Freeway (1996) * * *

Directed by:  Matthew Bright

Starring:  Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, Brooke Shields, Dan Hedaya, Brittany Murphy, Wolfgang Bodison

Freeway is a disturbing update on Little Red Riding Hood, as if we needed an update on Little Red Riding Hood.    The Riding Hood is Vanessa (Witherspoon), an illiterate teen from a broken home in which her mother is a prostitute and her father abuses her.   She has been in trouble with the law and placed in the foster care system which has done nothing to help her.   She is even seen carrying a red basket as she steals her foster mother's car.   She comes across the Big Bad Wolf, conveniently named Bob Wolverton (Sutherland), a psychopath who unbeknownst to Vanessa is the elusive I-5 killer.    He picks her up after her car breaks down on Interstate 5, treats her to dinner, gets her to open up about her horrible past, and then tries to assault and murder her.   Where was she heading to?  To her grandmother's house in Stockton, of course.

While the movie moves uneasily between satire and plain, old gruesome violence, I can't say I was bored.    Witherspoon, in one of her earlier film roles, is a mouthy firecracker so wounded by life she can hardly feel anything but rage.    After Bob attempts to kill her in a remote area off of the freeway, Vanessa turns the tables and shoots him in some very bad places while leaving him for dead.  "I hope you don't hold this against me and hate me more than you already do," she tells Jesus in a prayer.    It is hard not to disagree with her assessment that the Almighty may have it in for her.

Bob is not killed, but is horribly disfigured and must use a colostomy bag.   His naïve, unsuspecting wife (Shields) paints her husband as the victim, and Vanessa can't get the police to believe her story.   Not that she tells it in the most pleasant or understandable way.   Vanessa awaits trial as an adult for attempted murder, while Bob and his wife go on television advocating victim's rights.    Shields is quite effective as the clueless wife.  You just want to reach through the screen and shake her until she learns to at least question why her husband was in the company of a runaway teenager.

Sutherland has played these types of killers before, and is well suited for it because of his otherwise normal appearance and too calm demeanor.   Watch how he is able to penetrate Vanessa's exterior posing as a caring psychologist.   I assume he actually is a thriving one based on the size of his house.    Of course, the first encounter between Vanessa and Bob won't be the last, and the ending is a bit too much Little Red Riding Hoodish for my taste, while the violence is mainly gratuitous.   But, then there is the thoughtful side of Freeway, one which examines the futility of the justice system which is automatically inclined to disbelieve Vanessa because of her troubled past and her nasty demeanor.   Surely, Bob must be innocent because he has a respectable job and lives in a posh house, right?    And surely Vanessa is the perpetrator because she doesn't have a respectable job or live in posh house, right?   When the smoke clears, even the cops know the answer to that question. 

On the Basis of Sex (2019) * * *

Directed by:  Mimi Leder

Starring:  Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Sam Waterston, Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates, Chris Mulkey, Cailee Spaeny

It was a tiny tax law case which propelled Ruth Bader Ginsburg from Rutgers University law professor to powerful litigant for women's rights to a seat on the United States Supreme Court.   On the Basis of Sex focuses on the case in which an unmarried man who takes care of his mother is denied a $296.00 tax write-off because the framers of the tax law didn't anticipate a caretaker could possibly be a male.  It is not a stretch to understand that discrimination on the basis of gender wasn't cracked until the early 1970's, and there are still battles today to be won for equal pay and workplace sexual harassment.    You can thank Ruth Bader Ginsburg, among others, for shoving the door wide open.

Ginsburg (Jones) was one of the first female law students accepted at Harvard.   This is met with much muted pleasure by Dean Erwin Griswold (Waterston), who at a welcoming function asks each female student to stand and explain why she wants to practice law and thus take away a spot from a male student.    Ruth capably puts Griswold in his place and earns a lifelong enemy.   Ruth is married to second-year Harvard student Martin Ginsburg (Hammer) and has a young child.   Marty is soon stricken with testicular cancer, so Ruth takes his classes as well as her own and essentially tutors Marty into a law degree while earning her own.    Due to professional reasons, Ruth wants to finish her law classes at Columbia and still earn a Harvard degree, which Griswold attempts to reject, leading to a funny payoff line later in the film.

Ruth, despite graduating at the top of her class, can't find a job at any New York law firms, thanks to the male-dominated culture which believes the typical stereotypes of female workers (i.e. too emotional, should be home with the family, etc.)   In her frustration, she begins a professorship at Rutgers, which goes on for eleven years until Marty presents her with the aforementioned obscure tax case pending before the federal courts.    If the federal court can agree the law discriminates against a man, then the discrimination against women can also be wiped off the books.    It isn't easy for Ruth, but nothing ever was.

History shows who won out, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a big reason why.   Felicity Jones doesn't just give us a feisty Ruth, but one whose verbal arguments need polishing and fights constantly with her teenage daughter (Spaeny), who joins the protest movement against, well, anything.   Ruth isn't a secular saint, but just someone determined to fight to right a centuries-old wrong.   Hammer's Marty is the near saintly one, fully supporting Ruth in her endeavors while knowing full well of the case's pitfalls.    Hammer, while being very tall and classically handsome, isn't just a pretty face.   He isn't afraid to take on roles with gravitas and challenges.

On the Basis of Sex is a thoughtful legal drama in which Ruth must tread in dangerous legal waters.   As her boss at the ACLU Mel Wulf (Theroux) warns, she could set the women's movement back ten years if she loses.    But, yes we know she will prevail, and she does.   Except for Mel, Marty, and Charlie Moritz (Mulkey), the plaintiff in the tax case, the men in the film are seen as Neanderthal caricatures defending sexism openly and wantonly.   I'm not sure if the men in the villains needed to be presented in such a light, but On the Basis of Sex is not about historical accuracy, but paints in broad strokes, entertains, and occasionally even challenges our own perceptions.    The attitudes towards gender have changed for the better, but it is still an ongoing fight.

Love, Gilda (2018) * * *

Directed by:  Lisa D'Apolito

Featuring:  Gilda Radner, Gene Wilder, Bill Hader, Amy Poehler, Melissa McCarthy, Chevy Chase, Laraine Newman, Alan Zweibel, Lorne Michaels, Martin Short, Maya Rudolph

It is almost a bad cosmic joke that Gilda Radner, after finally finding love with Gene Wilder and some semblance of peace with herself, would be diagnosed with ovarian cancer.   After a three-year battle against the disease, she died in April 1989 one month shy of her 43rd birthday.   She battled cancer as she did any other issue she had:  with humor, self-deprecation, and occasionally gallows humor.    "I decided to be funny about what I didn't have, instead of worrying about it," is her quote which sums up her attitude towards life itself.   It gave her lemons, and she made lemonade.

Born to a well-off Jewish family in 1946, Gilda grew up in suburban Detroit.   She was a chubby girl who liked being the cut-up, and after her father's untimely death when she was 14, she channeled her emotions into making others laugh.   Before long, she was contacted by John Belushi to perform with the National Lampoon radio troupe and later Second City before breaking through as a member of the inaugural Saturday Night Live cast.    As a woman, she found it difficult to express her comic voice.
There wasn't overt sexism, but she found her ideas were passed over in favor of the men's ideas, and her initial roles on Saturday Night Live were to either kill a few minutes between sketches or stand around with one line in other sketches.

But, with characters like Barbara Wawa (a parody of Barbara Walters) and Roseanne Roseannadanna, she became a late night star.   As in the eerily similar The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, we learn through diary entries of the pressures and self-doubts she faced while being a rising star.   She battled eating disorders while trying to remain thin for television, and for the longest time she could not find her footing in her career or personal life.   She married guitarist G.E. Smith, but that marriage deteriorated after she met Gene Wilder while filming Hanky Panky, the first of three films the duo would make together.  

The best segments of Love, Gilda take us inside the wild life of the first few seasons of Saturday Night Live, which wasn't an instant hit and took about six to eight episodes to finally gain an audience.   Gilda worked long hours, burned the candle at both ends, and was lonely, even with adoring crowds surrounding her.    As one friend indicated, working on Saturday nights didn't exactly help her social life.   But she persevered, and made a name and legacy for herself.

I know I am committing heresy here, but if you aren't familiar with Gilda Radner already, the footage of her famous Saturday Night Live bits and Broadway show will not exactly wow you.   The bits are not shown in proper context, and are just pieces of a bigger whole.   I also wasn't enthralled with the use of contemporary SNL stars like Bill Hader or Amy Poehler as interview subjects who also read from Gilda's diaries.   Maybe the filmmakers wanted to show how long a legacy Gilda Radner left for future generations.   My feeling, and this may not be the case, is the filmmakers are hedging their bets by throwing in some stars the younger generation may recognize, in case Martin Short or Chevy Chase were too much before their time.

The stronger parts outweigh the weaker ones by a decent margin in Love, Gilda, because we get a chance to glimpse into a weathered soul who had a brief, but memorable impact on the world of comedy.    Gilda Radner died thirty years ago, and even in her lowest moments, we saw the humor peeking out.   One of her last public appearances was a cameo appearance as herself on It's Garry Shandling's Show, in which she basked in the audience's adulation even at the expense of the bit.   "Well, I've been battling cancer, what about you?" she tells Shandling when he asked what she's been up to.    That quote is the essence of her.

He's Just Not That Into You (2009) * * *

Directed by:  Ken Kwapis

Starring:  Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Ginnifer Goodwin, Ben Affleck, Bradley Cooper, Scarlett Johansson, Jennifer Connelly, Luis Guzman, Kevin Connolly, Justin Long, Kris Kristofferson

It is sometimes human nature to overanalyze instead of simply accepting the truth.   He's Just Not That Into You understands this and presents interlocking romantic stories illustrating the point.    I first heard the phrase "he's just not that into you" during a Sex and the City episode in which Carrie's boyfriend utters this dead-on observation when she makes excuses about why her date didn't come upstairs with her.    It is simple.   If someone likes you, he or she will make it happen with you.
If not, then they won't. 

Not all of the stories in He's Just Not That Into You are quite as simple.    We have a long-term relationship between Beth (Aniston) and Neil (Affleck) which dies on the vine because Neil does not want to get married.    He's a great guy, except for that deal-breaking sticking point.   There is Connor (Connolly) and Anna (Johansson), both of whom have wholly different expectations about where their relationship is headed.   In this case, Connor wants to commit, while Anna fools around with married Ben (Cooper), whose wife Janine (Connelly) puts more effort into their home remodeling than their sex life.    Then, on the perimeter is Gigi (Goodwin), who despite her perkiness and sweetness is unlucky in love, Alex (Long) who gives smart advice to Gigi about dating while keeping his emotional distance from her, and Mary (Barrymore) who laments the fact that technological leaps have only allowed for more ways for her to be rejected.

The actors buy into the material and the movie moves along swiftly to its fitting resolutions of each story.   I could've done without the interludes involving "real people" discussing their relationship woes, which is something Sex and the City also did in the first season before the idea was wisely discarded.    The movie's ideas aren't complicated, but some of the characters make them so, and they were all likable enough to keep me involved, which is what a good romantic comedy is supposed to do.  

Boomerang (1992) * * *

Directed by:  Reginald Hudlin

Starring:  Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, Halle Berry, David Alan Grier, Martin Lawrence, Grace Jones, Chris Rock, Geoffrey Holder, Lela Rochon, John Witherspoon, Eartha Kitt

To Marcus Graham (Murphy), women are disposable, so he can kick one to the curb due to one slight imperfection because there are plenty more where that came from.    He soon meets his match in Jacqueline (Givens), his new boss at the cosmetics conglomerate where he holds down a high-paying, high-profile job.   She likes him, sleeps with him, halfheartedly promises to call, and leaves him high and dry.   Marcus is hurt, not at all understanding the irony of the situation.    He may even be in love with Jacqueline, or is he just enjoying the challenge?   

Boomerang was a comeback of sorts for Eddie Murphy.   After a string of late 80's-early 90's flops, he returned with energy and good humor in Boomerang.    He got to show us his acting chops a little too.    We always knew he was a comedic genius, but here we see the tender side of him, and an ability to play a likable, flawed romantic leading man.    Even though Marcus is leading these women on, we still can't help but feel a little sorry for him when Jacqueline is messing with his head or when he can't see love right in front of him in Angela (Berry), who works with Marcus and is a sweet girl with a lot of heart.    Jacqueline doesn't have an agenda, nor is she getting revenge on Marcus in the name of all spurned women.    She is doing what comes naturally to her, and thinks of her own needs before others' needs.

There are some funny subplots to Boomerang, including an advertisement director (Holder) who makes the most inappropriate of ads for the company's new perfume line, a spoiled, diva company spokes model (Jones), and Marcus' friends Tyler and Gerard (Lawrence and Grier), who wish they had even one-quarter of the success with women that Marcus does.   We are also treated to a Thanksgiving dinner with Gerard's cheerfully vulgar parents.  And let's not forget the company's aging founder (Kitt) who makes it her mission to bed Marcus. 

Even though we know how things will turn out long before the characters have, Boomerang gives us a kinder, gentler Murphy who can grow and learn from his mistakes and be a better person in the long run.   The humor comes naturally from the characters, and believe it or not, there is some warmth here.    You wouldn't think there would be much in a movie about a player who gets the tables turned on him, but there you go.

Mary, Queen of Scots (2018) * * 1/2

Directed by:  Josie Rourke

Starring:  Saorise Ronan, Margot Robbie, David Tennant, Guy Pearce, Jack Lowden, Joe Alwyn, Gemma Chan, Adrian Lester, Ian Hart, James McArdle

Mary, Queen of Scots plays like a 16th-century soap opera, and it works on that level for the bulk of the movie.   But, I could not fully embrace it, despite the strong performances from Ronan and Robbie.    There comes a point in which people are double-crossing and triple-crossing each other, with allegiances changing on a dime.  Each Queen's advisory council muck everything up to the point in which it is a wonder why Elizabeth or Mary would take them seriously.    Mary, Queen of Scots soon feels like As the Queen's Court Turns.

I won't go into too much detail about all of the players involved, because it would drive me, and more importantly you, mad.    The movie begins at the execution of Mary in 1587 and flashes back to 1560.   Mary (Ronan) returns home to Scotland to sit on the throne of Scotland.   She is eighteen, but already widowed after living in France since her marriage at fifteen to a French royal.    She naively believes her authority as queen will be unchallenged, but her half-brother James (McArdle) and various clans are all looking to assert their power.    Scotland isn't exactly the land in which a female ruler was accepted easily.   In neighboring England, Queen Elizabeth I (Robbie) is more experienced at being a monarch, but her job is no less easy.    Her right hand William Cecil (Pearce) advises Elizabeth strongly to not name Mary as her successor, despite the fact that Elizabeth cannot produce an heir.    Soon, Elizabeth and Mary are at odds from afar, and this leads to potential war between the nations and a bitter rivalry between the two women, who only meet near the film's end after Mary is ousted as queen and sent into exile.   We soon learn what leads up to Mary's eventual execution, part of which is caused by Elizabeth's suspicions that Mary is a threat to her crown.

Mary is first expected to go through with an arranged marriage to Elizabeth's lover Robert Dudley (Alwyn), but in probably the most moving scene in the movie, Elizabeth backtracks on this union due to her jealousy over Robert.   Mary soon finds another suitor in Henry Stuart (Lowden), who pleases Mary enough sexually to win her over, although later finds he may not be the ideal husband.    He is looking to usurp her throne and is revealed to be homosexual: two things which would stand in the way of a successful marriage.   Mary soon has to endure numerous betrayals and attempts on her life and the crown.    Whoever said it was good to be the king (or queen in this case) didn't see this movie.

Ronan and Robbie give us two equally complex royals and polar opposite temperaments.   Mary is naive despite her worldly travel and education.   She is too trusting, too quick to forgive, and believes too much in her subjects' loyalty.   Elizabeth keeps her emotions close to the vest mostly, and while she is able to keep control of her court, the business of the monarchy has robbed her of her womanhood and her humanity.    "I am more man now than a woman," she tells Mary, mostly because she is the only female and an all-male club of scheming men who are positioning themselves for power.

Soon, Mary, Queen of Scots is bogged down by all of the royal intrigue and politics.   I found myself weary of it all.   I was intrigued out. 

Uncle Drew (2018) * * *

Directed by:  Charles Stone III

Starring:  Kyrie Irving, LilRel Howery, Tiffany Haddish, Nick Kroll, Shaquille O' Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson, Lisa Leslie, Erica Ash, Mike Epps, J.B. Smoove

We first hear about Uncle Drew (Irving), who fifty years ago was the greatest player in the history of The Rucker, a street basketball tournament in New York in which Drew was king.   NBA Hall of Fame players such as Bill Walton, Dikembe Mutumbo, and Steve Nash marvel at Drew's awesomeness in an ESPN 30 for 30 special.   But, on the eve of The Rucker's inaugural championship game, Drew's team disbanded and Uncle Drew vanished.    Why?   Rumors of Drew messing around with his teammate's girlfriend had a lot to do with it. 

Flash forward to present day, in which hapless coach/shoe salesman Dax (Howery) tries so desperately to keep his own team loyal on the eve of The 50th Rucker tournament that he gives them each $225 pairs of sneakers which he can't pay for.   Dax's gold digging girlfriend Jess (Haddish) agrees to pay for the sneakers, in return for 50% return on the winnings from the tournament.   She's all heart.   Dax's team soon jumps ship for Mookie (Kroll), a dickhead who once blocked Dax's potential game winning shot in high school and never let him forget it.   Down on his luck, Dax runs into the actual Uncle Drew on a local basketball court and hires him for the team.   Drew will play, but his terms are:   He will pick his own team, and soon rounds up his teammates from years ago to play in the tournament.    They include Preacher (Webber) who plays despite his wife's strenuous objections, Lights (Miller), who can't see anything, Boots (Robinson), who is wheelchair-bound, and Big Fella (O'Neal), who harbors a long-nursed grudge against Drew, likely because Drew slept with his girlfriend. 

There isn't a moment of Uncle Drew which isn't predictable, but it is still pretty fun, even if you realize the old timers play with limitless energy and can run circles around the youngsters.   Uh huh.  But, Uncle Drew isn't meant to be grounded in realism.   It is family-friendly sports comedy, with Irving and his teammates playing old rather convincingly, except when are playing hoops.   Howery, from Get Out, is a likable hero, and no points for guessing he will soon be put into a situation where he is on the court again with Mookie.   Does he get a chance at redemption?   What do you think? 

Uncle Drew throws in some inside jokes, such as Drew reminding Preacher that they have no more time outs left (an allusion to Webber's famed NCAA championship game guffaw), and Big Fella as a rather lousy free throw shooter.   Those references may fly over some people's heads, but I found them pretty funny.    Even if you don't know a basketball from a tennis ball, Uncle Drew is still harmless fun.