Capsule Reviews

I saw several movies in the last few days - here are my thoughts, in brief.

Friday March 16th: Mermaids
I watched this 1990 classic only after being unable to explain to my coworker how I had missed out on it. And indeed, I have no idea. I never would have predicted that I would so thoroughly enjoy this coming-of-age story in which a young woman’s rebellion is challenged by her teenage deires. Aspiring to be a nun, Charlotte (adolescent Winona Rider) is quickly enamored of her new home - but is it because she lives downhill from a convent, or because of the handsome groundskeeper? Can it be both? While her mother (the ever-entertaining Cher) continues to be an embarrassment with her sexy dresses and fast-moving, public relationships, Charlotte struggles with her own identity. The big surprise in this film is not a minitaure Christina Ricci (a mere nine years of age at the time), but rather the enormous appeal of Bob Hoskins. Hoskins is the Perfect Man in this movie. Watch and learn, gentlemen. The film and its characters are creative and quirky in the just the right places, perfectly conventional in others. For a coming-of-age film, Mermaids holds up really well - even if the title doesn’t.

Saturday March 17th: Young Adult
Mavis has issues. Her happily-married high school sweetheart Buddy is now a first-time father, while she struggles to ghostwrite the latest (and last) in a series of young adult novels. She sets out to prove that she and Buddy are meant for each other - a mission that seems far too obvious and immature for Charlize Theron. For better and worse, screenwriter Diablo Cody has created a character that is true to her issues - no more sympathetic than pathetic, and undeserving of the kindness she is shown. Patton Oswalt is underused and undervalued as a former classmate of Mavis’, whose identity is so much more than his handicap - not that anyone bothers to notice. But if you ever imagined the high school beauty queen would grow up to be a train wreck, Young Adult is your chance to see it actualized.

Monday March 19th: The Resident
What’s impressive about The Resident is the top-notch talent attached to it. The trailer itself is practically a warning label. This Movie Will Suck. It’s an overlong Criminal Minds episode with no heroes in sight. A predictable premise that tries too hard to create suspense and red herrings very early on - and fails. The only suspense in this film is: “Where is Lee Pace? And why isn’t there more of him?”