Movie Review: CARNAGE

CARNAGE

2011
R


"You're blowing this all out of proportion!"
-- Michael Longstreet

Carnage is a 2011 black comedy directed by Roman Polanski that serves as a film adaptation of Yasmina Reza's play, God of Carnage. It follows the story of two couples who are trying to come to terms with the fact that one of their son's assaulted the other. After Zachary Cowan hits Ethan Longstreet with a stick causing serious damage to his face and mouth, the Cowan parents - Nancy (Kate Winslet) and Alan (Christoph Waltz) - go to meet the Longstreet parents - Penelope (Jodie Foster) and Michael (John C. Reilly) - in order to figure out what their next move should be. Ultimately, Penelope and Michael want Zachary to apologize to their son, but as the argument and debate, which doesn't always stick to the desired topic at hand, starts to escalate, more and more information about the assault comes to the forefront, causing more and more strain between the once-cordial parental meeting.

I have to be honest and say that I didn't know much about this film going into my viewing of it. I had seen the early theatrical posters and had heard that it had opened to relatively good reviews from critics, but I didn't even know it was a Polanski film until the title credits started to roll. In a sense, I was going into the film a little bit blind, only knowing that the caliber of acting was sure to be above the average standard. And often times, that's the best way to go into a film: without any predisposed notions as to whether it will be truly good or truly bad. Fortunately, I lucked out with Carnage.

Let's start with the film's screenplay. The storyline offers a very simple premise: the two boys get into their fight - a short, far-off scene playing behind the title credits that will be missed if you're not paying attention - and we immediately cut to the parents devising a written statement of the account of what happened between their children. Had the best of intentions been kept, the film could have easily ended there, but where would be the fun in that? The Longstreets do their best to be cordial, inviting the Cowans to stay for a while as they try to understand the reasoning behind their boy's action. As the conversation gets deeper, however, more personal information about each couple surfaces, and the opposing couple ultimately attempts to use that information as a way to slander the other into painting a different portrait of their general character.

Ultimately, this film simply shows one extended scene that lasts basically for the film's entirety. The discussion and argument is probably one of the most realistic I've ever seen portrayed on-screen, and the feel of the argument is so genuine that it feels completely real and natural. The ebbs and flows in the conversation work perfectly, and the changing of allegiances is so beautifully-crafted that it's immediately acceptable and bitingly hilarious. In fact, the comedy is so perfectly-placed that I found myself rolling with laughter for most of the film. Now, it's a black comedy, so this brand of humor isn't exactly for everyone, but for those of you able to appreciate it, I'm sure you'll find it just as comical as I did. My only slight issue with the screenplay was that the ending was a tad bit predictable, but I personally think it's the only way the film could have ended and have retained its comic power, so in this instance, the predictability can be forgiven.

We're lucky enough to get an all-star ensemble cast bringing these characters to life. If you look at the cast list, you'd be hard-pressed to find a way to think they would under-perform. Between the four of them, they have a total of twelve Academy Award nominations with four wins under the belts, so to expect anything less than their best would be a little bit foolish. And boy do they deliver. A lot of the buzz has gone to our female leads, both of whom have landed Golden Globe nominations for their performances, but I would like to salute our male characters as well. I personally think Waltz offers the film's best performance, and while he's not quite on par with everyone else, Reilly does a fantastic job in his role. I think he's made a little bit of a fool of himself in the past few years with his collaboration in some not-so-great comedies, but Reilly has the ability to be a very good or even great actor when he tries to be (see: 1997's Boogie Nights or 2002's Chicago). At the end of the day, Carnage has a brilliant cast that's firing on all cylinders, and they convey the screenplay and the story perfectly.

As I previously stated, Carnage's brand of comedy isn't going to be for everyone. It's a little off-the-wall, and it takes a little time to build to comedic level, but once it hits that pitch, the film slams on the pedal and doesn't let off until the final credits roll. If you're into black comedies, then this one's going to be right up your alley. I think everyone should at least give Carnage a chance, but just know that you should probably be a fan of this brand of comedy if you hope to truly enjoy the film.

Movie Review Summary
Grade: A
2 Thumbs Up

Movie Review: CEDAR RAPIDS

CEDAR RAPIDS

2011
R

Cedar Rapids is a 2011 comedy directed by Miguel Arteta. It follows Tim Lippe (Ed Helms), a naïve insurance salesman from a small town in Wisconsin, who is sent to Cedar Rapids for an annual insurance salesman convention in the hopes that he can help his firm win the coveted two-diamond award. We learn rather early on how repressed Tim actually is - for example, until his trip to Cedar Rapids, he had never once set foot on a plane. When he gets to the convention's hotel, he meets his two roommates: Ronald Wilkes (Isiah Whitlock, Jr.) and Dean Ziegler (John C. Reilly). Ronald is a business-oriented man with a string of goals, and Dean is a party-first, work-later type of guy. Together, they attempt to bring Tim out of his shell. On the first night, they take him to a bar where he meets Joan (Anne Heche). As the two get to know each other, an attraction starts to grow, ultimately leading to their spending the night together. Upon waking the next morning, Joan informs Tim that his insurance company's previous lead salesman (Thomas Lennon, in a cameo) had to pay handsomely to win the two-diamond award, causing Tim to question whether it was worth the effort to grab the honor through such dirty schemes. When he learns that his company is being sold to another owner, Tim sets out to expose the corruption within the insurance conglomerate hosting the convention.

I'm going to start with acting because I think that's where Cedar Rapids mostly succeeds. Helms is good enough for us to actually care about his character from time to time, but he's nowhere near the comic brilliance he brought to 2009's The Hangover. I have a feeling Helms may very well end up being like Paul Rudd - a comic actor who can be brilliant in supporting roles but only so-so as a lead. Our other big three - Whitlock, Reilly and Heche - all do very well. Whitlock has one or two scenes that are downright hilarious, but he's otherwise a little unnecessary. I'm normally not a fan of Reilly, so it took quite a bit for me to fall into his wily charms. By the end of the flick, however, I didn't completely hate him, so that's saying quite a bit. Heche is also very good and may provide the best performance in the film. We've also got a slew of good performances from our smaller roles. Be watching for the supporting roles from Alia Shawkat, Stephen Root, Kurtwood Smith, Mike O'Malley and Sigourney Weaver, and for the cameos from the aforementioned Lennon and Rob Corddry.

I did have some issue with the screenplay. I felt like it was a little bit stale, in that, I never really had an question as to its direction. It all seemed rather predictable, but that's really neither here nor there. The real problem is that the movie just isn't all that funny. The jokes just didn't really get me laughing. Sure, I chuckled here and there, but there wasn't a slew of top-rate comedy all throughout. When you're marketing a movie as a comedy, this proves to be a problem. If you want people to laugh during your movie, you should probably make it funny enough to actually make them laugh. To be fair, I did go see this alone, and there were only two other people in the theater. I usually don't watch comedies on my own because you don't laugh as much as you do when you're with a group of people. That could've been the problem, but the best comedies will make you laugh regardless. So good try, I suppose, but I just couldn't find much of the humor to be all that funny.

Cedar Rapids is by no means a bad film, but it's not really one that you should be jumping out of your seat to go see. It has its moments, and it's definitely full of heart, but on the whole, it's not going to stand the test of time. Whether that's good or bad, I do not know. I do think that you should see this with more than just yourself because it's not a movie you're going to laugh at on your own. I do have clear biases against John C. Reilly as well, so that probably aided in the fact that I didn't find it all that funny. However, if you're into his brand of humor, Cedar Rapids might be right up your alley.

Movie Review Summary:

Grade: C
0.5 Thumbs Up