Opening Everywhere: The Best Man Holiday
Opening Somewhere: Nebraska, Charlie Countryman
FilmDrunk Suggests: Well, this is a rather boring movie weekend. That is, unless you’ve been dying to know what the crew from The Best Man is up to these days, in which case congrats and good luck. In the meantime, I started working on the Worst Movies of 2013 list, so if you’ve got any suggestions or picks, lay them on me in the comments.
The Best Man Holiday
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 62% critics, 85% audience
Gratuitous Review Quotes:
A movie that does to your emotions exactly what one player does to another on the big Christmas game day: slams them to the ground and stomps them silly. – Geoff Pevere, Globe and Mail
Even if some of the crudeness and the drama feel forced, it’s hard to hate. – Nicolas Rapold, New York Times
Armchair Analysis: Aside from single women and the people in this movie, is there anyone who really needed this film in their lives?
Nebraska
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 89% critics, 87% audience
Gratuitous Review Quotes:
Payne shows a great deal of affection for these ornery, not always so soft-spoken Midwesterners, but he also demonstrates a fair amount of disaffection, too. – Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
The performances are what truly accentuate this narrative. Forte carries off every complex quirk, while seasoned actor Dern is uncharacteristically subdued. – Jessica Herndon, Associated Press
Armchair Analysis: Black and white movies put me to sleep. Even if they do have great casts and very unique plots.
Charlie Countryman
Rotten Tomatoes Scores: 31% critics, 41% audience
Gratuitous Review Quotes:
This catastrophe of a movie zigzags drunkenly between action-adventure and surreal comedy with some magical realism slopped over it like ketchup. – Steven Holden, New York Times
Even though you learn that Charlie is absolute aces at running from bad guys, the character pretty much remains a confusing, empty vessel. As does the movie. – Tom Long, Detroit News
Armchair Analysis: Someone should tell Shia LaBeouf that eventually, in a shitty actor’s quest to be taken seriously and accepted as an artist, he has to make a movie that people like. Maybe Joaquin Phoenix can pull out of his teenage girlfriend for a minute and offer LaBeef some advice.