Retro Review: Ghost (1990)

Ghost

1990

Cast: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn

Genre: Romantic Fantasy Thriller

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $217 million 

Plot: After a man is murdered, his spirit stays behind to warn his lover of impending danger, with the help of a reluctant psychic 

'Supernatural Chick Flick That Surprisingly Offers More Than Just Romance For Non-Romantic Movie audiences'

Banker Sam Wheat and artist Molly Jensen, the love of his life are moving into their new Manhattan complex, wherein she can house her sculptures and Sam relaxes in his brand new comfy armchair. Just as they were about to settle in and life was going smooth, Sam gets killed in a mugging that takes place in an alleyway on their way from an evening play. Molly is both mortified and distraught that he was taken away from her. But for Sam's spirit which lives on as he comes back as a ghost; he isn't about to say goodbye & let go of Molly so adamantly, and so quickly. When he learns that he was murdered in a premeditated attack orchestrated by someone he knows, he sets out to avenge his death & solve his own murder, whilst protecting Molly from a money-laundering scheme and connects with a spiritual advisor and con artist, Odesa Mae Brown for human communication. She is the only person who can communicate with the dead, and Odesa is distressed to learn that Sam can read her thoughts and to communicate and speak for him to Molly. 

Oddly, this was marketed as a romantic comedy-drama and chick-flick, and though despite the heavy morality influences of good and evil, it doesn't become preachy and overly religious and story-wise, it has so much more to offer which will entice general film audiences. Ghost works as a competent picture and in contrast to 1990's other American big box office romantic movie, smash, Pretty Woman, in the U.K at least, Ghost outperformed the Julia Roberts effort, bringing over £22 million - over £10 million more and compared to that film, Ghost also offers so much more substance and depth that one could possibly imagine. The supernatural theme helps elevate Ghost to another level as a romantic movie as it transcends into a murder-mystery, fantasy drama with a hint of comedy and light-hearted amusement to make it less macabre and dark to endure. For decades I was a sceptic with regards to Ghost; the title didn't allude to anything particularly shocking or scary; I was avoiding screenings and viewings of this film since it seemed like it could be too overly sappy and cheesy for my tastes. I am not big of romantic movies in general and believed that there wasn't much that wasn't romantic that could pique my interest. This was the first time I ever watched Ghost...4 decades later since its original release... and admittedly, I quite enjoyed this one in doses. 

Performances-wise, each actor was genuinely good and very convincing as their characters; Whoopi Goldberg has never been better than here, Demi Moore did okay; filmmakers also had Michelle Pfeiffer, Kathleen Turner, Debra Winger, Molly Ringwald, Meg Ryan and Madonna in mind for the part of Molly, and whilst Patrick Swayze doesn't sell every scene he is in, he brings some urgency and passion his character requires. As it progresses, we realise that Sam is more interested in protecting Molly than seek outright revenge. 

Ghost manages to capture and convey aspects of different genres whilst the story (despite the slow-moving first act) is well-written and constructed without being mushy and cheesy and coming across as fake. One of the interesting things is how Zucker is able to insert and interweave Sam in scenes, even though he is physically & actively not present and allowing the other characters room to establish and maneuver themselves and not overshadowing the film. The special effects are good for its era. It is a film that gets better with age and being older, I have developed an understanding and newfound admiration of what director, Jerry Zucker, Demi Moore, the late Patrick Swayze and Whoopi Goldberg and writer, Bruce Joel Rubin were trying to achieve with Ghost. 

Final Verdict: 

A send-off to the 1980s, Ghost is an almost mythological take on the afterlife, set in the modern-day and what might possibly happen when a loved one dies and comes back as a spirit. Philadelphia Enquirer's Carrie Rickey quoted: ''given its obviously commercial aims, Ghost is remarkably appealing on a personal level. It is about how you deal with death in the context of a love story.''  

The ending feels a little cheesy, but nonetheless, this is far from the schmaltzy chick flick fest it is lauded as Ghost is Always with a plot, it has plenty of non-romantic scenes and moments that makes it less of a rom-com and whilst this is not the best 1990s movie, in my view that is, seeing this finally in 2022, I do get why it connected strongly with cinema-goers and many die-hard Patrick Swayze fanatics. It helped redefine the notion of the Hollywood blockbuster and became the 1990 box office topper ahead of Pretty Woman, Total Recall, Die Hard and Back to the Future Part III. 

Ghost is the anomaly of your traditional, standard rom-com: for non-rom-com fans and lovers, it's unlike anything Hollywood and the Romantic comedy genre has rolled out, before and after Ghost. & it's a good thing. 

Long may that continue...

Overall:

Movie Review: A Star Is Born (2018)

A Star Is Born

2018

Cast: Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Dave Chappelle, Andrew Dice Clay, Sam Elliott

Genre: Musical Romantic Western 

Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $486 million

Plot: A musician helps a young singer find fame as age and alcoholism send his career into a downward spiral  

'Unluckily For Some, Lady Gaga's Star Is Unborn This Way'

A seasoned musician in Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) discovers a struggling artist, Ally (Lady Gaga - real name Stefani Germanotta) who is making a living as a waitress in a run-down restaurant, whilst also doubling up as a club singer at night; eventually, he falls in love with her. With his help, Ally follows her big dream of becoming an aspiring singer. 

Lead performances aside, Bradley Cooper's take on A Star Is Born (and the fourth one to this day) attempts to sell the love story between a country singer and a would-be songwriter and the disintegration of their relationship as she makes it big and his life is turned upside through drugs and alcoholism. 

The film's major problems ensue as soon as Gaga's Ally transforms from an underdog to a star and the film fails to show both sides to their stories, with Cooper's Jackson's doom and gloom dominating as the director employs an unyielding male gaze and leaving Gaga to play second fiddle & as Ally is never more than being his lover, girlfriend and wife; in doing so her career and life are put on the backburner for the sake of his- despite her star billing on the poster. I thought this was a Lady Gaga-led movie that the critics and the film alluded to... well, surprisingly after I viewed it on BBC1 last night, it was far from it. For Lady Gaga fanatics looking forward to seeing their idol on screen, the film sells itself short. 

To think a movie as established as A Star is Born, would give someone like Lady Gaga, one of the most well-known celebrities & biggest pop stars around today a role (and no less a far less distinctive one) that undermines her influence and talents, here, Ally is rendered a powerless woman who spends most of the movie either in tears, bemusement or angry. 

Whilst the story stumbles and characterisation fumbles, it is the acting efforts by those involved, as well as the music that keeps A Star Is Born afloat and its head above water, all spearheaded by lead single, Shallow (although in part my personal favourites from the motion picture soundtrack are Head, Body, Face and Always Remember Us This Way).  

The film's low-key take on performance art and its insistence to show that pop music is not only a waste of Ally's talent - the angle is not that being a pop star is a sellout -, rather it is lacklustre, and to its detriment doesn't generate enough entertainment or interest. If the story or film-making was told and approached in a way that was as accessible and bold as say Taylor Hackford's Ray (being one example of several music biopics, be it factual or fictional), A Star is Born would make for a far more enticing and entertaining movie to watch.

Final Verdict:

One does wonder and ask themselves how much different A Star is Born would & could have been had it come out in the early 2000s & whether audiences would have latched onto it had it had the rumoured R&B singer, Aaliyah, who was in martial arts thriller fest, Romeo Must Die with Jet Li, as Ally and The Fast & The Furious's Paul Walker as Jackson, with the film going down the R&B route instead. It would have been interesting to see. 

Yet what we get instead is a vanity project that is much less so as the duo of Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, but more of a solo act in Cooper and Gaga propping up as his support act. 

A Star Is Born didn't grab me, however, the extra half a mark I give is for the performances by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper and the soundtrack, which slays. 

Overall:

 

Mini Movie Review: & Then There Was You (2013) #badmovies

& Then There Was You 
2013
Romantic Drama

The DVD cover of this movie is so misleading, it gives off the impression that this is a rom-com or romantic drama - yet it is anything but that. & Then There Was You is neither romantic or a rom-com. I tuned in for those reasons, and yet what I got was a rather sombre and poorly developed story, occasionally mean-spirited with underdeveloped characters. A man announces to his wife he is leaving her and that he is leading a secret life, the now former wife hits it off with a new guy, who has secrets of his own too. I like Garcelle Beauvais and whilst it is nice to see her in serious roles, I hate to say it but she just wasn't the right fit and I'd rather see her in a proper rom-com, much like with Gabrielle Union. This indie romantic drama is so lifeless, devoid of genuine romantic tension, the male and female leads in Beauvais and Brian J. White just can't generate enough chemistry together, no thanks to their underwritten roles which fails to emotionally connect with the viewer and the plot becomes so drawn out and too bleak and depressing, it loses its way after 10 mins. To make matters worse, some of the music in this film sounds out of place in certain scenes, the Black male characters are portrayed as liars, cheaters and White's so-called good charlatan turns out to be a dog. The White guy character was okay though. Surprising to learn this misleading movie being touted as romantic was directed by a woman.


Is It Worth Watching?

Sadly no

Overall:

Mini Retro Review: Beautiful Joe (2000) #badmovies

Beautiful Joe
2000
Romantic Drama

A romantic drama starring Billy Connolly and Sharon Stone, who by this point, her career took a further turn for the worst. A guy named Joe from Dublin is diagnosed with a brain tumour & finds his wife in bed with another man, she wants a divorce, Joe later meets up with a single mother, Hush (real name Alice) up in Louisville, who is also a scam artist. They bond together, Joe bonds with the kids and later falls for Hush. 2000's Beautiful Joe was noted for being the first Sharon Stone film not to be released in UK cinemas and U.S theaters. Ally McBeal's' Gill Bellows Southern accent and performance bordered on farcical as a stereotypical southern hick and it's a shame to think that an actress in Sharon Stone, who was once touted as a major star, ought to have had a better movie career than the one that she ended up with; since Total Recall and Basic Instinct, she's been in too many bombs, critical and commercial flops (remake of Gloria, Catwoman, The Specialist, Intersection to name but a few, although Sphere wasn't bad). Her character undergoes too many hairstyle & wig changes in one film and Beautiful Joe is a routine rom-drama without much in the way of romantic chemistry between Billy Connolly and Sharon Stone, nor of a driven story. Contrary to critics, this wasn't wholly unwatchable; however, in the right hands, this would have turned out far better.


Is It Worth Watching?

Meh

Overall:

Retro Review: Last Holiday (2006)

Last Holiday
2006
Cast: Queen Latifah, LL Cool J, Timothy Hutton, Giancarlo Esposito, Gerard Depardieu
Genre: Romantic Comedy-Drama
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $23 million

Plot: Upon learning of a terminal illness, a shy woman decides to sell off all of her possessions and live it up in a posh European hotel 

'Bland Rom-Com That Trails In Last Place'

Last Holiday is a festive romantic comedy which was loosely based on the 1950 British-based Ealing movie starring Alec Guinness - with the U.S version originally a vehicle for John Candy - only for it to be retooled with a female lead in Queen Latifah. The story has a woman with a terminal illness who transfers from a dreary department store to a luxurious hotel.

Georgia Byrd works in a cookstore of a department store in New Orleans and develops a crush on her co-worker, Sean. When she hits her head whilst talking to Sean, she is horrified to discover she has several tumours in her brain. With only a few weeks to live, Georgia takes out her life savings and does all the things she wants to do before her time is up. So she goes to Europe, with Sean mustering up the courage to open up his feelings for Georgia, even though it might be too late.

LL Cool J is a good actor, but he looked out of place here as Sean; his character wasn't treated so well and so he was pretty much on the sidelines for 90% of the film, whilst Queen Latifah is good; nonetheless, but for Chicago, Set It Off and Living Out Loud - by far and still her career highlights -, she hasn't had as many bold and challenging roles with characters as fully developed and with substance. As for the so-called pairing of LL and Latifah, I hate to say this, but I didn't really sense that romantic spark between them onscreen and it came across as more buddy friendly than it is sexual. 

The comedy is occasionally silly with slapstick elements, but most of it just didn't tickle my funny bone and it treads more along the lines of a screwball comedy. It's as by-the-numbers as any other rom-com that came out before it, and it's not very memorable and was a frustrating watch as I zoned in and zoned out of the film. There just wasn't enough quality going for it and despite triumphing with The Joy Luck Club, Wayne Wang's track record, contrary to the plaudits he has received, is rather patchy and inconsistent with some forgettable fare. Having dabbled with the rom-com formula before in the dissimilar Maid in Manhattan with J-Lo, he gets another stab at the sub-genre; but yet again, it's nothing that extraordinary, nor does he take enough risks and the execution is just not good enough. It's too safe for its own good. Yes, Wang is able to combine and infuse humour with pathos, although unlike his 1993 critically acclaimed, The Joy Luck Club, he doesn't seize the opportunity to turn the Last Holiday into an almost genuine fledgeling drama with characters I really should be caring about. 

Penned by the duo of Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman (Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Wild Wild West), the plot - which reminds me of Dying Young with Julia Roberts meets Pretty Woman, and another Julia Roberts film - is a good one, but it could have and should have taken a meatier twist and thus, in the right hands, Last Holiday would have been a far more thought-provoking, moving and engaging affair. Instead, it opts for a lighter, screwball comedy effect with a maudlin and tamely executed story, and this, in turn, took away from the movie.

There are no real, difficult obstacles for Georgia to contend with and to overcome. 

Luckily Queen Latifah as Georgia's performance is likeable and if it wasn't for her, Last Holiday would be straight-to-DVD fare & as the material here is sub-par at best, formulaic as ever, and at most, mediocre that is also sketchy. The supporting cast isn't much to write home about, although, in Gerard Depardieu, he had a few moments that made me smile and was for me the film's best asset (even though there was not one single standout performance) and the food scenes were nice to see. If this film was about food and Georgia becoming a great chef overseas with a romantic subplot thrown in, I'd watch it and probably end up enjoying it more.

Another gripe is that is it takes until 30 mins for the film to kick into gear and running at almost 2 hours, for a rom-com it is too long in the tooth.

Final Verdict:

Queen Latifah is still due her own starring vehicle that displays her talents to the fullest, and not just to demonstrate she can carry a film as a supporting actress. Unfortunately, Last Holiday just isn't that film and almost an hour into it, it lost its way.

It has its audience, especially amongst rom-com lovers, but Last Holiday sadly is a romantic comedy that as well as being not romantic - though not in diabetes sickly romantic way - enough, becomes a sluggish journey, not to mention last 'resort'.


Overall:

''Ho-Ho-Ho? More Like No, No, No... Yes'' Crappy Christmas Movies: A Heavenly Christmas (2016)

A Heavenly Christmas
2018
Romantic Drama

A third, or should that be second-rate TV movie version of the rom-com, Just Like Heaven starring Reese Witherspoon and Mark Ruffalo but with Kirsten Davis of Sex & The City and Eric McCormack of Will and Grace, A Heavenly Christmas sees a woman getting killed and becomes an angel, who comes to an aid of a child to fulfil her wish, she falls in love with a widower of that child. Kirsten Davis as Eve (probably named after Christmas Eve) and Eric McCormack as Max (who sings too) along with Shirley McClane added a little quality to a predictable and cliched plot; with Davis with a bit more quality, I could see her landing the type of romantic roles associated with the likes of Jennifer Aniston, Julia Roberts, whilst McCormack, I too could have seen him as a male love interest in a good and solid quality rom-com. If it wasn't for Davis, McCormack, McClane, many wouldn't bat an eyelid for this.

Is It Worth Watching?

But alas, it's... not bad.


Overall:

''Ho-Ho-Ho? More Like No, No, No'' Crappy Christmas Movies: Love At The Christmas Table (2012)

Love At The Christmas Table
2012
TV Movie

Former child actress Danica McKellar plays the lead character in this tedious Christmas Hallmark film. Many of these festive Hallmark and TV movies come across as leftover scraps ditched by writers of Hollywood rom-coms and dramas; that, or they are Z-list versions of rom-coms that dominated the 1990s and takes the worst aspects of those films and make it even blander and easily forgettable, and Love At the Christmas Table is one of those offerings. There is no screen chemistry or believability felt with this cast and their characters. The two main characters story is told over 20 years from the moment they first lay eyes on each other, there are pointless conversations, the story and script failed to convince me and didn't grab my attention. I was bored senseless throughout. Had Love At The Christmas Table had a more established movie cast and better writing, it would have stood a chance. Yet it's another Christmas 'turkey'. 


Is It Worth Watching?

Only if you truly love your festive films, even the Hallmark ones 


Overall: 

Mini Movie Review: Sierra Burgess Is A Loser (2018) #badmovies

Sierra Burgess Is A Loser
2018
Romantic Drama

Sierra Burgess Is A Loser is a sad attempt by Netflix at being a romantic drama when truthfully it comes across as a mean-spirited yawn fest with nothing characters. If you took My Best Friend's Wedding, fused it with Mean Girls, stretched it out, make it blander and made the lead character even more nasty and horrible, this is what one may get. A girl uses someone else's picture and tricks a boy into falling for her. I'm sure there are a few rom-coms that have attempted this mistaken identity thing (You've Got Mail, The Truth About Cats and Dogs) & done it better. Sierra Burgess Is A Loser, on the other hand, is not one of them, as it condones the lead's actions and behaviour, such as catfishing & pretending to be disabled and sends out a terrible message: that it is okay to use people to get what they want. & making the girl insecure and unattractive looking shouldn't give her an excuse to be hideous and despicable through her actions. She even kisses the guy without him knowing, rom-com context aside, this would be considered as sexual harassment, or be it rape. One of the mean girls looks like Margot Robbie, the central romance is a bore, thus making it impossible for me to invest in their relationship, the characters are poorly developed with no personalities, the Asian girl is portrayed as a stereotypical Asian villain trope. Established actors in Alan Ruck (Ferris Bueller's Day Off) & Lea Thompson (Back To The Future) also feature, with Thompson, yet again and following on from direct-to-DVD duds, The Dog Lover and Left Behind appearing in a film with another questionable premise. This so-called romantic dramedy fails to do and offer anything remotely unique or entertaining and is far from heartwarming, rather this film is a loser.


Is It Worth Watching?

No 


Overall:

Retro Review: Juwanna Mann (2002)

Juwanna Man
2002
Cast: Miguel A. Nunez Jr, Vivica A. Fox, Kevin Pollak, Tommy Davidson, Kim Wayans, Ginuwine, Jenifer Lewis, Lil' Kim
Genre: Romantic Comedy Drama
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $13 million

Plot: A basketball star is booted out of the NBA when his on-court antics go too far, so he poses as a woman and joins the WUBA

'Juwanna Piece Of This?'

Man, who has had no such luck, dresses up as a woman of the opposite sex and with that, good things happen to him, whilst at the same time, trying to conceal his identity to the people he deceives. Juwanna Mann is another one of those films that joins Mrs Doubtfire, Some Like It Hot, Tootsie in the same league, and is - if not as entertaining as those flicks. 

If you have heard of and seen comedies, Tootsie or Mrs Doubtfire, or TV-wise, Bosom Buddies with Tom Hanks, then this has pretty much the same premise as the man in drag act. Mix that in with basketball/sports and this is what Juwanna Mann is as a film. 

Jamal Jefferies is pretty full of himself as the pampered, hotshot and rich professional basketball player applying his trade in a fictitious basketball league that is equivalent to the NBA. In fact, he is so taken by his success, his ego gets the better of him as he thinks he is God's gift to basketball. His antics, however, reach a breaking point when he moons at the crowd during a game and the stunt gets him thrown out of the league. Jeffries not only loses his contract, houses and cars, but no other team would also take him on and his girlfriend has ditched him. 

Desperate to play professionally again, he resorts to coming up with the craziest of all schemes with the help of his aunt played by Jenifer Lewis: he puts on a fake wig, straps on a bra, shaves his underarms, legs, dabs on mascara and enters the woman's pro basketball league under the guise of Juwanna Mann for the Banshees. With that, things go so well for him, everything he touches or does goes right for him and he even develops feelings for the team captain, Michelle, who makes him see the errors of his ways as Juwanna and that he gets a wake up call to change for the better and that success isn't solely dependant on one person. 

Miguel A. Nunez Jr was all right actually, but when he tried to be a funny drag person/she-male, he wasn't quite as convincing. When as Jamal or Juwanna he shows his nicer and softer side, in contrast, that worked for me moreso than the comedy side. The comedy and humour were not bad, but it wasn't too outrageous or laugh-out-loud funny, or chuckle-worthy that I'd expected with a premise as this. 

Plus, the Nunez and A. Fox romance and chemistry, doesn't really heat up and the film doesn't really develop that transition well enough; because of that, I didn't buy it in the same way as with Dustin Hoffman and Jessica Lange in Tootsie. 

Jesse Vaughn, who had a hand in one season of In Living Color, makes his directorial debut with Juwanna Mann and it also includes the show's stars, Kim Wayans and Tommy Davidson and so it does echo some of the sketch show's flavour. Wayans convinces as the butch lesbian player and Davidson is the film's comic relief as Puff Smokey Smoke with gold teeth, who has a thing for Juwanna (and who is unaware that she's a he). He's like the film version of rapper, Flava Flav; R&B singer, Ginuwine plays Romeo, Vivica's Michelle's boyfriend, who turns out isn't being faithful to his girl. 

Annie Corley (Monster) has a task as the coach of the Banshees, whereas Vivica A. Fox is equally competent as Michelle; as a whole, Juwanna Mann is a nice, entertaining sports romantic comedy that excels in the basketball action and whilst the romance between Jamal and Michelle could have used a bit more work and the ending ought to have been better, this was still enjoyable stuff that is boosted by a good cast.

As gender- bender comedies go, this one is actually sufficient and as the story went on, the more I got into the film. Of course, the idea that men are idiots, unlikeable douchebags to women until they fall in love is far-fetched. But where a man dresses up as a woman it is assumed to be hilarious and the comedy comes from his experience as a female that is supposed to be funny. Just as a man who falls for a man in a dress and not knowing that it is a he (much like in Tootsie, To Wong Foo Thanks For Everything Julie Newmar!, perhaps, and to a lesser extent, Mrs Doubtfire).

Juwanna Mann could have also done with a bit more wit, better slapstick to give it a boost and not be so apparently obvious, which are just three of its downfalls. But I much prefer this over something like White Chicks or the Big Momma's House efforts, which really ratchets up the comedy to even tackier levels. 

Final Verdict:

It's the type of comedy that is not to be taken too seriously, but it is also one that didn't leave me feeling cold or with a bad taste in my mouth. Yet is also not very demanding and whilst it might have worked better as an R-rated comedy, as some aspects are pared down to attain a PG rating, thanks to the casting it was still relatively enjoyable and entertaining. 

The film wasn't well received and it got a bit of a mauling, but in viewing it, there was a good amount that I enjoyed and liked that the good outweighed some of its flaws. It's not a perfect comedy and it's not the best drag comedy; nonetheless, I still liked this one. 

It's a lesser- known sleeper that will be of interest to fans of Mrs Doubtfire and Tootsie and so if you enjoyed those types of movies, Juwanna Mann might be of interest to you as well. 


Overall:

Retro Review: Message In A Bottle (1999)

Message In A Bottle
1999
Cast: Kevin Costner, Robin Wright, Paul Newman, Robbie Coltrane, Jesse James
Genre: Romantic Drama
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $118 million 

Plot: A woman discovers a tragic love letter in a bottle on a beach, and is determined to track down its author

'Messazzzzz...... Oh Sorry What Was That Again?'

Contrary to some, the adaptation of The Notebook was not the first Nicholas Sparks novel to be given the Hollywood movie treatment: that honour actually goes to 1999's Message In A Bottle. Produced by and starring Kevin Costner with Robin Wright, it was another one of those earlier romantic novels turned movies that are as unmistakably 1990s as it is resolutely 1990s. I know I am not the type for these films, and still, I expected something that would make it special and memorable for years to come. Unfortunately, however, Message In A Bottle remains as tepid and frankly tedious as I'd doubted it would be and the longer it went on, the more it became insufferable.  

Chicago Tribune researcher Teresa Osbourne drops off her son to her ex-husband who is also his father, afterwards she heads off to Cape Cod in search of a letter, written by a man to a woman that is inside a bottle that is washed up ashore. When Teresa gets her hands on this bottle, she manages to track down and get hold of this guy named Garrett. There are few home truths that are unearthed, but they are nothing that grand to truly brag about or to be enthusiastic for.  It starts off well, but as it wears on, the duller it eventually became. 

I really hate to say this, but Kevin Costner is the biggest issue as to why this movie just didn't work out: he is just not cut out for these types of films and he lacks the emotional resonance an actor like himself possesses to pass off as the male lead. Garrett is a bore, just nothing about him stands out, but that is mainly to do with Costner, who as likeable as he appears onscreen, has little charisma other than to be brooding. Unlike Robin Wright, he looks out of place for me and didn't seem to connect with the character he was portraying. Robin herself looks terrific as Theresa, but despite her efforts, she has done far better elsewhere and had she been given stronger material, this would have further elevated her performance. It's nice to see her in a film like this, but the script didn't do her any favours, nor stretch her beyond her talents. Robin Wright deserved better.

Being a romantic drama, Mandoki and the book itself are unwilling to bring out more of the friction and tension it needed and Theresa and Garret are so bland and lacking in characterisation that regardless of Robin Wright and Kevin Costner, they just couldn't do enough to make it believable. Their pairing also falls short as their romance lacks emotional resonance and I just didn't sense that on-screen chemistry between them; because of that, I never bought into them as their characters falling for each other. 

The filmmakers and writer/s, along with Costner himself, make no effort at establishing what literally draws Garret and Theresa together, whatsoever. 

It's a shame this: I really wanted to enjoy it and find some charm and entertainment out of Message In A Bottle, but the story is just so stagnant, lacking in substance and the pacing is just slow and is overkill. I mean, it's understandable for a romantic drama, just to build up the relationships of the main characters; but even the pitifully penned characters, of whom aren't very interesting and the script, doesn't lend themselves that well to the movie. With romantic comedies and dramas, they need an interesting set of characters consisting of the love interest and the person who is in love with the love interest and to help bring that chemistry to life. Thing is 90% of these movies are so bad and terrible, they are more fluff and cringe than they are great movies I could immerse myself into fully. Taking away the fact this is based on a book, as a romantic drama, Message In A Bottle is so poorly conceived.
.
What little tension it provides, there is little urgency and alas, the film goes about it in a typical romantic drama sense, with little to set itself apart. The approach in terms of production and filmmaking reeks of Lifetime channel and TV movie fare that is trite as it is and despite one or two nice scenes, this love story just never felt compelling.  

I am completely unfamiliar with the book Message In A Bottle is based on as I have not read it and yet I've read there were a few changes made for this film. 

Just because one is the producer of the movie, doesn't always mean they should call all of the shots: Costner could've and probably should've cast another actor to play Garrett instead of himself, and that he might have given his character further depth that Costner couldn't produce.

The twist towards the end was unexpected but given as I wasn't impressed by his performance and his character, I honestly didn't give a toss. 

Final Verdict:

Passionless and emotionally hollow on the inside, yet on the outside, it looks attractive, somewhat accompanied by golden sunsets with not one major standout performance to really speak of, Message In A Bottle is another fruitless romantic drama that whilst they are supposed to be more grounded in reality, it comes across as superficial. & it is one of the worst types of romantic dramas to ever surface. 

Along with the mismatched Kevin Costner and less so Robin Wright and the remaining wasted supporting cast, Message In A Bottle, along with The Postman and Waterworld, this is another bomb from Costner's latter part of his career, which eventually sank without a trace. 

Dreary, boring and unengaging, this film, and most of the cast, but for Robin Wright and Paul Newman, all deserve to be cast out to sea. 


Overall:

Retro Review: Drive Me Crazy (1999)

Drive Me Crazy
1999
Cast: Melissa Joan Hart, Adrian Grenier, Steven Collins, Susan May Pratt
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $22 million

Plot: When a boy and girl both find themselves dateless, they reluctantly join forces to navigate the land mines of high school love. Unexpectedly, they find that the one they always wanted was closer than they realised

'Bored Me Crazy More Like'

Drive Me Crazy is a romantic comedy-drama that one wishes would drive them crazy.... but sadly, it is not for the right reasons. It drove me crazy, somewhat.... crazy that the story is done to and bored me to death. This is another one of those romantic comedies, dramas that offer very much little and that it is just a typical teen movie entity.

Two high school seniors, & one-time inseparable friends who think they have nothing in common, Nicole and Chase are having problems: Nicole is searching for a date for prom night and in order to make the school sports star jealous, she pretends to fall for the so-called rebel, Chase and as she makes him look more presentable, she ends up falling in love with him.

Given that the Britney Spears song titled 'You Drive Me Crazy' came out during this year and did better in the charts when this film was rarely heard of, and yet bombed says it all really. I never saw this back in the late '90s, and teen movies aren't really my bag in general but watching it today, it just doesn't have a great deal going for it. That, and I found it bland in equal measures and it merely existed just to promote the hit single.

It has no wit and for a romantic comedy, it approaches the story far too seriously and so densely, just nothing about it stood out or leapt in front of me. The relationship aspect involving then 23-yr-old Melissa Joan Hart (then- star of Clarissa Explains It All and Sabrina The Teenage Witch) and Entourage's Adrian Grenier's characters doesn't make a lot of sense. Nor is casting these actors, who were in their 20s at the time, as teens. 

This was Joan Hart's first and only major movie credit, and since then she hasn't blown up in a big way as a Hollywood actress. Not one single character throughout the entirety of this film establishes any sort of personality or charisma to give it something to work with. It's just your generic rom-com, but with even far fewer qualities.

It's almost akin to She's All That, minus the ugly duckling theme - only that a) Joan Hart and Grenier's onscreen chemistry doesn't come through in the way Rachel Leigh Cook and Freddie Prinze Jr's did and b) this film has none of its charm.

I liked some of the music like REO Speedwagon's Keep on Lovin' You and Britney Spears's title song much more than most of this film, whereby the plot lacks ambition and doesn't really have much to offer.

Final Verdict:

As mentioned, it's funny how Drive Me Crazy is the complete opposite of the song itself; the song was upbeat, energetic, fun, but the movie itself is tepid, below mediocre and forgettable.

Just not good, at all.


Overall: