Category: Chick Flick/ Rom Com

I’m reminded of an interview I once saw with Tom Hanks who for some reason was talking about his favorite Elvis movie called “Roustabout.” In his very Tom Hanks style he quoted both Elvis and Barbara Stanwick, first uttering like the guttural girl, “This is not a circus, it’s a carnival and don’t you forget it!” Then lifting the corner of his upper lip, “So a uh, a carnival has like a ferris wheel and a circus has, like elephants?” Well, I’d love to have seen this circus flick with Mr. Hanks, even though the actors would be less mimicable. Robert Pattinson, ironically called Jacob in this film, actually acts. He reacts as only a hero could – for the right despite the consequences. His performance reminded me of Keanu Reeves in his true chick flick A Walk in the Clouds. Not terribly dimensional, but likeable and kindred. Reese Witherspoon hasn’t aged. I read once that she insists on sleeping 10 to 12 hours per night, and that it’s her secret to success and happiness, and youth, and physical beauty. Nah. Really? Nah.

This is a movie movie, for entertainment alone. No hidden symbolism. Just straightforward plot moved by characters on a train who hate then love each other, who learn from one another, and who fight to survive despite the ringleader’s cruelty. Triumphs and tragedies, loyalties and love affairs, the inner ring of circus life.

This could have been called Walk, Sit, Smile. As our hero rushed out of her ordinary world, she became a traveler, a thinker, a mimic, a devout even thoughtful character. I cried through this whole movie. I kept wondering why as I walked away from the theater and down toward the waterfront to catch the last bits of sunset. What had I learned from this film? Certainly, my lessons are not the same, but I feel for her as she experiences pain . I ache for the lost, the compassless, the grieving. This film opened a stranger’s medicine cabinet, and allowed viewers ample opportunities to recognize that the perscriptions have our names inscribed on them. We feel for Julia. In many ways, as any good story should, we feel we are not simply like the hero, but that we are the hero. My story may not take me around the world, but the obstacles, the triumphs, the discoveries, the journey itself : these are the same. My compass, however, is the Jesus and His word. Without it, I too would likely find myself on a similarly blunderous journey listening to all voices longing for the one that sounds most like a father.
(Originally published at http://splattersfilmblog.blogspot.com/)

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Message. Films relay messages. This film, by director Roger Michell (Notting Hill), offers insight into a dream attained at the cost of living. It’s that classic idea that life worth living is not lived for work.  Our star example, Rachel McAdams (The Notebook, Time Traveler’s Wife) runs on little sleep, a passion for news, a coffee iv, and high-heeled dashes that would give Andy Sachs a run for her money.  Her initiative rivals Streisand (circa The Way We Were), but to what end? Harrison Ford too easily stepped into the role of overpaid, cantankerous aging reporter, high-maintenance and full of pride. Yet, he her mentor, antagonist, priest, and father figure, arrives at and delivers the conclusions that time spent with people is more important than any award, position, or dream fulfilled. Lovely message.

However, the delivery of that message came in what looked like a glorified pizza box. Characters, though well-acted and incredibly likable, were also equally forgettable.  Rough language detracted from otherwise insightfully written lines. Amoral centerpieces make for a tasteless meal. It’s as though the filmmaker took a dose of his own advice as he made this film and decided that time with his family was more important than making a beautiful film of renown.  Bad Robot (J.J. Abrams) produced this piece, but I would have preferred to see more of his direction in the film. Perhaps he could have worked harder to deliver the message with a moral twist and thereby creating a memorable and more palpable film.