ONWARD
Rated: PG
Release Date: March 6, 2020
Director: Dan Scanlon
Stars: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
Plot: Two brothers go on a quest to bring back their dad for one last day together
Clint Says: Wait until after opening weekend, but see this in theaters
Disney/Pixar has an uncanny talent at taking very heavy subject matter and turning into an animated feature that is entertaining for the whole family and still stays true to the emotional depth of the circumstance the hero is in. Films like UP and INSIDE OUT are perfect examples of how they can take what seems to be an impossible task and make it work well.
Now, we can add ONWARD to that list.
My only negative comment about this movie is that it starts off a bit slow. However, after the first 15 or 20 minutes it hits its stride and becomes a fantastic film that the whole family can enjoy. The rest of the film is fun, funny, quirky, heartwarming, and exciting. It’s filled with great physical comedy, adventure, fascinating characters and unique world building.
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THE WAY BACK
Rated: R
Release Date: March 6, 2020
Director: Gavin O’Connor
Stars: Ben Affleck, Janina Gavankar, Al Madrigal
Plot: A broken man tries to overcome the demons in his life through coaching high school basketball
Clint Says: Wait for the digital release
Ben Affleck is spectacular in an otherwise average movie. He gives one of the best performances of his career. A performance that he describes as “very therapeutic”, since he started filming this film the day after he got out of rehab from his very public relapse. He also owes a huge “thank you” to his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, who called the director and saved the film from being shelved, even before production began, after Ben fell off of the wagon.
I’m happy for him that this movie got made. Especially if it is helping him to stay sober. However, I wish they had made a better film. I couldn’t help myself from comparing this movie to HOOSIERS. And this one doesn’t even come close to it. I didn’t want to do it, but I’m a child of the 80’s.
It’s too long, is has severe pacing issues, (to the point that after one scene I thought the movie was over, but we still had another 35 minutes to go), only one of the other characters are developed, and the timeline doesn’t make any sense. (There is one point where the team’s regular season ends and something happens that should take several weeks to several months to accomplish, but it is all done before the kids play their next game).
This isn’t a bad movie, but it isn’t great either.
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