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Posted on September 19, 2013 at 6:00 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	Mature High Schooler
MPAA Rating:	Rated R for language and strong sexual content
Profanity:	Very strong and explicit language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking and references to substance abuse
Violence/ Scariness:	Tense confrontations, some mild peril
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters:	September 20, 2013
Date Released to DVD:	January 7, 2014
Amazon.com ASIN:	B00FXWAZX2

Imagine that the one thing you cannot trust yourself to be near is around you all the time, wherever you go. As difficult as it is to recover from addiction to drugs or gambling or alcohol, at least those in recovery can wall themselves off from the places and activities that act as their most dangerous triggers. But sex addicts are surrounded by stimuli all the time. “Is all of Manhattan just one big catwalk?” asks one character in this sympathetic portrayal of people who try to find a way out of what one of them calls his very dark places. “It’s like trying to quit crack while the pipe is attached to your body.”

Sex addicts have to endure the ignorance of those who snicker or ask “Isn’t that just something men say when they get caught cheating?” They have to ride in cabs with titillating videos playing in the back seat. Adam (Mark Ruffalo) avoids temptation by not allowing himself to have a television, home access to internet, or a smartphone. And he has walled himself off from another kind of temptation but not having a romantic relationship.

His sponsor, Mike (Tim Robbins), encourages him to try to date. And when he meets Phoebe (Gwyneth Paltrow), he wants very much to get close to her. She is a breast cancer survivor, which may be one reason he feels that she can understand his struggles. But at first he does not tell her the truth about himself. Mike has a son, Danny (Patrick Fugit of “Almost Famous”), who has a history of substance abuse, and who returns home promising that this time is different.

Adam is a sponsor, too. His “sponsee” is Neil, a doctor whose passion for saving others has been a way for him to avoid being honest with himself about his own behavior, which includes inappropriate touching of women he does not know and elaborate mechanisms for “upskirt” photography. Being court-ordered will not be enough to get him to tell the truth; being fired could be a start. As so often happens in 12-step programs, the key for Neil may be the chance to help someone else, someone he understands and who understands and helps him. An outspoken hairdresser named Dede (rock star Alecia “Pink” Moore) who is in both the sexual addiction and “beverage” (alcohol abuse) programs calls him for emergency help and helping her is the first step in helping himself.

Mike, Tom, and Adam are all at different stages of their recovery, and each faces different challenges and hard truths. Sometimes these are framed in the kind of “But that’s okay” support group-speak that Al Franken used to mock on “Saturday Night Live.” “Why did I pick such a tough sponsor?” Adam asks wryly. “I don’t know, maybe you wanted to recover,” Mike answers with a smile. “United we stand, divided we stagger.” “Thanks for bookending this for me.” And you know someone will have to break down and say, “I’m out of control. I’m scared. And I need help.” But, you know what? That’s okay.

Co-writer/director Stuart Blumberg wisely spares us the easy explanations that allow us to feel smugly separate from those who struggle to achieve a sense of control, and he is frank about the dynamic, positive and negative, between those who struggle with addiction and those who maintain relationships with them. The all-star cast delivers with performances of aching sensitivity and heart. And if a brief moment in the film that has People Magazine’s most beautiful person alive Gwyneth Paltrow in sexy lingerie is the image that is being unironically widely used to promote the movie, well, that helps make its point.

Parents should know that this film concerns sexual addiction and there are frank discussions and portrayals of people who struggle with various kinds of obsessive and destructive sexual behavior. It includes very strong and explicit language, some drinking and references to substance abuse, and some mild peril and violence.

Family discussion: How does sexual addiction differ from other kinds of obsessive and compulsive behavior? Why was it easier for these characters to support and understand each other than to their families and romantic partners?

If you like this, try: “Don Jon” and “28 Days”

Austenland

Posted on August 22, 2013 at 6:00 pm

Edward Arlington Robinson wrote a poem about a man named Miniver Cheevy who wished so much that he could have lived in the days of knights and ladies that he refused to participate in the life before him. Author Shannon Hale wrote Austenland about a young woman named Jane who is so in love with the romance and elegance of Jane Austen’s Regency-era romances that no real-life modern relationship can ever measure up. She has a lifesize cardboard photo of Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy from “Pride and Prejudice” and her bedroom is like a deranged bed and breakfast version explosion of 19th century fantasy.

So she spends all of her money going to an immersive theme park called Austenland, where fans of Austen’s classic novels like Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility and the swooningly romantic movie versions can pretend to thaw the hearts of proud men in wearing breeches who would never think of addressing them by their first name or presuming to try a kiss.

“Napoleon Dynamite” co-author Jerusha Hess wrote and directed the film adaptation, with “Twilight’s” Stephenie Meyer as producer. A radiant Keri Russell (“Waitress”) plays Jane, who is taken aback when she arrives at the 18th Century Italianate mansion (played by the historic Wycombe estate, also seen in “Downton Abbey”). It is presided over by the redoubtable Mrs. Wattlesbrook (Jane Seymour), who crisply informs Jane that as the purchaser of the “Copper Package,” she will be known as the fortuneless “Jane Erstwhile” and live in a small room near the servants’ quarters. (Janeites, think Fanny Price.) Also visiting Austenland are the wealthy “Miss Elizabeth Charming” (Jennifer Coolidge, hilarious as always), who has no idea who Jane Austen is but thinks she will look good in Regency dresses, and Lady Amelia Heartwright (Georgina King) (Janites: think Jane Fairfax with a touch of Crawford). Having paid for the premium package, Charming and Heartwright have luxurious rooms and clothes. And, apparently, first choice of the very handsome men who are there to provide the full Austen experience, or at least the simulation/stimulation thereof.

As a full-on Janeite who has read all of the books several times, I laughed out loud at some of the references and variations on Austen’s themes and at the silliness of the juxtaposition between the 18th century period details and the intrusion of the present day. At one point, Jane is left out in the rain and romantically rescued by the severe Mr. Nobley (J.J. Feild, whose Austen credentials include playing Mr. Tilney in a “Northanger Abbey” television movie). (Janeites, think “Emma.”)

At first, Jane plays along as though she was really in the Regency era. But then, around the time that her soaking wet dress splits up to the hip, she cannot help reacting like the 21st century young woman she is. And how very un-Fanny Price for her to decide that it is time to depart from Mrs. Wattlesbrook’s directions and write her own story, starting with getting rid of the dowdy hairstyle and clothes she has been assigned and moving on to spending quality time with the groundskeeper. This is less Lady Susan than Lady Chatterly.

Like all Austen heroines, Jane has some lessons to learn. And a very happy ending, including a hilarious final credit sequence. Hess manages to both send up and pay tribute to the core conventions of romantic comedy, and for fans of the genre that has been all but absent from theaters in 2013, that is a very happy ending indeed.

Parents should know that this film includes sexual references and situations, some bawdy and crude, some strong language, and drinking.

Family discussion: What was it about Austen’s books that was so important to Jane? If you could visit any fictional place, what would it be?

If you like this, try: Any of the many movie and television versions of Jane Austen’s novels, especially “Sense and Sensibility” with Emma Thompson and “Pride and Prejudice” with Colin Firth

Related Tags:

Based on a book Comedy Romance

Robin Hood

Posted on August 6, 2013 at 4:00 am

Disney is celebrating the 40th anniversary of one of its most beloved animated musicals with a gorgeous new Blu-Ray. It is based on the classic Robin Hood story of the man who robbed from the rich to give to the poor in 12th century England. It has cute cartoon animals playing all of the roles, a talented voice cast, and singable songs from down home country singer Roger Miller.

The story is narrated by Moore as Merry Men minstrel Alan-a-Dale, a rooster. Wicked but immature Prince John is trying to steal the crown from his brother, brave King Richard (both lions voiced by Peter Ustinov). He is backed by Sir Hiss (Terry-Thomas as a gap-toothed snake). In this version of the story, Sir Hiss hypnotizes the king to get him to leave England and fight in the Crusades. With Richard gone, John abuses the populace, imposing harsh taxes. Robin (Brian Bedford as a fox) is a nobleman who fights to protect the community, stealing back the money that has been stolen from them by Prince John. Kids will especially enjoy the antics of Prince John, who reverts to babyhood and sucks his thumb when he is under pressure.

The rest of the cast includes the distinctive voices of Phil Harris (Baloo from “The Jungle Book”) as Little John, a bear, Monica Evans as Maid Marion (a vixen), John Fiedler (voice of Pooh) as a mouse innkeeper, and Andy Devine as Friar Tuck (a badger), and in addition to Miller’s songs “Ooo De Lally,” “Whistle Stop,” and “Not in Notingham,” there is a Johnny Mercer tune, “The Phony King of England.”

I have one copy to give away! Send me an email at moviemom@moviemom.com with “Robin” in the subject line and tell me your favorite version of this story. Don’t forget your address! (US addresses only) I will pick a winner at random on August 12. Good luck!

Parents should know that there is some mild peril and slapstick in this film.

Family discussion: Why were brothers John and Richard so different? Why is Robin Hood remembered as a hero? Who is most like Robin Hood today?

If you like this, try: “The Adventures of Robin Hood” with Errol Flynn and Disney animation classics like “Pinocchio” and “Peter Pan”

Cloudburst

Posted on July 29, 2013 at 8:06 am

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	Mature High Schooler
MPAA Rating:	NR
Profanity:	Very strong and crude language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking
Violence/ Scariness:	Tense and sad confrontations and loss
Diversity Issues:	Age and sexual orientation diversity is a theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:	2013
Date Released to DVD:	July 29, 2013
Amazon.com ASIN:	B00CBG9SQS

Two of the all-time great actresses play a long-time couple who must find a way to cope with the indignities of aging — and the greater indignities of the way they are treated by their families and the legal system. Oscar winners Olympia Dukakis and Brenda Fricker play a long-time couple, one losing her sight, one losing her hearing. With the best of intentions, one’s granddaughter plans to put her in a nursing home. The only way for them to stay together is to run away to Canada, where they can get legally married.

And so, they take to the road, where they pick up a hunky hitchhiker (newcomer Ryan Doucette). Like the lovely “Still Mine,” also set in Canada, this is a beautifully performed story about a love that spans decades, brimming with tenderness and heartwarming devotion, and gives rare depth and dignity to characters in their 70’s.

Still Mine

Posted on July 18, 2013 at 6:00 pm

B+

Lowest Recommended Age:	Middle School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements and brief sensuality/partial nudity
Profanity:	Mild language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Sad themes of aging and loss
Diversity Issues:	A theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:	July 19, 2013

Why do we spend so much time in movies watching young people fall in love? Why is the wedding so often the happy ending? “Still Mine” is a beautifully performed true-life tale of a couple who have been deeply in love for 70 years. That is a love story.

James Cromwell (“Babe”) plays Craig Morrison, a flinty, taciturn, stubbornly independent man in his 90’s who is committed to caring for his wife, Irene (the exquisitely lovely Geneviève Bujold), as she is struggling with becoming forgetful. Their seven grown children are concerned, but Irene wants to stay at home and Craig is resolute. He has land and he knows how to build. When she falls down the stairs in their home, he decides he will build a new house for them on their land, something small, simple, and one-story, where he can keep her safe.

The local building authorities tell him that he is in violation of their rules. They have no reason to believe that the structure is unsafe. But they have regulations about the certification of lumber and various other check-list requirements that his home does not meet. As the movie opens, he is in court, with the judge to decide whether he will go to jail for contempt, or go home to his wife.

We then go back two years to see what has led to this court appearance, in a series of sensitively understated scenes brimming with privileged moments. It is clear that the depth tenderness between Craig and Irene is earned over a period of decades. And it is so sweetly portrayed it will make you eager to get old.

Parents should know that this movie’s themes include aging and loss. There is a sad death.

Family discussion: How should families talk about end of life issues? Do you agree with the way the Morrison’s children and grandson respond to them? What is the best way for government authorities like the building inspectors to ensure the safety of the community but give people like Craig the freedom they need?

If you like this, try: “The Straight Story” and some of the earlier films with the immensely talented Cromwell and Bujold like “Babe,” “W,” “King of Hearts,” and “Anne of the Thousand Days”