When I heard that Judd Apatow was involved in writing this script, I was immediately interested. Another selling point for me was Will Ferrell was not starring as the lead. It’s not that I don’t like the man’s work, it’s just that I’ve reached my limit of seeing him play the ridiculous roles for a while. Stranger than Fiction was definitely a breath of fresh air, however, for some reason I’m really looking forward to Step Brothers. Which leads me to John C. Reilly, who starred as Dewey Cox.
If you didn’t already know, this movie is somewhat a parody of 
Walk the Line, the story of Johnny Cash, with plenty of extra things thrown in. There are also a slew of cameos by many, many actors playing famous musicians and whatnot. I’m pretty sure Reilly did his singing. I can’t vouch for that, but if anybody knows anything about that I’d love to know. I thought he did a fine job in the role.
While I can’t say I fell in love with this film, I can definitely say that I loved many small parts. The Beetles scene was one of my favorites, along with the running sink joke. Jack White was also hilarious as Elvis. Other than that, I’m not sure I have much more to say about this film. It kind of falls into the category of fluff entertainment for me, yet not quite good enough to inspire multiple, future watchings. I’d love to hear what you thought of it.
Rating: 
This is a movie I started watching a while back with Liz but never finished. It’s pretty good. It has a couple very real fight scenes between several sets of characters that are a bit different than your average screaming scene. The only thing I can compare it to is when Ben Affleck and Joey Lauren Adams have their big fight in Chasing Amy.
This was written and directed by Alan Cumming and Jennifer Jason Leigh, who happen to also be the main actors in the film. Rounding out the cast are John Benjamin Hickey, Parker Posey, Phoebe Cates, Kevin Kline, Owen Kline, Greta Kline, Denis O’Hare, Mina Badie, Jane Adams and John C. Reilly. That’s not everybody, but I think that pretty much covers most of the more recognizable people. You might have noticed a few Klines up there. That’s because it’s Kevin Kline, his wife, and two kids. You might recognize Owen Kline from The Squid and the Whale. Definitely a talented upcoming actor who takes after his parents.
I’ll just come right out and say it - there’s a bit of nudity in here. So if that bothers you, I’d stay away from this one. If you’re a big fan of Cumming, Kline or Reilly - I’d say you should really see this one. For the average movie watcher this could be a bit boring and slow to watch. I gave this one a 4 out of 5.
I saw this movie the other night with Robby. I wasn’t quite sure what it was all about, expect for the fact that it was packed full with memorable actors and actresses. Here’s a few…Woody Harrelson, Tommy Lee Jones, Garrison Keillor, Kevin Kline, Lindsay Lohan, Virginia Madsen, John C. Reilly, Maya Rudolph, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, L.Q. Jones and Marylouise Burke.
If you didn’t know, this movie is loosely based off an old live radio show that used to really happen. That’s sort of what the movie is about, except it’s their last show. There’s plenty of comedy thrown in between Keven Kline being a somewhat detective and people doing interesting things during the show.
If you’re into music much, this might be one to watch. The singing is just amazing. I had forgotten how well Lilly Tomlin and Meryl Streep could sing. Woody Harrelson and John C. Reilly did a really good job too, and as much as I hate to admit, Lohan can sing too. For some reason I just have problems recognizing her as a legitimate actress in my head.
I also found out that P.T. Anderson stepped in and did a chunk of the directing for Robert Altman, who was having a lot of health problems. Anderson is someone I admire greatly for many of his previous films, so that could be another reason for some people to check this one out. I can’t say that I was able to see definitely influences of is, but it’s not like there was a noticeable difference between any parts in the movie. I’m not sure if this is one I would buy, but it’s definitely worth a watch.
This is one of those movies I wanted to see back in the day and never got around to doing so. This movie was great and I also noticed it was put out by Fox Searchlight. They just happen to have distributed movies like Melinda and Melinda, Millions, Sideways, I Heart Huckabees, Kinsey, Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, Thirteen, 28 Days Later…, In America, One Hour Photo, etc. I like these people.
The story goes something along the lines of there’s this girl, Jennifer Aniston, who works at the Retail Rodeo and isn’t very happy with her life. So she meets somebody, takes a rabbit trail off life, kinda screws things up, and then tries to right everything. There’s a decent amount of people you’ve seen in here before like John C. Reilly from Magnolia, Jake Gyllenhaal from Donnie Darko, Zooey Deschanel from Almost Famous and Tim Blake Nelson from O Brother Where Art Thou.
I’d say this movie has that independent film feel to it. It’s kinda hard to explain, but I think it’s there. I really loved all the interaction that took place in the store. Zooey had so many funny things to say to the customers. I also loved when the manager moved her to cosmetics because she had gotten a little too creative on the intercom.
Check this one out sometime. If you’re a Fox Searchlight fan, you’re sure to like it.
This one’s a bit old, but pretty decent nonetheless. There’s also a few good actors: Johhny Depp, Juliette Lewis, John C Reilly, and then of course there was Leonardo DiCaprio. I almost feel ashamed to say that Leo did a good job here. I’m not exactly sure why but I’ve always just written him off as some bum actor. I used to heartily dislike Brad Pitt too, but the guy is a good actor. All you have to do is watch his movies and you’ll see him in a very wide selection of roles showing he’s not to be pidgeon-holed as a one trick pony.
I think this is a really good movie about family dynamics. Depp’s character definitely reminded me a bit of myself in how I’ve always been afraid I’ll turn out like my dad. I know that it doesn’t have to be that way cause I choose the way I am…but the possibility is still there. It’s scary. Like I said before, DiCaprio does an excellent job playing Arnie. It’s always interesting how everybody is always trying to be “normal” yet nobody really is. Everybody, every family has problems of some sort. Yet people try to hide/ignore them for various reasons. This doesn’t mean that people don’t deal with them, it’s just that everybody wants to be cool and fit in.
I think this is one of those films you can definitely watch and get something out of or watch and be completely bored/disinterested. I think there’s a message here to be heard. The real question is will you take the time to listen.
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