The Bad Guys

Posted on April 21, 2022 at 5:36 pm

B +

Lowest Recommended Age:	Kindergarten - 3rd Grade
MPAA Rating:	Rated.PG for action and rude humor
Profanity:	Some schoolyard language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	None
Violence/ Scariness:	Extended cartoon action-style law enforcement peril and violence
Diversity Issues:	A metaphorical theme of the movie
Date Released to Theaters:	April 22, 2022

“The Bad Guys,” based on the popular series of graphic novels by Aaron Blabey, is an adorable animated film about guys who are not as bad as they think. They are seen as the scariest animals on earth, but even when they are committing crimes, they do not realize that they have good qualities, too. They are loyal friends, for example, and honest some of the time. We first see Wolf (Sam Rockwell) and Snake (Mark Maron) in a diner, where Wolf not only celebrates Snake’s birthday but even when there’s no one to pay for the meal, they make sure to pay for it anyway.

And then they rob the bank across the street. Okay, they’re bad. That could be, though, because they are just behaving the way people expect. Wolves, sharks, snakes, tarantulas, and piranhas have bad reputations. So they’re just living up or rather down to what the humans around them expect.

Adults watching with their children may notice the resemblance to some very adults-only movies, the first scene a tip of the cinematic chapeau to “Pulp Fiction,” not just the diner setting but the rhythm of the dialogue and the editing. Like the “Sesame Street” versions of adult content, it is there to entertain the grown-ups, but it is also there because even toned-down, it is fun to watch.

“The Bad Guys” has the fun of another genre kids do not often see, the heist film, with all kinds of problem-solving, setbacks, and teamwork. In addition to Wolf, the cool, Danny Ocean planner-type, and Snake, an escape artist, the gang also includes, of course, a tech whiz, Awkwafina as Tarantula, and eight legs come in very handy working on keyboards. Shark (Craig Robinson) is the master of disguise. And Piranha (Anthony Ramos) is the muscle. (The movie characters wisely have more diversity than the books.) The voice talent is superb. Not all actors can do voice work. It makes sense; they’re used to being able to rely on their faces and bodies to express emotion. But Sam Rockwell gives one of his all-time best performances as Wolf, perfectly matching the cool sophistication of the character and his moments of doubt and vulnerability. The animation is outstanding, stylish and dynamic when it needs to be, touches of anime, especially with the police officer voiced by Alex Borstein, and a bit of a hand-drawn feel to prevent CGI over-perfection.

There are some fun surprises and twists along the way and of course some lessons on the satisfactions of being a good guy. But not too good; we want to leave room for some sequels.

Parents should know that while it is all done with humor, this is a movie about characters who commit crimes, mostly theft. There are some chases and some cartoon-style peril and a mind-control machine, but no one gets hurt. The movie also includes some rude humor and schoolyard language.

Family discussion: What makes someone bad or good? Why is it hard for the bad guys to consider others’ rights and feelings? Which is your favorite bad guy character and why?

If you like this, try: the book and its sequels and “Zootopia”

Table 19

Posted on March 2, 2017 at 5:59 pm

B +

Lowest Recommended Age:	High School
MPAA Rating:	Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content, drug use, language and some brief nudity
Profanity:	Some strong and crude language
Alcohol/ Drugs:	Drinking and marijuana
Violence/ Scariness:	Comic peril, no one hurt, medical issues
Diversity Issues:	Diverse characters
Date Released to Theaters:	March 3, 2017
Date Released to DVD:	June 13, 2017
Amazon.com ASIN:	B06XYSX6KQ

I know. They hate the term. But it is impossible to talk about Mark and Jay Duplass (as writers, anyway, aside from their work as actors, directors, and producers) without the dreaded term “mumblecore,” which was applied to their early microbudget work because of the improvisational, shaggy-dog, millennial-ness of their work. Traces of that remain in “Table 19,” cross-bred with a more conventional romantic comedy, and it turns out to be a welcome blend of sweet and sour. This is not the usual Jennifer/Jessica with a quippy best friend, a meet cute, and a makeover.

We’ve all seen that placecard and most of us have been seated by it: the table for leftover wedding guests who aren’t the family or close friends of either bride or groom but somehow had to be included. Eloise (Anna Kendrick) provides the fellow denizens of the dreaded Table 19 with the inside scoop. Back just a few months earlier, when she and the bride, her oldest friend, were planning everything together, Table 19 was for the people who did not fit in anywhere else, the people who had to be invited but who the hosts were hoping would not make it, still sending a gift from the registry.

The characters may be third-tier in the minds of their hosts, but they are played by top tier comic talent. Lisa Kudrow and Craig Robinson play a married couple who have fallen into a marital death spiral of bickering that makes them miserable and humiliated, but they cannot seem to find their way out of it. Stephen Merchant is a cousin of the groom who seems unfamiliar with social interactions of any kind. “The Grand Budapest Hotel’s” Tony Revolori is a teenager with raging hormones but no idea of how to talk to girls. June Squibb plays the bride’s first nanny.

And then there is Eloise, once a maid of honor and dating the bride’s brother/best man (Wyatt Russell), but, since they broke up two months earlier, stuck at Table 19, on the other side of the ballroom, near the restrooms. We know she almost didn’t come; she even started to burn the invitation. But for some reason, she was determined to be there, and there she is, on the wedding table island of misfit toys. A mysterious and handsome man appears and he has an English accent and a way with an aphorism. Could he be her Prince Charming?

Very able performers make up for some story shortcomings, including a too-neat resolution that I’m guessing was recut after test screenings. Kendrick is as always a marvel of precision, heart, and comic timing, so every time things start to go off kilter, we know she will get us safely home.

Parents should know that this film includes some strong language and comic mayhem, brief comic nudity, drinking and tipsiness, marijuana, and sexual references including adultery and pregnancy.

Family discussion: Why did Eloise go to the wedding? How did sitting at Table 19 make it possible for her to acknowledge her feelings? What’s your funniest family gathering experience?

If you like this, try: “Rocket Science” with the same director and star

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Comedy DVD/Blu-Ray Romance

Daily Beast: Best Overlooked Movie Performances

Posted on December 28, 2016 at 1:36 pm

At The Daily Beast, Marlow Stern has an excellent list of the most overlooked movie performances of the year, including Ryan Gosling in “The Nice Guys” (a masterpiece of comic timing and physical grace — great work from everyone in that film), Ralph Fiennes in “A Bigger Splash” (he said he took the role because of the dance scene, and he clearly has a blast with it), and Craig Robinson in “Morris from America.” All worth watching at least twice.

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Peeples

Posted on May 9, 2013 at 6:04 pm

Sometimes I think that all the myths and fairy tales about scary monsters, dragons, and ogres are just metaphors for life’s most terrifying meeting — the introduction to the family of one’s beloved. Every family is its own country, with its own language and customs. The pressure of trying to make a good impression while navigating the dynamics and cultural imperatives of another family and supporting the significant other is terrifying. And when it happens to someone else, it is funny, which makes it a popular theme in movies going back to “Abie’s Irish Rose,” and up through “Meet the Parents.”

Tyler Perry loves raucous family conflicts, and here he produces the latest “meet the family” comedy, written and directed by Tina Gordon Chism (“Drumline”). Wade (funny man Craig Robinson in his first romantic and leading role) wants to propose to Grace (“Scandal’s” Kerry Washington). But she has never let him meet her family, an intimidating group of high-achievers he refers to as “the chocolate Kennedys.” “Peeples,” the homey family name that makes them sound a little bit like Weebles, is a sly contrast with a group so imposing and remote a better name for them could be “the chocolate Mt. Rushmores.”

Wade decides to surprise Grace by showing up at her family’s magnificent home on the beach. (“You probably have Oprah dollars.”) He’s the one who gets surprised when he finds out that his girlfriend has not even told her family that she is seeing someone. It turns out that her stern and demanding father Virgil (David Alan Grier) has such impossibly high standards that she does not even want to risk allowing him to apply. Virgil is a judge by profession and a judge by nature. Grace knows that the easy-going Wade, whose current job consists of singing a song about potty training to children, will not fit in with her highly competitive, uptight family.

But Wade sees immediately that Grace’s family is not as perfect as they want to pretend to themselves and everyone else. Grace’s mother Daphne (S. Epatha Merkerson) has a couple of secrets. So do Grace’s broadcast journalist sister (Kali Hawk) and teenage brother (Tyler James Williams). At first, Wade makes things much worse when he tries to fit in and begins to feel threatened and insecure. Things get more complicated when his own brother (Malcolm Barrett) shows up.

The humor is often crude and silly, but it is so good-hearted and the performers are so appealing that like Wade and the Peeples, it might win your heart.

Parents should know that this film as very crude and raunchy humor, explicit sexual references and situations, drinking, marijuana, and very strong language.

Family discussion: What is the scariest thing about meeting the family of your significant other? What did Grace’s family learn from Wade?

If you like this, try: “Jumping the Broom” and “Meet the Parents”

Related Tags:

Comedy Family Issues Romance

Interview: Craig Robinson of “Peeples”

Posted on May 8, 2013 at 8:00 am

Craig Robinson is one of the funniest people alive and his performances have been the highlights — and sometimes the only bright spots — in films like “Hot Tub Time Machine,” “Miss March,” and “Pineapple Express.” It is a lot of fun to see him in his first leading role in “Peeples,” the story of a music teacher who meets his girlfriend’s very intimidating family for the first time. And it was a lot of fun to get a chance to talk to him when he came to Washington to host a screening of the film.

When did you first know you were funny?

I was a kid, and we would ride in the car. My father is an attorney and his father died when he was 12, so he was the man of the house ever since he was very young, a “my way or the highway” kind of thing. To make him laugh was the — what’s the Monty Python thing? — the holy grail. When we would be in the car and I’d be in my corner and acting silly, there was this natural thing that came out. I never acknowledged that I was funny but there was definitely something that felt good about making my parents laugh.

That’s a lot like what happens in the movie, where your character has to impress a very stern, “my way or the highway” judge.

Exactly! David Alan Grier, who is fearless, amazing, funniest man on the planet it my eyes. Going up against him was one of the best things I’ve done in my career.

You got to bring some of your experience as a music teacher to this role, not just singing a funny toilet training song to kids but performing a 70’s R&B disco number in a headdress. How did you develop those moves?

For the dance number, there’s a musician-singer from back in the day called Sylvester, very flamboyant, a huge gay icon. I watched what he did and was inspired to go with that kind of vibe, to perform and go for it and not care. It was fun to go into that little mindset of dancing and being free and being so hypnotized by the headdress. And they only made one, so when I got little carried away, it went “CRUNCH,” but they were able to salvage it and make it work.

Was it a big challenge to take on a lead role for the first time?

I couldn’t have asked for a better cast or a better director to step out. We all had each other’s back. And I couldn’t have asked for a better role. I had to fall in love with Kerry Washington. Check! I had to learn from David Alan Grier, show him stuff I’ve stolen from him. Check! Tina Gordon Chism, first-time director, so we’re leaning on each other. Check! It was all these wonderful challenges as we all worked together to push that boulder up the mountain called “Peeples.” And we just had a blast doing it. The biggest challenge was not allowing the pressure to get to me. Okay, it’s your first leading man — but not allowing that to get in. It was there every day biting at me but I’m not going to let that pressure come in and mess with me. I’m just going to do the work.

I liked the way your character didn’t go to the easy silly place of insecurity. He knew who he was.

He’s a “kounselor with k,” and he loves his girl. He keeps it real. The family has all these secrets but he keeps it real. He knows he’s lovable, so let’s go meet the family and get this marriage going.

What do you hope audiences will take away from this film?

To laugh and be closer. And to just learn to be yourself, and own that.

How did you and Kerry Washington work out the chemistry of your characters’ relationship?

We went on a couple of “dates” to figure out who this couple was. She’s such a natural in everything she does. And she’s brilliant, an amazing person all around, and the more you know her, the more you love her. She can speak different languages, she can dance, she can sing. You’re just going to be a bigger fan once you meet her. She’s super-fantastic. I could not have picked a better leading lady. I would do anything she says.

What’s the best advice you ever got about acting?

Every scene is a love scene. No matter if you’re fighting or whatever, why else would you be there if you didn’t love each other?

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