Good On Paper (2021)
R ‧ Drama ‧ 1h 32m
Written by Iliza Shlesinger
Directed by ‎Kimmy Gatewood

THE CAST

Iliza Shlesinger, Ryan Hansen, Margaret Cho, and Rebecca Rittenhouse.

THE STORY

(In their own words) After years of putting her career first, a stand-up comic meets a guy who seems perfect: smart, nice, successful and possibly too good to be true.

THE REVIEW

Good On Paper is Iliza Shleslinger’s first feature film as the writer. And it makes sense because the film is a lot like her comedy……It’s okay. Nothing really inventive about it, lots of energy, but you often feel like that makes up for the lack of substance. 

The film has its moments; A funny character, good chemistry between a couple of the actors. But overall it’s not very memorable. What stands out the most is the things that don’t make much sense.  

This is the directorial debut of Kimmy Gatewood. And while she didn’t show anything special with the film, it’s hard to fault her. It’s a tough spot to be in directing the lead actor who is also the writer of the film and the executive producer. In those cases, you are there to project manage. And it does manage. The story basically makes sense up until the last 15 minute resolution, where clearly the writer didn’t know how to end the film, so it just does. 

Good On Paper won’t do much to help anyone’s career but it won’t hurt it either. A perfectly mediocre, predictable and forgettable film. If you’re a fan of Shlesinger, check the film out while you can still find it on Netflix. 

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

Iliza was very comfortable in this role she wrote for herself. 
Good chemistry between best friend Andrea & Margeret. 
Some really funny characters. 

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

Writing felt hurried leading to a weak ending.  
Plot was really a stretch. 
Intercut “comedy routine” wasnt necesssry. A bit dated.  

THE LESSON

Trust but verify.

THE FINAL WORD

Good On Paper turns out to be “Okay” in practice. Watch it or don’t, you probably won’t remember either way. 

THE VERDICT 
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Good On Paper gets a Lose it.

Fatherhood (2021)
PG-13 ‧ Comedy/Drama ‧ 1h 49m
Written by screenplay by Paul Weitz and Dana Stevens, based on a memoir by Matthew Logelin
Directed by ‎Paul Weitz

THE CAST

Kevin Hart, Alfre Woodard, Frankie R. Faison, Lil Rel Howery, DeWanda Wise, Anthony Carrigan, Melody Hurd, and Paul Reiser.

THE STORY

(In their own words) A father brings up his baby girl as a single dad after the unexpected death of his wife who died a day after their daughter’s birth.

THE REVIEW

Most movies I go into, I try to know as little about it as I can. It’s so easy to sway your opinions about a film based on trailers, things mentioned in interviews, etc. so when I watch a film I want to have as much a pure experience as I can. But even knowing who the actors are in the film can sometimes mislead you. As is the case with this Fatherhood billed as a Kevin Hart film, with a trailer showing him trying to figure out how to be an unexpected single dad. Netflix trailers are horrible about giving away too much of the story. So as soon as I started watching the trailer, I admit that I turned it off pretty quick, so that I could enjoy the film and be surprised. 

So what I was expecting was a pretty funny story about a man who accidentally became a dad and ends up in all sorts of shenanigans. I mean the basic premise is most of Kevin Hart’s films. Accidental something….lots of shenanigans ensue. And even in the small part of the trailer I did catch, it showed Kevin going into a mom support group asking some funny questions and telling some funny stories, so that’s what they wanted me to think. Because that’s why people watch Kevin Hart films. Boy, was I wrong. 

This film had me crying in the first 10 minutes. It is a sad movie, it is a sad story, and it is sadly executed. The only reason I can imagine casting Kevin Hart in the film was to try to make it some sort of dark comedy, which they certainly do attempt. Their attempt at humor and really dark moments, and I don’t know if it was just miscasting, or bad delivery, but they do not hit the mark. It doesn’t really come across funny. Yes, the intentional goofy moments do, but not the dark comedy. 

The film starts off at a funeral for Matthew’s wife, as he starts her eulogy. Quickly, it flashes back to her death, which leaves him with a newborn to raise on his own. The rest of the story quickly falls into place, we see his abilities questioned and a challenge for him set up. The story is then very predictable and we know what all the plot points will be. Anybody who has seen a movie knows how the rest of this movie is going to pan out, it’s just a matter of timing and how they get there. It’s the kind of movie that you hope they will make some surprising choices, but they don’t. And with the actors they had to work with, those boring choices are really disappointing. If they had leaned into the strength of the actors, it could’ve had some surprising and interesting moments. 

After seeing the movie, I learned that it was based on a memoir. So, I can only guess if they were trying to honor the real life story. The only problem is memoirs like this aren’t that exciting. In that sense they were pretty faithful to the book. 

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

1. First 15 minutes are decent at creating a connection with the audience.
2. The story has some real heart to it. 
3. Kevin Heart has a really great moment of acting in this when he learns about his wife.  

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

1. Predictable.
2. Attempts at dark comedy fail 
3. Lack of connection to characters after the first 15 minutes. 

THE LESSON

Kids will be fine when they are being raised with love. 

THE FINAL WORD

Like a bad father, skip this film Predictible, bad acting, and story that had too much lacking. . 

THE VERDICT 
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Fatherhood gets a Lose It.

In The Heights (2021)
PG-13‧ Musical/Drama ‧ 2h 23m
Written by by Quiara Alegría Hudes  
Music by Lin-Manuel Miranda
Directed by ‎Jon M. Chu

THE CAST

Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace, Melissa Barrera, Olga Merediz, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gregory Diaz IV, and Jimmy Smits

THE STORY

A film version of the Broadway musical in which Usnavi, a sympathetic New York bodega owner, saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life.

THE REVIEW

It’s hard to write a review about In The Heights because all I want to do is scream “In The Heights is the best musical film I’ve seen!” and then go watch it again. From top to bottom this film is stunningly good. This Broadway play adaptation does so well at adapting to the big screen that I wouldn’t have known it was an adaptation just from watching it. The script and the songs flow seamlessly from location to location where adaptations often struggle with that. 

I was hooked from the opening 5 minute number where we are introduced to the lead character Usnavi and the people and world around him known as Washington Heights in New York. A place you need to scream its name out loud so people won’t forget it. This 5 minute opening number with it’s exquisite lyrics, amazing dancing, delightful choreography, and interesting character introductions, set the tone for what I would be watching for the next nearly two and a half hours. 

Like most musicals, there is a love story going on, as we see Usnavi’s infatuation with local girl Vanessa, a hair stylist with dreams of living downtown and having a fashion career. Much of the story follows Usnavi’s point of view as he has put himself as the center of the neighborhood owning a small local bodega, where most people find themselves at some point during the day. 

The story lines are not super original, but it’s presentation is one we’ve never seen before. It is multiracial and cross cultural. It’s filled with every shade of brown that we rarely see in Hollywood musicals. The music is a richly layered blend of hip-hop, soul, and latin rhythms. Audiences will recognize the musical style of Lin-Manuel Miranda from the more famous production Hamilton, but In The Heights is an earlier piece of work. For people who just became musical fans because of Hamilton, In The Heights may continue their journey into this lovely world. 

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

1. The music & lyrics.
2. The group dances. 
3. The giant cast full of POC

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

1. Very long runtime 
2. The lead Usnavi has too few obstacles in his pursuit of his love interest. 
3. There’s a reveal that happens a little too soon. 

THE LESSON

Paradise is where you call home. 

THE FINAL WORD

One of, if not the best film musical I’ve seen. It makes you want to dance and forces you to smile. Creative, compelling, and non-stop. Let yourself be swept to new musical heights with this movie. 

THE VERDICT 
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

In The Heights gets a Love It.

Stowaway (2021)
TV-MA‧ Sci-fi/Drama ‧ 1h 56m
Written by Joe Penna & Ryan Morrison
Directed by ‎Joe Penna

THE CAST

Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim, Shamier Anderson

THE STORY

(In their own words) A three-person crew on a mission to Mars faces an impossible choice when an unplanned passenger jeopardizes the lives of everyone on board.

THE REVIEW

There was a lot for me to be excited about this film. The premise looked amazing, love me some Toni Collette, Anna Kendrick is often a delight. Netflix has produced some really nice scifi Netflix originals. I was truly looking forward to this film. 

It’s no spoiler to say that the first 10-15 minutes are kind of an accurate representation of the film. It’s done a little odd. We get the point of view of the three astronauts, but we can’t hear them talking to mission control, let alone never see mission control. So we hear the one side of the conversation. Usually we can piece together what was said, but it is an odd choice. It makes the pacing a little disjointed and drags the scenes a little bit. And that’s how I would describe a lot of the film – disjointed and the scene drags a little bit. 

The premise of the film is that three astronauts are on their way to Mars when they discover a “stowaway”. A fourth person on the ship who was seemingly accidentally left on board before take off. The ship is going to fast and doesn’t have enough fuel to stop and turn around, leaving them with the dilemma – they don’t’ have enough air for four people. They have to figure out a way to produce more oxygen or their stowaway will have to go away. 

This is where the film starts showing to be more of a drama than a scifi film. It also starts to show it’s weaknesses here, because I really don’t care. We don’t learn very much about each character, other than each of their chances at a backstory monologue, but we don’t know enough about them to care about the fate of the travelers. Which is the ultimate sin of the filmmaker – they didn’t get me to care about anyone in the film. By the end, I could care less if they tossed the stowaway or someone else on board. 

Don’t get me wrong. The film wasn’t awful. The acting was really nice, for what the actors had to work with. Some of the cinematography was fantastic to help me feel like I’m floating through space with the actors. It’s just that somewhere between the script and direction, something got lost in space. 

THE BEST

Three BEST things about the film

1. Some lovely camera work to bring you into the moments.
2. Very nice use of a small cast
3. Nice acting job by Shamier Anderson

THE WORST

The three WORST things about the Film

1. Not very much depth into characters.
2. The odd choice that we never hear or see mission control. We only hear the one side of conversations. It’s a clear choice that doesn’t work.
3. Anna Kendrick feels miscast in this. 

THE LESSON

There are lots of ways to leave your mark and make a difference.

THE FINAL WORD

More “drama than scifi.” While it has an interesting premise to allow some character exploration, it is unable to bring an emotional response to the audience for a variety of reasons. 

THE VERDICT
My 3L system gives me the choice to Love It, Like It, or Lose It. 

Lose It.