If you are unfamiliar with the 2000s romcom then you may be confused by my title but those who know, will know. Popular romantic comedies of the time such as 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), She’s the Man (2006) were loosely based on Shakespeare plays and even cult hit, Clueless (1995) is based on Jane Austen’s Emma.
Many romcoms had their own iconic songs that served as a motif/title track for the film: I Love You Baby from the famous scene where Heath Ledger’s Patrick sings it with the marching band to Kat (Julia Stiles) in 10 Things I Hate About You; Emma Stone’s Olive in Easy A (2011, honorary 00s) singing I’ve Got A Pocketful of Sunshine while getting ready; Katherine Heigl and James Marsden singing Bennie and the Jets while dancing on the bar in 27 Dresses (2008); the montage in which Renée Zellweger decides to be an Independent Woman is to the song I’m Every Woman in Bridget Jones’ Diary (2001).
Anyone But You takes these two ingredients and adds in the dream wedding destination – Australia; an enemies to lovers arc and a group of well-meaning yet meddling family plus a fun cast and produces a hit romcom. It has exceeded $200m at the box office which with two leads who have not yet reached A list status is a real triumph.
Anyone But You (2023)
The story starts unusually for a film in this genre with an unsuccessful meet-cute. Bea (Sydney Sweeney) is helped by handsome stranger Ben (Glen Powell) at a cafe and, after a potentially disastrous bathroom trip, they spend the evening together. A misunderstanding leads them to thinking the other was not so keen. Fast forward six months and Ben’s childhood friend Claudia (Alexandra Shipp) is marrying Bea’s sister, Hallie (Hadley Robinson). So it’s off to Sydney, Aus to Claudia’s stepdad’s mansion for a close-knit wedding.
Ben and Bea quickly descend into petty bickering but when the family starts pushing them together, they play along to show their exes that they are a hot commodity. Of course along the way, real feelings start to reveal themselves and they may not be quite so hateful towards each other.
I liked the pacing and plot of the film. It had a few classic comedy moments such as falling into the Sydney Harbour, a spider in the underwear for Ben and some poor fake acting from well-meaning friends. I didn’t feel anything was too over the top or unbelievable as in some romcoms. The tone was sincere but as this was a 15 there was a bit of nudity and swearing but nothing gratuitous, just enough to say this is for older teenagers.
The chemistry between the leads Powell and Sweeney was electric and their bickering seemed to come from a place of genuine connection despite an age gap which was playfully referred to. In films of the past, this would not have been mentioned at all so it was good to see.
The film was based on the Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing and apart from the main couples names: Ben and Bea (Benedick and Beatrice), Claudia and Hallie (Claudio and Hero), I don’t think there is as much similarity as other romcoms and their classic counterparts.
The iconic theme song for this film was Natasha Bedingfield’s Unwritten from 2004 which starts as Ben’s ‘serenity’ song that he listens to on the plane to the wedding. Bea overhears this when attempting to steal his cookie and when they are being airlifted out of Sydney Harbour she starts singing it to calm Ben down. It pops up again at the wedding and during the credits, the cast sing it in the various locations from the film. This is another popular comedy trope and can be seen in films such as Chalet Girl (2009); Paddington 2 (2017) and Slumdog Millionaire (2008).
I watched the film recently after it was re-released as a Valentine’s Encore with an extra intro and ending from Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney as well as some behind the scenes. This was a lovely gesture and made the re-release more noteworthy as opposed to just putting the same thing into cinemas.
Many elements brought together made this film a great romcom and as many are calling it, the return to the classics of the past. I would happily go and watch this again and eagerly await its release onto streaming, even just to sing along to ‘Unwritten’ in the comfort of my own living room.
My review today is about the critically-acclaimed, Award Season darling with hit performances from Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and newcomer, Dominic Sessa, it is of course, The Holdovers. From the outside, this film may seem simple: set in the winter holidays of an elite boarding school in Massachusetts in 1970. Most of the students have homes to go to but for a select few they have to ‘hold over’ until the term starts again.
The film has a very Seventies feel with the clothes, props and even the overall look that makes it appear to have been shot on film given the texture and the aspect ratio. This was in fact a technique used by the director and cinematographer.
I chose to watch this film due to its acclaim with several nominations and wins for its cast and crew and also after watching the trailer I thought the concept sounded fun, maybe with Dead Poet’s Society connotations of the student/teacher bond.
The Holdovers (2023)
What helped the audience settle into the film was the fact that we picked up just as students are going home for Christmas. We see some of the life of the Barton Academy, where the privileged and largely white send their boys, before the school empties out. We are left with Angus Tully, a clever yet quiet boy who has a penchant for bending the rules, two younger lads, a rebel whose father has refused to pick him up unless he cuts his long hair and Teddy who is an antagonist of Angus. Left to look after them are the unpopular and unfortunately pungent Mr. Hunham, a Classics teacher and the school cook, Mary.
Over the course of the film, you discover the secrets and hidden parts of their personalities although the group shrinks smaller again when Angus becomes the last boy standing. With a Christmas party, meals at the local diner and a trip to Boston, Angus and Mr. Hunham along with Mary when she is not visiting her sister, form a unique bond that transcends genetics.
Angus begins to understand why Mr Hunham is so grouchy and Mr Hunham learns things about Angus that help him understand that everyone has their own problems going on under the surface.
The highlights of the film included the cinematography, capturing the beautiful countryside scenery surrounding the school campus and the bustling Boston complete with ice skating rink and street book fairs. I also enjoyed the acting of Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa as their characters were both in a place of needing a supportive bond. You could see the emotion behind their faces and even with them both being in a privileged position, it was clear that life had not treated them well with personal/family issues.
Even though Da’Vine Joy Randolph is a great actress and has been nominated (and won) awards for her role of Mary, I don’t think the material she was given did do her justice and I think with more scenes, her role would have felt more pivotal as the only featured female role. Her character was in grief over the death of her son in the Vietnam War but apart from a couple of moments, this was not immediately apparent.
Overall, I enjoyed the film and the story. It was a world that is unfamiliar to myself and I am sure many people. The setting of 1970 almost didn’t factor in apart from references to the Moon Landing or other cultural moments. It was definitely a character driven film but the backdrop of the snow and Northwestern USA in an almost forgotten decade lifted it up to award status. I would be surprised but not disappointed if this film won Best Picture at the Academy Awards
Last week I saw the reboot/revival of the cultural icon and successful musical now coming to the West End: Mean Girls. Many people online did not seem aware that the film was a musical in spite of the existence of the musical, the casting of Reneé Rapp (who starred as Regina George in the Broadway version) and the trailer.
The 2004 film starring the best of 2000s Hollywood – Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Amanda Seyfried, Tina Fey, Lizzy Caplan, Amy Poehler and Lacey Chabert (more of a 90s icon) – has generated endless chatter, memes, Halloween outfits, recreations and TikToks. This new version has updated some of the politically incorrect or offensive language – i.e Regina is now a fugly cow and Cady is not approached about muffins in the cafeteria.
The Broadway version adapted by Tina Fey only had a short life on stage due to the Covid 19 pandemic so its great to see it immortalised on the screen with its original star Reneé Rapp. Since her turn as Regina, Reneé has gone on to star in the popular HBO series, The Sex Lives of College Girls and released music – Tummy Hurts, Snow Angels and become a bi icon.
Mean Girls (2024)
The film starts with an upbeat opening number by Janis (Auli’i Cravalho) and Damien (Jacquel Spivey) the ones who guide Cady through North Shore High School and its teenage population. It only seems right that they guide the audience through the film. Some updates to their characters include changing their ethnicity and giving them more up to date interests. For example, Janis wears more popular but still hippy clothes, loves blue eye-shadow and her art involves string and sewing.
Cady (Angourie Rice) moves from Kenya with her mother (Jenna Fischer) to the Chicago area in the US and goes from a quiet home-schooled life to figuring out the cliques and social norms of the American high school. The character of Cady’s father has been erased along with the story of her first crush at four years old. What has stayed is Cady’s iconic blue checked shirt that she wears on the first day.
When Cady meets the Plastics they look more high school age than in the original and have a more up to date style. Regina (Reneé Rapp) is wearing a full black leather number with Gretchen (Bebé Woods) and Karen (Avantika) wearing preppy/colourful outfits.
After Cady learns her new calculus class crush, Aaron Samuels (Christoper Briney) is Regina’s ex-boyfriend and therefore strictly off-limits, she agrees to help Janis and Damien bring Regina down a peg or two.
Karen’s solo song ‘Sexy’ tells the audience the boundaries of Halloween costumes and that as long as your outfit is sexy than anything goes. Cady unfortunately does not get this memo and turns up as a Vampire Bride. Seeing Aaron with Cady alerts Regina to the potential threat that Cady poses she and quickly marks her territory by kissing Aaron.
Much like in the original film, Janis, Damien and Cady devise a plan to take away everything from Regina: her perfect skin, hot body, loyal sidekicks and reignited relationship with Aaron.
While Cady only hangs out with Janis and Damien in secret she is gradually turning more Plastic including writing about her teacher, Mrs Norbury (Tina Fey) in the Burn Book and pretending to be dumb so Aaron will tutor her.
Much of the film follows the original including the entire junior class gathering in the gym for a female bonding experience, Cady’s enrolment in the Mathletes and the famous Spring Fling scene with the tiara.
I think that this revival of the film based on the musical is a fresh take on the iconic tale keeping in many of the iconic lines – ‘That’s so fetch’; ‘It’s October 3rd’; ‘the limit does not exist’; ‘You can’t sit with us’ and ‘On Wednesdays we wear pink’. There were some important updates to incorporate the changes in culture and what is acceptable to say especially among teenagers.
I think that the original songs gave a great insight into the character’s thoughts especially Regina and Janis. Making Janis and Damien the narrator characters who introduce the show was clever as they are the ones that introduce Cady and the audience to the cliques in the canteen and the Plastics.
My favourite song from the soundtrack is Apex Predator as it has a good beat and really shows the power and influence that Regina has over the student population.
I’m glad that the musical made it to the big screens as it was cut short on Broadway due to pandemic and it is now coming to the West End.
The cast was well chosen and they all brought new aspects to the roles. I like that Reneé Rapp was not the skinniest girl so showing that all body types can be considered desirable. Rather than focusing on their appearances, it appeared that the Plastics popularity comes from power and knowing things about everyone as demonstrated with the Burn Book.
Overall, I thought the film was fun and for everyone that grew up with the original 2004 version, it was a blast to the past. Definitely worth a watch if you enjoy musicals or the original. I give it 5/5.
With Awards Season in full swing, you may be wondering why I chose to go the cinema and see a little mentioned film but my family have always been interested in racing films and Formula 1 in general so it seemed like the perfect watch. The synopsis on the cinema’s website stated essentially it was about the birth of Ferrari as a Formula 1 team as well as a luxury sports car brand.
This definitely lead me and a few others astray. The cinema screening was mainly filled with Formula 1’s main audience – men. Not to say that women are not interested as there were a fair few there – myself included. I think we were all expecting something about the Formula 1 sport and Ferrari’s role within it.
I will get into this in the main body of the review but I think a few people will have walked out of the film disappointed, depending on what they were expecting to see.
Ferrari (2023)
I was surprised on some fronts that the director of this film was not Italian as it had such a vibe of the Italian films of the 70s/80s that I remember watching at university. The long shots with beautiful countryside and quiet village life. Apart from a little black and white montage at the start of the film detailing Enzo Ferrari’s own history of racing, the first half an hour of the film described Enzo’s daily routine rather than his cars.
We see his trip to the barber, visit to the cemetery, driving around the beautiful 50s town of Modena, getting dressed in the morning and his country house with his apparent wife and young son. I thought that Shailene Woodley was an interesting choice for the wife of a well-known Italian but maybe he had met an American woman somewhere.
When we see him in a scene with Penélope Cruz, it becomes apparent that Lina (Woodley) is in fact his mistress and Italian. His wife, Laura handles the accounts for Ferrari and is clearly fed up with Enzo’s treatment of her, even aiming a gun at him and this is before she finds out about his secret son.
Their marriage has become particularly fraught after the death of their son, Dino the year before the film started from muscular dystrophy . It’s clear this took a toll on Laura as she looks haggard and tired, a great acting turn from Cruz who is regularly referred to as a goddess. She is in fact the only person from the film nominated for any major awards – Screen Actors Guild Awards.
The start of the racing begins after a scene that I am sure was influenced by Italian-American film, The Godfather where Ferrari and his fellow factory workers sit in church with their wives while the rival team at Maserati try and break the Ferrari held record for fastest lap round a race track. The cuts between these two tonally different scenes reminded me of the famous christening scene where Michael Corleone is renouncing Satan and it cuts to a murder.
We get to the heart of the action about midway with Ferrari choosing a new driver for the Mille Miglia, a 1000 mile race through Italy after his star driver suffers an unfortunate accident. A few other notable faces pop up as Ferrari drivers including Patrick Dempsey with his bleach blond hair which made headlines at last years awards, and Jack O’Connell of Skins, SAS: Rogue Heroes and Lady Chatterley’s Lover fame.
The newest driver, De Portago campaigns to be Ferrari’s new driver and causes quite a media stir with his Hollywood girlfriend, Linda Christian. As Ferrari knows, any press is good press and gladly welcomes the attention. At home, the drama escalates as Laura reveals that Ferrari is broke and insists on holding onto the control of her shares which Enzo needs to do a deal with Ford to save the company. His mistress, Lina is also pressuring him to publicly accept their son, Piero as a Ferrari ahead of his confirmation.
I thought that Adam Driver did a great job as Enzo Ferrari. He has previously played another notable Italian, Maurizio Gucci in the House of Gucci opposite Lady Gaga and with this portrayal in mind can definitely pull off playing Ferrari. It was maybe a strange period of Ferrari’s life to portray, showing more of his failures than his successes but any good filmmaker prefers to focus on the drama rather than the good parts of the person’s life.
The film sadly ends with what could have been the end of Ferrari, the famous crash during the Mille Miglia killing driver De Portago and nine onlookers. This scene was definitely where the film earned its 15 rating with minimal sex/injury being shown in the earlier scenes. It was obviously done with CGI but just imagining that happening to someone really showed the dangers of the sport even in a seemingly non-contact race through the countryside.
Overall, I really enjoyed this film, despite it not being what was advertised. After the film, I looked up a synopsis on IMDb and if that had been on the cinema website, I suspect the audience may have been smaller and a bit different. There were some great racing scenes but the focus of the film was definitely on Laura and Enzo’s marriage, the grief of losing his son and the potential collapse of the Ferrari brand.
You may be wondering about the words in the title and that is because they are from the plethora of words that author Roald Dahl invented and used in his books, one of which was the original tale for Wonka. In Charlie and the Chocolate Factory we see the grown-up Willy Wonka with his factory and army of Oompa-Loompas entertain an unsuspecting group of children.
But, did you ever wonder how Wonka became the splendiferous inventor that Charlie and his Grandpa Joe encounter? This new film from the producers of Paddington and Harry Potter featuring an amazing cast can show you.
Wonka (2023)
The thing about doing another reboot/sequel or something based on known characters is that it has to be original and interesting. The small childhood flashback we see of Willy Wonka in the 2005 film which depicts him as a sad child stuck in a head brace with a chocolate-hating dentist for a father is not much of a back story.
This film has flipped that narrative on its head and provided Willy with a loving mother who taught him the chocolate basics and let him lick the spoon. At the beginning of the story he sets foot back in an unspecified European town after 7 years aboard finding weird and wonderful new ingredients for his chocolate.
His dream of opening a shop at the Galeries Gourmet is quickly met with uproar from the other three chocolatiers who hatch a plan to bring him down with the help of the Chief of Police and Mrs Scrubitt, the laundrette owner.
Things start off well with Willy showing the public his chocolates that can make you float but when he gets stuck paying his debts at the laundrette along with Noodle and other unfortunate souls, he hatches a plan to free them and take down the chocolate mafia.
At the heart of this film is a story about Willy Wonka missing his mother and seeing that same longing in Noodle who does not know her parents. He wants to make her proud and believes that she will return to him when he has achieved success.
Timothée Chalamet made a great Wonka, basing his performance on that of Gene Wilder in the 1971 adaptation, dressing in his iconic purple coat and hat. He demonstrated Wonka’s classic wacky humour but a little more subdued than it is when he meets Charlie Bucket. I was pleasantly surprised by the singing and dancing in the film but I thought that Timothée brought a great musicality to the role. He commanded the screen and had great chemistry with his on-screen pals.
The supporting cast features a range of British and American heavyweights with newcomer Calah Lane as Noodle alongside names such as Olivia Colman, Hugh Grant, Rowan Atkinson, Paterson Joseph, Jim Carter, Keegan-Michael Key and Matt Lucas.
Fans of Ghosts and Horrible Histories will be able to spot some favourites in there as well as Paddington alumni Tom Davis and Sally Hawkins. There was a large ensemble cast with a few cameos but I felt that everyone had their moment and no one was overlooked in their storyline. Even a character with a few lines got a happy ending on screen.
Of course, no film based around Willy Wonka would be complete without his marvellous inventions. We see his Mary Poppinsesque hat and never-ending suitcase with a delightful range of ingredients including giraffe milk and Oompa-Loompa cocoa beans for which Wonka is pursued. He creates a number of fun treats in the film including a chocolate that allows you to see a silver lining, edible shopping bags and candyfloss clouds.
I think this was a lovely, creative prequel to Willy Wonka with a cosy British feeling similar to Paddington and Matilda (another recent Roald Dahl musical) and I will happily be watching again when it comes to streaming.
Last night I saw Saltburn, the sophomore film directed by Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) who has also been seen lately in the Barbie film as Midge, the pregnant doll.
Saltburn has had a lot of buzz from its debut at TFF in Colorado, US before making its European premiere at the BFI London Film Festival and a final appearance at SXSW Sydney. It has now been released worldwide in cinemas. This is unusual for a film that starts its life in the festival circuit but with such a star-studded cast and the company LuckyChap Entertainment behind it (Margot Robbie and husband Tom’s venture), there was no doubt that this film would not put bums on seats.
I had heard of most of the main cast for various other films: veterans of the industry Richard E. Grant and Rosamund Pike have graced British screens many a time; Aussie favourite Jacob Elordi has been making a splash in Euphoria and recent release, Priscilla; I saw Archie Madekwe’s big break in Gran Turismo earlier this year and Irish actors Alison Oliver and Barry Keoghan have been featured on both the small and big screens, respectively.
I will be discussing the ending so spoiler warning if you have not yet had the chance to see the film.
Saltburn (2023)
The films opens on a famous Oxford landmark, the Radcliffe Camera. Having studied at Oxford Brookes University, the streets of the city are always a welcome site on the big screen. In the frenzy of the first day at school, we are introduced to Oliver Quick (Keoghan), a shy bespectacled student from Merseyside who has a habit of watching from afar rather than joining in. Through the first term, we see Felix Catton and Farley Start (Elordi and Madekwe), cousins and in the popular group at the college. Farley has a tutorial with Oliver and becomes the teacher’s favourite after revealing the name of his mother.
While Oliver only has a fellow outsider, Michael, for company, he appears longing to be in Felix’s orbit. A chance meeting and lending of a bicycle cement the start of a friendship. The two become gradually closer as Oliver reveals his troubled home life and addict parents. Farley does not warm to Oliver as he reminds him of himself – an outsider. Farley is living with his family due to his mother not having enough to support them both.
When the year ends and Oliver has told Felix about his father passing away, Oliver is invited to the Catton family home for the summer: Saltburn. The house or mansion is a fictional estate based in Northamptonshire. With its sprawling gardens, labyrinthian maze, wild swimming pond and endless rooms, Saltburn is the perfect escape for Oliver.
Elspeth and James Catton (Pike and Grant) are the welcoming parents if a little cattish, gossiping about Oliver’s family situation and “Poor Dear” Pamela, a family friend staying with them played by Carey Mulligan. Pamela is almost the Oliver of Saltburn, the person that has fallen on hard times that they feel sorry for and are only friends with out of pity.
Oliver also meets Venetia Catton, Felix’ sister (Alison Oliver). Initially disinterested, he finds her hanging around outside his bedroom window at night and tries to control her with sex. This is when the audience begins to realise that Oliver is not the poor, innocent, vulnerable person he appears to portray.
While the summer is whiled away with reading the last Harry Potter book, the film is set in 2006/2007; the family and Farley begin to discover the cracks in Oliver’s persona. Elsbeth cares for him as another son but Felix starts to find him clingy.
A lavish party is planned for Oliver’s birthday towards the end of summer and after a surprise road trip to his hometown of Prescot, Oliver is forced to face the reality that his parents are actually middle-class and normal. This drives a wedge between Oliver and Felix that culminates in an argument at the centre of the maze during the party.
In the morning when Felix is found dead, presumably of a drug overdose, the family grieves. They try and eat breakfast as if nothing has ever happened while drawing the curtains to block out the coroner going past and into the maze. While Venetia and Farley can barely hold in their tears, Oliver makes conversation with James and Elspeth. Farley is also banished for good after an email is discovered from him trying to sell off one of the family’s antiques to cover his mother’s expenses.
Oliver stays for Felix’ funeral and is the only non-family member present when they carry out their tradition of writing the deceased’s name on a stone and throwing it into a river. Venetia struggles with her brother’s death and after a conversation with Oliver she is found dead in the bath, having killed herself.
James finally realises that his wife will now not let Oliver out of her clutches as the only pseudo child left. He pays him to leave them alone in their grief.
Jump forward to Covid times, presumably 2021, Oliver meets Elspeth in a London café. She has just moved to the area after her husband’s death. They share in their grief for the Catton family and when Elspeth falls ill, Oliver becomes her caretaker, wheeling her around Saltburn.
While she lies hooked up to a ventilator and barely conscious, Oliver finally reveals his grand plan. He orchestrated the friendship with Felix and got an invite to Saltburn. He put cocaine in Felix’s champagne, causing his death; gave razor blades to Venetia when she was at her rock bottom and then proceeds to take Elspeth off the machine keeping her alive.
While Elspeth was able to consent, he got written into her will and the last scene shows Oliver dancing through Saltburn, naked having managed to inherit the sprawling estate and family fortune. We see each of the four family member’s stones perched on top of a puppet toy depicting them.
The film had a lot to say about class and wealth. While the Catton’s don’t pretend to be less than they are, they open their home and hearts to practical strangers on whom they take pity. Their trust in Oliver and underestimation of him, is what leads to their downfall. At Oxford, Felix joins in with his friends making fun of Oliver but is quick to fold him into the group when he thinks he would make a good sidekick and doesn’t see him as a threat.
Farley is the first one who suspects Oliver and tries to distance himself and Felix from him but after being threatened by Oliver, he realises that he is not going to be able to beat him.
Personally, I did not see this twist coming and thought that Oliver would end up being the victim of the rich people as is the typical trope in thriller’s set in the world of the wealthy (for example, Ready or Not starring Samara Weaving). While Oliver is a villain for killing three, possibly four people, he represents the average person who is desperate to be part of the in crowd. He had ulterior motives but I think he also wanted to be accepted by Felix and the Cattons’ to prove that he is worthy of being in that world.
I thought that all the performances were brilliant particularly Jacob Elordi and Barry Keoghan. Without knowing Elordi was Australian, I would have thought that he was a typical British posh boy as he nailed the accent, dialect and mannerisms. Keoghan really showed Oliver’s emotions as clearly as reading a book and I sympathised with him when he longed to be in the cool kids gang. Being friends with the Cattons’ despite their strange habits, traditions and pity of him was better than not being friends with them. Oliver did some pretty odd things that gave clues to him being unhinged and Keoghan made them look very real.
I also thought Alison Oliver as Venetia was great and for someone who only started in the industry last year, I think there are big things to come for her. The scenes of just her and Oliver and after Felix’ death showed her ability to be vulnerable without being a total emotional mess.
Overall, I enjoyed the film despite the last act going in an odd direction. It was weird in a way that you can’t look away and have a desire to know how the story ends. The innocent scenes of 2000s Oxford leading into the heady summer at Saltburn gave the film an ethereal setting that you would certainly want to visit unless Oliver Quick is lurking in the shadows or underneath your window.
With cinema releases ramping up again for the end of the year, I thought I would turn my attention to my most recent watch: The Marvels. The sequel to the first film featuring Captain Marvel played by the brilliant Brie Larson, now includes her new companions Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Parris) and Ms Marvel (Iman Vellani).
It is wonderful to see Marvel evolving more towards female led films with the recent additions of Black Widow, Black Panther 2 and Captain Marvel. The expansion into television series on Disney Plus has also allowed for more female leads with Scarlet Witch in WandaVision; Jen Walters in She-Hulk and the upcoming Agatha: Darkhold Diaries and Echo both featuring female protagonists.
The Marvel Cinematic Universe started out led by male characters: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and so on with women only serving as sidekicks or love interests, for example Pepper Potts, Peggy Carter and Jane Foster. Over the years, we have seen these characters all get their own storylines, hero moments and even television programmes. The inclusion of female superheroes, in my eyes, has expanded the audience that the Marvel films and shows attract. A younger girl can look at Black Widow or Captain Marvel or any of the other badass women and see someone representing them.
When people see themselves represented on screen by a powerful independent character that is the hero, it can help them to imagine themselves as a hero or even just someone who can make it through tough times. Representation has been expanding in terms of gender, race and sexuality but there are still huge leaps to be made in terms of equality. For Marvel, the source material of the comic books may have held them up at first as the stories of the 1950s and 60s featured mainly male heroes but with new storylines and characters written all the time, there is progress being made towards equity in the MCU.
The Marvels (2023)
Captain Marvel is one of the MCUs more mysterious characters. We know where she came from and how she got her powers but between the events of the first and second film there is a huge chunk of her life missing.
Carol Danvers may have been away from Earth for a while with a brief appearance in the Battle against Thanos but she has not been resting. Her aim is to solve the political unrest between the Kree and the Skrulls that she believes is due to her actions.
While Carol has been gone, new heroes have come to be. There is Monica Rambeau who we see in WandaVision (2021) gain her powers from interacting with the powers of the Scarlet Witch. Monica did appear in the first Captain Marvel film but as a child or ‘Lieutenant Trouble’ as Carol called her. Her mother, Maria was Carol’s best friend and unfortunately passed away during the Blip. Monica is now working with Nick Fury’s new venture, S.A.B.E.R in Earth’s atmosphere, only using her powers sparingly.
Ms Marvel, real name Kamala Khan is a Captain Marvel super fan and has posters all over her wall and is introduced in the Ms Marvel (2022) series. Upon donning her Nani’s bangle, she gains the ability to manipulate light and make it into solid matter. After being hunted by the Department of Damage Control (part of the former S.H.I.E.L.D), stopping the Clandestines and learning she is a mutant, Kamala suddenly swaps places with Captain Marvel.
The film kicks off where Ms Marvel ends with Carol appearing in Kamala’s room. The three way swapping continues as Carol was in the middle of fighting some Kree soldiers and they are accidentally transported to the Khans’ living room.
I thought the switching between the three heroes made the fight scene interesting and quickly reintroduced the characters to us along with alerting Fury and the Khans’ about the interlinking powers.
To minimise damage, Kamala and Monica join Captain Marvel on her ship and set out to stop Dar-Benn from decimating worlds to reawaken the Kree’s home planet, Hala. Kamala is obviously delighted with the plan much to the dismay of her mother while Monica is less keen given the history between her and Carol. She believes that Carol abandoned her on purpose with her dying mother and after the Blip, she then had no family left.
Carol also has to quickly learn the dynamic with an adult Monica with powers and teenage fan in tow. Having three female leads paved the way for more comedy and joviality than is typically seen in male led Marvel films. Kamala especially has not experienced the wider reaches of the universe and comes into new situations with a positive attitude and open heart. Carol acts as their guide and even stiff and stoic Monica begins to enjoy the quest.
I won’t go into what other things occur but let’s just say that if you’re looking for Easter eggs or clues for future projects, this is not a film to miss.
Another returning character is Goose. A sweet ginger cat who acts as Carol’s sidekick who just happens to be able to launch 30 foot tentacles from its mouth. Goose has been a fan favourite since his appearance in the first Captain Marvel film and the revelation that he was the one that gave Fury his eye patch. Goose’s new Flerken ability is revealed in the new film when he regurgitates items from the Khan’s living room. If you are a cat fan, then this film will feature a few more furry friends.
Overall, I really enjoyed Marvel’s latest outing. The grumpy/sunshine dynamic with Kamala and Monica played well against Carol who can be a mix of both. We got to see some favourite characters and meet some new ones. One funny scene sees Yusuf Khan give someone pension advice only to learn their real age.
There was a good balance of action, comedy, family interactions and heart especially with the reflections on Maria’s passing. It was great to see Kamala live her dreams of meeting her hero and learn that she is a fully fledged person and not just Captain Marvel.
Many great stories portrayed on screen, big or small start their journey as a previously published written work. Most of the time this is a book or graphic novel but could also be an interview for a biopic or an article in a newspaper/magazine.
Many people whose favourite work of fiction is about to be adapted visually want it to remain as true to the story as possible. This is not always practical due to the production company’s budget, the length of the tale, the nature of the story or trying to adapt something to fit with today’s society – more diverse and inclusive of different people’s characteristics.
Other times, the owner/author of the base for the project will work on the script and make changes that they approve and feel fit with the theme of their story. These changes are more likely to be accepted as they have still come from the imagination where the work was created.
I think that a project will always benefit from the original author being involved whether as an executive producer/consult or as the writer/showrunner. Things being changed to be less boring/more dramatic for the viewer is not always a bad thing but when that starts to erase the heart of the work and change the fundamental message, it can upset those who were looking forward to watching something they loved on the page be brought to life on screen.
I am going to cover a few examples and their different approaches to adapting for the screen. All of these are projects that I enjoyed first as a book/graphic novel which made it into cinemas or onto streaming services.
Red, White and Royal Blue (2023)
This book was very popular when it hit the shelves as Casey McQuiston’s debut novel in 2019. The story was their alternate reality to give themselves and readers hope after the 2016 Presidential Election. It is told from Alex’s POV, he is the son of the female POTUS with a Mexican father in congress and has a journalist sister. In the lead up to his mother’s re-election, he helps to uncover a plot to bring his mother down and works to flip his home state of Texas to blue. The heart of the book centres around his enemies to lovers relationship with Henry, the Prince of England. The two collide in a PR disaster at Henry’s brother’s wedding but when the two are forced to be best friends, a real friendship starts.
Henry and Alex carry out a secret friends with benefits arrangement whenever they happen to be in the same city with only their closest friends and sisters in the know.
The book was adapted as a film produced by Amazon Prime and released on streaming in 2023. Many fans loved the adaption as the director also a queer Latino man, focused mostly on Alex and Henry’s love story, a part that is often repressed in films. I did enjoy the adaptation and have re-watched it again but I felt there were a lot of changes to Alex and Henry’s story that altered their motivations and characters.
With so many characters and interweaving plot lines, I think this adaptation would have been better as a series. While the romance is a large part of the story, Alex figuring out his bisexuality and having the bravery to admit his feelings to someone not allowed to be gay in the public eye; the politics and his passion for helping Texas to become a blue state was an important part too. We still see Alex helping with the campaign and even having a working summer in Texas but the political story was diminished with characters being erased and bundled into one.
Fundamental changes to Alex’s persona include not having his parents divorce. In the novel, they broke up when Alex was 11 and his father moved to California to become a senator there. His mother lives with his stepfather, Leo in the White House who worked in tech but became a house husband so she could focus on becoming President. Alex’s sister, June is also not a character in the film and has been folded into the characters of Zahra, the President’s chief of staff and Alex’s handler and Nora, the Vice President’s daughter. Without June, there is no White House Trio and no Super Six when they party in LA.
Another fundamental change was the character of Miguel. He and Alex had hooked up in the film at a conference and Miguel was the one to leak Henry and Alex’s romance, partially out of jealousy. He may have been bribed by the President, Ellen’s rival but it’s not as clear. He does not exist in the book and while Alex did hook up with his high school friend who in the book has a boyfriend, there is no adult encounter for Alex until Henry. The character of Rafael Luna has also been erased. He was a mentor and role model of Alex who was gay and was an example that Alex could be himself and go into politics. Rafael was part of the plot to bring down Ellen but only under duress and in the end, he came to his senses.
As for Henry, his siblings, Philip and Bea are both present but their characters have been shrunk. In the book, Bea is presented as a wild musician who snuck out of the palace to play secret gigs and unfortunately had to go to rehab for cocaine addiction. This led to her being labelled the ‘Powder Princess’ and more of a recluse. The Bea of the film did not have this back story and is merely used as a plot point for Henry to be able to voice his feelings for Alex aloud. Henry’s mother is merely mentioned in the film but in the book is suffering from depression after her husband’s death. She is a key player in getting the Queen to agree to letting Henry and Alex be out and proud.
I do understand the change from Queen to King given the recent death of Queen Elizabeth and the way that Queen Mary is portrayed unfavourably in the book but I think Stephen Fry was not the right age for the King and as a well-known gay figure, I couldn’t imagine him objecting to Henry and Alex’s relationship.
Henry’s mental health challenges were also written out in the film. In the book, they are subtle until he confesses to Alex about suffering with anxiety and depression since his father’s passing. With his mother falling into depression and Bea going into rehab, he lost all his support system so when first meeting Alex in 2016, his self-esteem is at an all time low.
There were other smaller scenes taken out of the story for the film such as meeting at Wimbledon, going to LA, Alex’s graduation from university and Alex working in the campaign office in Washington but these did not affect the story as much as the above points. I still enjoyed the film as its own entity but in comparison to the book, the book takes it every time.
Heartstopper (2022-)
Based on a much loved web comic, Heartstopper has since graced the shelves in print form with the fifth volume of the graphic novel coming out this December. The author and artist, Alice Oseman has had a lot of creative control over the television series that debuted on Netflix in 2022. She has written all the episodes, served as creator and executive producer on the show and even done some of the art seen in the background.
This involvement has delighted fans and even with some changes, as Alice has made them herself for story or plot reasons, the fans trust her writing enough that the series has been very well received and was quickly renewed for a second and third. The third is currently in production now with all the cast still on board despite having become very successful in the last 2 years.
Heartstopper started as a spin-off project from Alice’s debut novel, Solitaire about Tory Spring and her dealing with undiagnosed depression all while starting a new school and tracking down a mystery blogger. Charlie, Tory’s younger brother and his boyfriend Nick are side characters in the novel who Alice decided needed their own story.
Now 10 years on there are 4 published volumes, 2 novellas, 2 companion books and 2 series of a Netflix show about the couple. The story starts with Charlie aged 14 meeting Nick, 16 at school. Charlie has a secret boyfriend, Ben and 3 best friends, Tao, Aled and Elle. Elle has just moved to the girls school as a trans woman and Tao is missing her. Charlie is then seated next to Nick, a typical rugby lad in his form group and falls head over heels for him. The problem is that everyone thinks Nick is straight. The two quickly become thick as thieves and after a kiss at a party begin another secret relationship. After Ben’s treatment of Charlie, Nick and Tao fight over Charlie’s wellbeing especially after he was bullied the previous year when he came out as gay.
The graphic novels and show deal with heavy themes such as trans/homophobia, assault, mental health issues, bullying and self-harm but overall they have a lovely warm tone and have really helped many LGBTQ+ teens and young adults realise that life is not all bad and that they are worthy.
The main changes in the show are Charlie and Tory’s younger brother being written out and the character of Aled changed for Isaac. The addition of Imogen as a barrier between Nick and Charlie was also a change but she was added for some drama. The characters of Ben and James in Series 2 were also expanded along with Isaac’s asexual storyline. More trans characters were added as Elle’s friends along with the possibility of her moving away to art school.
I think all the changes to the show have been well crafted and nothing has taken away from Nick and Charlie’s personalities. Charlie is still a geek who is good at maths, running and playing the drums. He still has mental health issues and struggles with telling people his worries. Nick is still a rugby lad with a love of Marvel films, hoodies and dogs. They move the conflict with Nick’s father to the second series but I think it works and I love that they kept the fact that Nick can speak French as a surprise for Charlie and the gang to discover.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief (2010)
One franchise that the fans and author both didn’t like is Percy Jackson. The first two books: Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief and Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters were adapted into big Hollywood blockbusters but with the author not being involved and major changes, it left the fans upset.
As a action-adventure film by itself it works: the actors are charismatic, there is some funny dialogue and the main plot points still exist with the presence of the Greek Gods. However, the age of the main trio was changed along with the ending of the first film. The second one had many, many changes that dumbed down the film.
In the books, Percy Jackson, a 12-year-old from New York discovers that his absent father was actually the Greek God Poseidon and the gods have been living in America for a few centuries. His mother sends him to Camp Half-Blood for protection where he meets Annabeth and learns that his best friend Grover is actually a satyr and his teacher is really a centaur. He learns sword skills and how to fight strategically but when fate comes calling he has to complete a quest to save society.
One of the major plot points changed was that Percy has a big fight on the Empire State building with Hades who wants to overthrow his godly family on Mount Olympus. The ending originally entailed Percy being betrayed by fellow camper Luke and bitten by a deadly spider and that is how the audience learns that the Son of Hermes has been lured to the dark side.
Another change was the chemistry between Annabeth and Percy. They are not meant to get together until the fifth book when they are 16 but in the film they have many flirty moments which totally negates their strong dynamic as friends first.
Luckily for fans, another adaption is happening as a Disney Plus series with the author, Rick Riordan now heavily involved. There have been a few changes to the ethnicities of characters which updates the series and helps the audience to see that people of all races can be heroes. Percy’s hair is also dark blonde, the actor’s hair but I don’t mind that so much as after seeing Walker Scobell in another film, I think he will make a great Percy. The actors are all also young and playing the ages of the characters in the books.
I was a big fan of the books and eagerly await the new series that is coming around Christmas time this year.
Good Omens (2019-)
This television series is based on an older book from 1990 by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. As Terry Pratchett is no longer with us, Neil Gaiman took on creative control and became the showrunner/writer/executive producer.
Series 1 follows the book with Angel Aziraphale and Demon Crowley uncovering a plot between Heaven and Hell to cause the Apocalypse and wipe out life on Earth. This series was very faithful to the original book with barely any changes to the characters other than perhaps diversifying a little.
For the second series, the show has gone beyond the books but Neil Gaiman assured fans that it was very much based on the ideas that himself and Terry had when discussing a sequel to the book.
I think Series 2 was great and without the Apocalypse storyline we got to see much more of Aziraphale and Crowley and their lives together on Earth for the last six thousand years. There is also the development of the love story that many fans had hoped for and based on the chemistry between the actors in the first series, fan art had already appeared.
With such a cliffhanger at the end of Series 2, the future of the series hung in the balance but the producers and Neil himself have pretty much confirmed its looking good for a third and final series of the show.
With a show going beyond its source material, there is not much to compare it to but as it has been written by and based on ideas by the original authors, I think one can consider it as faithful to the book.
There are many adaptions happening all over the world virtually every day, good and bad but remember if your favourite book gets an unfavourable one, then the book is always there to be re-read.
In the last few weeks, I have seen a few interesting and entertaining films at the cinema including at the London Film Festival so here is my review. While summer blockbusters are over, the rest of the year promises interesting releases both at the cinema and on streaming. So when the autumn weather finally does appear, there will be lots to watch on the big screen or curled up on the sofa at home.
The Creator (2023)
If you’re looking for a film that covers current world issues, then The Creator hits right on the mark. Hollywood writers and actors are just coming to a close on a historic union strike over the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and what it means for their industries. Studios have already been using AI to create title sequences and there were talks of using it to generate written content and scanning an actor’s likeness for unlimited use.
The Creator looks at a world where AI was invented and integrated into society much earlier than it was in reality. Mankind begin to rely on AI for many household tasks, driving them around, factory work and running the digital space. A devastating nuclear bomb hits Los Angeles killing over one million people and sparking a war between AI and humans.
There are two types of AI, those who fully look like robots and those with human likeness’ having been given the faces of real humans. They are more complex and can do many jobs that humans do not want to do.
In the film we see Josh (John David Washington) with his wife, Maya (Gemma Chan) in an unspecified East Asian country. America has outlawed AI and forced it into hiding on New Asia where AI is still used for the police, farming and the robots are accepted by the people as citizens.
American soldiers attack and while escaping, a pregnant Maya’s boat is blown apart. Josh was actually sent undercover to get close to Maya and her father, Nirmata (The Creator) who made the advanced version – simulants and is rumoured to have made a weapon designed to kill all enemies of AI. Torn with grief for his wife and unborn child, Josh goes back to America to live a quiet life.
Five years later, the American army come knocking. Their new weapon, NOMAD has been launched and flies over the world, scanning and destroying any AI robots it finds. They know Josh is the best connection to Nirmata’s location and filled with hope that Maya is alive after some convincing footage, Josh joins them.
What happens next is an all out war between the Americans, New Asia and its AI friends. Josh finds out that Nirmata’s weapon is a powerful simulant in the form of a child. Together they journey New Asia seeking Maya.
I loved the universe that was created for this film and it really showed what could happen if AI was integrated into society. It was interesting to see the Americans as the enemies, particularly as this is an American made film but after reactions to other attacks on national soil, I am not surprised by their retaliation. I thought the bond between Josh and the child was emotional and this connection only deepens as the film’s plot develops. There was such a mix of technology and old traditions, especially in the small villages that made the film feel realistic and also hopeful that if AI ever becomes sentient in that way, society could integrate.
Watching this film in IMAX made it much more intense and I felt that I couldn’t look away. There was plenty of action scenes but the quieter scenes were poignant and added a lot of heart to the characters. I would definitely recommend watching this one in the cinema and it was a great start to the autumn cinema season. I give it 5/5.
Maestro (2023) – Netflix in December
Bradley Cooper directs and stars as Leonard Bernstein, a New York City conductor and composer from the 1950s, 60s and so on who is known for West Side Story and conducting the New York Philharmonic Orchestra.
We see his rise to fame from age 25 as a wannabe musician to a global success with many bows to his string in a lovely sprawling New York Estate. Leonard is eccentric with wild hair and an untameable energy that he pours into his compositions. He also has a variety of male and female lovers with no strong direction until he meets Felicia.
He falls madly in love as they both rise to success, her as a Broadway star. In the later years, with three adult children, Leonard’s discreetness about his relationships with men starts slipping and Felicia is diagnosed with an illness.
The use of black and white and musical elements in the first act of the film helped to demonstrate to the audience how playful Leonard was and never took life too seriously. He saw it as a musical where he could act in any way he wanted with no real consequences. As soon as he gets his taste of fame, conducting the Philharmonic, he realises that to reach a certain level of notoriety, he must keep up appearances.
His later years are in full colour with some very impressive prosthetics showing himself and Felicia (Carey Mulligan) age into New York arts royalty. Bradley Cooper played the character with a lot of depth that is uncovered as the film goes on. His whimsical and spontaneous nature is paired down in public and that is reflected as we only see his public persona as husband and father, rather than his gay affairs.
They come back on screen when he grows to be around 60, turning grey and having had such a successful career that he starts to not care as much as to who knows about his proclivities. Felicia is worried about the children finding out, particularly Jamie (Maya Hawke) who is particularly perceptive.
Carey Mulligan always plays a good role and rather than choosing to see her as the victim here – a wife whose husband would rather play for the other team – I think she has chosen her life and only starts to become intolerant of Leonard’s lifestyle when it endangers the family image and how their children would view their father. She focuses on her own career on stage and screen and keeps close bonds with Jamie and Shirley, Leonard’s sister (Sarah Silverman).
The tone of the film often felt frenetic with Leonard’s intense energy and dramatic conducting scenes, leaving him looking as though he had just taken a bath. One of the best scenes for me was when he is conducting a large orchestra and choir in a church. You can really see his passion for music and tell how his directions make the piece better.
There were many laugh out loud moments, for example when Leonard runs into David (Matt Bomer), ex-lover and now new father in the street with his wife and child and joyfully tells the baby, ‘I’ve slept with both your parents’ and then runs away in glee. The film does take on a sadder tone at the end but Leonard’s gift for music and lust for life pulls you through.
I thought this film was excellent and really captured the spirit of the New York Arts scene at the time and painted a full and varied picture of Leonard’s life. Though brilliant, he had flaws and those are not shied away from. There were some industry heavyweights producing the project including Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg so there shouldn’t be any doubts in the quality of this film. It was amazing to see it on the big screen in the Royal Festival Hall at Southbank but if you haven’t managed to get tickets this year then the film will be coming to Netflix this Christmas along with a limited cinema release.
I give the film 5/5.
Priscilla (2023) – Mubi
While many people will have seen Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis that debuted last year to great reviews and Oscar nominations, we did not really see much of Priscilla Presley’s story in there. Sofia Coppola’s new film changes that.
Priscilla focuses on Priscilla’s relationship with Elvis and his treatment of her for the duration of their marriage. We don’t see anything of Elvis that Priscilla doesn’t see and most of the film is set at Graceland where Priscilla spends the majority of their relationship.
The story starts when Priscilla (Cailee Spaeny) is 14 years old. Her father has just been shipped out to West Germany in the late 1950s and she is bored. She goes to the diner and does her homework but hasn’t made any friends. Another soldier, Terry and his wife invite Priscilla to a party at Elvis’ house as he likes to meet people from back home. Despite the 10 year age gap, the two hit it off.
Priscilla is thrilled that a star such as Elvis would pay attention to her and manages to convince her parents to let her go to another party at his house. They start a sweet courtship and share a kiss before Elvis goes back to America. Priscilla thinks of him for the next two years. When she is 17, Elvis rings her up and sends for her. She goes to Graceland but after taking a pill, passes out for two days.
Unable to be apart from her rekindled love, she manages to convince her parents to let her permanently move there as long as she enrols in a good Catholic school. Elvis treats her like a queen with gifts and trips to Vegas but begins to control how she dresses and her appearance.
Priscilla then hears rumours of Elvis being involved with his various co-stars in Hollywood. He denies it but also gets angry at Priscilla and sometimes violent with her when she questions his commitment.
To a modern and educated audience, the relationship looks basically like grooming. Priscilla falls deeply in love with a man that is a different generation to herself and also absent for two years but she does start to gain more control when Elvis falls down an alley of drugs and performing.
From what I have seen, Priscilla Presley though she left Elvis, still holds him in great contempt, recently celebrating the 45th anniversary of his death at Graceland, their former home. This film was based on her own book and she was a producer on the film so even if she does not hate him for what he did, she wanted to tell her side of the story and explain why she stayed so long.
The casting of the film was excellent, particularly as Cailee Spaeny looked so young and small next to Jacob Elordi as Elvis and his various friends/cousins that they hung around with at Graceland.
While Jacob Elordi may not receive the praise that Austin Butler did for his portrayal, I think he did a brilliant job with showing the side of Elvis that Priscilla experienced. Even with her, we see his charming persona that many women went crazy for. I think with the hair and the voice, he had more of a look of Elvis than Butler did but this film was not about him.
It was great to see Priscilla find her own life in LA towards the end of her marriage but with the time jump between the situations, it was hard to imagine how a young isolated woman would have found the courage to make new friends and flirt with her karate instructor, all with a young baby and married to the biggest icon on the planet.
Overall, I enjoyed the film but it did leave me feeling quite sad for the life that Priscilla wanted and could have had if Elvis had not been cheating on her and taking all the drugs. It was interesting to only hear mentions of the Colonel in this film whereas in Elvis (2022), he is the narrator and basically the main character of the story. Perhaps this was to show that Priscilla didn’t really know the influence that the Colonel had or the control he wielded over Elvis. There was one time when the Colonel suggested that Elvis take some time for himself and Priscilla stayed at Graceland waiting for him without questioning it.
Looking into the story, some parts were concertinaed for the film so events weren’t quite as shocking as depicted in the film but as Priscilla was involved, the film was very accurate and you could feel her feelings in every scene as they played across Spaeny’s face. It is clear why she won Best Actor at Venice Film Festival. I saw the Special Presentation at the London Film Festival and Cailee Spaeny was there and read a great message from Coppola. The film will be hitting cinemas on Boxing Day and streaming on Mubi sometime in the future. I give it 4/5.
The theatre world has always been an inclusive place for outsiders and people that don’t feel that they fit into society or at least at school to find a home. Making the teachers the focus of the film was something I have not really seen before but it really honed in on the phrase ‘those that can’t do, teach’.
Hello readers,
Despite the sun coming back again for another heatwave, the summer cinema offerings are starting to wind down. Today’s post is the last one in my 2023: Summer of Cinema series and I will be looking at different topics including television and streaming shows together with some larger scale analysis.
For today, I turn my attention to Theater Camp, a funny, dry mockumentary celebrating the theatre camps of America particularly around New York. The camp in this film is run by the much loved Joan and a collection of other eccentric teachers that have not been able to find permanent roles in the theatre world.
Theater Camp (2023)
The film opens with Joan (Amy Sedaris) and Rita (Caroline Aaron) recruiting potential kids for the camp. In true mockumentary style, we get talking heads from the cast telling us their feelings and just giving extra details that they haven’t said in the scene.
When Joan unfortunately is stunned into a coma by a child’s performance in Bye Bye Birdie; her son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) with no experience and little appreciation for the theatre is replaced as camp leader. He quickly starts to make some changes but the teachers and students barrel on with their usual mayhem regardless.
The most closely followed teachers are Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon – also co-director) and Amos (Ben Platt) and their co-dependent dynamic. They were students at the camp and with no success in the business, they have committed their lives to being theatre camp counsellors and nurturing the next generation.
Among the other teachers there is Glenn (Noah Galvin) who covers all things stage management but maybe wants a chance at the spotlight; Clive, a traditionalist with a passion for dance; Gigi with the fashion know-how and Janet (Ayo Edebiri), a new hire with a forged CV trying to bluff her way through stage combat and mask work.
A complication to this little society comes when Troy finds out the financial issues that the camp is facing. He tries several methods of raising money, all more outlandish than the next. There is also the rivalry with another local camp and tension between long-time best friends and co-producers, Rebecca-Diane and Amos as they attempt to write Joan, Still: an original play celebrating the colourful life of their comatose camp director.
I have dabbled myself in musical theatre but the theatre camps of America really take the drama to the next level. This film highlights the great things about camp: making friends for life, learning great skills for future careers, gaining confidence and the delightful chaos of being part of something bigger than yourself. The film also has the ability to poke fun at the sort of personalities that this environment attracts and not just with the teachers.
The child actors were all great, effortlessly playing up to the stereotype that their character was given: the reluctant male star; the one with actual experience; the unexpected talent and the larger than life presence.
This film made me laugh out loud many times. The way they play scenes as serious whilst being highly unusual really made the humour funnier and the improvisational nature of the script meant that you never really knew what someone would say and do.
The theatre world has always been an inclusive place for outsiders and people that don’t feel that they fit into society or at least at school to find a home. Making the teachers the focus of the film was something I have not really seen before but it really honed in on the phrase ‘those that can’t do, teach’.
I thought this film was a fun venture into the land of the theatre camp and it would be great to see more films with this production team as they managed to make the humour look effortless and clearly cultivated a great safe space for the actors to try new things. I give it 4.5/5.
