Happy Friday from El Cosmico, here are a couple of quick reviews for some thoroughly enjoyable, light-hearted, but worthwhile fare for you and your friends. Once again, no spoilers.
There are times when even the most ponderous of us require escape into the realm of the filmed comedy. I suggest both MEET THE PARENTS and PSYCHO BEACH PARTY for this very purpose.
MEET THE PARENTS was much, MUCH better than I thought it would be. I don't think the previews did it justice. In my mind, it's as funny as THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, in a similar way, although without quite the same level of gross-out (some would say) sick humor, or the tender musical stylings of Jonathan Richmond. Not simply Ben Stiller's ten thousandth film, this is a satisfying comedic experience.
Most surprising to me was Robert DeNiro. Now, I know, he's a great dramatic actor, and I've enjoyed a couple of his comedic roles, but for me at least, he's never quite hit a comedic homerun. Never REALLY broken out into a role that was really far from his more dramatic roles, and just made me laugh myself onto the floor. Well, he does in MEET THE PARENTS. No question about it. I think he just needed the right role, and the right ensemble to bring it out.
Ben Stiller plays a son who is out to win the approval of his girlfriend's father, for without his blessing, his hopes of wedlock seem impossibly doomed. All else that you really need to know about this film is that the comedy writing is as skillful as THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, but not as gross, and that everyone is damned funny when they're supposed to be. I'm getting sleepy, so that's all I'm going to say about that. Guaranteed laughter and enjoyment of life. Absolutely. Especially if you have feelings (one way or the other) about cats.
Finally, PSYCHO BEACH PARTY. I just want to say that I think Lauren Ambrose is one of the cutest chicks around. Those eyes, and the thing she does with her mouth...hypnotic. Okay, I want to finish this up so I can go to sleep. Ahh....PSYCHO BEACH PARTY is SUPER-good fun, probably you ought to get a batch of friends together and go check it out. Ms. Ambrose turns in a performance as a mentally unstable young woman, trying to find her way in the difficult world of beach society. Or something like that. Her performance, especially as the more dominating psychotic character, was REALLY...umm...attention grabbing. Memorable. I can still see her eyes looking at me. In a good way. Not only does she have great comic instincts, she just generally has a great screen presence, and I hope she gets a lot more good roles. She certainly deserves them.
Okay, anyway, I'm not going to do this film justice since I'm too tired. What else can I tell you...Harry, Father Geek, Johnny Wad and I all saw this together, and we all agreed it was a damn good time. Between the cool surfer guys, the vacationing actress, the disturbing police...woman, and the dance contest, this was just a really solid piece of work. There's a simple test as to whether you should go see it. First, is it playing where you live? Check their website at www.psychobeachparty.com, and see if it is. The only other thing you need to ask is: Does a movie named "Psycho Beach Party" sound like a good time to me? It should, because it is. Go check it out.
