Friday, December 16, 2011

Should All Acquaintance Be Forgot? (New Year’s Eve Review)


It’s a Garry Marshall film for crying out loud. Should I really expect anything more than a bunch of movie stars in one film, cheesy dialogue, so-so story, but an overall good popcorn film?

The Performances
How many more stars are there who haven’t been in movies together at the same time? The Hairspray reunion between Zac Efron and Michelle Pfeifer was cute (although she looked like a hot mess). Ludacris and Common were nice surprises. Robert DeNiro was just sad (not only his storyline, but the fact that someone as big and important as Robert DeNiro was in a movie like this). Hilary Swank made me uncomfortable at times. Ashton Kutcher was his usual bum self. Lea Michele basically placed her Rachel character from Glee over into this film, but only changed her name. Katherine Heigl was annoying as always. Halle Berry and Sarah Jessica Parker were both very endearing and refreshing. Abigail Breslin looked way too awkward and not of her actual age. Sarah Jessica Parker is too well-known as Carrie from Sex and the City to take seriously as an “ugly” mother. And Sofia Vergara was placed perfectly into the film to add real humor from time to time (mostly stemming from her accent, it had nothing to do with the writing in the script).

The Predictability
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, why not take another holiday and make an all-star movie out of that?! GENIUS! Not so much, but it still was enjoyable to watch. You can see a lot of the same storylines weaving throughout this film as in the last film. From the torn family relationships, to the rekindling love, to the storyline dealing with the war, to the child growing up, to Hector Elizondo. Everything in this film was the same as Valentine’s Day, except unfortunately there was no gay couple this time around.

Final Thoughts
I’ve come to learn that it’s best to always lower my expectations when it comes to Garry Marshall films. It was cheesy and predictable from start to finish, but it was entertaining. Wasn't that supposed to be the point? Overall, it was a good popcorn movie!

Oscar Predictions?
Hell no! But I can see a landslide of Razzie Nominations though…

FINAL GRADE: B-

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