A Complete Unknown

A Complete Unknown

Posted on December 25, 2024 at 9:00 am

B +
Lowest Recommended Age: High School
MPAA Rating: Rated R for language
Profanity: Strong language
Alcohol/ Drugs: Drinking, smoking, and marijuana
Violence/ Scariness: References to war, some scuffles
Diversity Issues: None
Date Released to Theaters: December 13, 2024
Copyright 2024 Searchlight

“A Complete Unknown” is the story of Bob Dylan’s early years in New York, based on Elijah Wald’s book Dylan Goes Electric!: Newport, Seeger, Dylan, and the Night That Split the Sixties. It begins with Dylan’s first stop after he arrives from Minnesota, a visit to see Woody Guthrie (Scoot McNairy), who was paralyzed and unable to speak, with Huntington’s disease. Guthrie has another visitor, Pete Seeger (Edward Norton, capturing Seeger’s nerdy, generous, gentle optimism). Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) takes out his guitar to play a song he wrote in tribute to Guthrie. The two folk singers are impressed. We then follow the 21-year-old singer/songwriter as he creates some of the century’s most groundbreaking and influential music while mistreating most of the people around him, until he creates a near-riot at the Newport Folk Festival by plugging in his guitar and “going electric.”

Biographical films, especially those about musicians, tend to have the same format, as so devastatingly destroyed in the parody “Walk Hard.” There’s the precocity and one or two formative childhood experiences, then the moment someone on the board in the recording studio says, “Hey, wait, this kid can play/sing!” Success, setback, moments of inspiration, fights with managers/bandmates/romantic partners, often a descent into drugs and/or alcohol, various breakups, possibly a health crisis, and then either an early death or some kind of rebound.

Wisely, this film, from director James Mangold, who co-wrote the screenplay with Jay Cocks, avoids most of the cliches, and makes no kind of effort to understand or reveal the inner workings of the famously inscrutable Dylan. The title of the film, of course taken from the lyrics of “Like a Rolling Stone,” applies to its subject. It is not that the movie tries and fails to help us understand Bob Dylan; on the contrary, it recognizes that Dylan defies that kind of simplification. And that he doesn’t need it and we should not attempt it. Anything we need to know is in the songs.

And so, this movie does give us the songs, full performances with Chalamet’s singing close enough to Dylan’s voice in the 60s, and perhaps with just a bit more lyrical clarity and tunefulness. The movie thus seems like one brilliant song after another, with interludes of Dylan being a terrible boyfriend. For the fans of Dylan the icon as well as Dylan the musician, there are several well-known highlights of his biography, like encounters with other future luminaries. Joan Baez is played with verve and a sweet, clear singing voice by Monica Barbaro, but with no sense of the complexity and conflicts portrayed in the recent documentary . The most amusing is Boyd Holbrook as a young Johnny Cash, who exchanges supportive letters with Dylan and, when they finally meet at Newport, encourages him to “muddy the carpet,” and stir up some trouble. Elle Fanning plays Sylvie, a character based on Suze Rotolo, the young woman pictured holding Dylan’s arm on the cover of his Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan record. She is credited with exposing Dylan to social activism. She tells him songs should be about more than Johnny Appleseed and the Dust Bowl, but Fanning’s scenes are mostly about being disappointed at what a bad boyfriend Dylan is.

At first, Dylan says all he wants is to be a musician and eat. But then he gets successful. He feels oppressed and under pressure. The fans want him to stay the same. He wants to try new ideas. More than that, he does not want to be told what not to do. He gets more reserved, more internal. but his hair keeps getting fuzzier.

The best scene in the movie is when Pete Seeger is hosting his low-key public access television show. He thought Dylan, by then very famous and very busy, was not going to show up. He invited a back-up guest, a Black folk musician. Dylan does show up. Another performer might have apologized and taken over or just rescheduled and allowed the substitute musician to play. But Dylan lights up at the prospect of jamming with him. He starts to play. Seeger joins in. It is the most illuminating, touching, and engaging moment in the movie.

Parents should know that this film includes some strong language, drinking, constant smoking, and marijuana. There are some unhappy confrontations and references to wartime violence.

Family discussion: Was Dylan right about what people wanted to hear when they asked where the songs come from? Which song means the most to you and why? Was he wrong to play electric music at a folk festival? Why did he do it?

If you like this, try: the classic documentary about Bob Dylan during these years, “Don’t Look Back” and a later documentary, Bob Dylan–The Never-Ending Narrative

Related Tags:

 

Based on a book Based on a true story Biography movie review Movies -- format Movies -- Reviews Musical
Mufasa: The Lion King

Mufasa: The Lion King

Posted on December 19, 2024 at 1:35 pm

B
Lowest Recommended Age: 4th - 6th Grade
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for action/violence, peril and some thematic elements
Profanity: None
Alcohol/ Drugs: None
Violence/ Scariness: Characters in peril, flood, animal fights, references to predators, some injured and killed, attacks by predators, some disturbing images
Diversity Issues: A metaphorical theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters: December 20, 2024
Copyright 2024 Disney

On the 30th anniversary of “The Lion King,” Disney tells the story of Simba’s father and uncle, how they met and grew up together, considering themselves brothers, and the betrayals that tore them apart. This version is “live action,” meaning not traditional animation but realistic CGI so that we can see every detail of fur and landscape. The action and drama is punctuated with songs (Lin-Manuel Miranda taking over from Elton John) and some silly humor to sweeten the tension.

The frame story is set as an adult Simba (Donald Glover) and Nala (Beyoncé Knowles-Carter) have a daughter Kiara (Ivy Blue Carter). As a storm comes up, Kiara is scared. Her mother is away and her father leaves her with old friends the warthog Pumbaa and the meerkat Timon (Seth Rogen and Billy Eichner repeating their roles from the 2019 “live action” “Lion King”). Rafiki (John Kani, also returning from the 2019 version) tries to comfort Kiara by telling her the story of the grandfather she never got to meet, Mufasa. (The movie is dedicated to the original voice of Mufasa, the late James Earl Jones.)

Like Kiara, Mufasa was once a young cub afraid of storms. And like Kiara, he had loving parents, Masego (Keith David) and Afia (Anika Noni Rose, already Disney royalty as the voice of Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog). The area they live in has not had rain in many months and the land is parched. They decide to go in search of Milele, a land they believe is filled with lush growth and peaceful animals. On the way there, a storm creates a flood and the young cub is separated from his parents.

He is spotted by Taka, a cub his age with an English accent (remember, in the original film, Scar was played by Jeremy Irons, “brother” to American-accented Mufasa). Taka fishes Mufasa out of the water and brings him home. Taka’s father, Obasi (Lennie James) wants to eat Mufasa. He has a firm rule against outsiders. But Taka’s mother, Eshe (Thandiwe Newton) is a warm, loving, generous soul and Taka wants a “brother.” Obasi gives Mufasa a chance. If he can beat Taka in a race, he can stay. Taka allows him to win, knowing that Obasi will judge him harshly for losing. Obasi grudgingly allows Mufasa to stay, but treats him as “other” and less than by ordering him to stay away from the male lions. This allows Eshe to teach him to hunt the way the lionesses do. They become very close. Mufasa (as an near-adult lion voiced by Aaron Pierre ) has an exceptional sense of smell that allows him to identify animals and their environments even if they are far away.

Obasi’s lions are attacked by a group of pale, ghost-like lions led by Kiros (Mads Mikkelsen). Knowing they cannot survive, Obasi and Eshe send Taka (now voiced by Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) and Mufasa away, making Mufasa promise that he will protect his friend.

The two young lions have many adventures along the way. They are joined by Sarabi (Tiffany Boone), an independent female lion with a lookout bird named Zazu (Preston Nyman) and Rafiki, a wise mandrill (frequently mistaken by the other characters for a baboon). The group learns to trust and rely on each other. But Taka begins to develop feelings of resentment and jealousy.

The movie looks beautiful and the CGI allows more expressiveness than the 2019 “Lion King” remake. The songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda are not his best. They are placed at points that evoke comparisons to Elton John’s music at similar moments in the original film and the remake. The framing story, with an elderly Rafiki telling Kiara about her grandfather, is sometimes jarringly different in tone, with Timon and Pumbaa making meta jokes. I mean, a joke about getting a call from legal for using too much from a song in the earlier film? Who is that for? And since Disney owns both properties, who is going to argue about intellectual property rights being violated? At least this time they acknowledge that predators are better off than prey. That jump from the cliff moment is awfully similar to “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” There are touching moments, but a lot of loss (even with much of it delicately off-screen) for young children.

I’m losing count of how many prequel/sequel/origin stories I’ve seen this year: “Furiosa,” “Wicked,” “Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim,” “Gladiator 2,” “Transformers One.” It is hard to think of these films as anything more than fan service and brand extension. “Mufasa” is fine and most families will be satisfied. But the jubilant imagination that went into the original, make this one look as pale as Kiros.

Parents should know that this film has a lot of peril and many animals are injured and killed, mostly off-screen. Characters are caught in a flood, and a young cub is separated from his parents, who are assumed to have died. A lion speaks of eating outsiders and is bigoted of those who are not of his blood. A male cub is punished by being forced to stay with the females.

Family discussion: How were Taka and Mufasa different? Why did Taka want to change his name?

If you like this, try: the earlier “Lion King” movies and the very cute “Lion King 1 1/2”

Related Tags:

 

Fantasy movie review Movies -- format Movies -- Reviews Musical Series/Sequel Talking animals
Wicked Part 1

Wicked Part 1

Posted on November 21, 2024 at 12:35 pm

B +
Lowest Recommended Age: Middle School
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for some scary action, brief suggestive material, and thematic material
Profanity: None
Alcohol/ Drugs: None
Violence/ Scariness: Fantasy peril and violence
Diversity Issues: A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters: November 22, 2024

I feel confident that this movie musical set in Oz is going to be POP-ular. It is, of course, adapted from the long-running, award-winning Broadway play, which was adapted from the book by Gregory Maguire, which was itself inspired by The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum and the family classic MGM movie it inspired, starring Judy Garland, plus the funkified The Wiz, another musical play and movie. But this is not just some IP brand extension; it is as much an exploration of the nature of good and evil as it is a backstory about some of the world’s most iconic characters. It is also a lot–part one is nearly three hours long, with every minute a cornucopia of visuals, music, dancing, and ideas. Some will be overwhelmed, but many will find it dazzling and worth many repeat viewings.

Copyright 2024 Universal

The movie begins with the report that the Wicked Witch of the West has melted due to “a bucket of water thrown by a child.” Glinda the Good Witch arrives via bubble in Munchkin Country to confirm the news. This parallels Judy Garland’s arrival in the MGM film, her tornado-tossed house landing on the Wicked Witch of the East, and then Glinda arrives by bubble to ask Dorothy if she is a good witch or a bad witch. We will glimpse a few other references to the classic film, including a cute animal peeking out of a basket on the back of a bicycle, a shot of the four classic characters, plus Toto, walking through the poppy fields, and the first stop in the Emerald City a makeover musical number in a fantasy beauty salon. We also see the origins of some familiar elements, including the witch’s broom and Glinda’s name. As in the Baum book, the magical slippers are silver, not ruby.

One of the Munchkins asks a questions humans have been pondering since pondering began: Are people born wicked or do they become wicked, and if so, why? That is the theme of this version of the story.

Ariana Grande, appearing under the name on her birth certificate, Ariana Grande-Butera, plays Galinda (yes, that’s her name), a pampered princess who arrives at Oz’s most prestigious institute of higher learning, Shiz University. Think Hogwarts, because though the students are adults, it feels more like a boarding school. It is set in a fabulous compound that feels like a dream project (in both senses of the word) for brilliant production designer Nathan Crowley that is part Victorian, part Edmund Dulac fairy tale, with curves and curlicues everywhere inspired by Art Nouveau, and a sprinkle here and there of steampunk.

Also arriving are two sisters, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), with bright green skin, and her sister, Nessarose (played by Marissa Bode, who, like her character, does not have green skin and uses a wheelchair. Galinda is so confident she expects everyone to adore her and is so careless about mistakes that she often uses malapropisms that sort of sound like real words but are not. Elphaba is tentative and shy, but has internal strength of character and a sense of responsibility. She was the result of her late mother’s affair. The only father she has ever known, her mother’s husband, barely acknowledges her, except to order her to take care of Nessarose.

Madame Morrible (Michelle Yeoh) immediately recognizes that Elphaba is gifted with extraordinary magical powers and takes her on for special tutoring. She also decides that the two young women should share a room. At first they dislike and mostly ignore one another, and Galinda pranks Elphaba by giving her an ugly hat to wear to a party. But when the other students laugh at Elphaba, who responds defiantly by dancing by herself, Galinda experiences her first spark of genuine empathy. Instead of claiming to be kind, she shows real kindness by joining Elphaba on the dance floor, and her unquestioned role as the arbiter of status soon has the rest of the crowd joining them in the dance.

Also at the party are Nessarose with Boq (Ethan Slater), who has a crush on Galinda but invited Nessarose because Galinda told him to, and the extremely handsome and charming Prince Fiyero (“Bridgerton’s” Jonathan Bailey). He was a late arrival at Shiz, after being kick out of other schools. At first he seems to be a perfect match for Galinda (she certainly thinks so). They are both gorgeous but superficial and incurious. Then, in the movie’s most significant scene, Fiyero is the only one who helps Elphaba rescue a caged lion cub, and she is the only one who realizes that his constant pursuit of pleasure is not making him happy.

Jonathan Bailey as Flyero Copyright 2024 Universal

Director Jon M. Chu (“Crazy Rich Asians,”) brings a lot of energy to the movie. Though he does not have the luxury of his “Step Up” and “In the Heights” acting leads’ extensive dance training and skill, the musical numbers, especially the big dance numbers, are creatively and dynamically staged. I especially liked “One Short Day,” as Glinda (she’s changed her name by then) and Elphaba first arrive in the Emerald City. Keep an eye out for the original Broadway Glinda and Elphaba, Kristen Chenoweth and Idina Menzel, in a stage show about Oz history, or rather the Wizard’s preferred version of it.

Bailey has a sinuous charm that conveys Fiyero’s charisma but hints at his feeling lost and struggling with aimlessness beneath the surface. Goldblum’s quirky energy is just right as the Wizard who began as a carny from the midwest. Erivo is the heart of the film, always magnetic and compelling as Elphaba. The bright green makeup does not mask the extraordinary expressiveness of her face, always thoughtful, present, authentic, and grounded, despite the distracting details of the ultra-fantasy world around her. And like Grande, she has a once-to-a generation voice.

The splendor and imagination of the setting and costumes and even the huge musical numbers surround and mostly support real and meaningful questions about bad people doing good things, good people doing bad things, and everyone struggling to find a place somewhere on the continuum between being good and being wicked. Galinda (we learn how she became Glinda) is considered good because she is pretty and smiles a lot. But she is arrogant and selfish. Elphaba is considered if not bad at least weird because she does not smile or conform (note that neither wears the school uniform) but she is devoted to her sister. She is looking for the love she has never received but has no interest in changing anything about herself to try to get it. She knows that would not be real. Other characters surprise us by not being what we expect on the good/wicked scale.

This is a sumptuous and unsubtle treat grounded in Erivo’s graceful and subtle performance. When she defies gravity, she lifts us with her, and we lean forward to the next chapter.

Parents should know that like the MGM movie version, this story features fantasy action and peril with some scary and disturbing images, along with issues of bigotry and cruel treatment. A child is the result of an affair, causing grief and shame.

Family discussion: Why did Elphaba tell Flyero he was not happy? Why did the Wizard want to cage the animals? Are these characters good or wicked or both: Elphaba, Galinda, Madame Morrible? Are any of the characters like someone you know?

If you like this, try: the original Wizard of Oz book and its sequels (great for reading aloud) and the many other versions of the story

Related Tags:

 

Based on a book Based on a play Critics Choice Seal of Distinction Fantasy movie review Movies -- format Movies -- Reviews Musical Talking animals
The Color Purple

The Color Purple

Posted on December 24, 2023 at 5:04 pm

A-
Lowest Recommended Age: High School
MPAA Rating: Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexual content, violence and language
Profanity: Strong and racist language
Alcohol/ Drugs: Drinking and drunkenness
Violence/ Scariness: Domestic violence, attack, character beaten by police
Diversity Issues: A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters: December 25, 2023

Copyright Warner Brothers 2023
Alice Walker’s novel, The Color Purple is the acclaimed, Pulitzer Prize-winning story of Celie, a young Black woman in the rural Georgia of the early 1900s. Through her letters, written to her sister Nettie, we learned the story of her horrific abuse, told in the simple language of someone who had no education and little sense that she deserved better.

The book was made into a dramatic film directed by Stephen Spielberg, with Whoopi Goldberg as Celie and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia, who becomes Celie’s step-daughter-in-law. It then became a successful Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, and a book by Marsha Norman. “American Idol” favorite Fantasia Barrino was a replacement Celie and Danielle Brooks played Sofia.

And now it is a movie again, with Barrino and Books repeating their Broadway roles. This version is unexpectedly joyous and heartwarming. That is in large part thanks to director Blitz Bazawule, who shows us the characters’ strengths with the musical numbers before the storyline does. It is also thanks to the raise-the-roof, powerhouse performances from Barrino, Brooks, and Henspn, any one of which would blow the doors of of a theater, and all three together lift our spirits like a gospel choir. Every note is pure and thrilling. Every one is a revelation. Henson has the showiest part and she brings her endless movie star charisma to Shug the performer. But she also brings infinite compassion and gentleness to the intimate moments. Any lesser performer might make us question why someone as flamboyant and apparently hedonistic as Shug would find what no one else in Georgia seems to see in Celie. But Henson makes us understand why she gives Celie two things she has never had before, respect and a sense that she is worthy of love. She makes Shug another character who has made choices for her own survival but maintains a core of warmth.

Brooks is bursting with life force as Sofia, until her insistence on respect from others brings her devastating repercussions from the only white characters we see in the film. We learn from her story about abuse from outside that creates ripple effects in their community. We also see with Mister’s relationship with his father, how abuse is passed on through generations. And, with his son (Corey Hawkins), how healing through generations is also possible.

Phylicia Pearl Mpasi as young Celie and Halle Bailey (“The Little Mermaid”) as the her sister Nettie show us that having one person care is enough to make a difference. Mister throws Nettie out and she leaves with a missionary family for Africa and their separation is more devastating to Celie than her abuse by Mister, again underscoring the critical importance of a sustaining relationship.

The movie is frank about Celie’s abuse, including repeated rape by the man she believes is her father and then by the man her father sells her to, known to her only as Mister. But this version is more about Celie’s growing understanding of her own power, including the power of forgiveness. We also see other characters show resilience, generosity, and remorse. If the conclusion, as in the book and the previous movie, seems to tie things up a little too quickly, by that time we are so happy for Celie and so moved by the music we are fine with it.

Parents should know that this movie includes extreme abuse of a very young woman including rape and battery and having her children taken away. The film also includes misogynistic and racist attacks, a character beat up by police, betrayal, drinking and drunkenness, and strong language.

Family discussion: What are the events that make Celie understand that she could say no and that she deserved better? Why did Shug see more in Celie than anyone else? What made Mister change his mind?

If you like this, try: the book and the Spielberg movie

Related Tags:

 

Based on a book Based on a play Drama Epic/Historical Family Issues movie review Movies -- format Movies -- Reviews Musical Race and Diversity
Wonka

Wonka

Posted on December 14, 2023 at 12:34 pm

B +
Lowest Recommended Age: 4th - 6th Grade
MPAA Rating: Rated PG for some violence, mild language and thematic elements
Profanity: Some mild language
Alcohol/ Drugs: Candy with magical properties
Violence/ Scariness: Fantasy peril and violence, character bullied and beat up, sad offscreen death of a parent
Diversity Issues: Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters: December 15, 2023

Copyright 2023 Warner Brothers
“Wonka” is the origin story of everyone’s favorite fictional chocolatier, the central figure in Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Anyone who ever wondered how Willy Wonka got started, how he developed his incomparably delicious and deliciously magical candies, built a factory, and met the Oompa-Loompas, will find all of that here and more. As we might expect from the people behind the Paddington films, it is brimming with whimsy, charm, and heart, and that is movie magic. The production design, by Nathan Crowley (“Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight”) is wonderfully intricate and tactile, mixing Dickensian touches and Rube Goldberg fancifulness. It just about qualifies as a world of pure imagination.

Timothee Chalet plays the young Wonka, who grew up on a boat with his mother (Sally Hawkins), a brilliant chocolatier who experimented with recipes as they visited exotic locations. As the movie begins, she has died, and he has come to a big European city (touches of London, Paris, and Vienna) to share his chocolates with the world.

Things go badly. His chocolates have people floating on air. Literally. But the three chocolate CEOs who control the market do not want the competition and they bribe a chocolate-loving local cop (Keegan-Michael Key) to keep him from selling his chocolate (yes, families will get a little introduction to cartels and the importance of enforcing antitrust law). And Wonka ignores the advice to read the fine print before signing a contract (more worthwhile legal advice for families) for a night’s stay at a local inn run by the Dickensian-ishly named Mrs. Scrubbit (Olivia Colman). It turns out he signed away his services for her laundry, along with an orphan child named Noodle (Calah Lane) and several other colorful characters. He is a prisoner and it looks like he will be stuck for decades.

But Wonka is nothing if not optimistic and enterprising. He has a solution to the problem of the endless piles of laundry that gives him a chance to escape for until Mrs. Scrubbit’s daily check. Noodle becomes his sidekick as he continues to try to create and sell chocolates.

The Wonka in the original book and movie is not a nice person. Children enjoy his wicked streak, taking pleasure in the outrageous consequences for the young visitor who ignore his warnings. And even those who still love the movie are generally in agreement that what happens to Mike, Veruca, and Augustus is pretty drastic. In this film, a character does suffer consequences of his gluttony to an extent that feels like too much for the world they have created. This Wonka is not just younger but sweeter than the one we know. He takes a stand against stealing and faces some consequences for a thoughtless taking of some (but not all) of the candy ingredients he collects.

Chalamet is just right in the role, and he has great chemistry with Hugh Grant(!) as the Oompa-Loompa (with what is probably the only funny joke about economy plus travel in history). Like Paddington, Wonka brings out the best in the people around him, and in the delighted audience, too.

Parents should know that this film has a sad offscreen death of a parent, a child and adults held captive, fantasy-style violence (Wonka’s face pushed into water, bonked on the head), and some mild language.

Family discussion: What makes Willy Wonka good at solving problems? What is your favorite kind of chocolate and what Wonka treat do you wish you could try?

If you like this, try: The Roald Dahl books and the Gene Wilder movie

Related Tags:

 

Based on a book Fantasy movie review Movies -- format Movies -- Reviews Musical Series/Sequel
THE MOVIE MOM® is a registered trademark of Nell Minow. Use of the mark without express consent from Nell Minow constitutes trademark infringement and unfair competition in violation of federal and state laws. All material © Nell Minow 1995-2025, all rights reserved, and no use or republication is permitted without explicit permission. This site hosts Nell Minow’s Movie Mom® archive, with material that originally appeared on Yahoo! Movies, Beliefnet, and other sources. Much of her new material can be found at Rogerebert.com, Huffington Post, and WheretoWatch. Her books include The Movie Mom’s Guide to Family Movies and 101 Must-See Movie Moments, and she can be heard each week on radio stations across the country.

Website Designed by Max LaZebnik