Be Kind, Please Rewind

He has a Satirement Plan. He’s the…

Vidiot

Week of August 12, 2010

CPP: Criticize People's Pension. First up...

Date Night

Date nights have mutated over the years. Whereas once they included dinner and a movie, nowadays they are comprised of vodka coolers and making a sex tape.

Fortunately, the middle-aged married couple in this comedy opted not to expose their genitals in night vision.

To reignite their passion, two New Jerseyites–Phil and Claire Foster (Steve Carell, Tina Fey)–head to Manhattan for a romantic dinner.

With no reservations, the Fosters surreptitiously assume the identity of no-show couple the Tripplehorns, who–it turns out–are sought by a mobster (Ray Liotta) and his cronies (Common, Jimmi Simpson). Now, if they hope to survive date night, they must recover a valuable flash drive.

A screwy romantic/action/comedy with a nomadic plot, Date Night is saved from the archetypal mistaken-identity movie junk pile by it charismatic leads, who navigate this potential landmine with subtle ease.

As for the ideal date night: She pays.  0

Death at a Funeral

The best thing about a death at a funeral is that it allows you another chance at inheriting a kick-ass set of china.

And while this comedy is devoid of porcelain platters, it does contain a secondary stiff.

In addition to organizing his father’s funeral, Aaron (Chris Rock) must play ringmaster to his eccentric relations–Ryan (Martin Lawrence), Elaine (Zoe Saldana), her drugged fiancé Oscar (James Marsden) and dimwitted Norman (Tracy Morgan).

Further compounding the situation is the diminutive Frank (Peter Dinklage)–their father’s lover–who hopes to use their father’s sexuality to extort money from the family.

A remake of a British comedy, this African-Americanized version manages to garner a few cheap laughs at the expense of little people, homosexuals and the incontinent, before settling into mediocrity.

As for concealing a subsequent corpse: place naked carcass on table; cover genitals with sushi; and pretend they're part of the reception.  0

***Father of the Died***

Four Weddings and a Funeral

This surplus of ritual ceremony could easily be avoided if only the powers that be would finally legalize Necro-Polygamy.

Sadly, this British comedy has nothing to do with marrying multiple corpses. Instead, it is concerned with the two singles whose paths continually cross at these sacraments.

While attending a friend’s wedding, Englishman Charles (Hugh Grant) is taken aback by American Carrie (Andie MacDowell), whom he has a one-night stand with.

During their second encounter, however, Charles learns of her engagement, which constitutes the third wedding. Remorseful over a friend’s death, Charles capitulates, deciding to marry his second choice. But at his wedding a female guest is not so inclined to hold her peace.

The quintessential rom-com, Four Weddings and a Funeral strikes a perfect balance between love, laughs and lamentation.

Unfortunately, in North America it’s impossible to attend four weddings, since there are only two long weekends in a summer.

He's a Ringworm-Bearer. He's the...

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