter Pan and Wendy is visually striking, with a darker but evocative palate provided by cinematographer Bojan Bazelli and production designer Jade Healy. The flying effects feel natural, and the sword fighting well-staged. Daniel Hart composed a score that neatly blends traditional “Disney adventure” with a hint of New Age. Cleverly, a running joke makes use of The Pirates of Penzance.
It remains to be seen where this version will land. Compared unfavorably to the popular Robin Williams — Dustin Hoffman Hook? Placed ahead of the disastrous 2014 live event (with Allison Williams and Christopher Walken)? Or left in the forgotten netherworld of the 1976 television special (with Mia Farrow and Danny Kaye)? In the meantime, a handsome, mostly engaging, but somewhat uneven Peter Pan and Wendy will fly across screens for the present.
From left, Rachel McAdams and Abby Ryder Fortson in a scene from the film. Photo by Dana Hawley/Lionsgate
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
No writer has been more heralded nor adored than Judy Blume. Author of over two dozen novels, she debuted with the children’s book The One in the Middle Is the Green Kangaroo (1969) and followed up with Iggie’s House (1970). But her third book—Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret—truly launched her career. Others include a combination of works for children (Tales of Fourth Grade Nothing, Otherwise Know as Sheila the Great, Blubber), young adults (Then Again, Maybe I Won’t, Deenie, Forever …), and adults (Wifey, Summer Sisters, It’s an Unlikely Event).
Kathy Bates and Abby Ryder Fortson in a scene from the film. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
Only a handful of Blume’s works have made it to the screen: Forever, Otherwise Known as Sheila the Great, Tiger Eyes, and a television series based on Fudge-a-Mania. Now Kelly Freemon Craig, who wrote and directed the 2016 coming-of-age dramedy The Edge of Seventeen, helms the big screen version of Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Craig has fashioned an agreeable, appropriately gentle, and predominantly loyal adaptation.
The film opens with a montage of twelve-year-old Margaret Simon’s (Abby Ryder Fortson) last days at a New Hampshire girls’ camp. Upon her return to New York City, her parents, Barbara and Herb (Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie), inform her that her father’s work promotion has enabled the family’s move to New Jersey. Unsurprisingly, Margaret and her paternal grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates), are unhappy with the turn of events.
Quickly, though, Margaret settles into a suburban world of backyards and sprinklers. She is not so much greeted but assaulted by neighbor and fellow sixth-grader Nancy Wheeler (Elle Graham). Nancy, an alpha and mean-girl-in-training, gathers Margaret into her close and closed-friend group, Janie (Amari Alexis Price) and Gretchen (Katherine Kupferer).
Margaret’s realm revolves around school, boys, and family. It is an analog world without the technical hurdles of later generations (with not even a television in sight). Often, the atmosphere has a sixties vibe—most notably Nancy’s Stepford mother (Kate MacCluggage), who seems a refugee from the 1950s.
Abby Ryder Fortson in a scene from the film.Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
In the book, Margaret’s dilemmas were split equally between her religious identity crisis and her body’s burgeoning changes. When Barbara and Herb married, Barbara’s parents were so distraught over her having a Jewish husband they cut off all connection. Barbara and Herb decided to raise Margaret with no religion, telling their daughter to decide when she was old enough. Much of Margaret’s quest in the book is sampling Jewish and Christian experiences.
The struggle remains present in the film, but Craig emphasizes Margaret’s focus on her impending physical transitions. The girls’ discussions are neatly taken from the book, creating believable interactions. In fact, much of the dialogue—including the quartet’s memorable chant—is smartly lifted verbatim.
The film and its tone occasionally nod towards twenty-first-century political correctness, but nothing hampers the storytelling. The biggest departure is Barbara leaving her job now that they have left the City. In the book, she is a housewife who paints less-than-successful pictures of fruit. Here, she is an edgier artist and art teacher searching for a place in this new life. At first, she tries to integrate into the new community but must ultimately find herself again. In doing this, Rachel McAdams’ Barbara is a more dimensional, if modern, character than her literary counterpart.
Rachel McAdams, Benny Sadie and Abby Ryder Fortson in a scene from the film. Photo by Lionsgate
Abby Ryder Forston easily holds center in an honest and realistic portrayal of a preadolescent. Whether she is mooning over the boy who cuts the grass or asking God for guidance, she remains grounded and unshowy. McAdams, always strong, makes the most of the two sides of Barbara and connects with the character’s trials. Safdie is kind and present as the father, while Bates humorously blends West Side polish with Jewish guilt. Special mention of Graham, whose toxic delivery of the line, “I live in the bigger house up the street,” speaks volumes to Nancy’s self-assurance. Echo Kellum leans towards charming rather than bumbling as the first-year teacher, Mr. Benedict.
One surprising film deviation is Margaret’s lack of awareness regarding the schism between her mother and grandparents. The choice ratchets up the immediacy of the conflict with their visit late in the story. (The scene clumsily includes Sylvia and her beau, absent from the book’s confrontation.) While dramatic, it undermines Barbara and Herb’s honesty with their child. In addition, the bullying of the more physically mature outsider Laura Danker (subtle and pained as played by Isol Young) ends in a kinder, if less realistic, resolution.
Had Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret been made fifty years ago—or even forty or thirty—its impact would have possessed more resonance. The film’s quaintness dulls some of the novel’s powerful edges, leaning toward nostalgia rather than reflection. However, one suspects viewing the film will be an experience for mothers and daughters (and granddaughters) to connect with a coming-of-age that has spanned multiple generations. Those looking to revisit a favorite tale told with integrity will welcome this faithful adaptation.
Rated PG-13, the film is now playing in local theaters.
Throughout the 1970s, singer-songwriter Harry Chapin built a high-profile music career that included more than a dozen hit singles, 11 albums and a host of awards, including two Grammys. Despite his sudden death in 1981 at only 38 years old, Chapin left behind a massive legacy through both his music and a profoundly generous spirit.
Most people know Harry Chapin for his prolific contributions to the world of folk and rock music, but the “Cat’s in the Cradle” singer was also involved in a variety of charity efforts. He was especially passionate about ending hunger around the world. In 1975, he co-founded Why Hunger, a non-profit that supports grassroots organizations in 35 countries. He was also committed to making a difference in his backyard on Long Island, and in 1980, he founded Long Island Cares, which runs food pantries throughout the area.
The documentary Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something will be screened on Saturday, May 6.
On Saturday, May 6, the Long Island Music and Entertainment Hall of Fame (LIMEHOF) in Stony Brook will host a charity food drive and film screening of Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something.
“Like many people, my earliest memory of Harry Chapin is when my dad would have our family listen carefully to ‘Cat’s in the Cradle’ on the AM radio in our family station wagon,” said Tom Needham, LIMEHOF’s vice chairman and host of the Sounds of Film radio show on 90.1 WUSB-FM. “Harry wrote songs about everyday people and their struggles, and he had a way of connecting with his audience on a personal level. His life and career serve as a testament to the ability of music and advocacy to bring about positive change in the world.”
The documentary, released in 2020, follows Chapin from a young boy in the shadows of his jazz musician father to finding his own success. When in Doubt, Do Something paints a new picture of the singer-songwriter who used his fame as a launching point to help others and influence politics. It also features testimonials from Chapin’s family, along with fellow musicians including Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Rogers, Pat Benatar and many more.
“I always believed that at some time in our history that there would be a documentary film made about Harry’s life and dedication towards ending hunger,” said Paule Pachter, CEO of Long Island Cares. “Half of his annual concert [revenue] was used to raise funds to address food insecurity, and many schools reference Harry when discussing hunger, poverty, and social justice. I was honored to be a part of the film to discuss the founding of Long Island Cares and how we work to continue his legacy.”
According to Long Island Cares media relations specialist Peter Crescenti, there are 230,000 food-insecure individuals on Long Island today, including 68,000 children. The organization’s food pantries have seen significant increases in visitors over the past several years, a trend they anticipate will continue. But Crescenti said they are continuing to expand their reach and programs to meet the growing need.
“In addition to providing millions of pounds of food a year to more than 325 food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters, we also run a pantry for pet supplies and a variety of programs for young people, veterans, the homeless and others seeking support,” he said. “We are dedicated to being the voice of those who have no voice, and addressing why poverty, immigration status, racial discrimination and other root causes of hunger still exist.”
Following the film screening, Tom Needham will lead a Q&A session with members of Harry Chapin’s family and staff from LI Cares.
The event will be held at 2 p.m. May 6 at the LIMEHOF Museum, 97 Main Street, Stony Brook. Tickets are $19.50 for adults, with discounts available for seniors, veterans and children at www.limusichalloffame.org. Each ticket also includes admission to the museum. Food donations are strongly encouraged.
LIMEHOF is a not-for-profit organization — ticket sales support scholarships for high schoolers and music programs in local places of need, including hospitals and senior centers. For more information and upcoming events, visit www.limusichalloffame.org/museum. To learn more about LI Cares and how to support their mission, visit www.licares.org.
Never-before-told revelations regarding The Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant accident on March 28, 1979 are the subjects of Stony Brook University Professor Heidi Hutner’s new feature-length documentary “Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island.” The documentary will be shown at the Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Avenue in Huntington on Saturday, April 29 at 7 p.m. and will also include a Q & A moderated by Kelly McMasters with stars Beth Drazba, Paula Kinney, Linda Braasch, Joyce Corradi, Joanne Doroshow, and editor and producer Simeon Hutner followed by a reception.
In addition to actress Jane Fonda, whose fictional film about a nuclear reactor meltdown, “The China Syndrome,” opened twelve days before the meltdown at Three Mile Island, “Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island”features:
four concerned mothers who worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of their families;
a two-woman legal team who took their battle for the rights of area residents to the Supreme Court
a local doctor who maintains many of her patients may be sick because of the accident;
a scientist who has initiated a new study regarding the impact of the meltdown on the health of the community;
a reporter who recounts the confusing information reporters received
The film re-examines the official claim by government and company officials that the accident — the worst commercial nuclear reactor meltdown in U.S. history — caused no injuries or deaths. The documentary examines the implications that continue to this day for the community, its residents, and their descendants.
Hutner, an associate professor of ecofeminism and environmental justice in the Department of English, produced, wrote and directed the documentary, which focuses on people directly affected by the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant meltdown-the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history.
“Radioactive: The Women of Three Mile Island features: Linda Braasch, Beth Drazba, Joyce Corradi, Paula Kinney, Jane Fonda, Heidi Hutner, Joanne Doroshow, Michelle LeFever Quinn, Lynne Bernabei, Aaron Datesman, Mary Olson, Dan Steele Braasch, Lake Barrett, Dr. Renu Joshi, Aileen Mioko Smith. Martijn Hart serves as director of photography and co-director, Simeon Hutner serves as producer, and executive producers include Richard Saperstein, Christopher Hormel and Heidi Hutner.
Tickets are $19, $14 members at www.cinemaartscentre.org. For more information, call 631-423-7610.
This April, the 1st Annual Long Island Jewish Film Festival will make its debut at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington, from April 14 to 16 and will include screenings of films at the forefront of Jewish cultural storytelling.
The festival will feature films that include powerful documentaries, riveting dramas, and rarely seen pieces of film history, all curated by David Schwartz, Manager of Theatrical Programming at Netflix.
The Long Island Jewish Film Festival was organized to help celebrate the rich cultural traditions and history of the Jewish community in America, as well as abroad.The featured films embody the vanguard of modern Jewish cinema, and will introduce Long Island audiences to the artists creating work most representative of leading Jewish filmmaking in the 21st century.
The Long Island Jewish Film Festival will begin on Friday, April 14 with a screening of the touching documentary I Like it Here, which features a Q&A with filmmaker Ralph Arlyck, and will run throughout the weekend, concluding with on Sunday, April 16 with a screening of the rarely seen 1924 silent film City Without Jews which features a live score performed by acclaimed musicians Alicia Svigals & Donald Sosin, as well as a screening of the Yiddish language Ukrainian film, Shttl, which will include a discussion with the film’s star, Moshe Lobel.
Other films featured in the festival include My Neighbor Adolf, starring veteran German actor Udo Kier, America from award winning Israeli filmmaker, Ofir Raul Graizer, and the award-winning film, Farewell, Mr. Haffmann.
The Films:
Still from ‘I Like it Here’. 2022. Timed Exposures. Courtesy of Argot Pictures.
I Like It Here Friday, April 14th at 7 PM
With Director Ralph Arlyck In Person
$15 Public | $10 Members
A meditation on aging, survival, memory, and the connections we build with family, friends, neighbors, and strangers, Ralph Arlyck’s utterly charming personal film asks, “How do we make the most of the precious time we have?” What started as a movie about his neighbor, a reclusive Hungarian immigrant, ended up as something universal, capturing the moments in daily life that reveal the pitfalls and pleasures of getting old. While always aware of mortality, it is a movie whose ultimate message is “L’chaim.” (2022, 88 mins)
Promotional Image from ‘My Neighbor Adolf.’ 2022. Courtesy of 2-Team Productions & Film Produkcja.
My Neighbor Adolf Saturday, April 15th at 1 PM
$15 Public | $10 Members
In 1960s Colombia, a cantankerous Holocaust survivor passes his time tending to his garden and studying chess. His routine is interrupted by the arrival of a German man who he gradually becomes convinced is none other than Adolf Hitler. A surprisingly touching tale of loneliness and misunderstanding, it is also a master class in acting, with nuanced ‘performances by the Scottish actor David Hayman and veteran German actor Udo Kier, who has worked extensively with top directors including Werner Herzog, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and Gus Van Sant. (2022, 96 mins)
A scene from ‘America’. Photo courtesy of Beta Cinema
America Saturday, April 15th at 3:30 PM
$15 Public | $10 Members
When an Israeli man returns home after ten years in America, an emotional encounter with a childhood friend and his future-wife will change everyone’s lives. An engrossing drama that unfolds in lush landscape, America absorbs its characters, and the audience, in matters of life, death, and love. After the success of The Cakemaker, writer/director Ofir Raul Graizer returns with a film full of emotion and moral complexity, and beauty that is held together by three indelible performances by its young stars. (2022, 127 mins)
A scene from ‘Farewell, Mr. Haffmann’ Photo from YouTube
Farewell, Mr. Haffmann Saturday, April 15th at 7 PM
$15 Public | $10 Members
Occupied Paris,1941: as members of the Jewish community are instructed to identify themselves to authorities, a jewelry shop owner (Daniel Auteuil) arranges for his family to flee the city and offers his employee (Gilles Lellouche) the chance to take over his store until the conflict subsides. Adapted from an acclaimed play, Farewell, Mr. Hoffmannpresents a world where lives are irrevocably shaped by the occupation. Rich in moral complexity and empathy, with several twists too good to spoil, this is grand, big-screen adult entertainment at its finest. (2021,115 mins)
Still from ‘City Without Jews’. 1924. Walterskirchen und Bittner. Public Domain.
City Without Jews
Sunday, April 16th at 2:00 PM
With live accompaniment by Alicia Svigals & Donald Sosin
$17 Public | $12 Members
Directed by H. K. Breslauer, and based on the novel by Hugo Bettauer. City Without Jews predicted the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe. Set in the fictional Austrian city of Utopia, the story depicts the consequences of an anti-Semitic law forcing all Jews to leave the country. Shortly after the film’s premiere, Bettauer was murdered by the Nazis. Shown in public for the last time in 1933 as a protest against Hitler’s rise to power, the film contains ominous and eerily realistic sequences, such as shots of freight trains transporting Jews out of the city. (1924, 80 mins)
Still from ‘Shttl’. 2022. Forecast Pictures, UP Hub & Wild Tribe Films. Courtesy of Bron Releasing.
Shttl Sunday, April 16th at 5 PM
With star Moshe Lobel in-person
$15 Public | $10 Members
A Jewish village in Ukraine is on the verge of being invaded by Nazis. Evocative and visually compelling, Shttldraws from the vibrant canvas of a community with many differing reactions to the impending tragedy. Filmed in Ukraine, and edited to appear as one continuous shot, the camera never stops as it explores the rich world that it creates, and the vitality of lives about to be destroyed. Featuring a remarkable cast including Moshe Lobel (Broadway’s YiddishFiddler on the Roof revival) and Yiddish-fluent actor Saul Rubinek. (2022, 114 mins)
Tickets are $15 per screening with the exception of the film “City Without Jews,” which costs $17. A full festival pass is also available for $60, granting access to every film in the festival. To order tickets, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org. For more info, call 631-423-7610.
The Lion King. 1994. Walt Disney Pictures. Courtesy of Disney Entertainment & The Walt Disney Company.
A hit since its reopening in 2022, the Cinema Arts Centre’s Cinema for Kids series has continued to draw crowds for its weekly screenings of beloved family films. These affordable showings have been a hit, with recent screenings of family classics such as The Goonies, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The NeverEnding Story, and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory drawing crowds exceeding 100 people.
With its Cinema for Kids series, the Cinema Arts Centre hopes to expose a new generation of movie-goers to some of the great animated and family films that were beloved by previous generations and to provide parents with the opportunity to see some of their favorite films back in theaters with their kids. Attendees are encouraged to share suggestions of films they want to see screened. Upcoming Screenings:
The Prince of Egypt (1998)
Sunday, April 9th at 12PM
An American Tail (1986)
Sunday, April 16th at 12PM
Shrek (2001)
Sunday, April 23rd at 12PM
The Princess Bride (1987)
Sunday, April 30th at 12PM
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Sunday, May 7th at 12PM
Brave (2012)
Mother’s Day Screening!
Sunday, May 14th at 12PM
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
Sunday, May 21st at 12PM
The Muppets Take Manhattan (1984)
Sunday, May 28th at 12PM
The Dark Crystal (1982)
Sunday, June 4th at 12PM
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Sunday, June 11th at 12PM
The Lion King (1994)
Sunday, June 18th at 12PM
The Mighty Ducks (1992)
Sunday, June 25th at 12PM
Location:
Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave, Huntington, NY 11743
Fees:
$12 Public | $7 Cinema Arts Centre Members | $5 for Kids 12 and Under
The Cinema Arts Centre is located at 423 Park Avenue in Huntington. To purchase tickets, visit www.cinemaartscentre.org
Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman in a scene from 'A Good Person' Photo by Jeong Park/MGM
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
Zach Braff is best known for his acting work, most notably for his nine seasons as Dr. J.D. Dorian on the sitcom Scrubs. Additionally, his extensive work behind the camera includes producing, writing, and directing. The works encompass short films, television, and, most notably, the feature film Garden State (2004), a quirky but effective rom-com featuring Braff and Natalie Portman. Unfortunately, his follow-up, the domestic comedy-drama Wish I Was Here (2014), was not well-received.
Braff’s third offering, A Good Person, is a drama of dysfunction and addiction. The film opens with Morgan Freeman’s voiceover as he works on his model trains, wistfully proffering the idea that life is neither neat nor tidy. Then, the idyllic moment shifts to the raucous engagement party of Allison (Florence Pugh) and Nathan (Chinaza Uche). Allison sings an original song to her future husband, much to the delight of the guests.
The next morning, Allison drives her future sister-in-law and brother-in-law from New Jersey into New York City. Checking the map app on her phone, Allison involves them in an accident where her prospective in-laws die.
A year later, Florence is an unemployed pharmaceutical rep addicted to pills. She lives in a perpetual state of conflict with her mother, Diane (Molly Shannon), who lacks the insight or emotional resources to help her struggling daughter. Florence has run through her oxy, and none of her doctors will refill her prescription. After a failed attempt to blackmail a former colleague, she ends up in a bar where she smokes with two low-lifes with whom she had gone to high school. Florence has hit bottom.
She attends an AA meeting, running into Daniel (Morgan Freeman), the man who would have been her father-in-law. She leaves, but Daniel stops her, suggesting fate has brought them together. They form an odd bond that becomes a tenuous friendship.
Retired Daniel was a cop for forty years and a drunk for fifty. Sober ten years, he grapples with raising his orphaned granddaughter, the now rebellious Ryan (Celeste O’Connor). He accepts that he does not know how to raise a teenager, having left that to his wife. The worlds collide as Allison and Ryan accidentally meet at Daniel’s house and also form a strained connection. Ryan shares her late mother’s feelings that Allison was the best thing to happen to her uncle Nathan. Ryan lets slip that her grandfather blames Allison for the accident.
The film is rife with revelations and the sharing of histories. An alcoholic father abused Daniel. In turn, Daniel became a blackout drunk, mistreating his own children. In an inebriated rage, Daniel beat Nathan so severely that the boy lost hearing in his right ear. Estranged, the adult Nathan and Daniel have only the slightest of relationships.
While the film covers no new territory, the narrative contains the makings of a dramatic and interesting story. Sadly, the gap between intention and execution can be the distance between Perth Amboy and Perth, Australia.
The film tackles difficult subject matters—guilt, addiction, withdrawal, forgiveness—but somehow manages to avoid depth. Director Braff works from his screenplay, which seems a patchwork of acting class scenes. The occasional smart quip—“the opiate of the masses is opium”—is lost among aphorisms and cliches—“Comparison is the thief of joy.”
Daniel’s Viet Nam veteran cap is jaw-droppingly unsubtle. In a film brimming with life and death issues, the result is often tensionless and pedestrian. The metaphors—the model trains, Allison’s father’s watch, swimming, songwriting—even a haircut—are heavy-handed.
However, while Braff the writer might have failed, he cast well and brought out strong performances. Florence Pugh finds the anguish and ugliness in Allison’s spiral. She is mesmerizing rawness in every moment, alternating between a hyper-aware ferocity and a disconnected stupor. Morgan Freeman is incapable of shoddy work and remains one of the most watchable cross-genre actors. While Daniel sits in the center of his range, he manages to nuance the darker moments, contrasted with Freeman’s often-seen “wise” humor.
Molly Shannon’s mother is a bit shrill, but her brittleness and immaturity are not misplaced. Chinaza Uche is given little more than shades of pain, but what he does is imbued with sincerity. Twenty-something Celeste O’Connor embodies the angry teenager, Ryan, and easily holds her own against Pugh and Freeman. She proffers fire, grief, and even joy, while hovering on the verge of implosion.
So much of A Good Person feels manipulated, if not downright manipulative. Ultimately, Braff confuses messy lives with sloppy filmmaking.
Rated R,the film is now playing in local theaters.
Woody Harrelson, far right, stars in the new comedy, Champions. Photo by Shauna Townley/Focus Features
Reviewed by Jeffrey Sanzel
After being ejected for shoving the head coach, disgraced minor league basketball coach Mark Markovich (Woody Harrelson) goes on a bender, hitting a police cruiser. Given a choice between eighteen months in jail or ninety days of community service, he opts for the latter. His sentence is to work with The Friends, the local recreation center’s intellectually challenged basketball team.
“What do I call them?” Mark asks the judge. “I suggest you call them by their names,” the judge replies.
Therein lies the heart and head of Champions, a sweet, predictable, but sincere comedy.
Woody Harrelson in a scene from ‘Champions’. Photo courtesy of Focus Features
Champions is based on Campeones, Javier Fesser’s 2018 Spanish film which was inspired by a team created with people with intellectual disabilities that won twelve Spanish championships between 1999 and 2014.
Bobby Farrelly (working solo for the first time) takes a straightforward approach in directing Mark Rizzo’s workmanlike but satisfying screenplay, resulting in a simple but heartfelt story. Thematically, Champions trods no new ground. Mark is a man who “can’t stick” anywhere, bumping from job to job—Ohio to Greece to Turkey to Iowa—his inability to connect results from a combination of anger and almost terminal self-absorption.
While working with The Friends, Mark is more transformed than transforming. As much as he affects the team, he learns to see the players as human beings—something absent from both his personal and professional lives.
Harrelson’s performance offers nothing surprising, but that does not make it ineffectual. He shows restraint, an ability to listen, and seems fully present. His metamorphosis from ambivalence (texting during their first game) to commitment (running up and down the sidelines) is obvious but acceptable. He manages to make Mark’s retreat from self-destruction believable.
There are the inevitable plot bumps and the requisite speech about what it is to be a champion. A particularly clumsy comedic interlude involves raising money for the trip to Canada. But these are to be expected. Champions is a light narrative, not a revelatory documentary.
Mark becomes involved with Alex, player Johnny’s sister. An actor of a certain age, she tours in her van, presenting Shakespeare to middle school students. The Shakespeare piece integrates later in the film but is a bit forced. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s Kaitlin Olson makes Alex mildly tough and likable in a mostly limited role. Her fear of Johnny moving into a group home offers an alternate familial insight and provides her with her best moments.
The film triumphs in its small moments. The center’s director, Julio (beautifully methodical Cheech Marin), describes the players, and we are shown moments of their day-to-day lives. One works at an animal shelter; another is a master welder. These glimpses are gentle, tacit, and entirely real. Whether seeing them at work or home, these slivers are wonderfully honest and exposed without feeling intrusive.
Woody Harrelson, center, with the cast of ‘Champions’. Photo courtesy of Focus Features
The soul and driving force of the film are the ten intellectually challenged team members, played not as victims or outsiders but as wholly realized individuals. Whether it is Casey Metcalfe as savant Marlon, expounding a wide variety of trivia, or James Day Keith’s Benny rehearsing a speech to request time off from work, they are riveting in their presence.
Madison Tevlin is delightful as the team’s sole female, the no-nonsense Consentino. Kevin Iannucci mines Johnny for dimension and heart. The most powerful scene involves Joshua Felder’s gifted Darius. A car crash survivor, the confrontation with Mark addresses the horrors of DWI. If a bit facile, the validity cannot be denied.
Is Champions exploitive?
For over a decade, Matt Nelson has worked for Evanston Special Recreation. He has coached basketball, track and field, powerlifting, swimming, volleyball, softball, and flag football. In addition, he has been the assistant athletics coach for Team Illinois at the 2013 USA Games (Seattle) and the 2022 USA Games (Orlando).
In speaking with Matt on this question, he responded: “Champions is super realistic in its portrayal of a Special Olympics team with regards to their athletic abilities and the individual personalities of each athlete. Each one of my athletes comes from a different living situation—group home, living with parents, living on their own. The movie is no different and stresses how each athlete has a unique story to tell. My teams always succeed the most when they work as a team which Champions accurately portrays. And both my team and I loved the ending and thought it was PERFECT.”
The film’s climax occurs at the North American regionals during the Winnipeg Special Olympics. In agreement with Matt and his players, The Friend’s final shot has a reverberating emotional justice.
Those looking for great depth and searing truth will find this a slight outing. But for a feel-good sports movie that gently celebrates a unique group of underdogs, Champions delivers. Ultimately, the moral comes not from Mark but from the team. “We play for each other.”
Rated PG, Champions is now playing in local theaters.
'Everything Everywhere All At Once' is the clear favorite to nab an Oscar for Best Picture at the 95th annual Academy Awards.
The Academy Awards will air live on ABC Channel 7 this Sunday at 8 p.m.
By Tim Haggerty and Jeffrey Sanzel
The 95th Academy Award contenders comprise a wealth of options. Better films provide excellent performance opportunities, so the fields are tight ones. As always, there is the potential for a great number of upsets. Who will take home the statues on March 12 at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre remains to be seen. But here are a few thoughts.
While all the actors up for Best Actor in a Supporting Role turned in stunning performances, the clear favorite is the once-in-a-lifetime performance of Ke Huy Quan from Everything Everywhere All at Once. Quan gives a dimensional performance that mines both the humor and the day-to-day struggle of the many-faceted character. This he accomplishes with a jaw-dropping facility, finding beauty in sadness but shining in the fantastical shades of the character. While all the other nominees are first-rate, none display Quan’s multiple sides. Barry Keoghan won the BAFTA for The Banshees of Inisherin but is unlikely to bump Quan.
‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ is in line to win Best International Feature Film.
Longshots for Actress in a Supporting Role are Angela Bassett (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) and Hong Chau (The Whale), both presenting excellent work but will be overshadowed by a year of showy performances that had surprising depth. Also unlikely is Kerry Condon’s stern sensibility in The Banshees. Finally, it will come down to Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, both offering simultaneously eccentric and grounded work in industry favorite Everything Everywhere. It is a toss-up, but veteran Curtis is probably favored, receiving the award for both the film and her body of work.
Much like Supporting Actress, Actor in a Leading Role comes down to two equally worthy possibilities. While Austin Butler gave a good performance as Elvis, the script was weak and did not provide the dimension that would put him on a fast track to winning. Bill Nighy’s Living was too subdued and reserved to receive the Academy’s highest accolade. Paul Mescal’s Aftersun was powerful, but the film did not reach a wide enough audience.
Actor in a Leading Role comes down to Colin Farrell in Banshees and Brendan Fraser in The Whale. Given the raw, heart-breaking performance—and a range unseen in Fraser’s previous oeuvre—the Oscar is his to lose. However, the fact that it is unlike anything in his career gives him an even stronger edge.
Ana de Armas’s Marilyn in Blonde falls into the same problematic situation as Butler. She gives a sympathetic performance in an apathetic and unnecessarily exploitative film. The controversial nomination of Andrea Riseborough (To Leslie) earned her and the film little support—most likely taking the spot from Danielle Deadwyler’s flawless mother in Till. Michelle Williams is always good, but The Fabelmans does not display any surprises. It is a shame that Cate Blanchett’s searing composer (TÁR) and Michelle Yeoh’s multi-universe laundromat owner are up against each other. These are two exceptional performances, and both actresses deserve to stand on the Dolby stage—these are career bests. While a tie would solve the problem, the never-awarded Yeoh has a slight edge over the Oscar-winner Blanchett.
The now glutted Best Picture field includes fillers: the bloated Avatar: The Way of Water (visually stunning but overlong), the ultimate popcorn Top Gun: Maverick (an improvement over the original but still popcorn), and Elvis (clumsy and wrong-headed). Triangle of Sadness was a fascinating exercise, and Women Talking was emotionally gut-wrenching, but both played below the radar. All Quiet on the Western Front will win Best International Feature Film. The critically lauded TÁR and Banshees would have had better chances last season. In another year, Steven Spielberg’s autobiographical The Fabelmans would score the top prize. But the clear favorite is the mind-bending, startling, and outrageous Everything Everywhere All at Once.
As for Directing and Writing (Original Screenplay), the path reflects the Best Picture. In this case, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert will go home with the Oscars for their exceptional work in both categories for the historically unique Everything Everywhere. All Quiet or (possibly) Women Talking will take Writing (Adapted Screenplay).
A few shoutouts:
Animated Feature Film should go to the glorious Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio—the third Pinocchio film of the year—but the only one of any weight (or value). The moving meditation on mental health, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, will take home Best Short Film (Animated). The quirky Christmas Day orphanage Le Pupille will most likely win Short Film (Live Action). The Whale demonstrated true artistry in the transformation of Brendan Fraser, making it the most deserving for Makeup and Hairstyling. Music (Original Score) could go to either the chilling strings of All Quiet or the bombast of Babylon. Avatar’s only hope for an award is Visual Effects, with Sound going to Top Gun: Maverick.
When all is said, 2022 will be remembered as a strong year for original stories. In a business that thrives on remakes and sequels, this year’s films are a wealth of standalone tales.
Prev
