Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Movie Review: The Cabin in the Woods

The Cabin in the Woods *** ½
Directed by: Drew Goddard.
Written by: Joss Whedon & Drew Goddard.
Starring: Kristen Connolly (Dana), Chris Hemsworth (Curt), Anna Hutchison (Jules), Fran Kranz, (Marty), Jesse Williams (Holden), Richard Jenkins (Sitterson), Bradley Whitford (Hadley), Brian White (Truman), Amy Acker (Lin), Tim De Zarn (Mordecai), Tom Lenk (Ronald The Intern), Sigourney Weaver (The Director).

Spoiler Warning: I really do not see much of a point in writing a review of The Cabin in the Woods if I cannot talk about the twists and turns the movie takes, and how it plays brilliantly with the horror genre. As soon as I heard the advance buzz that The Cabin in the Woods was a) great and b) had completely unexpected twists and turns, I stopped reading anything about the movie, and actually would change the channel when the commercials came on TV, because I know ads often give away everything. So I recommend two things 1) You see the movie, and 2) You don’t read or listen to anything about the film, including this review. Consider yourself adequately warned.

For a movie called The Cabin in the Woods, it certainly has an opening scene nobody would expect. The film opens with two guys who like bureaucrats or accountants, Sitterson (Richard Jenkins) and Hadley (Bradley Whitford) doing a walk and talk through what looks exactly like you would imagine a secret government facility to look like. They are talking about a failure in the Swedish branch, but that Japan has just started – and those assholes always get the job done. But they believe that good old fashioned American know how can get the job done. What the hell are they talking about?

Its only after that scene that we get the opening scene we were expecting – a scantily clad, beautiful young college student named Dana (Kristen Connolly) packing for a weekend getaway, with her friend, the newly blonde Jules (Anna Hutchison), her hunky football player boyfriend Curt (Chris Hemsworth), their stoner buddy Marty (Fran Kranz) and the newcomer to the group, Holden (Jesse Williams), who may just be the answer for Dana being single. They are all heading for a cabin in the woods for the weekend, all packed into a big RV. Their first stop is one of those gas stations that only exist in horror movies, manned by a man named Mordecai, who gives them ominous warnings about where they are heading, of which, of course, the young people pay no heed. The head to that remote cabin, and we know that something is not right – and that those seemingly harmless bureaucrats have something to do with it.

The Cabin in the Woods is a horror movie that turns horror movies on its head – that really explains all the behavior you’ve ever seen in a horror movie before. You ever wonder why the kids always make such stupid mistakes, liking splitting up, and going off into the creepy woods to have sex. This movie explains that. You ever wonder why every remote cabin has a cellar full of creepy things, this movie explains that. And on and on. This movie sets up one horror movie cliché, only to knock it down again.

The Cabin in the Woods is a clever exercise in genre filmmaking, that wants to deconstruct the horror film genre, as well as be an example of one at the same time – and for the most part, it succeeds. The movie is smart, and at times an extremely funny take on the horror genre, that outdoes Scream because it sends up the horror genre, without constantly talking about the horror genre. It’s the old cinematic adage – show, don’t tell. And the amount of bloodshed, especially in the crazy finale, will keep genre fans happen. The only thing The Cabin in the Woods isn’t is scary. Because of all the playing with the genre the film does, it never really gets around to building the tension needed to be a truly scary film.

 
Still, it’s hard to imagine another horror film – especially an American one – being as good as The Cabin in the Woods was this year. Co-written and directed by Drew Goddard, The Cabin in the Woods is a wonderful, genre bending horror film. I cannot imagine many filmmakers would even attempt to pull this movie off, let alone succeed.

Movie Reviewl Bully

Movie Reviewl Bully

Bully ***
Directed by: Lee Hirsch.

Bullying has reached epidemic proportions in America – and around the world. I have lost count of how many stories there have been in the last year where a teenager has ended their own life just to get out from underneath the constant harassment and torment they go through at school – or on the internet. The problem is not just the bullies themselves – but the adults around them who do nothing. `Kids will be kids`, `They have to learn to deal with it themselves` are among the things most often said. School administrators complain their hands are tied – there is nothing they can do, because they simply do not have the evidence. Bullies are not stupid – they aren’t going to break someone’s arm, or leave them bloody. But the constant harassment, threats and intimidation can be far worse than the physical injuries sustained.

What the new documentary Bully succeeds at doing is putting a human face, not on the bullies, but the victims. You do see a few bullies – mainly in passing on the bus tormenting one of the subjects, Alex, of the documentary, or most memorably in a scene where a clueless vice principal makes two boys shake hands. One kid immediately sticks out his hand with a smile on his face, the other refuses, and gets a lecture from the principal. The boy tries to explain – that other boy is his tormenter, so no, he doesn’t want to shake his hand, at which point the vice principal, amazingly, tells the kid that he’s just like his tormentor – because by not shaking his hand, he is hurting his feelings, just like his feelings are hurt whenever the boy torments him – which appears to be daily. But hey, boys will be boys.

The stories that the victims of bullying in the movie tell are heartbreaking. There is Alex, who is a little strange to be sure, but also sweet, but whose bus ride every day is caught on hidden camera, and the result fairly shocking – getting punched, stabbed with pencils, having his head slammed into the seat, being called countless names and suffering other abuse. The bus driver doesn’t pay attention, and the other students cheer it on. Then there is Kelby, who was once a popular female athlete, who came out as gay, and immediately found herself ostracized from her small Oklahoma town. And Ja Meya, who was so distraught at constantly being bullied on the bus that she does the unthinkable – and brings a gun on the bus, and although she doesn’t fire a shot, is still in deep legal trouble. What she did was wrong – incredibly wrong – but yet you can see why she did it. There are also a few heartbreaking stories from the parents of teens who killed themselves as a result of bullying – and their efforts to have someone, anyone, listen to them – because the schools certainly do not care.

 
Bully is not a great documentary, but it a heartbreaking one. I would have preferred if they had been able to talk to any of the bullies at some point, and explored the causes of bullying. Perhaps none wanted to participate. The movie is most effective in its first hour when it tells the stories of the victims of bullying, and how they get through day after day. The last half hour lays it on a little thick – and advocates a wonderful idea in theory – that everyone needs to respect each other – that has no chance of working in the real world. And yet, I hope Bully does have an impact in the real world – that the bullied will realize that they are not alone, and they can get through it, and the bullies see what they are actually do to their victims – and that it isn’t funny, or just a joke. And that perhaps schools will start to this seriously, so more kids do not feel so hopeless that they take their own lives. O hope this movie helps that – but I have a feeling it won’t.

Movie Review: The Deep Blue Sea

Movie Review: The Deep Blue Sea

The Deep Blue Sea ***
Directed by: Terence Davies.
Written by: Terence Davies based on the play by Terence Rattigan.
Starring: Rachel Weisz (Hester Collyer), Tom Hiddleston (Freddie Page), Simon Russell Beale (Sir William Collyer), Ann Mitchell (Mrs. Elton), Jolyon Coy (Philip Welch), Karl Johnson (Mr. Miller), Harry Hadden-Paton (Jackie Jackson), Sarah Kants (Liz Jackson), Barbara Jefford (Collyer's Mother).

British filmmaker Terrence Davies is trapped in the 1950s – both in his mind, and in his cinematic technique. And I do not mean that as a bad thing. His best known film – Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988) and to a lesser extent its sequel, The Long Day Closes (1992) were cinematic mood pieces, contrasting the happy music of the 1950s pop songs, with the dreary lives he saw around him growing up in Liverpool during that time. His last film, Of Time and the City (2008), was a documentary history of his hometown Liverpool, and how it has transformed since those childhood days. My personal favorite of his films, and his most recent dramatic effort, The House of Mirth (2000), was set in turn of the century New York, and how society destroys a woman whose crime was to fall in love. While British films were revolutionized, for better and worse, in the 1960s, Davies wants to keep the style of films he grew up with alive and well. And with The Deep Blue Sea, he mainly succeeds.

Based on the play by Terence Ratigan – whose best known work, The Browning Version, was about a classics teacher at a boarding school who is being forced out, and comes to realize that everyone, from his students, to his wife, to his best friend, essentially hate him. His lesser know The Deep Blue Sea can be viewed as a darker version of Noel Coward and David Leans Brief Encounter – but one where the lovers don’t stay with their spouses, but actually leave them. While, at least one of them does.

This is Hester (Rachel Weisz), who has a good, but boring marriage, to Sir William (Simon Russell Beale), a well-respected judge. But she meets a young war veteran named Freddie (Tom Hiddleston) and is willing to give up everything for him. While she is madly in love with Freddie, she knows that she is little more than an amusement for him – he loves her in a way, but that isn’t very much. He cannot love anything or anyone but himself. And while a torrid love affair with a married woman is one thing, it’s actually quite hard to carry on a real life with her. Going into the relationship, Hester, not Freddie, knows that it is doomed to failure, but she goes for it anyway. Why. Because for Hester, who always done what is expected of her, Freddie is an all-consuming passion, and even a short while with him is worth it for her.

As with all of Davies’ films, The Deep Blue Sea is meticulously crafted – perhaps too much so. The period details – from the upper class home of Sir William, to the low rent apartment of Freddie, to the local pub – the movie gets the look and feel of the 1950s just about perfectly. And like all of his films, The Deep Blue Sea is more of a slow burn than a fiery romance. Weisz is asked to carry the film, and she succeeds. Weisz is one of those actresses who can be either great – like in The Constant Gardener – or hopelessly affected – like The Shape of Things. Here, she is asked to do so much by doing so little. Her performance is one of grand emotions, that she has to keep simmering just beneath the surface, and she succeeds.

Davies film is ultimately about unrequited love – and how that even that is better than no love at all. For Hester, she knows Freddie doesn’t love her – but it’s enough for her that she loves him. It’s better than being with Sir William – who interestingly is not painted as a monster, but as a good and decent yet boring man.

What keeps The Deep Blue Sea from being a great movie – at least for me – is how devoid of passion it really does seem. It’s a little too passive for my liking – a little too slow. I almost think the movie would have worked better had it been about a half hour shorter – and the movie isn’t long at only 94 minutes – but there’s a moment about an hour into the movie that pretty much says all what the last half hour movie says in one silent moment. A movie needs to find its own length – sometimes that means a movie much longer that normal (like Olivier Assayas’ Carlos), but sometimes that means shorter. Davies film goes on just a little too long for its own good.

Movie Review: The Raid Redemption

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Movie Review: The Raid Redemption

The Raid: Redemption ***
Directed by: Gareth Evans.
Written by: Gareth Evans.
Starring: Iko Uwais (Rama), Joe Taslim (Jaka), Doni Alamsyah (Andi), Yayan Ruhian (Mad Dog), Pierre Gruno (Wahyu), Ray Sahetapy (Tama), Tegar Satrya (Bowo), Iang Darmawan (Gofar), Eka 'Piranha' Rahmadia (Dagu), Verdi Solaiman (Budi).

The Raid Redemption begins with a quiet moment of its `hero` Rama (Iko Uwais) doing his Muslim duty and praying. He then kisses his pregnant wife goodbye, and tells his father that I`ll bring him back, and heads off to work for a SWAT team. Their job for the day will be to infilitrate the apartment building owned by Tama (Ray Sahetapy), a murderous drug lord. He has his drug lab on site, and has filled most of the apartments with the worst occupants you can find. No one goes into that building, because going in means death. For the next two hours, that is precisely what happens. The movie is short on plot and character development, and long on action – every conceivable kind you can name, from brutal guns battles, to hand to hand martial arts combat, to stabbings to torture and everything in between. After those morning prayers, the movie doesn’t take another minute to breath.

The Raid Redemption doesn’t concern itself with anything other than pure action. From the moment the fighting starts in this movie, it doesn’t let up until it’s over. How many people die in this movie? I think it’s pretty much impossible to tell. There are so many people shot, stabbed and beaten to death, so many who have their necks snapped, or get impaled on something that you quickly lose count. Because none of the characters are really established as anything other than a series of sweaty faces, you don’t have an emotional reaction to all the deaths – except for exhilaration. This is a movie in the tradition of old school Hong Kong action filmmaking that prizes action and movement over everything else. Many will be reminded of John Woo’s pre-Hollywood output, which is about as high a compliment as I can think of. But the movie also reminded me of silent movies. You don’t watch the films of Buster Keaton or Charlie Chaplin for its deep plots or character development – but for the pure joy of movement. The Raid Redemption is the same way.

I cannot really argue with a review like Roger Ebert’s of this film when he compares it to a video game. It certainly has a set-up of one – our hero has got to fight his way throw a building room by room, floor by floor to get to the eventual “bosses”. So if you want plot or character, then this movie isn’t for you.

However, I had to admire the craft of the film, directed by Gareth Evans, whose camera moves fluidly throughout, you stages one breathtaking action sequence after another. He is certainly aided by his cast, who are martial arts experts. The hero is played by Iko Uwais could easily become the next Jackie Chan or Jet Li – he moves that quickly, that effortlessly. One of the films fight choreographers, Yayan Ruhian, also has a plum role as the insane Mad Dog, who may be little, but is as brutal as anyone who is likely to see in a movie of this sort. Evans does a great job with his action scenes – favoring longer shots rather than rapid fire editing – you are never lost in any fight sequence, as he lets it all play out in front of his camera. There are also a few moments of great tension – like when two characters hide in a crawl space, and one of the henchmen starts stabbing through the wall.

 
The movie does begin to wear out its welcome as it goes along – after all, there is only so much blood letting you can take before you want something else. But Evans keeps things going – and pulls out all the stops in the films last few action scenes to regain some momentum that it may have lost. So no, The Raid Redemption may not be a masterpiece – but as an example of its genre, it’s tough to beat. If you like action movies, than this is a must see.

Movie Review: American Reunion

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Movie Review: American Reunion

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Round One Playoff Predictions

Monday, April 9, 2012

Round One Playoff Predictions

I haven’t written much about the NHL this season, but I have been following it closer than ever before. So once again, the playoffs our upon us, and my beloved LA Kings have not made it easy on themselves, by losing their final two games against San Jose so that they have to face off against the President’s trophy winning Vancouver Canucks. Oh well. Here is how I see each series breaking down.

Western Conference

1)      Vancouver vs. 8) Los Angeles
Personally, I do not believe that this Vancouver team is as good as the one they had last season – and it will be worse if Daniel Sedin does not come back as expected. The Sedins and Kesler have not been as dominant as they have in the past, and you never know what Luongo you are going to get. You also wonder if having had a long playoff run last year if they are going to start wearing down at some point. Still, you don’t win the President’s Trophy unless you are a great team – they are the one team that knows that if they don’t win the Cup, it will be viewed as a failure. As for LA, they have been much better since the Jeff Carter trade. They underachieved much of the year, but they are still one of the very best defensive teams in the league, and in Jonathan Quick, they SHOULD have the Vezina trophy winner. If the Kings have learned from their last two quick playoff exits, they could upset the heavy favorites in Vancouver. 
Prediction:Los Angeles in 7. I am NEVER NOT going to pick the Kings to win. I honestly believe this is going to be a long series, and that LA could easily pull off a HUGE upset.

2)      St. Louis vs. 7) San Jose
I have to wonder if this season has been too much too soon for the St. Louis Blues. They haven’t made the playoffs in a few years, and then this year everything came together and they had a great regular season. But do they have enough experience to actually compete for the Stanley Cup? They are the best defensive team in the league, and have two great goalies if one falters. They are also hard to check, because they have offense by committee. As for the Sharks, this was a disappointing season for them, but they do have a lot of playoff experience. I do have to question the goaltending, as Anttii Niemi has had an up and down season, and they are not great defensively. They can be great offensively though. They also have to answer the bell that this team is not too old to compete lest they be blown up.
Prediction:St. Louis in 6. St. Louis may be inexperienced, but I normally take defense over offense in the playoffs, so I’m taking St. Louis this round.

3)      Phoenix vs. 6) Chicago
Phoenix won the booby prize of being the best team in the Pacific division which was weaker than most years this time. They have a hard working team, lead up front by two great veterans in Shane Doan and Ray Whitney, on the back end by one of the best, most under rated d-men in the game in Keith Yandle, and have amazing goaltending by Mike Smith. The Blackhawks on the other hand have more depth than last year, but you do have to wonder how good they can be if Jonathan Toews cannot come back. Still, they have responded well in his absence, and with Duncan Keith they have depth, with or without Toews.
Prediction:Chicago in 5. Chicago has too much depth for the Coyotes, who have not been able to overcome the first round hump in the previous two years. If the Coyotes are to win this one, they need Mike Smith to steal it – and I don’t think he’ll do it.

4)      Nashville vs. 5) Detroit
Nashville may well be the quietest Cup contenders this year – no matter how well they do, they never seem to get much respect. They added depth on defense with Hal Gill, to go along with two of the very best in the league in Shea Weber and Ryan Suter. In Pekka Rinne, they have one of the best goalies in the league. With Radulov, they have added a legitimate scoring star. As for Detroit, they are always a threat. Although many of their best players – Datsyuk, Zetterberg and Lidstrom – are getting older, and you do have to wonder if Jimmy Howard can backstop them to a deep playoff run. This is going to be a death match, with the victor being a legit threat to win the Western conference.
Prediction:Nashville in 7. It’s going to be tight, but I think Nashville has the defensive depth to get this done.

Eastern Conference

1)      New York Rangers vs. 8) Ottawa
The Rangers had a great season, really coming through defensively, and especially in net with Henrik Lundqvist, and just enough offense to win, with Brad Richards and Marion Gaborik finding instant chemistry together. They may not be the most exciting team in the gang, but they play a solid team game, and have few holes in their lineup. As for Ottawa, their complete rebuild that they started last year is WAY ahead of schedule. They have more offense than the Rangers with the likes of Spezza, Michalek, Alfredson and d-man scoring leader Eric Karlsson. But they have less overall depth, and counting on the inconsistent Craig Anderson in net may well be their downfall.
Prediction:New York in 5. The Rangers simply have too much depth to be beaten by the Sens this year.

2)      Boston vs. 7) Washington
The Bruins may not be quite as good as last year, but they still know how to win. Zdeno Chara can be the most dominant player in any series, and can shut down nearly any forward, so good luck Ovechkin. Though Tim Thomas is certainly not as amazing as he was last year – not to mention the fact that he let his batshit crazy side out this year – he still has the ability to be dominant. Up front, they have enough depth to make up for the fact that they do not have any real offensive superstars. As for Washington, they should have been much better than 7^th this year, but for some reason, they never really came together this year. They seem like a team of individuals more than a cohesive unit. Alex Ovechkin can still be one of the best in the game – as he proved down the stretch this season. As a team though, they just do not have the depth.
Prediction:Boston in 6.The playoffs are about heart – the Bruins have it, the Caps don’t.

3)      Florida vs. 6) New Jersey
The Florida Panthers were one of the great stories of the regular season this year, ending the longest current playoff drought at 10 years (sorry Toronto, that honor now belongs to you). They did it with a team effort – no real stars, but a team that gets the job done, and relying on a resurgent Jose Theodore in net. They went to more overtime and shootouts than any other team in the league in this year, which means they can keep things close. As for New Jersey, after a disappointing season last year, they responded well this year – Kovulchuk has never been better, Zach Parise came back with a strong year after being injured last year, and Adam Henrique was one of the best rookies of the year. Martin Brodeur may be in the twilight of his career, but he can still pull out some great performances.
Prediction:New Jersey in 6. There is no shootout in the playoffs, so Florida probably doesn’t stand much of a chance of winning this one.

4)      Pittsburgh vs. 5) Philadelphia
Undoubtedly the marquee matchup of the first round, these two teams quite simply hate each other. For Pittsburgh, with the MVP of the league in Malkin and a great Crosby back, they are going to score a lot of goals. They are also deeper up front than ever before – with Sullivan, Neal, Staal, Kunitz, etc. On the defensive end, they are solid, especially Kris Letang if he can stay healthy. And they have one of the best goalies in the league in Fleury, who knows what it takes to win. For Philly, they are bigger and tougher up front than ever before. Claude Giroux is as good as any center in the league, and add in players like Simmonds, Hartnell, Jagr, Reade, Schenn, etc and they can keep pace with the Pens up front. On defense, they have a huge hole without Pronger, but they have gotten the job done. The real question mark is crazy Ilya Bryzgalov, who can be amazing or horrible depending on the night.
Prediction: Pittsburgh in 7. It`s going to be tough, and whoever wins this one will most likely be my pick to win the whole Conference, but I think the Pens have the skill and depth to win.

Movie Review: Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Monday, April 2, 2012

Movie Review: Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Jeff, Who Lives at Home ***
Directed by: Jay Duplass & Mark Duplass.
Written by: Jay Duplass & Mark Duplass.
Starring: Jason Segel (Jeff), Ed Helms (Pat), Susan Sarandon (Sharon), Judy Greer (Linda), Rae Dawn Chong (Carol), Steve Zissis (Steve), Evan Ross (Kevin).

Jeff, Who Lives at Home is such a pleasant experience that you don’t really mind that the film meanders aimlessly for most of its running time before coming up with an ending from left field that really shouldn’t work, but somehow does. The performances by everyone in the cast are excellent so even when you realize the movie isn’t going anywhere, you just sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.

Jeff (Jason Segel) is 30, and still lives in his mother’s basement – getting high, and watching M. Night Shyamalan`s Signs over and over, seeing beauty in the seemingly random events that happen throughout the movie that all lead to a perfect moment when everything comes together. Jeff spends his life looking for such signs – in his world, there are no such things as coincidence – not even a wrong number where someone asks for Kevin, although no Kevin lives there.

Jeff`s brother is Pat (Ed Helms), who is married, has a job and does not live at home. But he isn’t in much better shape than Jeff is. His wife Linda (Judy Greer) is sick and tired of him – and even though they live in a rundown apartment, and are saving for a house, he thinks the way to fix their relationship is to go out and buy a Porsche. He runs into Jeff one day, seemingly at random, and then the two of them see Linda out with another man. Is she cheating on him? The brothers, who don’t much like each other, decide to follow her and find out.

Then there is their mother Sharon (Susan Sarandon), single since her husband died almost 20 years ago, who is tired of Jeff living at home, and doesn’t much like Pat either. It’s her birthday, and all she wants is Jeff to fix a shutter. But then a paper airplane lands on her desk at work – with a drawing of a flower on it – and she starts receiving IMs from a so called secret admirer in the office. Her best friend Carol (Rae Dawn Chong) thinks she should embrace this new opportunity – it’s time to move on with her life.

Written and directed by the Duplass brothers, who have moved from mumblecore to more mainstream in their last two films (their previous film was their comedic, awkward gem Cyrus). In this film, like Cyrus, they seem to specialize in painting themselves into a corner, and then trying to find their way out of it. In Cyrus, you have a situation where it seems like neither John C. Reilly or Marisa Tomei are want to give up on their new found relationship, and Tomeis son, Jonah Hill, isn’t going to give up on trying to break them up. In that film though, they got themselves out of it logically. In Jeff, Who Lives at Home, they need to pull an ending out of left field – and unlike in the better films of Jeff`s hero M. Night Shyamalan (like Signs) when it comes out, it doesn’t make everything snap into place. Although it does allow the brothers to give these characters the happy ending that the audience wants them to have.

No, I didn’t buy the ending, but it doesn’t really matter – I liked it anyway. The key to it working is that we want these characters to have a happy ending. As damaged as they are, we cannot help but like them. Jeff may be aimless, more than a little kooky and still not over his father’s death way back in 1995, but he’s also a likable, sweet, trusting guy. You understand why Sharon has never kicked him out – you can imagine numerous conversations that they have had in the past, where Jeff would just have to give her one of Jason Segel`s patented hangdog expression, and all is forgiven. Ed Helms Pat is at first less likable – more vain and egocentric. He seems to believe he deserves the good things in life – like his new Porsche – and even if he cannot afford them, damn it, he’s going to have them. You understand why Judy Greer’s Linda is fed up with him, even though she still does love him for some reason. But as his world comes crashing down around him, you start to see the realization of his mistakes dawn on him and he tries to correct them. And then there is Susan Sarandon’s Sharon, who for most of the movie has her own plot going on in her own office. Like her sons, she has been lost since her husband died, and now because of the secret admirer, she is slowly coming out of herself exposed exile. Its yet another reminder of how good Sarandon can be.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home is not quite as satisfying as Cyrus was – even if it undeniably the work of the same filmmakers. The Duplass brothers have a gift for the awkwardly funny, and while Jeff, Who Lives at Home doesn’t quite walk the high wire that Cyrus did as brilliantly, it has its moments. I do think they need to settle down a little behind the camera – the film contains numerous awkward zooms – and double zooms for that matter – that call too much attention to themselves. With this cast, playing these likable characters, you don’t really need anything else.