what i watched last week

Cedar Rapids (Miguel Arteta, 2011). Yet another film that gets praised for what it isn’t, Cedar Rapids is a modern comedy that manages to downplay the stupidity at the center of many similar films. Although its running time is under 90 minutes, time is taken to create a central character that is more than just an easy stereotype. John C. Reilly plays the kind of overbearing, obnoxious lout he could pull off in his sleep, but in this case, he also has a heart of gold, a stereotype itself but one that fits nicely here. Throw in Anne Heche showing her usual goofy sexiness, and the immortal Isiah Whitlock, Jr., and you have an amiable comedy/character study that is a notch above the norm.

Straight Time (Ulu Grosbard, 1978). Phil had this at #34 on his Facebook list, and I caught up with it this week. Dustin Hoffman deserves the accolades for his performance, although I don’t know how many accolades he actually received … no one saw the film, and it’s forgotten now. Phil called it a near-perfect film, and if I can’t go that far, I agree that it’s a fine, unjustly neglected movie. The biggest problem is the character Jenny, played by Theresa Russell. Russell is OK, but the character doesn’t work. It needs a bit of lunacy. We can see why the various ex-cons have trouble integrating themselves into the straight life; they get antsy for a return to the thrill of crime. But Jenny never seems to have a good reason to leap into the convict’s life. Still, the film is very unsettling. You never think anything good is going to happen, and you’re right.

The Other Guys (Adam McKay, 2010). My son kept telling me to watch this one, saying I’d like it more than I like most modern comedies, and he was right. Silly without being stoopid, blending dumb humor with 30 Rock/Naked Gun-style jokes, The Other Guys lets Mark Wahlberg get loose, and he’s simultaneously hilarious and a bit scary. The film is filled with cameos by everyone from Derek Jeter to Rosie Perez, and the supporting roles are well-filled by the likes of Michael Keaton (who plays a character named Gene Mauch) and Titus Pullo. It goes on a bit too long, but that’s not a deal-breaker. The story involves corporate shenanigans, which seems largely irrelevant during the movie. But in the closing credits, we get a presentation detailing real-life corporate malfeasance. It’s rather like when Big Steve Seagal ended On Deadly Ground with a long speech about the environment.