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.