One of these things is not like the other. And by that I mean that one of these films was good. It wasn’t Like a Boss. And that 1917 win at the Golden Globes last week makes a lot more sense now.
First up was what I’m sure will be a Best Picture nominee tomorrow morning, 1917. This was a World War I drama, filmed as one continuous shot. It starts off following two soldiers tasked with crossing many dangerous German battle grounds to deliver a message to halt the next mornings attack. Once that’s established, the rest of the film had me holding my breath and clutching my face with anxiety. I do recall at one point leaning over to my friend and exclaiming, “I CAN’T HANG!” That’s how anxious I was. Just like Dunkirk was beautiful for creating a unique cinematic experience with virtually no dialogue, this was equally as captivating being shot as such a short amount of uninterrupted time. I can totally see where all the nominations and wins are coming from now (if this doesn’t win editing, that’d be a crime).
Next up was the stupid girl-squad (of two) comedy, Like a Boss, starring Tiffany Haddish and Rose Byrne. This movie follows two life-long best friends who own their own makeup company. Only thing is, they’re in so much debt that they won’t be owning it for long. In comes cosmetic royalty, Claire Luna, who offers to buy the girls’ company. They agree hesitantly, and we learn quickly that Claire wants to destroy their friendship more than owning their products. Don’t get me wrong, there were plenty of cheap laughs and shenanigans, but it was all rather predictable and more often than not I found myself bored, wondering when it’d be over. Stand-out line delivery belonged to Jennifer Coolidge for sure, but that’s just not enough. Let this one make it to you’re local video store or streaming service.