Jane Heller

New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author

Movie Night: “Joy”

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I was excited about getting a sneak preview of “Joy” because director David O Russell’s last few movies (“The Fighter,” “Silver Linings Playbook” and “American Hustle”) have been so entertaining. I wish I could say the same about “Joy.”

Jennifer Lawrence is terrific as the real-life Joy Mangano, a divorced, working-class mother who invented the Miracle Mop and sold her product with great success on the Home Shopping Network. Lawrence leads a cast that includes David O Russell favorites, Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, along with Virginia Madsen, Isabella Rossellini and Diane Ladd. The problem with the movie isn’t the actors. It’s the kitchen-sink approach to telling Joy’s story. The first half has a wonderful manic energy and I loved it. We learn that Joy’s divorced but her ex lives in the basement of her house and is still her buddy; that her father’s latest girlfriend is a wealthy widow who ends up backing Joy’s mop; that her mom hides in her bedroom watching soap operas (fun cameos by Susan Lucci and Donna Mills); and that her grandmother has always been her biggest champion, telling her she can do anything she puts her mind to.

It’s the second half of the movie that falls apart. The pace slows to a crawl at times, particularly when Joy gets to HSN. We watch her succeed, lose everything, sink to rock bottom, recover, become a mogul – and none of it makes a lot of sense. The tone veers wildly from girl-makes-good story to total farce, and the editing is choppy. Worst of all, it seems to take forever for “The End” to appear on the screen. “Joy” isn’t a bad movie by any means. It’s just not what I’ve come to expect from a good director. I loved that he chose to tell the story of a female protagonist, but I wondered throughout the movie why he picked this one. It’s just not that interesting.

 

Movie Day: "American Hustle"

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Today was a treat: the first “public” showing of the film, which won’t be released until mid-December. It’s full of the same high-octane energy that fueled director David O Russell’s last two movies, “The Fighter” and “Silver Linings Playbook,” and it features many of the same cast members: Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert DeNiro. But “American Hustle,” while also about flawed characters you come to care about and root for, is much more ambitious in its canvas. Very loosely based on the ABSCAM investigations of the late ’70s and early ’80s, it’s about a bunch of con artists and FBI officers who work together to bring down corrupt politicians and mob casino bosses, among others.

Brilliant con man Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale) is married to his completely unpredictable wife Rosalind (Jennifer Lawrence) and is a loving father to their son in their Long Island home. At the same time, he’s madly in love with and in cahoots with with the equally cunning – and very sexy – Sydney (Amy Adams). They’re forced to work for a wild and crazy FBI agent Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that’s as dangerous as it is alluring. From the opening scene, in which we meet the fat (you should see that gut!), balding (you should see that combover!) Irving, I kept thinking Is that really Christian Bale???? Talk about throwing himself into a role. He’s almost unrecognizable and so, so good. After watching him last weekend in “Out of the Furnace” and thinking back on his other performances, I’m really thinking he’s one of the greatest actors we have right now. He’s a total shape-shifter in this movie.

As I said above, the energy throughout is high and the cons just keep making your head spin, and it’s not always easy to keep up with who’s conning whom and why. But my biggest problem with the film, which I mostly liked, was its nonstop decibel level. And by that I mean that everybody’s always yelling. Like in almost every scene. About half way into the movie, I had sensory overload and the movie exhausted me. I would have loved a few scenes of quiet, of reflection, of toned down acting.

I still haven’t seen my “Best Movie of the Year.” I’ve seen a lot of good ones but not The One. I’m hoping it’s still out there.

Movie Day: "Silver Linings Playbook"

 

Today’s Cinema Society screening blew me away. I’d read all the rave reviews for “Silver Linings Playbook,” so I went into the theater trying to tamp down my expectations. Good news: the movie didn’t disappoint. At all.

Here’s the movie company’s synopsis…

Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Pat Solatano (Bradley Cooper) has lost everything — his house, his job, and his wife. He now finds himself living back with his mother (Jacki Weaver) and father (Robert DeNiro) after spending eight months is a state institution on a plea bargain. Pat is determined to rebuild his life, remain positive and reunite with his wife, despite the challenging circumstances of their separation. All Pat’s parents want is for him to get back on his feet-and to share their family’s obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles football team. When Pat meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), a mysterious girl with problems of her own, things get complicated. Tiffany offers to help Pat reconnect with his wife, but only if he’ll do something very important for her in return. As their deal plays out, an unexpected bond begins to form between them, and silver linings appear in both of their lives.

Here’s the trailer….

Here’s my take…

This comedy/drama about a guy who’s bipolar (Bradley Cooper) and a girl (Jennifer Lawrence) who’s trying to bounce back from the death of her husband is everything you’d want in a grownup movie: great acting, snappy script, brisk pacing, complicated subject. It’s probably my favorite movie of the year so far, although I did love “The Impossible” too.

David O. Russell, who came for the Q&A following the screening, has directed some terrific films, most recently “The Fighter.” He was drawn to the story in part because his son is bipolar (the son even appears in the movie as the kid who knocks on the Solatanos’ door with a video camera). DiNiro’s son is similarly afflicted, so he and Russell both wanted to tackle the material. When Russell was asked why he cast the star of the “Hangover” comedies in such a complex leading role, he explained that he’d seen Cooper in “Wedding Crashers” in which he demonstrated that he could play an angry guy. Jennifer Lawrence, on the other hand, was a last-minute casting choice. The part of Tiffany was a plum role and every actress in Hollywood auditioned. Russell was trying to settle on the right one when Lawrence sent in an audition via Skype – and nailed the part. As a result, the Best Actress Oscar category just got more competitive.

 

Movie Night: "The Hunger Games"

I haven’t read any of the novels in Suzanne Collins’ series, but when something becomes a popular culture phenomenon the way the newly released movie has, I need to see what it’s all about.

So I went to my local multiplex tonight and had a look.

First of all, I loved being transported into the world that Collins and the filmmakers created – a time and place in the future that seemed like a sinister version of Oz. Great costumes and makeup.

Jennifer Lawrence, who was so wonderful in “Winter’s Bone,” plays a young woman with similar backbone and strength. She basically carries the movie, although I adored Stanley Tucci as the over-the-top host of the “games.”

Was I captivated? No. I found myself glancing at my watch every time Lawrence’s character ran through the woods (which she does a lot). And there wasn’t really any suspense, given that we know she’ll be back for the sequels. Still, there were affecting moments between her and the younger sister, as well as with the girl who plays her ally in the woods.

What I didn’t get was any sense of star-crossed lovers – the concept that makes the “Twilight” series so popular. There was so little chemistry between Lawrence and the guy who plays her fellow contestant that it was hard to root for him at all.

I did love the soundtrack, if that counts. And some of the action scenes were really well done.

I guess I’m not the demographic for this movie, although the theater was full of geezers like me.

 

 

Oscar Countdown Part 4

With the expansion of the Best Picture category to 10 films (I’d like to see them go back to 5, but that’s for another post), it’s easy to overlook the movie “Winter’s Bone.” No mega-budget. No “A”-list stars. And definitely not a warm-and-fuzzy story.

Based on Dan Woodrell’s dark and twisty novel, “Winter’s Bone” is about a young girl who must go in search of her meth-dealing father in order to hold on to her family home. Jennifer Lawrence is utterly compelling as the film’s centerpiece, but it’s the setting – the oh-so-grim Ozarks – that steals the show. Talk about stepping into a place you’d rather not visit. Still, there are real places like the one depicted in the movie; they exist and they’re right here in the good old U.S. – places where people like Jennifer Lawrence’s character struggle to put food on the table every day.

I first heard about “Winter’s Bone” from my literary agent, who represents Woodrell too. She told me his book had been optioned and that the film was actually getting produced – AND that it was being screened at Sundance. Not only did it make it to Sundance but it won the festival’s top prize, so I couldn’t wait to see it. Michael and I went the day it opened. Despite his affection for “The King’s Speech” and “The Social Network,” “Winter’s Bone” was his favorite movie of the year, hands down.

Here’s a piece from today’s Huffington Post reminding us just how good “Winter’s Bone” is. If you haven’t seen it, see it!

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About Jane Heller

Jane Heller is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author. Her fourteen breezy, witty novels of romantic comedy and suspense are now entertaining millions of readers around the world, along with her two books of nonfiction.