This week at the movies – Christmas Day brings us lots of choices: Jennifer Lawrence dominates the screen as a business mastermind and family matriarch; Will Ferrell plays the role of goofy (and desperate) step-dad; a star-studded cast puts on a (potentially Oscar-worthy) comedy about the housing crisis; Will Smith is the hero in a football flick full of drama; and a surfer/bank robber remake dares to be better than the original…
Joy
Director David O. Russell (who also directed Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle) tells the story Joy Mangano, a Long Island housewife who invented the Miracle Mop. As usual, Jennifer Lawrence is Russell’s creative muse and shining star; other returning Russell film regulars include Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro, as well as Diane Ladd and Virginia Madsen. Never a conventional storyteller, the movie is covered in whimsical pixie dust, and non-linear narrative structures.
Perfect For: Fans of J-Law (which is everyone, right?).
What the Critics Say: The story may be a little muddled, but Jennifer Lawrence obviously steals the show. Writes Slate: “Joy the movie never cohered, for me, into a story with forward motion. The minute the film begins to find its footing in one tonal register, it switches to another...” And says the New York Post: “Mostly it's up to Lawrence to wring all the drama and pathos she can out of a battle over patent rights that pushes Joy to the brink of bankruptcy. No surprise that her mettle cleans up all the messiness in Joy.”
Our Take: Let’s be honest – any movie with J-Law is a movie worth seeing.
Daddy’s Home
Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg star in this silly slapstick comedy about a step-dad (Ferrell) and a dad (Walhlberg) who meet for the first time over the holidays. Ferrell is a super uptight, organized type of guy, while Walhberg is the bad boy/tough guy. The result is a “Dad-Off” where they try to outdo each other as father figures. Could be entertaining.
Perfect For: Teenagers and loyal fans of Will Ferrell.
What the Critics Say: We aren’t surprised that Will Ferrell proves to be pretty funny. The New York Post: “To be fair, Ferrell is almost always at least mildly funny, even when doing something as lame as skateboarding into a power line, but Wahlberg's cowboy shtick just seems half-hearted.”
Our Take: If you are looking to laugh out loud, Will Ferrell can’t disappoint.
The Big Short
Based on the bestseller by Michael Lewis, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, this movie is a true (and relatively recent) story from about the economic recession and ensuing bank fraud that caused the housing bubble to burst. Steve Carrel, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, and Christian Bale star as the men who helped make the entire catastrophe worse.
Perfect For: Seems like the Moneyball and Wolf of Wall Street fans would definitely get into this, but the subject matter is also broad and real enough that most people could be enticed. Also, that all-star cast screams “Oscars!”
What the Critics Say: Very, very good and highly entertaining. Writes The Atlantic: “You can feel the director gesturing to the audience, asking, 'Can you believe this happened?' With every scene, he's delighted and horrified to tell you, it absolutely did.” And says the New York Times: “A true crime story and a madcap comedy, a heist movie and a scalding polemic, 'The Big Short' will affirm your deepest cynicism about Wall Street while simultaneously restoring your faith in Hollywood.”
Our Take: Yup, we’re going.
Concussion
Will Smith plays Dr. Bennet Omalu in this based-on-a-true-story about the forensic pathologist who, after examining the brain of Pittsburgh Steeler star Mike Webster, discovered the link between CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) and football players. The film chronicles Dr. Omalu’s David versus Goliath battle to get the NFL to recognize the damage and change its concussion protocols (which are now in place).
Perfect For: Football fans. And Will Smith is as good as ever.
What the Critics Say: Too conventional to be epic, nevertheless the story is well-told and important. Writes Rolling Stone: “The film goes slack when its screws most need to tighten. Luckily, Smith - flawless in accent and commitment to Omalu's worthy cause as the NFL's worst nightmare- grips you from first to last.” And says the Newark Star-Ledger: “Despite the rumors, the gossip, the stolen emails describing NFL "involvement" in this film, the story - and the stinging end titles - do not let that organization off the hook.”
Our Take: If you watch football, it’s definitely a must.
Point Break
Point Break rehashes the original story about a bunch of surfers-turned-bank robbers. The original Point Break (which was filmed in 1991) starred Keanu Reeves, Patrick Swayze, and Gary Busey, but this new remake doesn’t have a single name we recognize.
Perfect For: Those who enjoy remakes; outdoorsy adventurists.
What the Critics Say: It’s tough to beat the original. Writes the Hollywood Reporter: “Strips the silly fun and relatively straight-ahead narrative from the original for a humorless, if photogenic spin on extreme crime.”
Our Take: We would watch both films before officially weighing in.
