Weekend Movie Guide: You Have The Right To Remain Fly

Opening Errwhere n Sh*t: 21 Jump Street, Casa de mi Padre, Jeff Who Lives at Home

Opening Somewhere: The FP

FilmDrunk Suggests: Did you know that Vince reviewed 21 Jump Street? He liked it. He also like The FP and he interviewed the guys who made it. I’m excited for 21 Jump Street and baking a special batch of my mom’s delicious brownies to share with orphans and the homeless. God bless.

21 Jump Street

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 87% critics, 85% audience (Ballin’, son)

Gratuitous Review Quotes:

“The new 21 Jump Street, directed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller (the animated Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs) is a try-anything, fitfully amusing muddle that wears its mocking cynicism a bit too proudly.” – Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail (“Oh yeah, son? Yo mama’s a ho.”)

“If you’re looking for someplace to park your head for a couple of hours while meaningless giggles run through it, ‘Jump Street’ is just your kind of spot. Leads Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum radiate just enough empty-headed amiability to make all the implausible things going on palatable. And if it ain’t gourmet, at least it’s got the crunch of easily digested fast food.” – Tom Long, Detroit News (“Haha, yeah boy, like Funyuns n sh*t.”)

Armchair Analysis: To barepiggyback on something that Vince touched on in his review of 21 Jump Street that you should go read if you haven’t already, I’ve definitely reached a point where I appreciate Channing Tatum for the character that I created to mock him. Yes, I went to see The Vow and laughed hysterically while girls all over were flexing their button flickers, but you could tell that Tatum really busted his ass to change our minds and prove his critics wrong. I mean, when Tom Hanks was in Bachelor Party, did anyone think he’d win Oscars? Hell naw, son. Respek.

That said, I haven’t read or heard a bad thing about this film – with the exception of Liam Lacey’s little pissing and moaning up there. I hope this movie (and its sequel that it already earned) is a C-Tates turning point that will be capitalized by Magic Mike being a success. Damn that dancing fool for winning me over.

Casa de mi Padre

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 47% critics, 82% audience

Gratuitous Review Quotes:

“‘Casa de mi Padre’ is a new, independent comedy which Will Ferrell created with some pals from the website ‘Funny or Die.’ Clearly, in this case, they’ve opted for the second choice. Because the entire project is dead on arrival.” – Stephen Whitty, New Jersey Star-Ledger (Good lord, this guy is awful.)

“Piedmont and producer Adam McKay have a long history with Ferrell on ‘SNL’ and funnyordie.com. It stands to reason they’d attempt to stretch a sketch-length concept into a feature, and it’s kind of cool they did it in Spanish. Kudos for the effort, even if no la amé.” – Sara Stewart, NY Post (*flips scarf*)

Armchair Analysis: Will Ferrell already passed that point in his career when critics and complainers do the whole “He’s so not funny anymore” routine, so I take it with a grain of salt every time someone rips him for trying to do something different. If he does another Talladega Nights/Semipro/Blades of Glory, people bitch that he’s a one-trick pony. If he does another Land of the Lost, he’s a hack. I look at this movie as a Step Brothers type, in that I thought it was brilliant while other people were like, “WTF?” I want to love Casa. Hopefully I do.

Jeff, Who Lives at Home

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 75% critics, 72% audience

Gratuitous Review Quotes:

“Where it’s all leading is not apparent for most of this meandering movie’s first hour, which generates quite a few laughs on the way to a surprisingly satisfying climax.” – Lou Lumenick, NY Post (Hehehehehehehehe, climax.)

“Along with ‘21 Jump Street,’ the semi-serious comedy ‘Jeff, Who Lives at Home’ centers around adult men who have stalled in some form of arrested adolescence. But unlike its brasher, bigger-budgeted brother, this discursive day-in-some-lives dials back the aggressive humor to give audiences a more contemplative – if ultimately slight – experience.” – Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Armchair Analysis: Don’t know a thing about this, so it will probably be on my Netflix queue in a few months.

The FP

Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 42% critics, 75% audience, 100% of Vinnie’s bonediddy

Gratuitous Review Quotes:

“I thought I was watching the worst movie I’ve ever seen. But no. ‘The FP’ is deadpan hilarious, a shameless satire of every teen gang, future-shock dystopian nightmare movie – combined with a brutal send-up of ‘8 Mile.’ Two rival gangs battle it out for control of a dingy suburb, in a near future in which people are even more crass and tasteless than they are now. The casual cursing in ‘The FP’ is off-the-charts and hysterical.” – Vince’s BFF Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

“But with only style and referents up its sleeve, the film’s charm fades fast. The problem with paying such dogged homage to shitty movies is that integrity is best achieved by producing a shitty movie in turn. Mission accomplished, for whatever that’s worth.” – Eric Hynes, Village Voice (Dude, look into paragraph breaks, they’ll change your life.)

Armchair Analysis: I love the idea of this film, so I’ll see it as soon as I can find it. But I kind of which it was called The LP and about an awesome band that plays radical songs like “Points of Authority” and “In the End”. That would totally pump me up for the gym.

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