Some modern movies wallow in woke bromides. Others have a progressive lecture or two, but otherwise offer straightforward stories.

And then there’s “You People.”

The film doesn’t flirt with woke asides or stop for Important Lessons on Race or the Patriarchy. Woke is built into the film’s DNA, intertwined with every scene.

That’s two strikes against most projects, but “You People” offers a brilliant cast to pull off its talking points. It’s not enough, sadly, even with Eddie Murphy showing he hasn’t lost an ounce of his comic brio.

Jonah Hill stars as Ezra, a 30-something Jewish man whose dating life has hit a rough spot. No one seems to “get” him, and even the women who seem like prime dating material can’t make his heart flutter.

Then he meets (cute) Amira (Lauren London), a fiercely independent woman who happens to be black. Love blooms in a hurry, and six months later the couple is talking marriage. That’s the worst news possible for Amira’s parents (Murphy, Nia Long), strict Muslims who see Ezra as a horrible match for their daughter.

Ezra’s parents (Julia Louis-Dreyfus, David Duchovny) bleed progressive blue, and they’re delighted to invite a woman of color into their family.

“We’re gonna have brown grandchildren,” Louis-Dreyfus’s character squeals.

Cultures clash and Ezra’s parents behave like the most ignorant liberals on Planet Earth. A prime example? Duchovny’s character can’t stop genuflecting at the altar of the rapper Xzibit. Because he’s black, you see, and so is Amira. Get it? Does anyone actually think like this?

That’s just one of many problems plaguing “You People.”

My first exposure to stand up comedy was a cassette tape of Eddie Murphy’s Delirious.

Now I’m in a movie with him.
What a life.

“You People” out now on Netflix. INDULGE!!! pic.twitter.com/IGZXlJU7gY

— Andrew Schulz HEZI (@andrewschulz) January 27, 2023

Louis-Dreyfus’ Shelley never feels like a real person. She’s a comically warped wokester who apparently hasn’t met a black person in her life. She fawns over Amira’s hair and nails, turning tone deaf compliments into offensive riffs.

Is it funny? Not particularly, but co-writers Kenya Barris (who directs) and Hill must have thought it’s fall-down hysterical. Why else would they repeat the comic beat over, and over again?

The other note beaten to death? Ezra is so eager to please his future father in law, Akbar, that he lies through his teeth when he’s with him.

Every. Single. Time.

Big. Embarrassing. Easily provable lies.

Combine these two unfunny plot lines and you’ve essentially sunk the film.

Somehow, Ezra and Amira exude, if not chemistry, the sense that they’re lovers staring down a brutal reality. And, in the eyes of Barris and Hill, interracial marriage seems like “Mission: Impossible” in 2023. Yet every other commercial shows an interracial couple, so we know that’s not accurate.

Every character here, like the movie itself, is progressive to the core. It’s hard to watch people mired in microaggression misery when you’re trying to enjoy a rom-com.

Ezra’s every fiber apologizes for his so-called white privilege. Amira sees racism everywhere, like when she blames it for missing a plum work assignment. People of every race, creed and color miss out on plum assignments all the time.

RELATED: WHY ‘BEVERLY HILLS COP’ IS THE PERFECT ’80s MOVIE

In one of many cringe-worthy scenes, the couple’s respective families fight over who had it worse – Jews via the Holocaust or black Americans due to slavery.

Those awful chapters in world history are joined by dramatically smaller narratives, part of the progressive mindset that Barris and Hill drill into their story. That includes an early shout out to President Barack Obama and Ezra’s podcaster partner (Sam Jay) explaining that black people can never forgive whites for slavery.

A generous way to process that thought? It’s an homage to “When Harry Met Sally,” and how Harry insists men and women can never be friends if there’s a romantic spark between them.

Sadly, most of the black characters initially dismiss Ezra and his family because of their skin color, bigotry the film frames as casual, almost expected.

The bigger issues plaguing “You People” are easy to spot. It’s hard to develop flesh and blood characters when everyone is a talking point, a progressive op-ed or signifier of a larger cultural complaint.

Other key details are simply missing.

We’re told Ezra is willing to throw away his staid career as a broker to become a professional podcaster, but there’s little proof his talent is worth the risk. We never get to see why Ezra and Amira click, and the film introduces Akbar’s strong Islamic faith (he loves the Rev. Louis Farrakhan!) but that bullet point fades over time.

The biggest sin? The film’s third act requires audiences to forget everything they were told for 90 minutes in order to swallow it.

Barris’ film does offer a briskly paced narrative, and it’s impossible to look away at select points in the story. “You People” is a narrative train wreck, and we’re inclined to stare at disasters.

HiT or Miss: “You People” begins with a strong premise along with some solid laughs. In short order the laughs dry up and the concept hits a thematic iceberg.

The post ‘You People’ Traffics In Progressive Guilt, Lack of Laughter appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

The list of reasons why Jennifer Lopez’s “Shotgun Wedding” should stink is considerable.

The project has been kicking around for some time, with name actors (Ryan Reynolds, Armie Hammer) flirting with the script before Josh Duhamel came aboard.

Hollywood is still unsure how to make an old-school rom-com these days, although recent films like “Ticket to Paradise” and “I Want You Back” suggest the genre is ripe for a comeback.

And the story’s plot, a wedding ceremony gets hijacked by terrorists, reeks of flop sweat.

“Shotgun Wedding” bullies past all of the above, proving the rom-com template can survive almost anything. It helps to have Stifler’s mom, scene-stealer Jennifer Coolidge, on hand.

Lopez and Duhamel star as Darcy and Tom, lovebirds gathering in the Philippines for their big wedding. He’s a control freak, organizing every last detail of the wedding. She’s busy keeping the peace between her squabbling parents.

Their big day is interrupted by machine gun-wielding terrorists eager to snag some cash from Darcy’s rich Dad (Cheech Marin).

Can this marriage actually happen? Will the wedding party live to see tomorrow?

The “dumb” factor sinks more than a few fluffy rom-coms. “Shotgun Wedding” avoids that fate early on. The laughs are gentle, the bond between Darcy and Tom feels real enough and the supporting players add warmth and personality.

RELATED: CAN MEG RYAN SAVE THE ROM-COM (AGAIN)?

Sonia Braga seethes as Darcy’s mom, still bitter over her ex shacking up with a much younger woman (D’Arcy Carden). Tom’s daffy mom (Coolidge) gets every social cue wrong, as only the “White Lotus” star can.

And then there’s Sean (Lenny Kravitz), Darcy’s handsome ex whose presence gets on Tom’s last nerve. Can you blame him?

It’s an overstuffed recipe for romance and danger, and the film packs plenty of the latter. These terrorists mean business … until they don’t. The film can’t push the danger element too much, lest it break free from the rom-com template.

That means this “Wedding” has a tonal problem, and it never fully resolves itself. One minute we’re chortling at Coolidge saying something silly, the next the couple in question is dodging machine gun fire.

Harry and Sally never had to duck and cover during their screen romance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Director Jason Moore of “Pitch Perfect” fame handles the various elements as best as anyone could. The action beats are surprisingly taut, and Moore never steps on a laugh to along the way.

Lopez and Duhamel aren’t a classic screen couple, but their bickering has a purpose. Marriage is hard, and commitment means making yourself as vulnerable as possible.

That’s scary by itself, let alone knowing a team of terrorists is lurking around the corner.

Duhamel’s career is no match for what Lopez has built over the years, but the actor’s good looks distract from his casual charm. He’s perfect for breezy rom-coms, but Hollywood hasn’t given him projects worthy of his skill set.

His work in 2004’s “Win a Date with Ted Hamilton!” should have opened that door long ago.

Duhamel’s presence, and a woke-free story, make “Shotgun Wedding” a flawed but frivolous date night alternative.

HiT or Miss: “Shotgun Wedding” should be a mess, but the charismatic leads and a dollop of sly cracks from Jennifer Coolidge keeps the rom-com on track.

The post ‘Shotgun Wedding’ Finds Romance in the Craziest Places appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Found footage has given way to Laptop Cinema.

“Missing,” like its spiritual predecessor “Searching,” is told entirely via the screens that dominate the culture… and our lives. Storm Reid plays a teen trying to local her missing mother, and she’ll use all her digital resources to crack the case.

What follows is smart, albeit too smart for its own good. The third act collapses in a crush of “c’mon … really” revelations that threatens to derail the film’s intentions.

Reid plays June, or Junebug to her devoted Mom (Nia Long). The teen rebels against her mother’s suffocating, but warm, embrace in ways many teens will understand. That dynamic shifts when the mother goes missing after a romantic Colombia getaway with her new beau (Ken Leung).

June goes into sleuth mode immediately, frustrated by the police’s inability to make inroads into the disappearance. She hires a foreign gig worker (charmingly played by Joaquim de Almeida) to help her search and uses the web to translate Spanish to English (and back again). She quickly susses out some real clues, and that’s when the confusion kicks in.

The screenplay serves up some very human touches despite the extreme reliance on apps, Big Tech platforms and other digital screens. That gives “Missing” a human touch that’s sorely needed. Reid is relentless as June, showcasing the teen’s natural intelligence without becoming a super sleuth before our eyes.

She stumbles along the way, and it’s refreshing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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What “Missing” attempts, though, is a modern screenwriter trope that has pummeled more than a few thrillers. No one is who they appear to be, and the many twists and turns begin piling up mid-movie in an exasperating way.

Call it the “Glass Onion” effect.

By the third act, just when the hunt for the missing Ma is heating up, the revelations wear down our resolve. That, and various plot holes that become too hard to overlook, rob “Missing” of some of its urgency.

That Found Footage-style gimmick also wears out its welcome. Turns out you can deliver a slick thriller just by using various screens and cameras, but “Missing” shows the limits of that approach.

A little cheat now and then would be forgivable, and the film would benefit from being less faithful to the format.

Storm Reid has been juggling a still-blossoming entertainment career with higher education since the fall of 2021, and she appreciates the chance to have a bit of normal in between her buzzy movie and TV sets https://t.co/uxufbt8ehS

— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 15, 2023

“Missing” offers a not-so-subtle mash note to parenthood, the sacrifices Moms make for their children’s safety and how much teens appreciate that approach once it goes “Missing.”

It’s not heavy handed, though, and the emphasis is always on the mystery. A few less shocking reveals, and “Missing” might have been a first-rate thriller.

As is, the film’s ingenious trappings, and Reid’s diligent work, make it worth a look.

HiT or Miss: it’s hard not to be wowed by “Missing,” from its intrepid heroine to its slick storytelling tics. Too bad the story is too clever for its own good.

The post ‘Missing’ Shows Potential, and Pitfalls, of Digital Storytelling appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

Creepy kids are a staple of horror movies, but child actors hold the key to the thrills.

No amount of FX trickery can bring a bland performance to life or make an adorable lad into a monster.

Kudos to young stars Briella Guiza and David Mattle for giving “There’s Something Wrong with the Children” the snap it demands. That, plus the real-world tensions surrounding parenthood, make “Children” a nasty treat.

Two couples unite for a relaxing weekend away from the hustle bustle. Margaret and Ben (Alisha Wainwright and Zach Gilford) don’t have children, yet, but Ellie and Thomas (Amanda Crew, Carlos Santos) have two adorable tykes in tow.

The trouble begins when the vacationers visit a local cave featuring a steep, scary pit. The children seem fascinating by that pit, drawn to it in a way beyond childhood curiosity.

Later, the kids start acting in erratic ways, but only Ben spots their behavior. Is it Ben’s fear of parenthood spiking at the worst possible time, or did that cave somehow impact these otherwise adorable kids?

The cast of There’s Something Wrong with the Children on what makes a good horror movie#technology #technologynews #technewshttps://t.co/sHfRxtN1MX

— Pure Tech (@Pur3Tech) January 15, 2023

Screenwriters T.J. Cimfel and David White let the actors explore the boundaries of parenthood and how marriage impacts the characters’ love lives. There’s a salty subplot about sexual experimentation, for starters, and one couple is struggling to recapture the spark of their early romance.

Plus, a few moments touch on how men and women bond on vacation, tells that show the “Children” team care about more than just scares with their story.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a couple weigh the perils of parenthood, but Wainwright and Gilford repeat those talking points without phoning the emotions in.

This is still a horror movie, of course, and after a gentle start the tension enters the frame. It helps that the film’s score is bracingly original, both modern in style yet with operatic flourishes you might hear in an ‘80s thriller.

RELATED: ‘TERROR IN THE AISLES’ CAPTURES PURE ’80s HORROR

Guiza and Mattle prove playful at first, but their actions grow more sinister as the title suggests. Child actors in general have stepped up their craftsmanship in recent years on screen, and that’s particular true of the horror genre.

The film’s threadbare budget, shown by the film’s visual restraint, isn’t an obstacle. In fact, the clever use of shadows to insinuate a threat in the third act proves superior to any visual the movie’s FX team could conjure.

Less is almost always more, especially with a delicate genre tale like this.

HiT or Miss: “There’s Something Wrong with the Children” balances real-world fears with a supernatural twist that should make parents everywhere squirm.

The post ‘There’s Something Wrong with the Children’ (But Not This Movie) appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

For many, revisiting the pandemic’s early days is a horror movie unto itself.

• The over-reaching lockdowns
• Officials filling skate parks with sand and taking down basketball nets
• The big, fat, juicy lie of our age – “two weeks to slow the curve”

“Sick,” screenwriter Kevin Williamson’s trip back to those awful, awful days, is ripe for lectures from an industry that told ordinary Americans what was best for them.

Masks … good! Vaccines … better! Dr. Fauci … sainthood!

Except the “Scream” scribe doesn’t ladle out bromides from the Left or Right. The film’s COVID-19 allegories are sly enough to inspire multiple interpretations. Meanwhile, one of Hollywood’s most agile, and lesser-known, directors fashions a relentless fight for survival.

It’s the dawn of the COVID-19 outbreak, and young Parker (Gideon Adlon, daughter of Pamela Adlon) escapes lockdown mania by fleeing to her family’s cabin retreat. She’s joined by her good chum Miri (Beth Million), and they do what young people in horror movies always do

They exchange meaningless banter that shows their age and lack of worldly sophistication. That’s in between following and ignoring the new pandemic playbook.

Mask on, mask off. It’s like pulling it down between bites and sips on an airplane.

We get to know Parker, Miri and, eventually, DJ (Dylan Sprayberry), who arrives unannounced at the cabin hoping to reunite with Parker. There’s someone else at the cabin, though, a stranger seen in the film’s chilling prologue.

And he’s got a very sharp knife.

RELATED: CRAVEN’S ‘DEADLY BLESSING’ REVEALED A FILMMAKER IN TRANSITION

Once director John Hyams of “Alone” fame sets his pieces in motion “Sick” refuses to ease up on the gas pedal. The film, so lethargic for 30-plus minutes, wakes up in a big way, and everything wraps in under 90 minutes.

Take note of that lean, mean number, Hollywood.

The film’s pandemic setting adds some texture to the story, but for a while, it seems like a curious attempt at period storytelling. There’s more afoot, and some of the surprises make sense.

Others? Well, “Sick” has plenty of plot holes and head-smacking moments, the latter all but mandatory for the genre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The film’s main characters are women, but Parker and Miri are far from perfect. Parker seems oblivious to her sorta-kinda boyfriend’s mental state, and Miri nags everyone about wearing a mask but later forgets all about them.

They’re relatable, and Williamson lets them flash both fear and some impressive survival skills. He also pays homage to his original “Scream” thriller via a prologue. It’s slick, no doubt, but it can’t compete with Wes Craven’s 1996 frightmare.

Williamson, to his credit, abandons that franchise’s meta shtick for “Sick,” already played out despite the saga’s unwillingness to call it a day.

The rest is up to Hyams, who once directed generic thrillers like “Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning” but is having a career resurgence.

Hyams stages some bravura scares mid-movie, the kind that make audiences re-evaluate what they’ve seen up until then. It’s taut filmmaking, aware of both the physical limitations of the cabin and the fear of being up close and personal with a killing machine.

Long story short: There will be blood.

It’s almost #sick time .@peacock #SICKmovie pic.twitter.com/EHymnXgfJ4

— (@_UniHorror) January 13, 2023

Conservatives will read plenty into the killer’s motivations, while liberals may sense “Sick” shreds those who didn’t take the pandemic seriously. Both may be right. It’s hard to tell since the screenwriter and Hyams keep the focus on the thrills.

This isn’t Williamson’s best screenplay, but it’s woke-free and devoid of finger-wagging asides.

That’s not “Sick.” It’s wonderful.

HiT or Miss: “Sick” starts slowly, but it evolves into a nuanced blend of social commentary and slick genre treats.

The post ‘Sick’ Gets Socially Conscious Horror Right appeared first on Hollywood in Toto.

 BLACK ADAM