First of all, my peeps, NO--I have not stopped going to the movies. (You're kidding me, right?) I have, however, been seeing a few flicks again...namely: Bridesmaids and Super 8. The first fresh flick that I've seen in the heat of July is none other than Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts in Larry Crowne.
Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) is a model employee. He works at UMart (Hollywood equivalent to Wal-Mart with undoubtedly as many people finding their way to YouTube from various nose-picking excursions in the store aisles). Larry may be a little dorky, but he's a stickler for detail and all with an eye on what is good for customer and company alike. Then one Friday, as his shift nears a close, he gets hailed to a meeting with the brass. The 'brass' in this little scenario better resembles a collection of dumb-asses. Nonetheless, Larry is expecting his ninth Employee of the Month award, and with good cause. However, Larry is, instead, handed his walking papers and after years of loyal service is promptly shown the door. His lack of a college degree combined with his advancing years is the culprit. Larry decides to stave off future disappointment by enrolling in the local community college. Enter Mercedes (Julia Roberts). She's a Speech/Com prof at the school and is struggling on a few notes. She's quite frustrated with her job--and a collection of students who continually lack a caring attitude toward their vocation. She's equally frustrated with her husband (Bryan Cranston)--he's a lazy, jobless, blogger who prefers to scribble out a couple of blog entries a week and surf the net for big, breasted chicks with the remaining 39 hours of 37 minutes of the work week. Plus, there is Alvarez (Roxana Ortega) who takes a liking to Larry in an effort to de-dork him. Yadayadayada we experience Larry's first semester through junior college while sitting side saddle with him on his lil blue, gas-saving, scooter--we see the ups and downs of personal growth meeting economic downsizing with a little romance thrown in for good measure.
I'll go with 3.0 Stars here: The Sunny Side of Okay. Quite frankly, it was not at all what I was expecting. I thought this was going to be a romantic comedy more along the lines of the Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan variety. (i.e. Sleepless in Seattle or You've Got Mail) It was not at all. It was funny. It was moving. It was thought-provoking. It is not a romantic comedy as much as a slice-of-life tale with a late romantic anchor thrown minutes before you're expecting to dock. This is a movie that touches on a lot of issues. Actually, there are a lot of slices to be divvied out from this slice-of-life tale. Corporate downsizing--the utter unfairness found in firing a great employee over the non-sense of not valuing his experience over his educational credentials. Don't get me wrong, I see great value in a college degree and am proud of my years at the University of Tennessee. You just don't can a guy who is still going strong after decades of service and an exquisite employment record because he's not educationally qualified to run the company. Then there's...economics and personal finance--Larry's battling the bank to keep his house, which is a tall order following his recent divorce and untimely firing. Of course, the movie also touches on relationships and the frustration of being with someone who is no longer who you married, etc., as witnessed from the Mercedes-Dean dynamic.
To sum it up: There's a lot going on here. There are a lot of issues being touched on, with few of them explored with any great depth. That, of course, was undoubtedly the intention. As such, it's a thought provoking, challenging and funny 98 minutes. Hanks does dorky justice, and in a very likable way. Roberts is solid too. Plus, you've got small, but fun roles for Rita Wilson, Rami Malek, Bryan Cranston and George Takei.
It's worth a watch, but no Big Screen required. It would make for a fun part of a chilly November night when it comes out on Blu-Ray/DVD.
True...OUT!
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