Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011

Recliner Reviews for December 29, 2011

“The Hangover Part II”

The second installment in this now-scheduled trilogy, both the first one and this one could have been just a couple of movies with three drunken dudes being morons. But not in director Todd Phillips’ hands – with Phillips’ direction, the exploits of three drunken dudes become a kidnapping or animal theft that could land them in the middle of a drug war. The best part is Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis ride the tide. Their chemistry has made this scheduled trilogy possible because they’ll take whatever ridiculous situation Phillips chooses to drop them in. Yes, the move from Las Vegas to Bangkok is an obvious one with Bangkok being the only city more sinful than Vegas. But where next? Amish country during Rumspringa? Come on, you’ve got to watch it and if you’ve already seen it, watch it again with someone who hasn’t. Everyone wants a little more Mr. Chow in their life and it’s perfect for the New Year’s holiday.

“Friends with Benefits”

Some new Justin Timberlake music for New Year’s Eve would’ve been great. It’s been five years and aside from cameos on “Saturday Night Live” and some supporting roles that he managed a passable job in, I couldn’t see a reason for him to give up his collaborations with Timbaland for his lackluster night job. But color me wrong now. He’s found his footing as a leading man in the romantic comedy game. I mean, he’s no Ryan Reynolds but he’ll do. It helps that Mila Kunis is the new cute, cool actress that seems beyond pretension. This storyline is almost identical to a recent flick of a former Kunis’ costar in “Black Swan,” Natalie Portman. Portman’s, “No Strings Attached” was also released this year. But this one is so much more fun. There’s no melodrama, it feels more current and it ties into other films Kunis and Timberlake have done. Director Will Gluck’s previous film was “Easy A” and he’s finding ways to keep romantic comedies interesting. This movie is beneficial to your sense of humor – worth a watch.

“30 Minutes or Less”

Another comedy for the New Year, this is the reunion of Jesse Eisenberg and director Ruben Fleischer. They first came together for “Zombieland.” This time, no zombies, it’s just pizza and a bunch of idiots filling up each scene. Even though Eisenberg plays the lead, he really takes the backseat to his costars. Danny McBride and Nick Swardson are awesome together. And Aziz Ansari steals almost every scene he’s in. The comedy is dark and the characters are equally as dark but it’s too laugh-out-loud to be a black comedy. Even the premise of a pizza delivery guy getting strapped to a bomb and forced to rob a bank is a real-life tragic story but this film is in no way related. It’s just a gimmick used by the idiot bad guys in the film. Whatever you do, don’t go into this thinking it’s based on a true story or you’ll feel really terrible when you laugh your ass off. Worth a watch.