Most romantic comedies are, from the first few frames, quite predictable. Yes, Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan will eventually meet and fall in love; yes, Harry and Sally will eventually realize they are perfect for each other; yes, the ‘ugly’ girl will realize beauty is within and fall for the guy who believed in her the whole time. The outcomes are always fixed positions within the romcom formula. The magic isn’t in the structure, the story – always very similar – that’s being told: instead, the magic can be found in the chemistry of the leads. 

What is When Harry Met Sally without Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan’s electric chemistry? What is Sleepless in Seattle/You’ve Got Mail without Tom Hanks’ and, er, Meg Ryan’s easy charisma? A good romantic comedy lives and dies with its leads, and in Jason Orley’s I Want You Back, the leads ensure this movie not only lives but thrives. Charlie Day and Jenny Slate are both comedy stalwarts by now; he from his timeless run in It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, she from far more numerous projects including her time on SNL, Parks & Rec, Big Mouth, and Bob’s Burgers. Together they elevate what might’ve been a typical middle-of-the-road romcom into something more accessible and charming.

Peter (Day) and Emma (Slate) have never met, despite working in the same building. This all changes when they are both dumped by their respective partners and decide to hide out in the building’s fire escape. Peter tells Emma about Anne (Gina Rodriguez), his girlfriend of six years who dumped him quite suddenly, while Emma relates the story of how she was dumped by her boyfriend Noah (Scott Eastwood). They find comfort in each other, drinking their woes away at karaoke bars, until they come to a realization: they can help each other win their partners back. It’s a Strangers on a Train style bargain and execution: Emma will seduce Anne’s new boyfriend Logan (Manny Jacinto), breaking up the relationship and clearing the path for Peter, while Peter will befriend Noah and convince him that he is still in love with Emma. 

So far, so predictable. Yes, it looks very much like Peter and Emma are destined to fall in love. Yes, that line Emma says about wanting a boyfriend who will put her safety mask on for her if there is an emergency during a flight will mean something later. Yes, yes, yes. If you have an idea of where the movie is going, you’re probably right. However, the sharp writing and pitch perfect delivery of the leads makes it all worthwhile: Charlie Day could play this kind of character in his sleep by now; his Peter is well meaning and very affable, but stuck in the doldrums. Having sold out his dream career to work for an evil corporate company – and this is underlined by a scene in which said company tries to save money by essentially starving old people in retirement homes – he is flightless and deflated. An early scene with his ex’s nephew shows how good he is with kids, though, and a later scene in which he helps an old lady with her lunch shows him for the caring person he is. Day carries all of these moments in typical fashion: Peter doesn’t know his own worth, and it shows. 

Emma is a bored receptionist. She is directionless and unmotivated, living in shared accommodation with a couple who are studying to be lawyers and whom indulge in incredibly loud sex in the middle of the day – leading to one of the film’s better scenes in which the traditional mid-film beat where the main characters open up to each other is underscored by raucous lovemaking coming from the room next door.

Slate has arguably the more heavy-lifting of the pair: Emma’s prospects are more limited than Peter’s, and her arc takes on far more of an emotional journey, at least until the end. While Day is great in his role, Slate makes I Want You Back what it is. The friendship she strikes up with a young delinquent whose parents might be divorcing is touching, and a scene where she reenacts The Little Shop of Horrors onstage with another young boy is hilarious and charming. Slate has that quixotic, manic-pixie-girl streak which can make her both endearing and tragic at the same time.

I Want You Back doesn’t reinvent the wheel. It is a familiar set up and execution which relies on the chemistry of its leads. Orley and his screenwriters – Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger – manage an impressive blend of romance, comedy, and pathos while keeping the pacing consistent. Luckily, the movie boasts two comedians at the top of their game who carry everything, and it works. You might not find anything new here, but if you’re a fan of the romcom genre you’ll find a winning, wholesome entry that is refreshingly equal parts com as it is rom. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, it’s a perfect date movie to kick-start that new relationship of your own.

Grade – B+

Well, this can be a hell week for film critics. The one week of the year dedicated to contrived, unrealistic, and far-fetched storylines sugar-coated into a piece of eye candy finished with a beautiful shine. Throw in a couple of attractive leads, some wise-cracking best friends, and follow a playbook step-by-step that has tributed to the likes of Julia Roberts, Meg Ryan, and Sandra Bullock. Here’s the point- they are supposed to be guilty pleasures. Jennifer Lopez’s latest, Marry Me, forgets some key components. Like the fact that this is nothing more than a promotion for J.Lo and Maluma’s attached album.

There is nothing original about Marry Me. A poorly written film with scenes built only to enhance the album’s songs. Harper Dill (The Mindy Project) and John Rogers (Catwoman) adapted the song list. This is strange since this is based on a graphic novel by Bobby Crosby. But is so loosely based it’s practically non-existent. As far as you can tell, they only kept the premise of a pop star named Kat Valdez (Jennifer Lopez). She suddenly becomes so frustrated with her love life that she marries the first man she sees who is holding a sign that says, you guessed it,” Marry Me.”

That frustration is Bastian (played by Maluma), a man she was supposed to marry at a live New York City concert, and found out he was sleeping with her assistant. That man is Owen Wilson, who plays Charlie Gilbert. A good man and single father; humble, sweet, and raising a daughter on a math teacher’s salary. He, of course, says yes. I mean, why not? She is beautiful, talented, rich, and has nothing to do this weekend, right?

Directed by Kat Coiro, Marry Me is shockingly dull and, frankly, dumb for all its glitz and glamour. Practically any scene with Wilson, who is miscast here in the romantic lead, and Lopez trying to integrate herself into any situation outside a concert or performance is misguided. That is where Charlie comes in. We do not learn anything of substance about him. Charlie is supposed to be used as a mirror character to bring out or enhance Kat’s traits. Not as a performer, mind you, but as a human being.

The issue here is that they resort to some musical interlude when the writers cannot flesh out that scenario. There are two different scenes where Lopez’s Kat, without any prompting, turns a math club meeting and high school dance into her private concert. Would it not be interesting to see how Kat operates in the real world? And by comparison to her posh and privileged lifestyle? Or get a sense of who the person is behind her persona?

A similar film, like Notting Hill, succeeded, where Marry Me does not. When you combine that the leads lack any natural chemistry (and a suddenly charmless Wilson doesn’t help matters), Kat Coiro’s film’s sole purpose is to promote J.Lo and Maluma’s album. This isn’t so much a film as it is an utterly charmless infomercial.

Grade D+

Director: Jeff Tremaine
Writers: The Jackass crew  
Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Ehren McGhehey

Synopsis: 12 years after the release of the third film, the Jackass crew reunites for a final collection of outrageous stunts. 

“When was the last time you got together with your old friends to laugh your asses off?” This is the quote that kicks off the theatrical trailer for Jackass Forever, the latest (and apparently final) outing from the crew that began participating in shocking stunts back in 2000. Rather than just a humorous way to try to bring people back to the theater to watch a bunch of grown individuals act like children, that line is the essence of the movie itself. While the film is simply a compilation of such painful and unsanitary acts, it’s also a reflection on the wild journey the team has taken over the years. 

Even as one who is more familiar with Jackass as a concept than as an actual viewer, I’m able to have a strange appreciation for how far the franchise has come. Perhaps the only thing wilder than the stunts themselves is that an MTV series that only lasted 25 episodes has resulted in a quadrilogy of theatrical features that essentially function as an avenue to display what they couldn’t on television. That’s certainly the case here, as the film features bare penises, explosions, human-on-human collisions, and men being covered in bodily fluids…all within the first five minutes. 

As expected, the film’s stunts seek to be bigger than ever. In fact, as it becomes clear in the ending credits, some of them are simply more intense versions of acts the crew has taken on before. Highlights from this venture include “Silence of the Lambs,” a hilarious act in which unsuspecting members are locked in a room with the lights out, under the false impression that a rattlesnake is trapped in the room with them. While that alone is an uproarious concept, they take it a step further by inflicting pain and fear on those involved, using everything from mouse traps to trash can lids. An exploit like this serves as the best of the film, largely because it combines meticulous planning from the masterminds with the genuine surprise of the victims. 

As with any Jackass film, this does bring up the question of how one interacts as a viewer. Let’s not shy away from the fact that it feels a little sadistic to find so much humor through the pain these guys go through. And I will say, I laughed consistently, and often quite audibly, throughout the course of the movie. What helps most in this case is that the participants seem like they are actually having fun, as deranged as that may sound. These are essentially the immature escapades of Johnny Knoxville and his Merry Fellows. And those fellows actually come off as quite merry, even just after they’ve endured what must be unreal pain. In fact, what’s even better than the stunts is what comes after – usually in the form of infectious laughter from all involved. 

While sitting back and cackling at the chaos or cringing at the gross-out stunts is all good fun, what really stands out here is the sense of finality and partnership. The film mixes the old with the new quite well. Johnny Knoxville serves as a charismatic ringleader, and Jackass traditionals like Steve-O and Ehren McGhehey participate in stunts as if they’re still in their 20s. However, newcomers like Zach Holmes and Rachel Wolfson hold their own while symbolizing the oddly enduring nature of these ridiculous ventures. The only time these people aren’t laughing is when they seem genuinely concerned about a partner who may be seriously injured. It may be difficult at times to tell whether the joy is simply a performance (especially with recent news about Bam Margera’s conflicts and frustrations with the crew), but the adoration for each other is still pretty evident. 

There are so many sequences here that it’s difficult to reflect on all of them while identifying the standouts. In a way, that represents the main fault of the film. There’s so much packed in that it does get to feel a bit tiresome in the middle, and some of the more minor or traditional stunts get lost in the fold. Still, moments of the best kind of hilarity remain, such as when part of the group is showered in paintballs just after getting off a makeshift tilt-a-whirl, which they took on after chugging a half-gallon of milk. There are certainly moments where actual danger can be felt too, such as a scene in which McGhehey must sit still while a full-grown bear eats up salmon laid across his groin. 

With Jackass Forever, you mostly get what you expect. If you’re not a fan of this type of comedy, there’s likely not much here that will sway you, even if the camaraderie is heightened for the participants who have participated for over 20 years. If you do enjoy this sort of thing, there are enough laughs to leave with satisfaction. It also helps that the technical elements are bigger along with the stunts. We no longer have to watch this happen through amateurish home video quality, as the newer entries come with a more experienced film crew who are able to capture the chaos from all angles and speeds. The movie is best enjoyed without thinking too much, and taking in a group of wild individuals as they act like complete idiots. I’m not going to pretend there is some thought-provoking, underlying message that wasn’t there before, but I certainly did enjoy laughing my ass off with these friends. 

Grade: B-

Director: Roland Emmerich

Writers: Roland Emmerich, Harald Kloser, and Spenser Cohen

Stars: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley

Synopsis: The moon has fallen out of orbit and it is up to a band of astronauts to correct its course and battle the mysterious entity controlling it.

There was an internet joke that came about last year as the theaters across the world opened back up. People ironically and unironically stated, “cinema is back,” with every big release. Everything coming out widely at the time was an anticipated intellectual property and there were few unknowns that made it onto more than 1000 screens. Cinema is only truly back when the audience is treated to a risky original idea plopped into a thirsty late winter doldrum between Christmas and spring. The period where anything can appear and potentially thrive before the cacophony of IP drowns out all original thought again for ten more months. With the premiere of Moonfall, we can safely say cinema is truly back.

It takes a singular mind like Roland Emmerich’s to create a scenario, yet again, in which to destroy the Earth, or at least, large parts of it. He’s made it an art form, in and of itself. There must be entire classes in CGI design dedicated to scenes from his films. Yet, he’s always seemed to have an agenda behind his Earth shattering. Many of his previous disasters focused on teaching lessons like protecting endangered species (Godzilla), climate science (The Day After Tomorrow), and that we should all learn to get along better (Independence Day). Moonfall has no deeper truth to it. Emmerich just wants to blow stuff up this time and it’s a little refreshing.

Emmerich isn’t someone who worries about unique shots, about the flashier techniques of his peers. He’s there to tell the actors to be scared, to be wowed, or to be angry at the CGI mayhem around them. That isn’t to say his team shouldn’t be praised for their (excuse the pun) stellar work. Production designer Kirk M. Petrucelli created sets that ranged from a dilapidated L.A. motel to a military strategy room to a futuristic alien spaceship hallway. Petrucelli and the art department created something real amongst the unreal. The visual effects team has also balanced the mayhem, chaos, and carnage of the moon dropping pieces of itself to Earth with the beauty and awe of what it could look like inside a mega structure that surrounds a white dwarf star. They also didn’t create something new with their nebulous swarm of a villain, but it is effective in the way it moves, kills, and adapts.

There is a lot of unreal in Moonfall. It was already a bonkers concept, but when the layers of detail about what is actually going on are revealed, it’s best to just lean into it. That’s what Emmerich’s films, especially his films of the late ’90s and early 2000s failed to do, which was to delve completely into the insanity of the concepts. These previous films still clung to some kind of reality. In Moonfall, Emmerich and co writers Harald Kloser and Spenser Cohen just up the ante, go the distance, and every other cliché about completely investing in a concept. Emmerich balances his patented earthbound drama with his strange sci-fi caper all at once in a cosmic dance that’s engrossing and engaging, while it is also baffling.

Does Moonfall fail to be ultimately intellectually stimulating? Yes. Does Moonfall have every cheesy line of dialogue in the book? Yes. Does a car chase morph into a car commercial? One hundred percent. Yet, Moonfall is exactly what it’s meant to be. It’s a big, bold disaster film that pulls us out of the disaster film that has become our lives over the last few years. It’s an escape and one that while not entirely “good”, still itches that yearn inside of all of us that wants to be the hero in a terrible situation and pulls at our heartstrings when we see people we care about, however fleetingly, slip into mortal peril. Moonfall is the best kind of disaster, it distracts the brain just long enough to remind us it could be a lot worse.

Grade: C