The Young Victoria (2009)

This is a good film. That being said, it isn't exactly historically accurate.
With the new series airing on PBS, I decided to watch this film because I enjoyed it far more when it was released seven years ago than this new show. But both say different things.
Emily Blunt (as Victoria) is great. She is a brilliant actress long overdue for an Oscar nomination, but surprisingly, Jenna Coleman is better in the show as Victoria, capturing her youth better. Sure, they have the same spunk and spirit and hate Sir John Conroy (Mark Strong) with equal passion, but sorry Blunt, Coleman's better. That literally pains me to say.
Now, both miscast Lord Melbourne (Paul Bettany). When Victoria takes the throne, just after her eighteenth birthday (her uncle [Jim Broadbent] fortunately lived past her eighteenth birthday just as he always dreamed and prayed and hoped to avoid a regency), Lord M would have been about fifty-eight years old and slightly chubby, not attractive as he is in both the film and series.
The film focuses more on the romance between Albert (Rupert Friend, who needs more roles) than the show (so far, there have only been three episodes) which is welcome. Certainly it must be awkward for a guy in the late 1830s to have to be proposed to as Victoria needs to do that herself. And she is livid when he tries to find something to do to be useful and help her transition to having a new prime minister.
While she claims to be a strong person, she is easily influenced by her prime minister Lord M but at least she stands up to the controlling and cunning Sir John. But it comes at a price, nearly ruining the relationship with her mother (Miranda Richardson) and Albert doesn't like her long standing and dedicated governess (Jeanette Hain) so she is sent away.
The film ends with Victoria finally treating Albert as her equal, placing his desk along side her own and mending the fences with her mother after the birth of her first child.
Despite looking brilliant, the film has its flaws, namely being historically inaccurate, but the performances are solid and the script isn't bad, though Julian Fellows did write it, so it does scan a period of several years flirting over some major issues in the the history during that time period, which the series doesn't. However, this film shows Victoria as being rather unpopular until she married Albert, showing that she couldn't rule without a man, I just wonder what would have happened if she never married or chose differently, what would have become? Grade: B+

Florence Foster Jenkins (2016)

Meryl Streep secured her record-shattering twentieth Oscar nomination for this film and, I don't know what to say.
She embodies the role, a dying woman who adores music. She is a patron of the arts in 1944 New York City, excellent as Madam Florence Foster Jenkins tone-deaf to her own disastrous singing. While the film is supposed to be about her somehow inspiring people despite her obvious lack of talent, I found the film to be more about how protective her husband St. Clair Bayfield (Hugh Grant) goes about sheltering her from the truth, bribing critics and friends who attend her concerts and when a bad review is published, he goes to great lengths to bury the story, throwing the papers away in the trash. He is truly dedicated to her, and loves her greatly but isn't faithful to her. You see, Florence (in Streep's best scene) contracted syphilis on her wedding night with her first husband and now is dying a slow and probably painful death, thus her second marriage has never been consummated, so St. Clair has to seek that need elsewhere though his mistress leaves him before the film is over.
While Florence has an interesting life, I can't help but wonder if St. Clair was truly acting in Florence's best interests. Though she did have her fans, despite her horrid voice, she had just as many people who laughed at her. I wish she would have been told the truth and figured out some other way to fulfill her dreams. She was a talented pianist before the syphilis. And it is truly a shame that she was given that horrid disease and the medications to treat it had just as horrid side effects and her final performance, fulfilling her life long dream of singing at Carnegie Hall did indeed kill her. She died later that year, but the troops loved her and she did what she could to support them in return. While she was a wonderful and kind woman, withholding the truth did her no favors, only hurting more when she finally learned what some actually thought of her and all that extraordinary effort St. Clair put in was in vain.
The film also features an odd performance from The Big Bang Theory's Simon Helberg as Cosme McMoon, Florence's new pianist. His voice and speech patterns are just weird and timid. He both loves and is embarrassed by Florence.
Streep is great and somehow manages to sing horridly and make it realistic. She is both a strong and weak character who loves sandwiches and potato salad. (Another great scene is when she hosts a luncheon and the maid has a bathtub full of it.) She delivers another great performance and Grant is great support, in easily his best role to date. Grant is dedicated to her and will do anything for her, but alas, she cannot fulfill his needs, but no one else will ever mean as much to him as Florence. The film is also filled with great costumes and sets, but ultimately, the film failed to make an impact on me. I guess I'm getting harder to please in my old age. (I'm twenty-six.) Grade: B

The Middle: Pitch Imperfect

Well, the Heck children are growing up. Axl (Charlie McDermott) will hopefully graduate college in four months and his concerned parents want to make sure that he understands that he knows he must find a job because he can't live with them forever. So he sets out to the job fair, only to find out that he's late. Everyone else there is a junior and even his roommate, Kenny (Tommy Bechtold) can't toss him a bone as he was hiring for his app business twelve months ago. Kenny's talking more now, he's had two lines in the past two episodes. So Axl sets out to have an interview at Mr. Norwood's (Pat Finn's) business, doing whatever they do there.
Sue (Eden Sher) asks Brad (J. Brock Ciarlelli) to join her no-cut a capella group and immediately he's elected leader and is horrified with what he sees. But he whips them into shape. And Sue even needs to fight for them to have a spot in the competition but everyone quits after seeing real groups, except for Sue and Brad. The audience hates them at first and they use that hate to their advantage and eventually they clap for them. But an a capella group probably should have cuts if they want to compete and win trophies even though cuts suck.
And Brick (Atticus Shaffer) is told firmly by Cindy (Casey Burke) that he should spend less time reading. I'm surprised that's the first time someone mentioned that to him. Mike (Neil Flynn) and Frankie (Patricia Heaton) argue over who should help him, though in the end, they both do, saying that because that relationship is still young and new, compromise is key. So they do, reading a book together, Brick having to turn the pages before he's totally finished because Cindy is a faster reader than him. Audio books don't work out either but somehow Brick persuades her to read his beloved Planet Nowhere books as those books are literally a part of him and she loves them, so they can stay together. The family that reads together stays together.
Axl has his big breakdown in front of Cindy reading, though she probably ignored the whole thing, as he didn't get the job he interviewed for, but Mike assures him that this is only a temporary setback as he is social like Frankie and actually likes people and Mike also did stupid things when he was younger also.
So everything is fine again, Sue is happy and so is Brad, which is probably more important and Brick and Cindy are just adorable reading Planet Nowhere together, finally bonding over something, even if they aren't communicating as much as a couple should. I still wish that this episode was more important but it wasn't bad. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Axl still has the tie Mike tied for him, so he's good.
-Frankie is never buying ribs from a garage sale again. She knew it was too good to be true. That line had me laughing so hard.
-Also, for whatever reason, she boils Mike's work socks on the stove.
-Axl thinks there are much better things that can be done on that couch rather than just reading.
-Sue loves living in the fancy apartment and is upset that money can truly buy happiness.
-The toilet in that apartment is smart and Sue didn't realize before how dumb all the other toilets she's used before are.
-Frankie and Mike still pretend to care and compromise about what the other is doing.
-Axl looked good in those new clothes he bought, just saying.

Hidden Figures (2016)

This was another good film taking place not far away in a time not long ago, but in a different time when people were treated differently based solely on the color of their skin.
Katherine Goble (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) work for NASA, in the colored computers division. (Computers in this case are actual human beings.) Assignments are doled out daily without an official supervisor but even Vivian Mitchell (Kirsten Dunst) is surprised when the Space Task Group needs someone to check the numbers used for launching men into space and helping them land again safely. Katherine has always been brilliant with numbers and gets the call, working her butt off as one of the two women in that room where she must travel half a mile just to go to the bathroom. When her boss finds that out, he (Kevin Costner) is furious and ends segregation at NASA for good. This NASA headquarters is in Virginia and it is 1961; they even have a separate colored section in the library, with only certain books allowed. But the women somehow, despite the obstacles, succeed. Mary petitions the court and sweet talks the judge, using facts to be allowed to take classes at an all-white high school so she can become an engineer and Dorothy learns about computers and eventually knows the IBM better than the guys who put it together. When she gets reassigned, she takes the rest of the women with her.
Despite some hurdles and tense moments, Katherine's calculations help John Glenn (the much too-young Glen Powell) land safely. America has won the space race.
Now, yes, this film did play it safe, keeping everything family-friendly, but that doesn't make it any less effective. These women are strong, having to be in a man's world and they are also wives and mothers. This film also focuses a bit on Katherine's love life, with Jim Johnson (Mahershala Ali) who is surprised at her job, though he does apology and uses the great that she is everything, not just something.
The acting is excellent, with Mary's overreactions and Dorothy's silence ultimately serving the same purpose, they are great. This film also delves into how Russia is competing with the space race and how segregation was tearing this country apart.
I have only two tiny problems with the film, including Katherine wearing her engagement ring before Jim proposed (in such a sweet way) and that it is 1960s and no one is shown smoking. While I should be grateful that it isn't shown, coming off The Crown, where several characters were chain-smokers, it feels weird that smoking isn't shown.
But the feel is still there, and some characters even have quirks, with Katherine running in her high heels and pushing up her glasses up her nose. It is a great film, one that I could easily watch again. Grade: A-

Lion (2016)

This is another great, touching film.
Saroo (Sunny Pawar) is just a little boy growing up in India, with too much responsibility though his older brother, Guddu (Abhishek Bharate) has much more, as they are a family of laborers and then little Saroo insists on helping his brother lift hay bales but is too tired and Guddu leaves him at the train station, but Saroo wakes up and wanders onto the train looking for his brother and then the train starts moving.
It doesn't stop until it reaches Calcutta which is 1200 kilometers away and he doesn't even speak the proper language, Bengali, he only knows Hindi. Though the orphanage isn't a great place, it is better than the streets and the pimp he was almost sold to. And fortunately, he is one of the lucky ones, soon adopted by the loving and kind Australian couple the Brierleys John (David Wenham) and Sue (Nicole Kidman). Things go so great with Saroo that they adopt another the following year, but this boy is troubled and hits himself and it doesn't improve with age. 
Saroo (now Dev Patel) grows up well but doesn't think much about his past until he takes a hotel management class in Melbourne where he meets other people from India, along with the American Lucy (Rooney Mara, wasted in this role) and upon seeing some traditional Indian candy, all of his memories come flooding back. For the next four years he is torn apart inside, struggling to find his hometown using Google Earth, the internet and his faint memories. He believes that this will tear his mother apart as his brother, Mantosh (Divian Ladwa) will disappear for days at a time. Fortunately, when he finally does break down and tell her, she is supportive and wants his biological mother to see how great he became. 
The reunion is moving and I cried. After all those years, his mother never gave up hope that he was still alive and would come back to find her, which he did, after twenty-five years. However, his brother, whom he believed spent years sobbing over losing his brother, was in fact, dead, had died the same night Saroo wandered off. 
It might be a simple film, but it is everything, showing how adoption is. In this case, John and Sue believed the world already had too many people in it, so they took care of some people already in it, such a touching reason.
While the film is great I do have some problems with it. I would have liked to have seen Saroo actually being a success when I mostly just saw him searching on the internet and having angst and difficulties in dealing with all the unanswered questions surrounding his childhood. The only time they mentioned something else was when his father visited upon hearing he quit his job. Also, Lucy was almost a non-character, barely serving a purpose and Rooney Mara is too good of an actress for a role like that. Kidman and Patel were excellent though. I would also have liked a little more with the troubled Mantosh, maybe mentioning what was wrong and if they tried to get help, though one can assume they would. 
The rest of the film, including the scenes in India showing how poor and crowded the country is is done with grace and realism. Also interesting is that Saroo learns he mispronounced his name when he was young, it is actually Sheru which means lion, the title of the film. And this whole thing was based on a true story, showing how powerful the internet can truly be. Grade: A-

The Crown: Season One Recap and Reaction

This show is excellent, covering a lengthy period in just ten episodes, from Elizabeth's (Claire Foy's) 1947 wedding to Prince Philip (Matt Smith) to 1955, and does so effortlessly. While I loved most everything about the show, I will mention my squabbles: during Elizabeth's coronation, though some of the focus is on her, they resort to the voice over of her uncle, who abdicated the thrown when she was ten, David (Alex Jennings), which is a poor choice and almost ruins the precious, rare moment. There is also plenty of focus on Princess Margaret's (Vanessa Kirby's) romance with the divorced commoner Peter Townsend (Ben Miles) who works for the family and while it is realistic and tastefully done, I wish they focus more on foreign affairs, such as the new Prime Minister's difficulties with Egypt in the final episode confused me.
But the performances were excellent, with John Lithgow shining as Winston Churchill and Foy fully deserves every award bestowed to her as getting under the Queen's skin. However, though both Victoria Hamilton as the Queen Mother and Matt Smith should be given far more scenes as they are great in their roles while Greg Wise (as Philip's uncle) is wasted in his. Philip especially struggles in his role, feeling second-rate, without a purpose.
But the costumes and scenery shine with every detail sought after. I especially found it interesting when Princess Margaret, in Africa, wanted to call her sister and the whole process that was without cell phones.
My favorite episode, also the far saddest, is the fourth episode when the deadly smog took over the city of London for five days, a dreadful experience, but it combined the conflicting roles of Elizabeth, as both queen and member of a family.
This show is a must-watch and will be completely enjoyed. Grade: A-

Chaplin (1992)

Charlie Chaplin (Robert Downey, Jr) had an amazing life. He was a genius for the advancement of films and a brilliant comedian, but he also loved teenage girls and many believed him to be a communist. That's plenty, probably too much for a film and yet, this one covered it all, but doesn't stop to focus on any one moment and suffers for it.
Downey, Jr is excellent but isn't given enough time to shine, though he is in basically every scene and he was perfectly cast in the role despite being American portraying the British Chaplin. This film floats from his early days in Hollywood, to his paternity case in the mid-1940s to him finally receiving the recognition he deserved in 1972. There is no mention of how big of a scandal it was when he (at age 54) married the mere eighteen-year-old Oona O'Neill (Moira Kelly) and their children are glazed over, such a shame.
It does tell a little of his friendship with Douglas Fairbanks (Kevin Kline) but it doesn't mention how they along with America's Sweetheart Mary Pickford (the perfectly cast Maria Pitillo), actually Canadian, created their own studio to have complete control over their projects, how radical. The film also delves in to J. Edgar Hoover's (Kevin Dunn) investigation of him, eventually banning him from the country, Charlie would return only once to receive his award.
I would have liked more of Charlie working on his films and focusing on one part of his life, probably the time period when he faced his paternity suite which was also during the early part of his marriage to Oona, or perhaps the making of one of his famous films, instead of only showing a little part of each, though he was extremely dedicated to his work and was immensely talented.
And though they aged Downey, Jr properly, and with great effort, they don't bother with Oona which is just awkward. Chaplin, brilliant man that was he, deserved far better than this for a film about his remarkable life. Grade: B

The Middle: Hoosier Maid

Well, it finally happened. Frankie (Patricia Heaton) finally won something from all those contests she entered throughout the years. She wins free maid service twice a week for a month, but then her maid shows up. Esther (Mary Gillis) is old and Frankie feels guilty so she is sent another maid who tries but the Heck house is too far gone for her skills to handle. She now knows how hard it is to get good help, confirming what she has always heard from the rich.
Mike (Neil Flynn) has bigger problems: his father (John Cullum) is now using a cane to get around and won't say what happened. He's sleeping downstairs and Mike is super worried about him. So much so that he gets Rusty (Norm McDonald) involved which always makes the situation awkward. Rusty also can acknowledge that his father is getting old and believes that the perfect solution is to send him off to war so he can die with honor. If that can't work, then Big Mike should move in with the Hecks but they have no room, which is also true. But then a random person Rusty picked up to drive around told them about assisted living which Mike immediately jumps on board with while Rusty is still hesitant, and abandons ship when Big Mike turns it down instantly but Mike stands firm.
Now, Axl (Charlie McDermott) is having some housing issues as snow leaked through the hole in the roof of the Winnebago so they illegally move into Sue's (Eden Sher's) temporary housing and April (Greer Grammer) spoils it for them by running into the RA Dan (Aaron Hill) and spilling the beans so all five of them get kicked out and are forced to return to the Winnebago, which leads to some close quarters too close for Lexie's (Daniela Bodadilla's) comfort with Axl being so close. Remember when Axl foolishly thought that Lexie had a crush on him before and his beliefs continue even though he is still with April and then they share a barely special moment over some marshmallow fluff and then she trips and he catches her in that classic dip move in all those classic romantic films. Though a spark flies between them, Lexie immediately brushes it off and tells him to let her fall the next time. And then she gives in and takes up her father on his offer to pay for an apartment for them to live in and Sue is enjoying the luxury, while Lexie is only mildly upset that she is missing on the authentic college experience.
In the end, Frankie does finally get a good maid who waxes the kitchen floor only to have Brick immediately spill sticky orange juice all over, but that is her last free time so her house will soon go back to being a huge mess. But at least Big Mike is doing better and it only took one trip to the bathroom to solve his problems. He is fine again, so he doesn't have to take up Mike on his offer to have Big Mike move in because he felt guilty. Big Mike says that when death is near, he's just going to go out in the woods and lay down and die.
Thank goodness this episode was so much better than last week's and sort of even gave me a couple to ship though that is mostly because I don't like April at all and Axl needs someone better, and if that's Lexie so be it. But it was more important for Mike to realize how valuable his father truly is to him. I just Brick (Atticus Shaffer) had been given more to do as he is a great character. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Axl and his roommates can hide and pretend they don't live somewhere oddly quickly as  though they have done it before.
-He uses all of Hutch's (Alphonso McAuley's) intimate belongings, such as his boxers and toothbrush, which is just gross.
-Axl also thinks being divorced makes him extra hot.
-Lexie had the best lines in this episode: "I'm eating ramen out of tupperware." "You have a big ego for such a little house."
-Big Mike has fifteen vacuums but can't part with any of them.
-Brick's big moment is finding a spoon in the garbage disposal.
-Mike has no allusions about Axl's living arrangements, knowing that he will be back in that house after he graduates.

La La Land (2016)

This is a delightful, melancholy film which starts out with an amazing musical number in a traffic jam in Los Angeles before we meet the main characters: Jazz pianist Sebastian (Ryan Gosling) and aspiring actress and lackluster barista Mia Dolan (Emma Stone). The first part is told first from her point of view and then from his. He struggles to find steady work as he wants to play traditional jazz, not the crappy playlist he is given and she kills it in auditions but the casting director is more concerned with what sandwich she should eat that day. Then, after her car is towed away, she hears his music and just can't walk away, too bad he's too pissed to care about an admirer.
Fortunately, they meet again, Mia doing her best to get Sebastian to notice her and this time, it works though he isn't thrilled about the whole thing and this time Mia's got a boyfriend, Greg (Finn Wittrock) though that ends and for a few months, she and Sebastian have that super cute relationship that you only see in movies, something that every girl, including myself, wants and wishes for. Of course, problems arise as they are broke and have sort of conflicting dreams but soon Sebastian is touring with this modern jazzy band led by his friend Keith (John Legend) from college and Mia is writing her one-woman show though that flops upon opening. This ends the relationship as she feels that he sold out by touring with The Messengers, she returns home though soon somehow Sebastian gets the call from a casting director who wants to meet with Mia so he drives to her hometown and drives her back for the audition. Which she nails and her film career is launched, only their relationship remains over. The film is in Paris and Sebastian still has that contract. The film flashes forward five years, each living their dream, Sebastian opening his own authentic jazz lounge and Mia is famous, but is married to someone else (Tom Everett Scott).
As they once again lock eyes in a jazz club, you see an alternate history, one where Sebastian doesn't brush off Mia's admiration and instead embraces them, in this one, they live out their dreams, at least Mia does, you don't know exactly if Sebastian does or not and they end up together, happy, linking arms at the club, instead of space between Mia and her husband at Sebastian's club. But that isn't what really happened, and you're left wondering which path would be better for Sebastian and Mia.
Though the story is excellent, told with sweeping long shots and superb mise-en-scene (the set decoration and costumes, everything the camera captures), the musical numbers are also great. Gosling may not be the best singer or dancer (in fact, his singing is probably the weakest part of the film), he kills it playing the piano though Stone easily out dances the crap out of him. But they deliver outstanding performances and deserve every award they get and so much more. This film is inspired by the old musicals of Hollywood's Golden Era and makes that genre new and fresh. People clapped at the end of this film in the theatre, something that hasn't happened in some time. And it was well deserved. This film will be remembered and celebrated, and has little to complain about and those things can be overlooked. Though Hollywood's Golden Era has long since past, this film could herald in the next Golden Age of Hollywood Musicals. Grade: A

The Middle: Escape Orson

Well, this is going to be a sucky year for the Hecks, as opposed to every other year that has existed.
Sue (Eden Sher) still doesn't have a dorm room in college and Axl (Charlie McDermott) is upset that April (Greer Grammer) is spending the day with her grandmother so he has no choice but to spend time with his family and Brick (Atticus Shaffer) announces that Cindy (Casey Burke) has had another growth spurt, so now she's even taller than him.
But then Sue hands Frankie (Patricia Heaton) a pile of coupons and she finds one that is going to expire today which means the whole family is going to the Escape Room.
Now, having been to an escape room, I can say that they are a lot of fun, but I wouldn't really want to go with my parents and Axl isn't thrilled either.
And they run into the overachieving Donohues and are now determined to beat their time, which will probably never happen but they are going to try.
However, after eight seasons, you would think we would know pretty much everything about these characters, but no, apparently, Sue is brilliant at winning board games and the family believes that she is their secret weapon. This turns out to be false and Sue does something completely out of character, she has cheated at these games for her whole life. Given Sue's personality and her ridiculous inability to lie, I can't believe that she would be able to successfully cheat at all these games, stealing money from the bank at Monopoly and creating characters when she didn't know who was on her card and Axl tries to keep her secret but in the end, he just can't.
Naturally, the Hecks are disappointed but use the lazy host's inattention to their questions to their advantage and get two more minutes added so they have time to escape and this time they listen to Axl and open the door, only to find a brick wall. But this time, Sue pushes some bricks in and the wall disappears and they actually win the old-fashioned way. Sue is thrilled that this win is genuine.
There are two rather wan minor plots. Brick believes that the sixth person the Hecks are put with to escape the room is his favorite author and he tries to solve that mystery though as it turns out the gentleman is a fumigator of insects.
Frankie also remembered her dream where she was kissing Frank Sinatra, but nothing major. Mike (Neil Flynn) takes this to heart and tries to be more considerate of her and even asks how her day went before planting the most romantic kiss in the history of the show on her lips.
Unfortunately, though I love the idea of having an escape room on a sitcom, this show was by far the worst of the season as I hated what they did to Sue's character. She can barely keep a lie and vomits every time she steals something so I find this completely out of a character which upsets me. That being said, I also found it odd that her hidden talent was winning at board games, but I would have preferred that over what the writers decided to do, though they attempted to make it funny, but this episode also fell flat with laughs. And having the other guy there was just lame. Grade: B-
Side Notes:
-Every time someone says pee, Sue needs to pee.
-Frankie likes the middle-aged Frank Sinatra best, for whatever reason.
-The Donohues love helping the elderly shovel their sidewalks.
-I liked how dirty the Heck's car was from all the road salt needed with the snow fall on the streets.
-The theme of the escape room is escaping the zombie apocalypse.
-Brick didn't drink the brain juice but he did lick the jar, which is just odd.
-Axl is so gross he eats a chip he's been sitting on for maybe even hours. Sue is so hungry that so does she, again, out of character for her.
-The joke is on the Donohues, as the Hecks never have fun.
-The owner of the Escape Room's name is Rowdy which is also odd.

The Fundamentals of Caring (2016)

This is a simple little film.
Ben (Paul Rudd) is a lost man who can't divorce his wife and is still at a loss from the death of his young son three years ago, because of a faulty parking break.
He used to be a writer but now is very desperate for a job so he manages to find one as a caregiver for the insolent teenager Trevor (Craig Roberts) who is affected with a muscular disorder, confining him to a wheelchair and limiting his lifespan severely.
Trevor's life is dictated by routine despite his dreams to see weird stuff, like the world's deepest pit. And finally, his wife loving but slightly overprotective mother Elsa (Jennifer Ehle) lets him go.
And so the road trip begins, and along the way they meet two interesting characters the unrecognizable Selena Gomez as chain-smoking Dot who thinks that Denver will launch her singing career and Peaches (Megan Ferguson) whose car broke down when she is trying to get back home to her mother to have her baby while her husband is overseas, though I can't tell if she's lying or just not a good actress.
The trip continues and they meet Trevor's father which doesn't go well but the pit is actually a sight to behold and Ben faces his demons and helps deliver Peaches's baby. Dot reconnects with her father and he takes her the rest of the way to Denver.
Ben and Trevor return home and Ben finally signs the divorce papers and rekindles his writing career inspired by Trevor.
The film is simple but largely enjoyable though I find it unrealistic that they would have run into Dot's character twice , but the scenes with her and Trevor are probably the best of the film, as Paul Rudd, who hasn't aged in twenty years, has had better roles in better films (such as Clueless).
Still, it is nice seeing a film that deals with disabilities, I just wish the actor actually had that disease, that would have something truly amazing. Grade: B

What's Eating Gilbert Grape? (1993)

This is one of my favorite films for reasons I can't really explain.
Endora is a small mid-western town where nothing much happens. It is where Gilbert (the always wonderful Johnny Depp) lives with his family, his grossly overweight housebound mother (the amateur Darlene Cates), his mentally disabled younger brother Arnie (Leonardo DiCaprio, who should have won an Oscar for this film) and his two sisters, Amy (Laura Harrington) and Ellen (Mary Kate Schellhardt). He works at the local grocery store, which still does home deliveries and is losing business to the major chain grocery store in the next larger town. His only joy is his ill-fated and half-hearted affair with lonely housewife Betty Carver (Mary Steenburgen), whose insurance selling husband, Ken (Kevin Tighe) may or may not be abusive. The highlight of his year is watching the campers roll through with Arnie and this year, just before Arnie's miraculous eighteenth birthday, one camper breaks down.
Finally something happens. Gilbert meets the camper girl, the well-traveled and tolerant Becky (Juliette Lewis) who doesn't mind Arnie's antics and admires Gilbert for maintaining him as best he can. Gilbert slowly falls in love with her, though he knows her stay is only temporary. While Gilbert breaks things off with Betty, nearly causing her to burn her house down, his best friend, Tucker (John C. Reilly) is ecstatic over the arrival of a new fast food chain, Burger Barn, though he gets enough work at as a handy man just trying to keep Gilbert's family home afloat.
Life gets complicated when Betty's husband dies under slightly murky circumstances and Arnie climbs the water tower for the last time, causing him to be taken to jail, which prompts Bonnie (Gilbert's mother) to leave the house for the first time in seven years, missing several important events, including the graduations of several of her children. It is a sight to behold and a sight that the townsfolk won't likely forget anytime soon, laughing at Bonnie the whole time, but she accomplishes her mission, getting Arnie out of jail without consequences.
The film ends on Arnie's eighteenth birthday, Bonnie thrilled that her son made it this far. She meets Becky and that goes well. Bonnie climbs the steps and later dies. Even in death, she can't escape people laughing at her, as a crane will be needed to get her out so Gilbert burns the house down.
Life moves on, and next year when the campers roll around, Gilbert and Arnie enjoy Becky and her grandmother going literally whatever the road will take them.
The film is great, filled with solid performances especially from DiCaprio and I love the rustic setting with a mismatched and falling apart house, just like in real life. The characters are realistically quirky and the roles were basically written for Depp and Lewis. There are a few consistency problems, like how can the father have committed suicide seventeen years ago when youngest child Ellen is only fifteen and then, something so minor only a trained eye can pick up on it. During one of the diner scenes with Gilbert and his friends, the amount of cereal in Bobby's (Crispin Glover's) bowl keeps changing.
Yet, despite Gilbert's creepiness of spying on Becky's camper, this is a great film, showing how characters need to be understood. I've seen this film four times and will see it four more times. Grade: A-