You know, I’m pretty impressed with myself for managing to squeeze in four new movies over the course of a very busy weekend. All in all, they were pretty decent and all vastly different from one another.
About Fate – Somewhat surprisingly, this light rom-com ended up being my favorite! It features Emma Roberts as Margot and Thomas Mann as Griffin, both of which are actors I like, but I just assumed that this was going to be corny in a bad way. I was wrong! In this, Margot and Griffin share so many similarities it’s uncanny. Of course, this is About Fate, which means all of their similarities are indicative of fate that (obviously) they end up together. The road there is a strange one though. Both think they are going to get engaged, but that turns up odd when one gets dumped and the other paused to fit into some influencer agenda. They meet briefly on that failed evening and then their paths cross again when Griffin ends up in Margot’s apartment. He agrees to be her ex and accompany her to sister’s wedding, and you know chaos ensues. I don’t know, I just really enjoyed the chemistry these two brought.
God’s Creatures – This might have been one of the slowest slow-burn movies I have ever seen, but the payout at the end is so shocking I felt like I had some version of whiplash. I’ve decided that’s a really good thing. Aileen is tickled when her only son, Brian, is back in their small, Irish fishing town after many years in Australia. The two spend copious amounts of time together, and even though a lot of what Brian does seems like he’s just relying on his mother’s aid to get a leg up, he seems well liked among most everyone in town. That’s why Aileen is willing to overlook and even corroborate Brian’s lie on his whereabouts the night Aileen’s co-worker and Brian’s old schoolmate, Sarah, presses rape charges against him. Brian is easily welcomed back, where Sarah’s life is made a living hell. It’s this dichotomy that has Aileen making a life changing decision at the very end of the film. Well done drama!
Amsterdam – I’m sure I let reviews of this incredible ensemble film cloud my judgement here, but David O. Russell’s latest was kind of a jumble. It’s another whodunnit, really, but this one had too many moving parts that didn’t really gel well together. I did enjoy Christian Bale’s chaotic character, but Margot Robbie and John David Washington I could have done without. The trio are hired to find the killer of US Senator, Bill Meekins, and then his daughter. A lot to do with politics, and that’s just alright with me. Sure, this was based off a real life story, but it was kind of hard to follow at times, and it seems the head was cut off way before anything bad could have actually happened. I did enjoy the ensemble, with Alessandro Nivola and Michael Shannon as the standouts for me. There are certainly other better whodunnits out there right now (may I recommend Bodies Bodies Bodies since tis the season?), so maybe skip it for now.
Luckiest Girl Alive – Firstly, look out tomorrow for my review of this novel which I finished in the nick of time before this adaptation premiered on Netflix. I say that and am mad at myself. Why do I keep reading books before the movies?! It’s against my cardinal rule for adaptations! In any case, similar to Where the Crawdads Sing, this adaptation manages to follow all the major plot points of the novel with minor tweaks, but something just felt like it was missing within the relationship of all of its characters. Though I don’t think a full-blown show would have serviced this, perhaps a four part miniseries would have done it more justice. There was just so much that happened in the book that would have made this movie just that more impactful. Still, sadly a very relatable watch.