First off, I understand that I might have chosen a chick flick for today, but it is a comedy and it features Rebel Wilson (Pitch Perfect). The other thing is that the film also features the very beautiful Dakota Johnson and with that being said How To Be Single is today’s film. Alice (Johnson) has been dating Josh (Nicholas Braun) all throughout college and she just wants some time apart from him to make sure that he is the right guy for her. So, with the help of her new friend and co-worker, the wild and voluptuous Robin (Wilson), she throw herself on the dating scene. After figuring out that maybe it isn’t for her, she tries to go back to Josh, but discovers that it’s too late cause he has moved on. Now she has to figure out what to do before she stays single for too long. The film also stars Leslie Mann (The Other Woman) as Meg, Damon Wayans Jr. (Let’s Be Cops) as David, Anders Holm (The Intern) as Tom, Alison Brie (The Lego Movie) as Lucy, Jason Mantzoukas (Dirty Grandpa) as George, Jake Lacy (Balls Out) as Ken, Colin Jost (Staten Island Summer) as Paul, Brent Morin (Undateable) as Lucy’s Date, and the film was directed by Christian Ditter (Love, Rosie).
While this film is definitely a chick flick, it has some redeeming qualities to it. It may seem like it bashes guys because it’s all about how their relationships aren’t working or you the fact that you don’t want to get caught as Rebel puts it in the “Dicksand”(dick quicksand). There are some moments when they look absolutely crazy or when the bartender argues that you can’t find chemistry from an online dating app. I love Rebel Wilson because she plays the drunk, crazy, Aussie or Brit very well in every film that she is in and she does have some hilarious moments in the film. The thing I really liked about the film is the fact that it doesn’t just focus on Dakota Johnson’s character, but also on Leslie Mann’s who is trying to deal with the fact that she has put work ahead of her personal life and Alison Brie who believes in using dating apps. The film is kind of like six degrees of the bartender Tom because he is connected to all of them somehow a she tries to figure out his life after a girl wakes him up. So, there is plenty of subplots to drive the story forward and it moves pretty well. It’s just that I am not completely into chick flicks so women may enjoy the film more than me. Having Jason Mantzoukas in the film was definitely clutch by me because his character was hilarious. I am going to go ahead and give the film an B+ for a final grade only because it’s one I probably wouldn’t watch again.
I love dirty raunchy comedies just as much as the next guy if you have noticed from the list of films I have seen in the past. So, I was super excited to see that Robert De Niro (Goodfellas) and Zac Efron (Neighbors) were going to be starring together in Dirty Grandpa which is today’s film. Jason Kelly (Efron) is a sort of successful corporate lawyer who is about to get married to what seems like the perfect girl. After losing his grandma, Jason agrees to take his now single Grandfather Dick Kelly (De Niro) down to Boca, Florida to see an old friend and try to make it back in time for his wedding. No the keyword there is if he makes it back in time for the wedding because things get complicated when his Grandpa gets horny and he sees an old college friend. The film also stars Zoey Deutch (Everybody Wants Some!) as Shadia, Aubrey Plaza (Parks and Recreation) as Lenore, Jason Mantzoukas (Neighbors) as Tan Pam, Dermot Mulroney (Insidious: Chapter 3) as David Kelly, Julianne Hough (Footloose) as Meredith, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman (Grave Encounters 2) as Bradley, Brandon Smith (Gridiron Gang) as Tyrone, Adam Pally (Iron Man 3) as Cousin Nick, Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon) as Stinky, and the film was directed by Dan Mazer (Brüno).
As far as the film is concerned, I love the idea of it and I love the people who star in the film for the most part. I just don’t think it’s the greatest comedy ever, but it’s a good one. I say that because at one point I thought the film was too long even though it said it was about 108 minutes (that’s 1 hour and 48 minutes for those who need to know). There’s a lot of stuff in the film that was just pointless that they threw in to try and make you laugh and then there was the stuff that was golden that made you laugh. Robert De Niro was great in the film and he had great chemistry with Efron and even Plaza when they did have scenes that they interacted in. I even thought Zoey Deutch (who I found out is the daughter of Lea Thompson) was even great in the film and her chemistry with Efron was on point. I just thought of plenty of stuff that I would have cut out that would save you ten minutes. I never saw the theatrical version of the film, I watched this which was the Unrated version which should always be raunchier, but Zac Efron has by this point grown on me and I am willing to forgive him for his Disney past. I am excited to see him in Neighbors 2, but I can definitely say that this one could be a contender for Comedy of the year when the Monster Entertainment Awards happen next year. With that being said, I definitely think that it’s a film that is worth checking out if you are a fan of comedies and especially De Niro in comedies. I am going to give the film an B+ for a final grade.
365moviesin365dayschallenge 