Six Movies in Search of a Reviewer(Junebug, Searchers, Beckham, Talladega, Clerks & Benchwarmers)

Films haphazardly ordered according to overall level of enjoyment.

Junebug (2005)
Simply an excellent film. So good, in fact, that I'll likely add this semi-sweet, semi-dark comedy to my DVD collection. Set primarily in the South, Junebug catalogs the return of a country boy (and his new, sophisticated wife) to his roots after spending several years in the big city. This movie does everything Saved! should have: it shows the sweet side to religious folks, which gives it more leeway in satirizing the same. Every character felt real to me, no matter how absurd or outlandishly saccharine. The biggest downside: though the "wife" (Embeth Davidsz) is the main character, Junebug does such a good job exploring everyone that you sometimes aren't sure where to focus. Otherwise, my biggest complaint is that the DVD didn't have English subtitles. I wish I weren't so far behind on just about everything... I'd love to give this film a full review with all of the appropriate accolades (particularly to Amy Adams, who does an amazing job playing the naive — but genuinely goodhearted — young Christian wife).

The Searchers (1956)
Let me say first that I generally don't like Westerns. Never have. And while I certainly appreciated the cinematography of this one, and even the cool bravado with which John Wayne repeatedly utters "That'll be the day..." I still have a difficult time accepting the premise upon which so many Westerns are based: Injuns bad. Settlers good. Demonize former; victimize latter. The Searchers relies on that old standard though it does, at least, complicate the matter by having one of the leads (Martin, played by Jeffrey Hunter) be a 1/4 Cherokee. Wayne's character is likewise a mixed breed: 1/3 bigot; 1/3 crazy; and 100% cowboy. Still, when Martin was an infant, Ethan "reluctantly" rescued him and, no matter how tough he talks, you know he likes Martin. I appreciated that director John Ford threw this monkey wrench into an otherwise formulaic western. Apparently, this is one of the top 250 films on IMDB and is considered to be one of "the best" Westerns of all time. And since I enjoyed it despite my usual Western prejudice... I'm starting to think I despised Westerns as a kid precisely because I identified so strongly with the Native Americans. This hasn't changed, but as an adult I'm able to revisit that genre and appreciate subtle messages I may have missed.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
The Indian version of My Big Fat Greek Wedding — a clean comedy that's fun to watch and fairly well-written (even if it is easy to see where it's going). I liked this movie a little better than Wedding, in part because I found the characters and storyline to be more compelling.

Talladega Nights (2006)
A local reviewer termed this "the best comedy so far this year." If that is, in fact, true I'd say that's because there haven't really been any great comedies this year. Talladega Nights isn't bad, per se, but it wasn't a barrel of laughs, either. Rather, there were moments of laughter, followed by periods of silence. Still, a genuinely entertaining film over all that, while derivative in parts, is still nevertheless clever in others. And, heh, who doesn't get a kick out of seeing Will Ferrell running around a race track in tightie-whities? I know I do!

Clerks II (2006)
To give you a point of comparison, Dogma (1999) is my favorite film in Kevin Smith's repertoire. The original Clerks (1994) and Mallrats tie for a lukewarm second. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) was OK. Chasing Amy (1997) didn't do much for me (though, to the film's credit, the circumstances in which I watched this film weren't exactly ideal). This newest installment could've rallied with Beckham and The Searchers for second — it had all of the right jokes and silly interludes and wasn't without a genuine "it's time to grow up" message — but then Smith simply goes too far in one 15-minute scene (he seems intent on "topping himself" in this regard with every subsequent film). I was disgusted enough that it soured my taste for the film altogether. But what does Smith care? He got my money, regardless. Also of note, I often feel like his actors are on stage, rather than on screen. There's something about scenes with Randal (Jeff Anderson) especially where dialogue seems choppy and unnatural (or even "over-acted").

Benchwarmers (2006)
This movie is awful. Simply awful. I did get a couple laughs out of it, but for the sake of comparison, Talladega Nights was MUCH more entertaining than Benchwarmers. I sat incredulous through much of this film, literally writhing in my seat to think of how many better things I could've been doing with my time.