Movie Review: Love The Coopers (2015)

Also Known As: Christmas With The Coopers  

Genre: Dramedy  

Director: Jessie Nelson  

Starring: Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Marisa Tomei, Alan Arkin, Amanda Seyfried, Timothée Chalamet, Ed Helms, Jake Lacy, Anthony Mackie, June Squibb, Olivia Wilde  

Running Time: 107 minutes  

Synopsis: Christmas Eve is approaching, and four generations of the imperfect Cooper family are gathering for dinner. Sam and Charlotte (John Goodman and Diane Keaton) are hosting but also hiding their disintegrating marriage. Their black sheep daughter Eleanor (Olivia Wilde) meets a soldier (Jake Lacy) at the airport. The Cooper's divorced son (Ed Helms) is struggling with unemployment, while his teenaged son (Timothée Chalamet) is pursuing his first crush at the mall. Charlotte's sister (Marisa Tomei) is arrested for shoplifting and has an encounter with a police officer (Anthony Mackie), while Charlotte's father Bucky (Alan Arkin) has an argument with his regular diner server (Amanda Seyfried). 

What Works Well: With notable determination, this Christmas movie seeks a contrarian stance, avoiding feel-good vibes and zooming in on all that is wrong with the lives of the Coopers. Charlotte is doing her best to pretend and get on with the Christmas spirit, but all the family members are flailing as their character faults and life failures are revealed. The simple message of celebrating normal imperfection is straightforward and well-intentioned, and the opening two thirds offer the added enjoyment of guessing all the family connections. The quality cast and numerous mini-plots ensure the movie never dawdles in any one place for too long.

What Does Not Work As Well: After a lot of hard work to represent flawed characters, the resolutions run away from difficult outcomes and just surrender to traditional endings. With so many stories to tell, some of the more interesting secondary characters, notably Amanda Seyfried's diner server and Anthony Mackie's police officer, are shortchanged.

Key Quote:

Bucky: That feeling like you've landed in the wrong life. Everybody feels that way.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: The Humans (2021)

Genre: Drama

Director: Stephen Karam

Starring: Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer, June Squibb

Running Time: 108 minutes

Synopsis: In New York City, a family gathers for Thanksgiving dinner at the dank and old Chinatown apartment just rented by Brigid (Beanie Feldstein) and her partner Richard (Steven Yuen). In attendance are Brigid's sister Aimee (Amy Schumer); their parents Erik and Deirdre (Richard Jenkins and Jayne Houdyshell); and Erik's senile and wheelchair-bound Momo (June Squibb). Insecurities, frustrations, old arguments, and new revelations surface throughout the evening. 

What Works Well: Director Stephen Karam adapts and directs his own play, and uses patient static cameras to capture a lower middle class family caught in a web of dissatisfaction. Past traumas (including from the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks) and truths left unsaid compete for attention with blurted-out grievances. The aesthetic of sickly yellows complements a delipidating apartment with exposed pipes, non-functional lights, and signs of water damage, a metaphor for personal dynamics beset by hurts well past the point of scrubbing.

What Does Not Work As Well: Individual dramas remain just that, and the narrative lacks an overarching focus beyond the mundane. The slow pacing, layers of personal prickliness, and some in-the-dark scenes are ultimately suffocating, and excessive time is invested staring at walls and windows, hinting at but never delivering elevated levels of suspense.

Conclusion: Neither more nor less engrossing than the next family's accumulated complexities.



All Ace Black Movie Bog reviews are here.

The Movies Of June Squibb

All movies starring June Squibb and reviewed on the Ace Black Movie Blog are linked below:

Scent Of A Woman (1992)

The Age Of Innocence (1993)

About Schmidt (2002)

Far From Heaven (2002)

Nebraska (2013)

I'll See You In My Dreams (2015)

Love The Coopers (2015)

Other People (2016)

Table 19 (2017)

Toy Story 4 (2019, voice only)

Palm Springs (2020)

The Humans (2021)

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
The Movie Star Index is here.

Movie Review: Table 19 (2017)

A floundering comedy, Table 19 suffers from idea deficiencies and too quickly resorts to well-worn plot devices.

Eloise (Anna Kendrick) reluctantly accepts a wedding invitation from her best friend Francie, despite having recently suffered a bad break-up with Francie's brother Teddy (Wyatt Russell). At the reception Eloise finds herself on table 19 with other "randoms" placed in the room's furthest corner. Her tablemates are squabbling couple Jerry and Bina Kepp (Craig Robinson and Lisa Kudrow), creepy guy Walter (Stephen Merchant), awkward high schooler Renzo (Tony Revolori) and the elderly Jo (June Squibb), Francie's nanny from childhood.

Eloise remains obsessed with Teddy, who is having a good time with girlfriend Nikki (Amanda Crew). But she is finally distracted by the attentions of the hunky Huck (Thomas Cocquerel), who never reveals his role at the reception. Bina is mistaken for a member of the serving staff, while her tensions with Jerry ramp up. Renzo makes no headway in attracting the attentions of any girl. Walter's odd behaviour intensifies, while Jo's wisdom helps her untangle the secrets at the table.

The premise of exploring the humorous stories of people who accept wedding invitations but should know better carries potential. But Table 19 maintains only brief momentum, and starts to fizzle early. The characters are uninteresting, their stories only good for a few laughs, and before long the film gets bogged down in predictable antics and stale arguments.

The screenplay by Jeffrey Blitz (with a story co-conceived by Mark and Jay Duplass) is devoid of edge, and Blitz's direction cannot add any punch. A cake is destroyed, pot is smoked, bad karaoke is performed, and Eloise finds every opportunity to embarrass herself.

Meanwhile Jerry and Bina carry on an exceptionally tired and circular argument. Renzo wanders in from a bad high school sex comedy, and Walter's weird antics are quickly explained away. Of course, everyone proves to be nice and warm-hearted and the group pulls together towards the requisite contrived happy ending.

Just like the guests, Table 19 should have just stayed away.

All Ace Black Blog Movie Reviews are here.