I did this a little while ago, with my double review of Bitten and Fanboys. And since no arty films have crossed my eyes recently, so let's look at a couple of other DVD's I have seen reently. These are two more underrrated gems that I found lying around on the shelves on Video Ezy and The Reject Shop, British (yet set in America, but we'll get to that later) dark comedy Big Nothing and American rom-com Catch and Release. Both I found exceptionally funny, flawed of course and both unfortunately underrated.
So, we shall start with the one that is infinitely harder to talk about, Big Nothing. And why is this so hard to talk about? Because it's bat-shit insane! Oh god, is this one crazy movie. I'd tell you why but it would otherwise spoil some of the funniest surprises you see on screen. I can tell you the basic plot though! Charlie (David Schwimmer), after losing his job on the first day, is persuaded by his friend Gus (Simon Pegg) to join him on a little blackmailing scheme. Josie (Alice Eve), Gus's on-again-off-again lover, also joins them after over-hearing their plan. Of course, things go a little pear-shaped when the person they were planning on blackmailing turns up dead.
And from that rather cliched premise, the shit hits the fan and keeps spinning. Seriously, I can't even tell you half the things I liked about this because it would give away too much. And the best way to see this sort of crazy zaniness is by not knowing anything about it other than what I just told you. I can tell you that there are some twists that you will see a mile away and some that will pop up from the ground your standing on without any warning. The acting is excellent, but then the cast is superb, with Schwimmer providing the straight man whose reactions are perfect and exactly how a normal person would react. Simon Pegg is always good, I've never seen a bad film with him in. Though, it is a little odd to hear him speak with an American. Same for Alice Eve, and she and Pegg have some of the funniest moments.
So, the main problem I have with this film is a weird one. It's produced by Isle of Man Films, it's shot in the Isle of Man and parts of Wales, three of its lead actors are British (Natasha McElhone is the third) and the director and co-writer is French (Jean-Baptiste Andrea). Why the hell is this set in America? The only plausible explanation I can come up with is that David Schwimmer can't do an English and they couldn't come up with a reason as to why an American would live in the UK. Either that or the other writer was American... Oh, wait. He was. Really, this baffles me. It works when it's set in America, but the humour is kinda more British than American. And while it was a success in the UK, I doubt that American audiences would appreciate the massive tone shifts that occur.
But if you can stand to hear Simon Pegg with an American accent, then I definitely recommend this one. It's annoyingly underrated, but totally worth it if you ever find it. I'm putting it up there with Bitten as one of the best DVD's I've discovered this year. It is violent, and quite a bit sweary, but no more so than Shaun of the Dead or other Simon Pegg films. Besides there's something hilarious about hearing David Schwimmer swear his tits off!
Anyway, let's move on to something completely different. Catch and Release stars Jennifer Garner as Gray, a woman whose fiance died during his bachelor party. Moving out of the house she and her fiance Grady (oh god, these names) were sharing and moving into his old house with his old roommates Dennis (Sam Jaeger) and Sam (Kevin Smith). And they are soon joined by Grady's womanising best friend, Fritz (Timothy Olyphant). Complications occur when Gray discovers that Grady sent $3000 every month to an unknown party, and after pestering Fritz for answers, she finds out that Grady had a son by another woman (Juliette Lewis).
So, yeah, that's pretty much the entire plot. This is a very gentle and predictable film, that is more about the characters reacting to the grief of losing a friend, than the romantic fluff that comes between Gray and Fritz. In fact, the romance is more like one in a series of subplots. Every character has a subplot that explores the way they deal with the loss of Grady. And they all interweave better than New Years Eve or Valentine's Day ever could. The fact that this is a realistic series of events that just somehow manages to become a movie plot. And it's funny!
So, I haven't really mentioned this before, but I am a massive Kevin Smith fan. I saw the fourth Die Hard film simply because he was in it, I have all of his View Askewniverse films on DVD, and pretty much the only reason I wanted to see this film was because of him. He is definitely the best part. Not that the other actors aren't good. But Smith brings a cynical snarkiness and really turns it from a rom-com with a strange premise into more of an ensemble piece about mourning and grief. Garner and Olyphant are also good, and what I really like about this film is the way the romance is allowed to grow.
But hey, this isn't perfect. One of the things I have against it is the obvious and annoying third act misundestanding between the two leads. Another is that it starts off fairly dark (the funeral takes place on the day that was meant to be Gray and Grady's wedding) but by the end, it's just another romantic comedy. And it rambles around the middle, without any clear direction. But I still like it. Compared with other rom-coms, this is a pleasant surprise. Though not everyone will like it, it;s a shit load better than a lot of the other Hollywood trash we see nowadays.
So, there's my two cents on these films. I'd recommend Big Nothing more than Catch and Release, because less people seem to know about it, and it is fucking hilarious! But if I've sparked some interest, then I've done my job. Until next time, readers.
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