Of the many movies I watched in 2023 I’m not sure I saw one at odds with itself quite like “No Hard Feelings”. This tonally challenged cringe comedy from director Gene Stupnitsky can never seem to settle on what it wants to be. So much of its energy is spent being pointlessly crass as if desperately trying to earn the ‘raunchy comedy’ tag. But then it will almost randomly shift to a warm-hearted sentimental drama. Unfortunately for it (and us) the two mix together like water and oil.
Jennifer Lawrence plays 32-year-old Maddie Barker, an Uber driver and bartender living in the touristy and pricey Montauk, New York. Maddie is in a financial bind. Her car has been repossessed and she is in danger of losing the cozy house left to her by her late mother due to unpaid property taxes. She has three months to pay or she’ll lose her home. That’s when she spots and answers a rather odd posting on Craigslist.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing
Allison and Laird Becker (Laura Benanti and Matthew Broderick) are secretly looking for a young woman to help bring their shy and socially awkward 19-year-old son Percy (Andrew Barth Feldman) “out of his shell”. Percy has never been on a date, doesn’t have a driver’s license, and spends most of his time in his room playing video games and practicing on his keyboard. He’s set to go to Princeton in the fall and his parents (for some bizarre reason) believe he needs to drink, party, and most importantly have sex to be ready for college. Brilliant. Whoever completes the “job” gets a Buick Regal as payment.
Desperately needing a car, Maddie takes their offer with little consideration or shame. She quickly begins putting together a plan to seduce the much younger Percy. The ickiness of the premise is hard to get by especially when the movie makes it the centerpiece for much of its humor. Of course when in skilled hands comedy can be used to critique. But “No Hard Feelings” doesn’t feel like it’s critiquing anything.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing
It takes a few mindless mishaps, but Maddie eventually finds herself growing fond of Percy. Never to the point of ruling out having sex with him, but fondness to some degree. Stupnitsky (who co-wrote the script with John Phillips) throw in a handful of scenes that put aside the unfunny nonsense and tease what the movie could have been. They show a more sympathetic side of Maddie as she realizes her own need to grow up and mature. Sadly there just isn’t enough of that which is a big reason the story’s nice and tidy ending doesn’t work.
“No Hard Feelings” gives us glimpses of heart. But it’s almost always snuffed out by the witless physical comedy or the lazy raunchy gags which often seem to come out of nowhere. And of course it’s hard to shake the film’s premise. It does nothing to challenge or inform. It opens up no conservations and offers no real critique. Instead I was left wondering if this movie would have ever been made if the gender roles were reversed. Would anyone green-light a film about a 32-year-old man tricking and seducing a withdrawn and inexperienced 19-year-old girl? That question offers more food for thought than anything we get in “No Hard Feelings”.
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment is bringing Alexander Payne’s extraordinary “The Holdovers” to home video in a terrific collector’s edition combo-pack. Sparked by two of the best performances of the year from Paul Giamatti and Da’Vine Joy Randolph, this funny yet heartfelt dramedy has deservedly received widespread acclaim and should remain a major player throughout awards season.
This Blu-ray collector’s edition of “The Holdovers”, including the film on standard DVD and Digital, released on January 2nd. See below for a full synopsis and release information.
About the Film:
Year: 2023
Runtime: 133 Minutes
Director: Alexander Payne
Screenwriter: David Hemingson
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston, Brady Hepner, Ian Dolley, Jim Kaplan, Michael Provost, Andrew Garman, Naheem Garcia, Stephen Thorne
Certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with a score of 96% and nominated for 8 Critics Choice Awards including Best Picture, “The Holdovers” delivers an expert balance of comedy and warmth.
From acclaimed director Alexander Payne, “The Holdovers” follows a curmudgeonly instructor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school who is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker (newcomer Dominic Sessa) — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).
Special Features:
Alternate Ending – “Mary Continues On”
Deleted Scenes
Introduction by Alexander Payne
New Room
Making a Scene
The Road Back to Barton
Ancient History
The Cast of THE HOLDOVERS – Sit down with the cast of THE HOLDOVERS, including Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and newcomer Dominic Sessa, while they discuss getting into the minds of their characters. Meet the boys of Barton and learn more about director Alexander Payne’s casting process.
Working with Alexander – Hear the cast and crew about their on-set experience working with acclaimed director Alexander Payne.
Jacob Elordi had quite the breakout year in 2023. First came his much talked about performance as Elvis Presley in Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla”. Then came his role in Emerald Fennell’s try-hard disappointment “Saltburn”. Regardless of your thoughts on the movies, the 26-year-old Aussie took a major step up from his “Kissing Booth” features on Netflix and has positioned himself as one of the most interesting young talents in the business.
Elordi kicks of 2024 with yet another role that tests his range. He plays a serial killer in first-time director Jeffrey Darling’s “He Went That Way”, a true-crime thriller based on Conrad Hilberry’s 1987 nonfiction book “Luke Karamazov”. The film is built upon an inherently interesting premise and it certainly emphasizes Elordi’s magnetism. But it’s hindered by an inconsistent tone and a lack of emotional resonance which minimizes our connection to the characters and their stories despite being entertained by them.
Image Courtesy of Vertical
Darling (who sadly died in a surfing accident in 2022) begins his movie with the tag “This really (mostly) happened.” Set along the infamous Route 66, the story takes place during the Summer of 1964. It’s a period marked by a shift in American culture – something eluded to in an early montage but never really followed up on. From there we’re introduced to Bobby (Elordi) a tall, handsome, and unhinged roamer dumping a dead body in Death Valley, California.
A scene or two later we meet a fidgety Pepto-guzzling animal trainer named Jim (Zachary Quinto) as he’s traveling Route 66 with some rather unusual cargo. Jim is transporting his pet chimpanzee named Spanky to Chicago for a “private engagement”. We learn Spanky was once a fairly big celebrity, known by many and frequently making appearances on television. But his fame has fizzled leaving Jim to take their act on the road.
While stopped at a gas station Jim sees Bobby hitchhiking and decides to offer him a ride. Bobby is on his way to Michigan where he has a girlfriend named Bonnie (or so he says). But it doesn’t take long before Bobby starts showing his poorly suppressed violent side. He brandishes his beloved Derringer and intimidates the considerably more unassertive Jim who suddenly finds himself on a road-trip across the Southwest with a young sociopath.
Image Courtesy of Vertical
It’s easy to assume you know where the story is going. But Darling and writer Evan M. Wiener attempt to throw us a few curveballs. Most come in the strange relationship that forms between Jim and Bobby. The two begin warming up to each other in their own weird (and kinda twisted) ways. As they do, we’re fed tidbits of information about each of them although never enough to get a good grasp of who they are. The feelings and motivations that drive them are even more opaque, making it hard to have anything other than a surface-level connection to them.
Despite there being a flimsiness to their characters, the performances from Elordi and Quinto keep our attention and help elevate the material. But they can’t quite compensate for the lack of depth nor can they do much to steady the script’s uneven tone. There is some good tension from the grittier thriller side of the story and there are some amusing bits from the swings it takes at dark comedy. But the movie has the hard time balancing the two, leaving us often wondering what kind of movie Darling is going for. “He Went That Way” hits select theaters on January 5th.
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell make an attractive pair for sure. But that’s not enough to save the lackluster “Anyone But You”, a sparkless romantic comedy that checks off plenty of boxes while trying to get by on mere looks alone. Director Will Gluck offers up yet another spin on Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing”. But aside from a few glimmers of promise, this by-the-numbers rom-com never gets off the ground.
“Anyone But You” has one of those annoying stories where the driving conflict could easily be avoided or solved with one simple and obvious conversation. But that conversation doesn’t come until the very end which is a contrivance the flimsy script (penned by Gluck and Ilana Wolpert) desperately needs to keep going. And even then, it hits you with nothing that you won’t see coming from a mile away.
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Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell) meet in a coffee shop and proverbial sparks fly. They end up going back to his place where they spend all night talking before falling asleep in each other’s arms. Bea wakes up first and quickly slips out, terrified of the strong feelings she suddenly has for Ben. Heartbroken because she left without saying a word, Ben feels that he’s been duped, leading him to trash Bea to his best friend Pete (GaTa). But what he doesn’t notice is that Bea has returned to share how she feels and overhears Ben. She again slips away unnoticed. But as fate would have it, the two meet again six months later, both bitter and angry at the other but for much different reasons.
In a stroke of convenience, it turns out Bea’s sister (Hadley Robinson) is engaged to Ben’s friend (Alexandra Shipp). They’re set to be married in Sydney, Australia so everyone flies down under where they’ll spend the next few days at a luxurious oceanside estate. Bea and Ben’s growing animosity begins to threaten the wedding. That is until the two form a pact. In another convenient turn, both of their exes arrive for the wedding. So Bea and Ben agree to pretend they’re together in hopes of solving their problems with their former flames. Of course hijinks ensue.
The bulk of the film’s 100 minutes has us following this uninteresting group of rich and privileged people as they navigate their rich and privileged problems within their very rich and privileged world. There are moments of charm and there are times when we get flickers of romantic tension between Sweeney and Powell. But two good-looking people doesn’t automatically equal chemistry.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Powell is up for the task, but too often he’s handed dialogue that no amount of good acting could sell. It’s a little more complicated for Sweeney. Her room-temperature performance more closely resembles flat line-reading than anything from the heart. It isn’t until late into the movie that we actually see something from her that feels like real emotion. The mixed bag of supporting work doesn’t help. Some are able to overcome the material, but none can make their characters the slightest bit compelling.
And if the corny dialogue, bland characters, and predictable story weren’t enough, the vain attempts at humor only makes things worse. This is especially true with the physical comedy, most of which is embarrassingly bad for everyone involved. So many of the other gags land with a thud as well. It’s all so painfully unfunny that the movie is never able to recover once it does try to be more serious. It leaves us with an uninspired mess of a movie lacking even a trace of heart, humor, or humanity to cling to. “Anyone But You” is in theaters now.
On October 13, 1972 a plane carrying an Uruguayan rugby team crashed high in the snow-covered Andes Mountains. Many among the 40 passengers and five crew members were killed instantly. Several more died shortly afterward from the severity of their injuries combined with the bitter cold temperatures. Authorities searched for the wreckage but canceled after eight days. More died from starvation, exposure, and a horrific avalanche. After surviving 72 days, 16 survivors were rescued.
The true story of that ill-fated flight has been brought to screen several times including in Frank Marshall’s 1993 film “Alive” starring a young Ethan Hawke. “Society of the Snow’ from director and co-writer J. A. Bayona is the latest and arguably the best. Appreciators of “Alive” will recognize many of the same touches in Bayona’s film. But “Society of the Snow” expands a bit further beyond the survival element and uses its own thoughtful framing device to offer a fresh and unique perspective that honors both the living and the dead.
Image Courtesy of Netflix
Adapted from journalist Pablo Vierci’s 2009 book of the same name, “Society of the Snow” pulls no punches with Bayona’s focus on realism. His film is uncomfortably yet respectfully authentic, staying true to every horrific detail without ever being sensational or lurid. It makes for a viscerally immersive survival saga. But just as potent as the sensory experience is the simple yet profound message at its core – one about the indomitable human spirit as seen through the steadfast will to live and the sacrifice for those you hold dear.
Bayona tells the majority of his story from the perspective of 24-year-old Numa Turcatti (Enzo Vogrincic Roldán). His voiceover offers some intriguing observations and insight. And later on he poses a haunting question, “Who were we in the mountains?” It’s a difficult, soul-straining consideration that he labors over through much of the film, ultimately answering it the best and only way he knows how.
The depiction of the plane crash itself is brief but intense and not for the faint of heart. It’s a terrifying sequence as the Fairchild FH-227D strikes a mountain, losing both wings and the tail section, and sucking out several helpless passengers. What’s left of the fuselage barrels down an icy mountain at over 200 mph. The gruesome images before it finally comes to a stop will make even the ‘toughest’ viewer wince. But wisely and mercifully, Bayona doesn’t draw it out. The whole thing lasts a couple of minutes tops and then we’re faced with the aftermath.
What follows is a harrowing story of survival that’s as unsettling as it is inspirational. We watch as those who lived through the crash suffer through even more perilous situations – intense sub-zero cold, no food, and the mounting deaths of their friends and family. As days pass hopelessness sets in, leading the weakened and starving group to make a desperate choice. With the inevitability of death lingering, they painfully decide to eat from the dead bodies. It’s a heart-rending turn handled with great empathy. Bayona stays focused on the humanity, showing the group laboring over their options, weighing the spiritual consequences, and bearing the psychological toll.
Image Courtesy of Netflix
Pedro Luque’s striking cinematography is as vital as any other storytelling component. At times he takes your breath away by the sheer beauty of the scenery he captures. Yet he’s able to take those very same images a create feelings of isolation and despair. Just as effective are the intense closeups and tight quartered shots which emphasize the severity of the group’s circumstances.
Bayona’s impressive vision is also helped by the immersive sound design as well as Michael Giacchino’s resonating score. And perhaps most of all by the sublime performances from the mostly unknown Uruguayan and Argentine cast. There are so many crucial ingredients and Bayona uses them to craft what could be considered the definitive telling of this unimaginable true story. And even if you know the real account, “Society of the Snow” will still leave you astonished by the sheer tenacity of the filmmaking and the passion in its storytelling. Premieres January 4th on Netflix.
And just like that 2023 is done and what a wild year it has been for movies. As usual it was a year with its share of surprises and more than a few disappointments. Some movies made big splashes at the box office; some movies deservedly bombed; other highly anticipated movies were pushed to next year. One thing is for sure, 2023 gave us plenty to enjoy.
So here we are in late December, the time where we critics take on that annual tradition of picking the ten best movies from the past year. While some (understandably) argue that such lists are pointless and silly, what can I say? I love reading them and putting mine together. With that said, it’s time to get to it. Without further delay, here are my Top 10 Films of 2023.
As always let me start by showing some love to my #11-20….
#20 – “The Boy and the Heron”
#19 – “Revoir Paris”
#18 – “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.
#17 – “May December”
#16 – “Society of the Snow”
#15 – “The Promised Land”
#14 – “The Boys in the Boat”
#13 – “The Holdovers”
#12 – “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One”
#11 – “Fallen Leaves”
The Top 10 Films of 2023
#10 “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” – File this one as the movie on my list that deserved way more attention than it received. “The Last Voyage of the Demeter” didn’t get a warm reception upon its release. That’s a shame. It remains my favorite horror movie of 2023. Stylishly mixing old-school supernatural chills with extraordinary practical effects, “Demeter” takes a lone chapter from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” and turns it into a harrowing horror movie on the high seas. It all festers into a tense, moody, and gruesome delight from Norwegian director André Øvredal. [REVIEW]
#9 “Ferrari” – Among the more exciting announcements in 2023 was Michael Mann’s return to the director’s chair. “Ferrari” is a movie Mann has been trying to make for over two decades and his passion for the project penetrates every frame. The film follows three tumultuous months in the life of Enzo Ferrari, the founder of the luxury sports car manufacturer that bears his name. Adam Driver is as sturdy as ever while Penélope Cruz is outstanding playing his wife Laura. Mann caps it off with the racing of the Mille Miglia in what is one of the most breathtaking final acts of the year. [REVIEW]
#8 “Godzilla Minus One” – If you had asked me at the beginning of the year I wouldn’t have predicted that a Godzilla movie would be on my Top 10 list. At the time I didn’t even know one was set to be released. But Takashi Yamasaki’s “Godzilla Minus One” ended up being one of the biggest surprises of 2023. This engaging mixture of exhilarating spectacle and heartfelt humanity offers up a crash course on how to make a great blockbuster. The kaiju action is immensely satisfying. But it’s the story’s deeply ingrained human element that makes it stand out. [REVIEW]
#7 “Past Lives” – Writer-director Celine Song blessed us with the very best feature film debut of 2023. Her endearing and poignant drama “Past Lives” received widespread praise after premiering at Sundance. Since then that praise has (rightfully) only grown. “Past Lives” tells a sophisticated and bittersweet story that’s subtly romantic and thematically rich. It’s driven by a sublime Greta Lee who delivers one of the most evocative performances of 2023. Warmly written and beautifully shot, “Past Lives” marks the emergence of a new and truly exciting cinematic voice. [REVIEW]
#6 “John Wick: Chapter 4” – It’s the time of year where many of us start setting guidelines for our ‘Best of the Year’ lists and begin narrowing down what constitutes a “worthy” movie. Take a film like “John Wick Chapter 4”. Fellow critics have rightly sang its praises. But is it an awards caliber movie? Allow me to answer with an emphatic YES! JW4 is far and away the best action movie of the year, with its incredible blend of vision, style, and craftsmanship. The action sequences are mind-blowing and the intensely committed and inherently likable Keanu Reeves is icing on the cake. [REVIEW]
#5 “The Iron Claw” – You don’t have to be a fan of professional wrestling to love Sean Durkin’s brilliant “The Iron Claw”. This wrenching drama tells the true story of the legendary Von Erichs, a family whose in-ring achievements were only outshined by their personal tragedies. Durkin approaches the story with honesty and empathy through one of the year’s best screenplays. The film also features some terrific performances led by a career best turn from Zac Efron. Fans will love the numerous name drops and cool callbacks. Yet it’s the deeply affecting human drama that sets the movie apart. [REVIEW]
#4 “The Killer” – “The Killer” gives us two long awaited returns – that of David Fincher and Michael Fassbender. Directed by Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker, this lean, smart, and stylish action-thriller proves to be the perfect vehicle for Fassbender’s ice-cold charisma and steely magnetism. Fincher’s steady screw-tightening builds some great tension within the film’s effectively deliberate and deceptively layered frame. “The Killer” is a first-rate pulpy neo-noir that seems to get better with each viewing. And I already have a hankering for the next Fincher-Fassbender collaboration. [REVIEW]
#3 “The Zone of Interest” – Movies rarely leave me speechless. “The Zone of Interest” certainly did. This is no ordinary historical drama nor is it like any Holocaust movie you’ve seen before. Writer-director Jonathan Glazer has made a daringly precise and artfully calculated feature that puts what Hannah Arendt called “the banality of evil” on shocking display. This is a quietly chilling work that doesn’t need gruesome imagery to make you uncomfortable. Explorations like this are never “fun”. But Glazer has delivered a vital movie that is a landmark achievement both in filmmaking and as a historical reflection. [REVIEW]
#2 “Killers of the Flower Moon” – “Killers of the Flower Moon” seems like a movie only Martin Scorsese could make. From its scope to its craft to its style of storytelling, everything about it feels like a Scorsese picture. And it’s not recency bias to say it’s one of the acclaimed director’s very best films. I’ve seen “Killers of the Flower Moon” three times – all three hours and 26 minutes of it. Each time I found myself absorbed in nearly every facet of the film – the performances from the top stars to the terrific supporting cast, the incredible production design, the sweeping epic feel, the unshakable honesty of the story, the moody magnetic score. It’s a masterwork. [REVIEW]
#1 “Oppenheimer” – The sheer achievement that is “Oppenheimer” cannot be overstated. From a simple box office perspective it was the biggest surprise of the year. A three hour biography of a theoretical physicist isn’t the kind of movie you would expect to make nearly $1 billion. But such is the Christopher Nolan effect. From the brilliance of his screenplay to the stunning execution of his direction, Nolan has a made a film that defies expectations. It’s an utterly mesmerizing piece featuring the best ensemble cast of the year, a haunting score, and phenomenal cinematography. It’s extraordinary filmmaking and storytelling making this yet another career defining accomplishment from one of the best in the business. [REVIEW]
And those are my picks for the best movies of 2023. What did you think of my list? What would make yours? Let me know in the comments section below. Till next year….
Keith & the Movies 