And So It Goes

All of Diane Keaton's recent romantic comedies are just the same movie, I'm sure of it. Just throw in another older male actor for her to fall in love with, be it Jack Nicholson, Kevin Kline or Harrison Ford. This time it's Michael Douglas' turn.

In this rather formulaic rom-com, Douglas plays a veteran realtor, Oren, who lives in a condo that also houses three other families. His neighbours find him curmudgeonly and abrasive, including next door neighbour Leah (Diane Keaton), a wannabe lounge singer. Oren's life gets turned upside down when his son delivers Oren's granddaughter to his place because he is going to jail. Of course this little girl melts Oren's heart.

I wouldn't say this movie is unoriginal, but it is definitely lacking life. The jokes in the movie are passable and the one's that got me the most were when Douglas' character was irreverent in front of children but that's about it.

Both Keaton and Douglas are better actors than the performances they gave in this movie. And if you want a little more variety of performances in this movie, you're not going to get any. Frankie Valli and Rob Reiner (as if he wouldn't put himself in his movies) have cameos and I thought the Frankie Valli one seemed a little out of place.

Verdict: If you are over the age of fifty and/or like any of the following movies (Somethings Gotta Give, The Big Wedding, Darling Companion) you will like this movie. If you aren't, I would avoid this movie like the plague.

The Wolf of Wall Street

Leonardo DiCaprio seems to be drawn to movies about excess. And excess is the name of the game in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) begins his career working for the shady Mark Hanna (Mathew McConaughey). Belfort loses his job after the firm he works at fails on Black Monday (which is something I'm guessing people in economics will know about). His wife Teresa (Cristin Milioti) encourages him to get a job at boiler room outfit that sells penny stocks, run by Dwayne (Spike Jonze). Once Belfort realises that he can make a higher commission selling these stocks, he begins to accrue wealth and begins a company with Donny Azoff (Jonah Hill), where the two embark on a lifestyle of excess and debauchery. This behaviour grabs the attention of FBI Agent Patrick Denham (Kyle Chandler), who begins to investigate him for a number of financial frauds.

The film is fantastically hilarious from beginning to end. Leo once again proves he is one of the greatest actors of his generation and that he can also be comedic. The film runs for 179 minutes and by the end I did start to feel the effects of that length of time. Although it's a gripping film, I felt as though it ran twenty minutes too long.

Leo's performance is fantastic and he has a great chemistry with the rest of the cast, especially Margot Robbie, who plays his second wife, and Rob Reiner, who plays his father. Robbie is insanely good in this film and I can't imagine how hard it is for an Aussie to pull of a Long Island accent like that or for such a long time.

Jonah Hill also shows that he has game as a serious actor. I know he's been trying for a while and he really breaks through with this film, whilst still drawing on his talents as a comedian. Jon Bernthal is someone who I've had a hard time getting behind (mainly for his role of Shane on The Walking Dead), but his talent playing for playing the scumbag is well utilised in this film. Also the Spike Jonze cameo just made me laugh.

Verdict: Martin Scorsese crafts a wonderful piece of art about the excesses of the Wall Street rich whilst being devilishly funny and accurate. Bonus points for the hilarious joke about cerebral palsy (which I laughed at harder than anyone in the cinema).