All the Bright Places
Calling this a movie about sad teens in love is unfairly reductive, but that doesn’t mean it’s an inaccurate description. Violet (Elle Fanning) is still reeling from the car accident she survived several months earlier, but which her sister did not — and we first meet her as she’s standing on the railing of a bridge. Meanwhile, the misunderstood Finch (Justice Smith), prone to violent mood swings and anti-social behaviour stemming from a troubled childhood, is labeled the school “freak”. The two meet, help each other work through some trauma, fall in love, and it’s really one of the most unsettling teen romances I’ve ever seen. The two lead actors breathe such emotional complexity into their characters, and it’s difficult to see all their moments of romantic joy tempered by the deep sadness just behind their eyes. Director Brett Haley (I’ll See You in My Dreams) contributes an artful aesthetic that makes this feel different from what you’d normally expect in a teen romance — and his surprisingly frank handling of teen mental health issues is refreshing. Credit too to D.P. Rob C. Givens for so skillfully charting the characters’ emotional shifts, whether tuning into a gritty, handheld vibe or shooting majestically outdoors with natural sunlight. Film leans heavily, alas, on that eye-rolling genre convention of faux-inspirational voice-overs in which teen characters explain the profound lessons they’ve learned from what you’ve just watched on screen. Can’t exactly say that this was fun to watch, but I did connect with this story and these characters in a deep, emotional way that I couldn’t easily shake off — and, honestly, that’s what I go to the movies for.
Distributor: Netflix
Release date: Feb. 28, 2020
Grade: B-
Horse Girl
Psychological thriller starring Alison Brie as Sarah, an arts and crafts store employee who finds herself losing her grip on reality. Terrific performance from Brie, who does great work making Sarah a specific, fully dimensional person — and very impressive how she straddles the line of understanding that the things she’s perceiving seem crazy and yet choosing to believe them anyway because they just feel that real to her. This film’s greatest strength, in fact, is how skillfully Brie (also co-writer and a producer) and co-writer/director Jeff Baena develop the character of Sarah throughout; they take the time to establish her kindness, her thoughtfulness regarding friends and colleagues, her love of horses and generosity in sharing that knowledge... and very slowly add layers that complicate our perception of her — a hint of past trauma here, an unexpected reaction to her presence there — until we eventually come to understand precisely how Sarah has gotten to this point. Unfortunately, the storytelling becomes increasingly unhinged in the second half, leading to an abstract, unresolved ending that made me question whether watching this was ultimately worth my time. Still, there are enough pleasures in this tight, tense film to make me eager to see what Baena (Life After Beth, The Little Hours) does next.
Distributor: Netflix
Release date: Feb. 7, 2020
Grade: C+
The Last Thing He Wanted
Anne Hathaway as a political journalist stationed in Central America in the 1980s, who inadvertently inherits her father’s (Willem Dafoe) arms-dealing business and becomes embroiled in the Iran-Contra affair. Based on the novel by Joan Didion, this is easily one of the least exciting films of the year. There’s just so much I don’t understand about this movie. How was it co-written and directed by the great Dee Rees (Pariah, Mudbound)? Why on earth was she compelled to make this particular film? And why now? This is a film that would have felt dated and bland in the early-’90s when geopolitical “thrillers” like this were at their peak of popularity. Hathaway performs magic by finding emotion to play within the gibberish she’s given. Ben Affleck, as a shady U.S. politician, might actually be asleep in this movie — as if he rewatched his performances in the DC Extended Universe and decided that the energy he brought to Bruce Wayne was simply much too much. Rosie Perez, having an excellent year, does the most interesting work here as Hathaway’s photojournalist pal who becomes her only ally. Oh, and this film’s “twists” and “turns” culminate in an ending that boasts the most laughable use of slow motion in recent memory. Don’t watch this.
Distributor: Netflix
Release date: Feb. 21, 2020
Grade: D
Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made
Timmy Failure (Winslow Fegley) is an imaginative 11-year-old in Portland, Oregon who runs an amateur detective agency with the help of his imaginary friend and business partner, a polar bear named Total. Over the course of the film, Timmy juggles many cases, including finding his mother’s stolen Segway and investigating the death of the class pet, all while keeping tabs on the shady Russians in town (don’t worry; they’re just hipsters). Fegley an absolute delight in this role. Endearing performances as well from Ophelia Lovibond as Mama Failure and TV-sitcom hunk Kyle Bornheimer as her new boyfriend. The film is sweet and funny and lots of fun, though very light — the details won’t exactly stick for long. Another most welcome film for children that celebrates misfits and encourages kids to be proud of their weirdness. Truly strange, though, that this comes from director/co-writer Tom McCarthy, whose previous film (Spotlight) won Best Picture — not to mention that this bypassed theatres and was released straight to Disney+. Surely not the Oscar follow-up most filmmakers would hope for. Should we be worried about McCarthy’s career?
Distributor: Disney+
Release date: Feb. 7, 2020
Grade: B
To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You
This second installment in the teen rom-com film trilogy adapted from Jenny Han’s novels is stronger and even more endearing than its predecessor. Lara Jean (Lana Condor) and Peter (Noah Centineo) are officially a couple now, though Lara Jean is haunted by his former relationship with her ex-best friend Gen (Emilija Baranac). Meanwhile, she reconnects with John Ambrose (Jordan Fisher), one of the recipients of her old love letters from the first film, which may cause trouble for her new romance. Condor and Centineo remain winning romantic leads that I would happily watch all day. Fisher, meanwhile, positively bursting with charisma and star power (and he was a sensational Mark Cohen in Fox’s Rent: Live) — this man deserves a massive career. Truly the best kind of love triangle: both boys are sensitive, sweet, funny studs, and you may find yourself torn between the two, because both are just so perfect. Series D.P. Michael Fimognari takes over directing duties here (though you won’t notice any difference), and he does well guiding his cast to find deeper layers in these characters — Lara Jean and Gen, for instance, address the rift between them in a way I found surprisingly affecting. Holland Taylor, meanwhile, makes a welcome appearance as Stormy, a delightful life-of-the-party senior citizen who becomes something of a mentor/guardian angel to Lara Jean. Sure, this film never tries to escape its predictable rom-com trappings, nor does much ever happen below the surface — however, its target audience of teen girls and gay men will find plenty to savour here.
Distributor: Netflix
Release date: Feb. 12, 2020
Grade: B-
