"Love the Coopers" Kicks Off the Holiday Season! Also: Reviews for "The Peanuts Movie" and "Our Brand Is Crisis"

 
  The holidays are right around the corner, and that means holiday movies! There are a sleigh-full of new holiday films coming our way, and nothing spells out a good time better than popcorn and snacks while watching a warm, holiday flick with friends and family! Unless you're me...any movie outing does it for me, not matter what! The new comedy "Love the Coopers" opens this weekend, kicking off this holiday cinema season. In all honesty, I wasn't ready to watch a Christmas movie. Not just yet. Thanksgiving is still two weeks away and Halloween has barely passed us by. However, "Love the Coopers" is such a warm and different holiday film, making it the perfect holiday movie to get you into the spirit of the season without drenching you in Christmas sappiness.

   The film follows four generations of the Cooper family as they come together for their annual Christmas Eve celebration. The drama is found through the series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events that end up turning the night upside down, leading them all toward a surprising rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of the holiday. It's the most realistic depiction of the chaos, drama, emotions, and memorable moments that come with the holiday season. It's warm, funny (but not overly funny), emotional, and spends more time discussion the relationships and importance of family through realistic situations, without using over-the-top gimmicks. You see that a lot in most comedies where the drama seems forced or unrealistic while the comedy is silly, exaggerated, and honestly not too funny. That's not the case with this film. The comedy is found within the reality of the situations presented. It's a family drama more than it is a holiday movie.

   The Cooper family deals with very real issues, from marital struggles, child-rearing, the fake, forced happiness that dysfunctional families portray in order to maintain a level of civility. You'll find yourself laughing because at some point in the film you'll find something that is relatable to you. It's true that not everyone celebrates Christmas, but that doesn't matter. This is one of the most realistically depicted film families I've seen. You can chop that up to the clever writing, great directing, and superb acting.

   Diane Keaton and John Goodman head the Cooper clan as Charlotte and Sam Cooper, and they do so with the parental prowess of a couple who has spent the better part of 40 plus years together. Their marriage is rocky and both Keaton and Goodman play their parts wonderfully as the two characters navigate their lives in light of their lost love. Ed Helms plays their son Hank who is learning to deal with being a single parent after divorcing his wife played by Alex Borstein. Olivia Wilde plays Hank's sister Eleanor, a woman struggling with her relationship with her parents and her overall place in life as well as her own family. She meets Joe (Jake Lacy), waiting to be deployed, and swindles him into joining her for family dinner, posing as her boyfriend. Their storyline is by far the funniest and their chemistry really helps to brighten the somber parts of the story. Marisa Tomei plays Emma, Keaton's sister, a single woman who has lost her sense of family. Rounding out the posse is Alan Arkin, the patriarch of the family and father to Keaton and Tomei. His relationship with a diner waitress played by Amanda Seyfried is warm and touching and lays the foundation for the ultimate revelation the family discovers by movie's end.

   Jessie Nelson directs this ensemble cast through a film that is somber, emotional, funny, and revealing. Her use of mini flashbacks depicting the thoughts of the characters are poignant and clever. Her decision to have Steve Martin narrate the piece was a nice touch. Martin is a comedic icon whose voice is recognizable, warm, and inviting. The movie as a whole completely took me off guard. I was expecting a huge, laugh-out-loud comedy and that's not what this is. This is a family drama with comedy in it that happens to take place at Christmas time. Christmas is an easy story element to use because it already implies the need for happiness to be present. When that happiness is in jeopardy and is therefore manufactured for the sake of having one day of civility, you have yourself a very realistic depiction of what the holidays is like for a lot of people. Some might think that a movie that realistic wouldn't be entertaining. I'm telling you, this movie is entertaining from start to finish, and with it's theme and holiday feel, it's the perfect movie to start off this holiday season.


ALSO THIS WEEK:

   Charlie Brown and the gang are all back in "The Peanuts Movie". I remember as a kid watching the old specials at Halloween and Christmas time, which still air to this day. The Peanuts crew were a favorite comic strip of mine, as well as for many others. They're kids that deal with real things that real kids can watch and enjoy. Not to mention Snoopy and Woodstock, who always stole the show. The nostalgia that oozed throughout this movie for me was palpable. It was like seeing that one friend you haven't seen in years but that when finally meet up it's like not even a day has passed. "The Peanuts Movie" is by far the best family film of 2015 thus far.

   The movie is clearly centered on a specifically younger demographic but it's still wonderful for all ages. The premise is simple. Charlie Brown, the epitome of bad luck, falls for the new girl that moves in across the street. He spends the entirety of the movie trying to figure out how to talk to her without falling apart at the seams. While this is happening, Snoopy embarks upon what is probably his greatest mission as he and his team take to the skies to pursue their arch-nemesis The Red Baron. Snoopy's storyline metaphorically mirrors Charlie's in a brilliant and fun way. I've talked to a handful of people, all of which said they were hesitant in seeing this movie because they didn't want to see their beloved memories of such a well-loved troupe of characters get tarnished. You can tell the filmmakers took great care in making this film, because it doesn't disappoint. It has the same magical feel as those specials and comic strips of old.

   The casting was done really well; every character seemed to sound just like they always have. The animation is what I really enjoyed. I saw it in 2D and I've heard it's really fun to see in 3D. The characters are computer animated but with the rough, simple designs of old. The animators nailed it perfectly. I honestly didn't have a single problem with this movie. As a fan of Peanuts I feel this movie did it justice; Schulz would be proud. It's fun for the entire family and truly shouldn't be missed on the big screen.

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   I love Sandra Bullock. I do. I mean, she's gorgeous, funny, talented, and a wonderful actress that I have a hard time not liking in anything she does, good or bad (yes, even in the horrible Speed sequel). Her latest film "Our Brand Is Crisis" is an interesting movie that is unfortunately overshadowed by the likes of "Spectre" and others currently playing. It's been out now for a week or two and it's generated little buzz, but let me tell you, though it lacks in some areas it's still worth checking out.

   Bullock plays Jane, a hardened American political consultant who is dubbed "Calamity Jane" due to her staunch use of whatever it takes in order to feed her determination to win. After being out of the game for a while, she takes a job to help re-elect a controversial president in Bolivia, where she must compete with a long-term rival (Billy Bob Thornton), who is working for another candidate. It's a political comedy/drama that showcases an emotionally hardened Bullock and a crazed "I'll-literally-do-anything-to-win" performance from Thornton. The story isn't really much to gawk at, but the performances were really, really good. From the supporting cast on up, you'll see a finely-acted film no matter your overall thoughts on the story presented.

   This is one of those movies that, I think, tries hard to hammer down a message or moral that you as an audience member are suppose to get. It doesn't really come off very well. Jane comes to some form of realization by the end, but there is so much character development that is left in the lands of ambiguity that you don't quite grasp the full potential of what they were trying to get across. It's not really a bad movie, but it's not the best movie either. I really enjoyed the characters and the acting a lot in this piece; it's one of the better acted films of the year. But unfortunately the story just lacks umph. If you're curious about this movie, definitely check it out. Catch a matinee. It's enjoyable at least.