Our Friend

Last night I saw the movie Our Friend, a true story based on the article "The Friend" written by journalist Matthew Teague about his wife's death in Esquire magazine.  It is an incredibly moving story about the power of friendship that had me in tears several times.  Matt (Casey Affleck) is a journalist who is frequently away from home on assignment.  His wife Nicole (Dakota Johnson), an actress involved in community theatre, is often resentful about having to care for their two daughters Molly (Isabella Kai) and Evie (Violet McGraw) by herself.  Their friend Dane (Jason Segel) is a bit of a lost soul who wants to be a stand-up comic and have a family of his own but works a dead-end job at a sporting goods store and can't seem to commit to any of his girlfriends.  When Nicole's cancer diagnosis becomes terminal, Dane decides to move in with the Teagues to help out in their obviously overwhelmed household (running errands, making dinner, doing laundry, chauffeuring the girls, etc.) but he ends up helping the family mend their relationships and deal with their grief which, ultimately, helps him to heal.  The story is a very accurate portrait of the realities of cancer and how it affects patients (physically, emotionally, and mentally), their families, and their friends.  There are some incredibly poignant scenes where Matt drives through the neighborhood and sees all of their friends who are supposed to be at Nicole's book club, where Dane convinces an exhausted Matt, who feels guilty about leaving, to take a break and go hiking, and where Nicole angrily lashes out and accuses everyone of wanting her dead.  All three actors are absolutely brilliant.  I am a huge fan of Affleck and his performance in this movie almost rivals that in Manchester by the Sea for the rawness of his muted anger and grief.  Johnson gives an incredibly authentic performance, one of her best, in an emotionally complex role.  However, I was most impressed with Segel whose touching portrayal of a man at loose ends is somehow able to make the audience laugh and cry (sometimes in the same scene) and I especially loved his interactions with Kai and McGraw (the scene where the three of them sing "Call Me Maybe" made me laugh out loud).  I loved the use of Led Zeppelin in the soundtrack, particularly "Ramble On" in a bucket list montage and "Going to California" as Matt drives through the neighborhood.  My only issue with this movie is the non-linear narrative structure because, while it does effectively establish the impact of the diagnosis by jumping back and forth between before and after, it is sometimes difficult to follow the timeline.  This is a heartbreaking but, ultimately, life-affirming movie and I highly recommend it (bring tissues).

Don't Tell a Soul

Last night I impulsively decided to see Don't Tell a Soul because I was really intrigued by the premise but I was very disappointed because it could have been so much better.  Brothers Joey (Jack Dylan Grazer) and Matt (Fionn Whitehead) steal a large sum of money from an empty house that is being fumigated in order to pay the hospital bills for their mother Carol (Mena Suvari) who has lung cancer.  They are seen by a security guard named Dave Hamby (Rainn WIlson) who pursues them into the woods but then falls into an abandoned well which allows them to escape.  Matt is jubilant because they have gotten away with it but Joey is bothered by his conscience over what has happened to the guard.  He wants to contact the police but Matt, who has become as physically and verbally abusive as their father who is now dead, threatens him to keep him quiet.  Joey secretly visits Hamby at the well, bringing him food, blankets, and medicine for his injured ankle, and soon develops a rapport with him.  Joey comes to see him as a sort of surrogate father but Hamby is not who he appears to be.  Eventually Matt discovers what has been going on which leads to an epic confrontation (after a few twists and turns).  There are some big themes here, such as the generational cycle of violence within families and the hopelessness of living in an economically depressed area, but the execution is so bad that I couldn't take the social commentary seriously.  The plot goes completely off the rails in the third act because everyone inexplicably behaves in a way that is inconsistent with the characterization established in the first two acts, especially the resolution between the two brothers which, in my opinion, is not earned because it is so sudden after everything that has happened between them.  The dialogue is incredibly cringe-worthy (but it is definitely not campy or self-aware enough for this to be considered a dark comedy) and there were times when I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud.  The performances are fine (I actually enjoyed seeing Whitehead, who is more noted for playing sensitive young men in British dramas, as a villainous psychopath) but the actors can't really do much to elevate the material.  This movie had a lot of potential with such a compelling moral dilemma and a talented cast but it suffers from bad writing, erratic plot twists, and poor character development.  Give it a miss.

The Play That Goes Wrong at HCT

I saw The Play That Goes Wrong at PTC a few years ago and I thought it was one of the funniest shows I've ever seen so I have really been looking forward to HCT's production. I was able to see it yesterday afternoon and I laughed out loud through the whole thing! The Cornley University Drama Society is performing the play The Murder at Haversham Manor by Susie H. K. Bridewell. It stars Chris (Bryan Dayley) as Inspector Carter, Jonathan (David Marsden) as Charles Haversham, Robert (Ben Abbott) as Thomas Colleymoore, Dennis (Jeffrey Whitlock) as Perkins the Butler, Sandra (Erin Royall Carlson) as Florence Colleymoore, and Max (Dan Radford) as Cecil Haversham/ Arthur the Gardner. Annie (Ali Bennett) is the Stage Manager and Trevor (Armando Serrano) is the Sound and Lighting Technician. Literally everything that can go wrong does go wrong with this play including a set that is slowly falling apart (Annie must resort to having an audience member help her construct the mantel before the show begins), misplaced and malfunctioning props, a sound designer who keeps playing Duran Duran instead of the real sound cues, a missing dog (the tech crew was searching the audience frantically for the dog before the show began and during intermission), an actor who cannot stay still while playing a dead body, an actor who cannot remember his lines, an actor who insists on using flamboyant gestures whenever he reads a line, and a leading lady who is injured halfway through the show and must be replaced first with Annie and then Trevor (with scripts in hand). However, the show must go on until the murder is solved (I've seen it twice now and I still don't know who the murderer is because I am always laughing so hard). The physical comedy is absolutely hilarious! My favorite scenes involved a long and drawn out fight between Sandra and Annie for the chance to play Florence, a sword fight between Thomas and Cecil in which the swords are broken, and an awkward kiss between Cecil and Florence (and then with Trevor later in the show). The entire cast is superb with absolutely brilliant comedic timing but my favorite performance was by Radford (he is single cast) as Cecil! I don't know where they found him but everything he does on stage is hysterically funny, especially when he milks the audience for applause! I am almost always impressed by the sets at HCT but this one might be my favorite because it falls apart so spectacularly, especially the second floor study. I highly recommend this show because I can't remember the last time I laughed so hard and I think we can all use a bit of laughter right now! Unfortunately, all shows are currently sold out because of state and county seating limitations but I would keep checking (go here) because more shows could be added during the run which continues through April 3.

The Secret Garden at CPT

My first show of 2021 was The Secret Garden at CenterPoint Theatre last night and, even though I'm not a big fan of this musical, I really loved this production. CPT chose to perform the shorter Spring version with a very minimal set and projections to keep the cast and crew safe and I think this actually puts the spotlight on the actors who all do a wonderful job! Mary Lennox (Caroline Drake) is orphaned by a cholera outbreak in India and sent to live with her uncle Archibald Craven (Zach Watts) at Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire. He has been grieving the death of his wife Lily (Laura Strong), who died in childbirth, for ten years and has closed off his heart, the house, and Lily's garden. Mary receives a cold welcome from the housekeeper Mrs. Medlock (Michelle Clark) and an indifferent one from her uncle. She is lonely and unhappy but is encouraged by a maid named Martha (Jessica Wadley) and her brother Dickon (Alex Young) to play outside and she soon discovers Lily's abandoned garden. She also discovers her cousin Colin (Colin Burke) who has been kept an invalid by Archibald's brother Neville (Russell Maxfield). As Mary brings the garden back to life, she also brings Colin and Archibald back to life. As I previously mentioned, the entire cast is phenomenal but I was especially impressed with Drake as Mary, Young as Dickon, and Burke as Colin. I always prefer the interactions between the children over the interactions between the adults in this show and these young actors are absolutely brilliant in the songs "Wick" and "Come Spirit, Come Charm." I particularly liked Young because his portrayal is so charming and charismatic. My favorite song has always been "Hold On" and Wadley gives a very powerful rendition of it. I also really enjoyed Strong's version of "Come to My Garden" because she has a beautiful voice and her duet of "Lift Me Up" with Burke gave me goosebumps because it is so emotional. Even though the set is very minimal, featuring a series of platforms at various levels, and there are only a few props, such as Mary's skipping rope and Colin's wheelchair, the costumes are quite elaborate, the lighting is dramatic, and the projections of various rooms in the manor and the gardens during the different seasons are very effective. I had a lovely time watching this show and I highly recommend it for the inspirational story of redemption and the stirring performances. It runs on Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays through January 30 and tickets are $15 for the balcony and $18 for the main floor (go here).

The Marksman

Is it really even January if there isn't a movie with Liam Neeson portraying a character with a very particular set of skills exacting revenge against someone who has wronged him?  I saw the latest iteration, The Marksman, last night and it is a mediocre action thriller elevated by a lot of heart.  Jim Hanson (Neeson) is a former Marine with a ranch on the Arizona-Mexico border.  He uses alcohol to cope with the recent death of his wife from cancer as well as the imminent foreclosure on his ranch.  Rosa (Teresa Ruiz) and her son Miguel (Jacob Perez) are on the run from the cartel and, when they cross the border onto Hanson's land, he immediately informs border patrol.  Before they can be apprehended, Mauricio (Juan Pablo Raba) and several other cartel members arrive and, since Jim's very particular skill is marksmanship (hence the title), a shoot-out ensues which kills Rosa and Mauricio's brother.  Before she dies, Rosa begs Jim to take Miguel to her family in Chicago and he reluctantly agrees (after surrendering him to border patrol and then breaking him out).  They are pursued on the road by Mauricio, who has vowed revenge for the death of his brother, and border patrol agents, including his stepdaughter (Katheryn Winnick), which leads to a confrontation on a farm in the middle of the heartland.  The plot is incredibly predictable, the villains are walking stereotypes, and the action sequences are surprisingly bland (with more hiding out than shooting out) but what makes this movie enjoyable, in my opinion, is the relationship that develops between Jim and Miguel.  Their alliance is an uneasy one in the beginning because Miguel blames Jim for his mother's death and Jim is more motivated by what is inside a mysterious bag that belonged to Rosa than any feelings for Miguel.  However, Miguel eventually penetrates Jim's curmudgeonly heart as they come to rely on each other on the road and their final resolution is powerful and heart-warming.  Perez is incredibly appealing as Miguel and Neeson displays a sensitivity that is usually not required in these action roles.  There is an off-hand comment about the government not being able to sort out the mess of immigration but this is curiously apolitical and I actually appreciated that.  This is one of the lesser Neeson revenge movies but it features enough genuine emotion for me to recommend it.