Charlie Day And Jenny Slate Set To Star In Romantic Comedy ‘I Want You Back’

A huge romantic comedy is coming to Amazon Studios, and the cast is pretty damn impressive.

Charlie Day and Jenny Slate are set to star in the rom-com ‘I Want You Back‘ and they’ll be surrounded by a bunch of talented actors, including Good Place star Manny Jacinto, Gina Rodriguez and Scott Eastwood.

Slate and Day will play 30somethings, dumped by their respective partners and terrified that their shot at a fairytale life — complete with marriage, kids and houses in the suburbs — are over. With no prospects on the horizon and the thought of dying alone looming, they hatch a desperate plan to win back their exes, who are already in new relationships.

The script was written by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger, the co-showrunners of ‘This Is Us’ so expect this comedy to have a lot of heart.

Production is expected to begin in Atlanta next month and Jason Orley is set to direct.

I immediately fell in love with Isaac and Elizabeth’s funny, heartfelt script. I am so honored that they, along with the amazing team at Amazon are allowing me to bring their timeless love story to life, and that I get to do it with such an incredible group of actors.

This should be a good one. No official release date has been announced, but considering they’re filming in March, it could be released as soon as this fall/winter, but more likely sometime in early 2022, perhaps around Valentine’s Day.

Movie Review: Zootopia – Earns Every Bit of the Critics Praise

videothumbnail_zootopia_officialtrailer_disney_a4d0f4ce - 22MAR2016

It’s very rare that you see a movie that manages to universally please critics the way the Zootopia has. I have to say I’m a bit surprised, as Disney’s latest effort earned its praise.

Judy Hopps (voiced by Ginnifer Goodwin), a bunny, grows up on a carrot farm with her conventional parents and 225 bunny brothers and sisters. Showing large reserves of empathy and kindness, she springs into action when a bully turns aggressive in a schoolyard. Judy’s mother and father are taken aback when she decides to leave for the city to become a cop. At the police academy, this tiny rookie has trouble with physical prowess exercises but through her immense will power and wit eventually graduates at the top of her class. Eager to hit the streets and do her law-and-order thing, Judy is disappointed when Bogo (Idris Elba), police chief, orders her to hand out parking tickets. Still wanting to prove that she is better than any other rookie on the force, she writes 200 tickets before noon. Eventually, Judy gets the chance to shine when she’s allowed to investigate the mystery of a missing otter, with the help of conniving fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman).

ZOOTOPIA-01 - 22MAR2016

The unique storyline is both adorable and complex enough to create something new and fresh. This is not a premise I’ve seen before, that I can say for sure. Despite that, it works. It’s clever and cute and smart enough for adults to enjoy too.

The message is subtle, especially for a Disney film, in that it makes Judy’s abilities not about her strength or athleticism but instead her cleverness and determination. It’s a good message for kids that they don’t try to nail us over the head with.

Of course, it’s Disney so the computer generated animation is flawlessly executed and adorable. In that department, Disney rarely strikes out. It’s worth seeing in 3D, as it’s a good looking film with lots of creative and imaginative scenery.

zootopia_still_6 - 22MAR2016

The creativity comes into play with the creation of Zootopia, the mammal centric city where predatory instincts are gone and animals live like humans. You can see a spark of Disney’s old school imaginative style in this film.

Also, it’s smart enough for adults to enjoy too. The screenplay writers threw in a few clever quips just for mom and dad, making this an animated feature that the whole family can enjoy.

This is a clear hit and a clear winner for Disney. This animated film has the intelligence to keep adults audiences watching, with all the same appeal of Disney for the kids, so they can also cash in on the merchandising. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that a film starring a bunny came out so close to Easter.

But Disney’s goal of world domination through movie revenues aside, this is a fantastic film that is sure to be fun for the whole family. I’d call this one an absolutely worth the watch, regardless  if you have children or not.

WE GIVE IT: 4.5 STARS!

four and a half stars

[youtube id=”bY73vFGhSVk” width=”680″ height=”383″]

zootopia-movie-poster

f

4

Movie Review: Obvious Child (2014)

OC-blasts-funnyGritty, Realistic and In Your Face

four and a half stars

Quirky girls are becoming the new norm on television and movies and Obvious Child features and excellently quickly, awkward lead. Right now, it’s at limited release, but this indie gem is likely to draw big audiences.

Donna Stern (Jenny Slate) is an aspiring stand-up comedienne in her 20s whose life is falling apart. She’s just been dumped by her boyfriend, and lost her job when she decides to go home (extremely loaded) with another bar patron (also extremely loaded.) and winds up knocked up. Enter much angst and many jokes about abortion.

This film is like a film length movie of Girls. The lead is an inappropriate, crude, hard to like hipster living a hand to mouth lifestyle thanks to short term jobs and really supportive parents.

The beginning of the film makes the lead hard to like. She seems like she’s entirely self-centered and incredibly needy. But as you get to know her, you get to like her and even start to root for her a bit.

Problems abound with the side characters, who suffer from serious underdevelopment. Her parents are kind of reverse clichés, with an overbearing mom and an ultra-cuddly dad.

obvious-child-sun-618x400

The second half of the movie is heavy on the abortion issue and it faces it with a decidedly liberal slant. If you’re a pro-lifer, you might want to skip this movie, as it will leave you with a bad taste in your mouth.

I like that we got to see the real New York with this one. Movies based in New York tend to be too clean and happy, with 20 something’s living in loft apartments that could easily cost 10 grand a month. In this New York, we see a girl living in a crappy, dirty apartment with a clunky radiator, in a dirty area, filled with actual dive bars. It’s a more realistic look at the city that never sleeps.

This movie is not afraid to cross boundaries and approach taboo subjects in a taboo way. Donna is not a cookie-cutter good girl trying to make it in the city. She’s selfish, obnoxious and capable of making huge mistakes that many women her age make, including excessive drinking, casual sex and failure to use a condom appropriately. She’s far more realistic than most of the ways girls in their 20s are portrayed right now.

obvious-child-image-4

obvious-child-image-6

The ability to make people laugh about such a serious topic will make this movie an instant classic, if a bit controversial. This is a movie made by people who understand 20-something life in New York and they are not afraid to get gritty about it.

This is an ugly movie that manages to make light of serious issues. It’s gritty, realistic and has that New York in your face style that resonates with the audience of Girls. While not largely marketed, it’s likely to find an audience among the same type of people who are a fan of the Girls series, as well as angst filled 20 something’s living in New York.

If you don’t cringe when the word ‘abortion’ is mentioned, and if you can handle looking at it from a decidedly left-leaning perspective, Obvious Child is absolute worth the watch.  Watch the Official Trailer Below:

[youtube id=”PZIcDLuj5xw” width=”633″ height=”356″]