Rob Reiner

Alex & Emma (2003)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(On TV, November 2020) I am an incredibly forgiving audience for movies discussing the craft of fiction writing, and it boggles my mind that Alex & Emma slipped under my radar for a good… ugh… seventeen years. At least it does offer a way to go back in time and see decent performances from the younger Kate Hudson and Luke Wilson. He is a writer with a severe writer’s block and gambling problem; she is a stenotypist hired to make him write a complete novel in thirty days. If he doesn’t write, he doesn’t get paid and he doesn’t pay back his gambling debt and he probably dies at some point. The stakes are thus established, and so is the basic ludicrousness of the premise: I know a lot of writers, and even those rare ones who use Dictaphones and voice recognition would rather stop writing (and maybe even die) than trust someone else to deliver a finished manuscript. Still, let’s give that one a bit of disbelief: There’s nothing less interesting than a writer typing away (or, most often, staring blankly into space as they plot and plan and try to find the right words), so having a writing partner is essential to having a movie… and a romantic plot. For he is writing a romance, and soon the parallels between their situation and the story being recreated on-screen predictably emerge. She pokes and prods and questions his choices; he changes his mind and so do the imaginary excerpts of the story—Since they play their avatars, Hudson ends up playing three or four different roles as he keeps changing the identity of her character. It’s an amiable, highly dramatized look at the life of novel writers: director Rob Reiner keeps things light and amusing until a predictably dramatic third act, and the film is easy enough to watch, with a few chuckles along the way. It’s not demanding watching, and that often doesn’t quite play smoothly enough: it’s not clear if he’s a talented writer, and it’s not clear if what he’s writing is meant to be serious or a simple potboiler. (It’s probably genre fiction, but that leads to further questions about his career that the film does a bad job explaining: it would make far better sense if he had half a dozen novels already published rather than just one.) Comparisons with Paris When It Sizzles are not at all complimentary—but then again, Hudson and Wilson are not Holden and Hepburn. Still, I liked Alex & Emma almost as much as I expected to: it’s a bit of fluff, but a bit of fluff in a domain that I like hearing about.

Rumor Has It… (2005)

Rumor Has It… (2005)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(In French, On TV, June 2020) If you’re willing to concede that Rumor Has It has more to do with the way people behave in Hollywood films than in real life, then it’s not quite as terrible is it looks in the first place. Ill-conceived from the start as a “sequel” of sorts to The Graduate, it sets itself up for failure early on, as it clearly doesn’t have what it takes to fulfill its ambitions, nor the guts to actually do anything truly transgressive. Instead, director Rob Reiner (working from a script by Ted Griffin, the first director of the film, fired early in the production) plays everything like a frothy meaningless romantic comedy. It’s a dumb comedy with puppet-like characters in many ways—the premise simply isn’t believable, and the characters seldom behave like real people. This is not necessarily a bad thing in the world of romantic comedies—but it is here, as the characters go for wild speculations rather than anything like realistic conclusions. (i.e.: if someone is born barely nine months after their parent’s wedding, do you speculate about honeymoon whoopee or leap to the conclusion that the mom had an affair?) If Rumor has It has a quality, it’s probably a cast with several familiar names—But it has its limits. Kevin Costner was still in the phase where he could convincingly play older romantic leads, but Jennifer Anniston is unusually bland in the lead role. Supporting characters include Richard Jenkins, Mark Ruffalo, Christopher MacDonald, Mena Suvari and a rather good late-career turn from Shirley MacLaine—who does give Costner a scene worth a look. Alas, the rest of Rumor Has It is a disappointment. It’s not as funny as it thinks it is and it’s afraid to be eccentric while playing with eccentric elements: By the time it ends, the lead couple is so exasperating that the climactic reunion feels like a bad idea.

Shock and Awe (2017)

Shock and Awe (2017)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(On Cable TV, May 2019) As someone who stood by aghast as the United States rushed into the invasion of Iraq back in 2002–2003, I’m naturally predisposed to like Shock and Awe, a dramatization of how the Knight Ridder staff consistently reported accurate information about the rush to war … only to be ignored by much of the mainstream press which, at the time, was uncritically relaying the Bush administration’s message. There are a few great messages here about an independent press, skepticism of government, analysis-based decision-making (rather than the other way around) and perseverance in the face of mass delusions. Director Rob Reiner features stirring speeches, confrontation scenes with deceivers, hints of conspiracy in journalists meeting sober-minded sources and characters trading J-school best practices. This is good stuff, and the film does act as a reminder (for people my age) or primer (for younger viewers) on the events of the time. The relevance of such a film won’t be lost, as today’s headlines have to do with another administration mounting another war in the Middle East under a steady drum of impeachment talk. But as much as Shock and Awe acts as catnip for a political junkie, there’s a clear difference between its blunt approach and the more subtle machinations of something on the level of, say, The Post: it’s overstuffed with inelegant exposition, rushing through facts while not always giving characters the breathing room to live. Even a dating scene, meant to humanize the characters, ends up being a blatant as-you-know vehicle. It’s not enough to make me dislike the film (in fact, I do like it a lot), but a bit more attention to characters could have made it stronger, and one that doesn’t necessarily play to a sympathetic crowd such as myself. The issues with the screenplay are so fundamental that they obscure really good work done by capable actors—one day, we will have to talk about Woody Harrelson and his choice of roles as one of the most progressive actors of his generation. Other names such as James Marsden, Tommy Lee Jones and Jessica Biel show that they can be counted upon to deliver a serviceable performance no matter the circumstance. But even if having the right intentions is crucial, having the right methods is essential.

The American President (1995)

The American President (1995)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(In French, On TV, April 2019) At this point in American history, the idea of a likable, virtuous, law-abiding president is the stuff of comforting fantasy, so here’s The American President to remind us of what that was like. This rather charming romantic comedy takes on the premise of having a widowed president woo a lobbyist. Written by Aaron Sorkin, the film can certainly be seen as a dry run for The West Wing—voluble, clever, and idealistic at once. (Checking the film’s original English-language quotes, it’s obvious that the film loses something in translation.)  Even though other movies and shows have mined the same terrain since 1995, The American President still provides an interesting glimpse at the heart of a presidency, and doesn’t forget to tackle the more honest aspects of the power dynamics of a relationship between the president and a citizen. A great cast anchors Rob Reiner’s straightforward direction: While Michael Douglas gets to play the president opposite Annette Bening’s fiery lobbyist, the film can also count on Martin Sheen (I told you it was a West Wing dry run), Michael J. Fox and John Mahoney. The American President is a good movie, but the current political context makes it even better, with its romance being as idealistic as its political nature—presupposing a president of good moral character and a concerned effort to curb emission gasses. It is a bit disheartening to hear a film nearly twenty-five-year-old tackling things that really should have been done back then. But when it comes to escapism, Hollywood does it best.

Misery (1990)

Misery (1990)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(In French, On TV, July 2016) Stephen King’s Misery is a memorable novel (even and especially now, touching upon the themes of fannish entitlement that have grown so tediously familiar latterly), and its movie adaptation (partially thanks to screenwriter William Goldman) manages to be as good, in its own way, as the original book. James Caan ably plays a best-selling author who, thanks to an accident, comes to rest in an isolated farmhouse under the supervision of his self-professed “number one fan” (a terrifying Kathy Bates in a career-best performance) who turns out to be completely crazy in dangerous ways. What follows is so slickly done as to transform King’s writer-centric thriller into a horrifying experience for everyone. Director Rob Reiner is able to leave his comedic background behind in order to deliver a slick thrill ride, gradually closing off the protagonist’s options even as it becomes clear that he’s up against a formidable opponent. While the film does soften a few of the book’s most disturbing or gory moments, it does not lack for its own unbearable scenes. A solid, competent thriller, Misery easily ranks near the top of King’s numerous adaptations, and remains just as good today as it was a quarter of a century ago.

And so it Goes (2014)

And so it Goes (2014)

ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

(Video on Demand, January 2015)  The modern drive to transform movies into non-stop spectacles means that middle-of-the-road character-based comedies such as And so it Goes are often forgotten among so many other viewing choices.  And that’s too bad, because they often offer satisfying acting performances by well-known names, gentle humor, quiet pacing and heartwarming conclusions.  There isn’t, to be clear, anything new or challenging in And so it Goes: Michael Douglas stars as an embittered real-estate agent drawing back into his shell after a series of setbacks.  Fortunately, there’s Diane Keaton as a lounge singer widow to draw him out of his shell, alongside a number of other supporting characters including an estranged granddaughter.  We all know where that kind of story is going, and that’s part of the charm.  Veteran director Rob Reiner isn’t interested in flash, and the unspectacular result might have been better, but it goes down nicely given appropriate exceptions.  The focus of And so it Goes on older leads, addressing similarly-older audiences, is not a bad change of pace, even though there’s a pervasive feeling that the film should have been quite a bit more than what it is.