Quick Reviews: "The Good Lie", "The Skeleton Twins", "This is Where I Leave You"

"THE GOOD LIE"
Director: Philippe Falardeau
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmanuel Jal, Corey Stoll, Kuoth Wiel, Femi Oguns

This is not a lie, "The Good Lie" is a very good and heartwarming film. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry and, most of all, it will make you care. This movie falls into the "message movie" genre but it is not preachy nor didactic. It is sentimental, yes, but it succeeds in getting the message across.

It is the story about the child refugees of sudan, the so-called "lost boys and girls of Sudan." It is the sad story of the disintegration of Sudan. It is also a story of enduring faith, of hope, of perseverance, survival, love and charity. Many people should watch this movie so that we don't forget the stories of the Sudanese survivors -- and the hundreds of thousands more languishing and displaced in many refugee camps all over Kenya today.

Rating: 4 1/2 Stars

"THE SKELETON TWINS"
Director: Craig Johnson
Cast: Kristin Wiig, Bill Hader, Luke Wilson, Boyd Holbrook, Ty Burrell

"The Skeleton Twins" is a funny and deeply affecting film about two thirty-something suicidal siblings who are trying to survive a traumatic past by avoiding every opportunity to be sad only to find themselves always in the throes of depression. Great cinema and great stories are oftentimes about lonely individuals coping with their misfortunes and sometimes talented comedians make the best actors to effectively convey the state of melancholy on screen. Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig are both outstanding in their roles as the titular twins. Luke Wilson is also amazing as Kristin's too-good husband. This is a small movie with very limited budget but the rest of the cast made up for it with their equally outstanding performances despite the small screen times they have.

Rating: 4 1/2 stars. Watch it!

"THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU"
Director: Shawn Levy
Cast: Jane Fonda, Jason Bateman, Corey Stoll, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Timothy Olyphant, Dax Shepard, Kathryn Hahn, Rose Byrne, Connie Britton

See that cast? Impressive, right? We'll, it's the only thing that's really impressive about this movie.

When i wrote a quick post in my Facebook account yesterday telling (warning) my friends about "This is Where I Leave You", this is what I wrote: "Still catching up on movies i missed. Finally saw "This is Where I Leave You" and this is when i say i wished i left the theater for another movie. Just kidding but, actually, i am not."

The movie with its exceptional cast features occasional lovely scenes of family dysfunction but the writing is just absolutely horrible specially the revelation about the mom close to the end which was truly awful! And if a movie can make Cyndi Lauper's anthemic "Time After Time" sound so irritating then it must be truly bad. There's a scene in the film where Jason Bateman's character tunes out the noise his family was making and i wished i did the same for much of the movie.

I give props to the cast who clearly had fun with the movie, the excellent production design and Jane Fonda's robust boobs!

Rating: 2 1/2 Stars

XXX
Raymond Lo