The Quick and Dirties: Girl Week 2017's Grand Finale

We've reached the last day of Girl Week 2017. Once again, it was a success and I had a great time putting together entries as well as reading those by others. This last entry from me is a bit of a personal disappointment. The problem is I really wanted to do full posts on several of these movies, but I just ran out of time. On the other hand, I'm very happy with this post because my traditional Girl Week collaborator, super-reader Joel, is here to add his much-welcomed flavor. With no further adieu, let's get the show on the road.

Jackie

(2016)

One of the biggest moments in American history is the assassination of Pres. John F. Kennedy. His wife Jackie was sitting next to him, at the time, and is often credited for the courageous face she put on in the days following her husband's murder. This film is a look at what was going on behind the scenes at the time and how she crafted the image people saw. The framing device is an interview she was giving to "Life" magazine about that week. It's a pretty sobering exploration, not one that always paints Mrs. Kennedy in the best light. There's a great deal of arrogance and standoffish behavior by her in this film. However, much of it comes from wanting to protect and exalt her husband. Natalie Portman pulls this off by never shying away from those unsavory aspects of her character. Instead, she embraces them, which humanizes Jackie. Some might find her performance a bit too affected, particularly when it comes to her speech patterns, but I was good with it. It's more affected when Jackie is in the public eye, a performance of a performance, if you will. She's more natural out of the spotlight, as we all would be. Portman's work is just outstanding. On the whole, the film has some pacing issues, even at barely 100 minutes. Some of that is due to the tone of the film, which is oppressively humorless. I understand the gravity of the situation we're dealing with dictates that this isn't a yuk-fest, but the lack of levity makes this an exhausting film. Make no mistake, it's a very good one, but not one I'm likely to sit through again. - Dell

American Honey

(2016)

Star (Sasha Lane) is a young lady leading a troubled life, being sexually abused by the father of the two young kids she takes care of. Finally fed up with it all, she jumps at the chance to join a group of traveling salesepeople, made up of similarly lost souls. She finds herself under the thumb of Krystal (Riley Keough) the owner of the business and falling in love with Jake (Shia LaBeouf), Krystal's de facto lieutenant. This is a raw look at one of the dark underbellies of American society. It never feels exploitative, though. In fact, it uses the circumstances of the main characters to draw a contrast between the haves and have nots, and demonstrate how the two sides view and use each other. That alone could not sustain this film. It doesn't have to because it's also an engaging character study and coming of age story. Sasha Lane is a revelation in the lead and Riley Keough is perfectly filled with attitude and carrying a giant chip on her shoulder only rivaled by Lane's Star. This sets the stage for a very contentious relationship between the two. Even this might fall flat if not for the efforts of Shia LaBeouf as Jake. His character is charming, but not really likable once you get passed that veneer. For my money, this is LaBeouf's best performance by a long shot. He gives us layers I didn't think he was capable of. Because of the main trio and the rather grimy places this film took me, I was pulled into it, felt involved in Star's life, and didn't even mind the runtime that stretched past 160 minutes. - Dell

The Trouble with Angels

(1966)

The all-girls Catholic school St. Francis Academy is run efficiently and peacefully by a group of nuns headed by stern but caring Reverend Mother (Rosalind Russell) until the rebellious Mary Clancy (Hayley Mills) who is full of “Scathingly Brilliant” ideas and her willing follower Rachel Devry (June Harding) are enrolled. Even before their arrival the girls show they’re ready to mix it up by inducing their new classmates to assume false more glamourous names than their own and present themselves to the perplexed sisters. From that moment forward its game on as the pair find seemingly endless ways to embroil themselves in different schemes including pleading ever more exotic diseases to escape learning how to swim, encasing Mary’s whiny cousin, the wondrously named Marvel-Ann, in plaster and on and on. For the next four years it’s a contest of wills between the defiant but maturing Mary and the implacable certainty of the Abbess for the upper hand. Russell and Mills are well matched opponents supported by a wonderful group of actresses including Mary Wickes-years before Sister Act, Marge Redmond, Binnie Barnes and a very glamourous Gypsy Rose Lee. Nimble comedy scores extra points for the week by being helmed by actress Ida Lupino, the only important female director of the period. - Joel

Florence Foster Jenkins

(2016)

It's 1944 and Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep) is a wealthy, but not physically well older lady who lives in a world almost completely insulated by Mr. Bayfield (Hugh Grant), her long-time husband. He tries to shield her from any and all bad news concerning herself. For the most part, he's successful, surrounding her with a never-ending supply of sycophants. Florence fancies herself a singer and Mr. Bayfield's efforts have led her to become delusional about her own vocal ability. She's possibly the worst singer anyone has ever heard. Still, she hires Cosmé McMoon (Simon Helberg) to play piano for her upcoming shows. It's not that anyone hires her. She buys her way onto various stages around New York City and Mr. Bayfield makes sure to only sell tickets to her brownnosers, further exacerbating the problem. Ms. Jenkins eventually biting off more than she chew ensues. As it must, my praise starts with Meryl Streep. She once again delivers an outstanding performance. However, its emotional impact is back-loaded into the film's final act. The rest of her work is propped up by two outstanding male performances, one by Hugh Grant, and the other by Simon Helberg.  The former is better than he's been in years. The latter breaks out of his Big Bang Theory persona, at least a little. His Mr. McMoon is still a bit on the nerdy/socially awkward side, but not to the extent of his character on his TV show. The film digs into the American tradition of building people up just to tear them down. It's also a rather odd love story given that it's clear Mr. Bayfield is never intimate with his wife. Still, it's clear he takes his role as her protector seriously. By the end, we get a film that's light-hearted, fun, and surprisingly funny, but lacking the bite to make it great. To be honest, I was prepared to hate this film as everything I knew about it beforehand screamed pretentiousness. That element is there, but it won me over anyway since I was having a good time laughing, both at and with, Florence Foster Jenkins. - Dell

Kidnap

(2017)

Karla (Halle Berry) is a mom in the midst of a custody battle over her son Frankie (Sage Correa). While spending the day with him at a local festival, she takes her eye off him for a couple minutes to take an important phone call. No surprise to anyone who saw the trailer, or any movie for that matter, she discovers the boy is gone when she finishes her call. However, all is not totally lost as she sees the boy being pulled into a strange car. She hotfoots it to her own vehicle and gives chase. She tries calling the cops, but that doesn't prove fruitful, leaving her to take matters into her own hands. What follows is a movie that is better than it has any right to be. It ticks a lot of boxes, hitting on numerous cliches along the way, but still manages to entertain. It does so thanks to the tension created by the writing and the performance of Halle Berry. It keeps us on the edge of our seats in the way that danger to children tends to. It also helps that the nature of the kidnapping deepens as the film goes along. By the end, we may not have watched a great movie, but we have watched an intense one that we couldn't tear our eyes from. - Dell

Beauty and the Beast

(2017)

Okay, you know the story. An old woman, shows up at a party at Prince Adam's (Dan Stevens) castle and offers him a rose in exchange for shelter. He refuses and she casts a spell on him and all the residents of his home, turning him into a ghastly beast and his staff into household items. Fast forward however many years later and a string of events leads to Prince Adam, now the Beast capturing an old man named Maurice (Kevin Kline). His daughter Belle (Emma Watson) shows up at the castle and, at least in part to get away from the rapey Gaston (Luke Evans), and offers to take the place of her dad as the prisoner of the Beast. The Beast agrees and thus begins the most famous case of Stockholm Syndrome in the Disney canon. I'm not one of those who is automatically opposed to Disney making live-action versions of all its animated classics. As far as I'm concerned, last year's The Jungle Book was a marvel of modern film-making. That said, this one didn't work for me. The story-telling was bland, as was Emma Watson, and brought nothing new to the table despite unnecessarily adding a half-hour to the runtime of its source material. The cgi to bring all of these characters to life was meh, made more noticeable by the lame jokes they kept spewing. The saving grace was the over-the-top ultra-arrogant villainy of Luke Evans. If you want to see him ham it up, have at it. Otherwise, just re-watch the 1991 animated classic again. - Dell

Harriet Craig

(1950)

Harriet Craig (Joan Crawford) is what could mildly be called a control freak. Her house, an airless museum of fine things, is immaculate and anyone in her sphere is controlled whether they realize it or not by her iron grip. She browbeats the staff if there is the slightest variation from her express directions, makes sure that the orphaned cousin in her charge has no social life, closed her good-natured husband off from his friends, convinced him that she is unable to have the children he fervently wants because you know…mess, and eventually manipulates the ruination of a promotion he desires because it requires travel that would take him out of her constant control. While doing this she wears the severest hairstyle possible and clothes that are fastidious in every detail including one with lapels that give the impression of a vulture about to descend on its victim. Sound unpleasant? Well with 50’s era Crawford playing her it’s a fascinating study of power gone to extremes. Gone for good is any hint of the soft femininity she possessed in the 30’s or even the sexy more mature allure of the 40’s replaced by a hardened shellac that brooks no nonsense and takes no prisoners. She simply steamrolls over anyone in her path and in a way that is exactly what is required for the ogre she is essaying, someone who values possessions over all else. A diamond hard Joan grabs the audience by the throat and never lets go! - Joel

Everything, Everything

(2017)

Maddy (Amandla Stenberg) is a teenage girl living with SCID, an immuno-deficiency disease so severe she can't leave her house or have any visitors. Ever. Her extremely protective mom (Anika Noni-Rose), herself a doctor, tries to make sure she never does. The only other person even allowed in the home is Carla (Ana de la Reguera), who takes care of Maddy when Mom is at work. Of course, all of this is fine with Maddy until a handsome, charming, and quirky boy named Olly (Nick Bright) moves in next door and locks eyes with her through the window. A forbidden love affair ensues that includes Maddy not just leaving the house, but running away from home. Trust me, that's not a spoiler. The best part of this movie is that star Amandla Stenberg is impossibly cute, in a good way. You might remember as Rue in The Hunger Games. The rest of the movie is impossibly cute, but in a bad way. It runs smack into all the sick kid movie tropes with a full head of steam. Girl with a potentially fatal disease? Check. Ridiculously quirky, yet smart and misunderstood boy? Check. Utterly saccharine exchanges whenever the two of them appear on the screen together? Check. Parents warning against the dangers of falling in love because their condition will make it extremely temporary? Check. It's pretty much a carbon copy of The Fault in Our Stars until we get to the very end when we're given a totally risible twist. I hate The Fault in Our Stars. This is worse. - Dell

The Incredible Jessica James

(2017)

Jessica James (Jessica Williams) has recently split from her long-time boyfriend Damon (Lakeith Stanfield) and is looking for love again. She uses dating apps, social media, and her friends to find the next man of her dreams. Unfortunately, she's clearly not over Damon. She reluctantly goes on a blind date with Boone (Chris O'Dowd), but the two hit it off and she starts the process of letting go of Damon and falling in love with Boone. As you might suspect, things don't go smoothly. Our protagonist is a very interesting woman going through a fascinating time in her life. The film is mostly a character study, but also a look at dating culture in the new millennium. Aside from trying to fall in love, she's also a struggling actress, adding another subplot to keep us interested. The problem with Jessica, and the film as a whole, is that she often comes off as shallow and self-centered. Though the movie looks at the way 20 and 30-somethings date, it doesn't seem to have much to say about it. It still works pretty well, but only on a surface level. - Dell

Vincent N Roxxy

(2017)

Our story starts with Vincent (Emile Hirsch) coming to the rescue of Roxxy (Zoe Kravitz) from a dangerous dude with a gun screaming at her about money, or at least attempting to. As it turns out, she winds up rescuing him. The two ride away from the danger and part ways. With nowhere else to go, Roxxy shows up at Vincent's farm, gets a job in town and tries to start a new life. With romance sparking up between the two, the question on everyone's mind is how long can this last before their past catches up with them? It's a film that takes its time developing the relationship between our two main characters, even more so than it does developing their characters. The latter is a minor issue, but covered up nicely by the empathy we feel for their courtship. Violence is always simmering beneath the surface, but stays there until late when the film turns on a dime. For some, the change might be jarring and the ending a bit abrupt, but it works for me. I really enjoyed this one a good deal as it gave me a nice story of a budding relationship early, and a hyper-violent finish. - Dell

Other great Girl Week posts from yesterday:

Sonia reviewed Frances Ha

The Quick and Dirties was all about Fightin' Femmes

Dell reviewed Girl 6