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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 20 November 2020

They’ve lost relevance today (for a myriad of reasons) but there was once a time when beauty pageants were incredibly popular.  Between 1966 and 1976, the Miss World competition was one of the top 5 highest rated TV programs for the year in the United Kingdom.  Pitched as “family entertainment”, households would gather around their televisions to watch contestants parade in their swimwear and reveal their measurements (bust, waist, hips).  The judges would then weigh in with their choice for the most beautiful unmarried woman in the world.

Misbehaviour takes place right in the middle of that pageant “boom”.  The 1970 edition, hosted by iconic American comedian Bob Hope, was historical for two significant reasons.  Firstly, the contestant from Grenada, Jennifer Hosten, became the first black woman to wear the crown in the event’s 20 year history.  Secondly, a group of Women’s Liberation activists disrupted the show and caused the live television feed to be disrupted.

Rather than focus on a single perspective, writers Gaby Chiappe (Their Finest) and Rebecca Frayn (The Lady) tackle the subject from multiple viewpoints.  The forceful Jo Robinson (Buckley) and a semi-reluctant Sally Alexander (Knightley) lead the group of activists.  The list of beauty pageant contestants including the apprehensive Pearl Jansen (Harrison) from South Africa and the aforementioned Jennifer Hosten (Mbatha-Raw).  Time is also spent following Bob Hope (Kinnear), his wife (Manville), and the long-time competition organiser, Eric Morley (Ifans).

Kudos to the writers, along with director Philippa Lowthorpe (The Crown), in crafting a movie with nuance and “greyness”.  It’d be easy to simplify Keira Knightley’s character and turn her into a feminist hero who never puts a foot wrong and takes down all the villainous men.  Instead, we learn that whilst her efforts should be applauded, there were disagreements behind the scenes.  The film’s most powerful scene occurs late in the film where she has a heart-to-heart with winner Jennifer Hosten and realises there are more issues at play.

That gets to the essence of what Misbehaviour is about.  On one hand, it’s an important history lesson to remind us of the limited life choices offered to women and people of colour in the 1960s.  On the other hand, it offers us a chance to reflect today, think about what more needs to be done, and remember that there isn’t a quick, easy fix to certain issues.  Featuring a slew of strong performances, it’s a film worth your time.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 October 2020

A 17-year-old girl, accompanied by her cousin, travels from Pennsylvania to New York to have an abortion.  You could use that simple description in a TV guide but I’d argue it’s impossible to surmise this film in a single sentence and do it true justice.  Never Rarely Sometimes Always is a powerful, complex, emotional drama that takes us inside the world of a scared, anxious individual.  It’s one of the best films you’ll see all year.

Writer-director Eliza Hittman (Beach Rats) chooses to use visuals to convey messaging as opposed to dialogue or narration.  We watch Autumn (Flanigan) as she goes to a medical clinic, take a pregnancy test, and learn of the positive result.  We see her dealing with a sleazy boss and struggling with morning sickness as she works as a supermarket clerk.  We observe as she sneaks away from home (not wanting her parents to know she’s pregnant) and boards a bus to New York City.

All of this creates the vibe that we’re standing in Autumn’s shoes and experiencing the same emotions.  The lack of editing and music adds to the sensation that we’re not watching a fictional tale – it feels more like a no-frills documentary shot with a basic video camera.  The lead performance from Sidney Flanigan, who had never acted prior to appearing in the movie, is incredible.  It’s easy to see why Hittman doesn’t rely on dialogue since the expressions (or lack thereof) on Flanigan’s face say more than words ever could.

It’s important for audiences to understand this is difficult to watch at times.  For example, there’s an early scene where Autumn repeatedly punches herself in the stomach in trying to induce an abortion.  There’s another lengthy sequence at a Planned Parenthood clinic in New York City where a counsellor (played by a real-life counsellor) asks a series of tough questions about her past to ensure she’s making the right decision.  It’s at this point where the film’s unusual title, a combination of 4 consecutive adverbs, is explained.

Without spoiling too much, there are parts to Autumn’s story that are not revealed (such as how she became pregnant in the first place).  I applaud the decision of Hittman to not follow convention and not spell out everything for viewers.  As I’ve alluded to above, the purpose of this film is to understand what it’s like to be a pregnant 17-year-old woman when you’ve got no money and no support network.  Background details would only be superfluous.

Winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize (essentially the runner-up gong) at the 2020 Berlin Film Festival, Never Rarely Sometimes Always leaves an indelible impression.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 17 November 2020

Fatman is a Christmas-themed movie that asks an interesting question – who funds Santa Claus?  He needs a ridiculously large warehouse to produce all the presents and his employee costs would be substantive given all the elves on the payroll (assuming they pay at least a minimum wage).  Let’s not forget overheads such as utilities, insurance and legal fees.  Do taxes come into play?

As we learn in the opening scenes of Fatman, our beloved Santa (played by Mel Gibson) is in financial strife.  He’s heavily subsidised by the U.S. Government (they pay him an annual operating grant to make gifts) but it’s not enough to cover his costs and his debts are mounting up.  Suffice to say he’s not happy.  Given the economic stimulus that Christmas provides each year, Santa think he’s undervalued by the government and the taxpayer.

With few other options available, Santa diversifies his operations and becomes a military contractor!  During the off-season, when the elves aren’t required to make presents, they’ll instead be assembling control panels for fighter jets.  So when little Timmy or Jenny get a new bike under the Christmas tree on December 25, it’s likely been made by the same group who helped build the air force jets flying above Syria.

This sounds like a fun concept but unfortunately, Fatman never fully delivers because it focuses more on its not-so-exciting subplots.  A rich kid, Billy (Hurstfield), is given a lump of coal in his stocking (he’s been naughty instead of nice) and so he’s hired an incompetent hitman (Goggins) to kill Santa.  Much of the film is then spent following the hitman as his stumbles across Northern America trying to locate the famed bearded man.

It’s a boring, tired storyline.  There’s an early sequence where the hitman kidnaps one of Billy’s classmates because of a dispute over a school science contest.  It’s clumsy and nonsensical.  We then get repetitive scenes where the hitman tries to find Santa’s address (which shouldn’t be that hard given everyone else seems to know) and then sloppily kills people (with no one raising any alarms).

Mel Gibson isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of actors destined to play Santa Claus but he’s a worthy choice in that he plays the character as a depressed, forlorn drunk who believes he’s lost relevance.  There are also some nice exchanges where he opens up with his smart, level-headed wife (Jean-Baptiste).

In the same vein as Bad Santa, it’s important to note this isn’t a family film and it’s deservedly rated MA in Australia for its “strong violence”.  The action packed finale (which takes itself far too seriously) is proof of that.  Fatman is trying to offer dark humour but the end result is subpar.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 19 October 2020

Kids will always be shaped and influenced by the views of their parents but at some point, they reach an age where they start to develop their own sense of identity.  In the case of the lead character in Kajillionaire, that moment has arrived at the ridiculously late age of 26.  Her name (a terrible one) is Old Dolio (Wood) and she has spent her entire life addressing the needs of her repressive mother (Winger) and father (Jenkins).

It’s hard to believe the family has stuck together and survived for so long.  They’re all unemployed and so they make a living as petty thieves.  One of their more popular gigs is stealing parcels from post office boxes and hoping they get lucky with what’s inside.  Their efforts haven’t amounted to much.  They’re so poor that they live in a derelict office (the rent hasn’t been paid for months) and they catch public transport when travelling from crime to crime.

At its heart, Kajillionaire is a character study where Old Dolio finally realises her parents are not the people she thought them to be.  The catalyst for change is Melanie (Rodriguez), a young woman who they meet on a plane and then bring in as a partner for some easy scams.  Old Dolio, who never seems to have had a friend her whole life, becomes close with Melanie and starts to re-evaluate her view of the world.

You’ll feel sorry for Old Dolio.  Her dad remarks that she learned how to forge before she learned how to write.  When she goes into a supermarket, her first instinct is to look for security camera locations and determine which aisles are easiest to steal from.  It’s as if she’s spent 26 years in a cult and, with limited exposure to others, learned no morals and developed next-to-no social skills (complete with a dry, monotone voice).

Written and directed by Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know), Kajillionaire is framed as a dark, offbeat comedy that’s loaded with distinctive characters and imagery.  From the crying landlord… to the confused masseuse… to the dirty pink bubbles floating down the walls, there’s plenty of eyebrow raising material to keep your attention.

The performances also deserve a shout-out with Evan Rachel Wood (Thirteen) using an unusually deep voice to help define her quirky character.  Oscar nominees Richard Jenkins (The Visitor) and Debra Winger (Terms of Endearment) are also terrific as the two parents and they become more and more unlikeable (in a good way) as the film progresses.

Kajillionaire is both strange and entertaining.  That’s good enough for me.

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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 11 November 2020

Hollywood loves making movies about Hollywood.  I could spend an hour going through them all but the list includes Singin’ in the Rain, Sunset Boulevard, The Player, Get Shorty, Ed Wood, For Your Consideration, Mulholland Drive, The Artist, Argo and the aptly titled Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  The Comeback Trail appears to be the latest entry into the club but in fact, it’s not a new member.  The same storyline was used in a low-budget movie that was shot in the 1970s and released with no fanfare in 1982 (it didn’t even go to VHS or DVD). 

This new adaptation, directed by George Gallo, brings together three Oscar winning actors who each have more than 50 years’ experience in the industry – Robert DeNiro, Morgan Freeman and Tommy Lee Jones.  DeNiro plays Max Barber, a penniless producer who is desperate for a big hit.  Freeman plays Reggie Fontaine, a ruthless mobster who put up the finance for Max’s last unsuccessful venture.  Jones plays Duke Montana, a washed up actor who is seriously contemplating suicide.

These three have teamed up to make a new corny western – the tale of an elderly cowboy who discovers he has Indian blood and then rises up against property developers.  The catch is that they’re involved for VERY different reasons.  Duke sees it as a chance to reinvigorate his sagging career and make one last great movie for people to remember him by.

The other two aren’t quite as genuine.  Max knows the script is garbage and he’s hoping Duke dies during an elaborate stunt (on the first day of shooting if possible) so he can collect a huge insurance payout and use it to fund a separate dream project.  Reggie is equally dodgy and wants a cut of the proceeds to recover his losses from Max’s previous flop.

In trying to make an interesting movie, it helps when filmmakers are one step ahead of the audience.  In the case of The Comeback Trail, it’s unfortunately the other way around.  You can see exactly where the storyline is going and so when “surprises” are revealed, they’re anything but.  It’s for this reason the film loses momentum from the start of the second act.  It gets stuck in a repetitive lull as we follow Max and his clumsy efforts to kill his leading man (parts are reminiscent of a Road Runner cartoon).

There are also credibility issues.  The more you think about the narrative, the less sense it makes.  The cowboy film looks awful and has an incompetent crew.  It’s impossible to believe anyone involved thinks it’ll be a success.  How they managed to find the perfect camera angles to the flawed stunts in one-take without any rehearsals will forever be a mystery.  It lacks the intelligence and nuance seen in Argo (a much better effort about a “fake movie”).

There’s an early scene where Max notes that if a film turns out to be good, it’s a miracle.  Despite a half-decent idea and the best intentions, no miracle occurred with The Comeback Trail.