One Man's Pain Is Another Man's On Camera Treasure- 3,2,1...Frankie Go Boom Review

3,2,1...Frankie Go Boom can be summed up in one German defenition.

Schadenfreude: enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others 

You see, you have Bruce, a recovering drug addict, who is obsessed with making films. Not just any films. Films that involve real life situations involving the people close to him. That's where Frank comes in. Frankie is Bruce's youngest brother who has secluded himself in, of all places, Death Valley, California. Since they were kids Bruce has always documented Frank's most embarrassing moments (sometimes caused by Bruce, himself. There is a scene in the beginning involving a picnic blanket which is priceless.) Thinking that Bruce has changed his ways, Frankie meets a girl (more like runs into) named Lassie played by Lizzy Kaplan (not to be confused by the 1950's heroic collie.) One thing leads to another and they eventually hook up, but not before Frank experiences a humiliating moment of impotence. Later on, Bruce reveals that he recorded their entire night on film and gave it to his drugged up, producer friend Jack. This poses an issues since Jack is Lassie's father. The video circulates around and soon Bruce and Frank are racing to get the video before it reaches Lassie and potentially ruin Frank's relationship with her.

I have been this film's cheerleader for awhile now, because I am a fan of most of the actors in this film (plus I love when small movies do well.) I even made a post on why I was excited for 'Frankie' (check it out HERE.)

When you first watch this, you can tell that this was film with a low budget. However, the level of name actors tied to this is not only astonishing, but pretty damn impressive. You've got Chris O'Dowd who has been getting a steady stream of work in the US thanks to the success of Bridesmaids. Then there is Charlie Hunnam who is probably best known for his role as Jackson Teller on Sons of Anarchy (he looks surprisingly baby faced when you take the facial hair away.) Then you have Lizzy Kaplan who once again uses her brilliant comedic talents to make a nice addition to an already eclectic ensemble. And then you have Ron Perlman in a dress.....yeah no need to say anything on that one. You just have to experience it for yourself.

The stand out by far is Chris Noth who just completely rips off his Mr. Big persona, throws it on the ground, kicks it, shoots it, and tosses it into the trash. The man is hysterically, whacked out of his mind and he plays skeezy so well. In my opinion, he was hands down the best part of the film.

It was extremly refreshing to see Hunnam  play such an innocent character. Watching him portray such an average Joe riddled by past humiliation and grief was great. His accent did slip in and out at some points, but overall it was a solid job. You truly felt for Frank and really wanted him to come out on top. Hunnam is also great in his comedic moments. When he is with O'Dowd he just gets in the zone and together they bounce of each other. The bickering between the two, ecspecially had me in fits of giggles. They really convinced you that they were brothers. I loved the actors who played their parents. Every moment they had on screen was golden and I wished they had more camera time.

The great thing about 'Frankie' is that amongst all the craziness that the story provides their is still a very touching story that follows a long. I plan on seeing this again when it hits theaters. Watching it with a full audience and not a dimly lit dorm room, will def. give me a new prospective of the film. In my opinion, is you enjoy raunchy humor with some heart then go check out this film. 3 1/2 out of 5 BONERS!!!

Something Boozy, Something Bloody, and Lots of Coke-Bachelorette Review

Riding high from predecessor films such as Bridesmaids and The Hangover, Bachelorette has the sort of unabashed, witty, humor that has made this specific subgenre so popular. In the movie you have 3 best friends (each one representing a specific high school stereotype) who all reunite for their best friend's wedding. You have Regan (Kirsten Dunst), the super assertive, maid of honor and wedding planner, who is in turmoil over not being the first of the friends to wed. Gena (Lizzy Kaplan), the drug addled, hot mess, who must comes to terms with her past when she sees her ex-boyfriend Adam Scott (who I love.) Katie (Isla Fisher), the super perky, bubbly, hopped up, ginger whose main goal in the film is to stay sober for more than a minute and not get herself killed. And then there is the bride, Becky, (played by the hilarious Rebel Wilson) who deals with her own emotional issues before the big day. The night before the wedding, chaos ensues when the three bridesmaids get wasted on booze and take some specially prepared coke from Gena. In their dazed stupor they decided to mess with Becky's wedding dress, completely ripping it from the side. In compete hysteria, the girls race around to find the means to fix it. However, not before dealing with some of their own personal issues, too. It's a race against the clock to get the dressed fixed, washed, and back before Becky realizes what's going on.

Off the bat, I was immediately drawn to the characters. To me their interactions felt very authentic and each one had their own little quirk that made them stand out. Granted, Isla Fisher, is sort of playing the same ditzy character she did in The Wedding Crasher, but she is just so good at it that you don't even mind. Lizzy Caplan's humor is, as usual, on point. However, she really held her own when it came to the more dramatic scenes. In fact, I was really surprised by how heavy her storyline got with Adam Scott (which I think sort of separates Bachelorette from The Hangover, more or less, and veers straight into Bridesmaids territory.) The good thing is the dramatic moments didn't feel crow barred or forced. Even Dunst does great when paired up with comedic actresses like Fisher, Kaplan, and Wilson. Her Tour-de-Force of "No, bullshit" completely moved this film along for me and ended in a way that I felt was appropriate for this kind of story. The movie is not long, and I appreciated the fact that they didn't stretch it out and fill it with silly, unrealistic adventures to reach their goal.

You will see a lot of recognizable faces in this film. You have James Marsden, Andrew Rannells (Book of Mormon), Kyler Bornheimer, and Hayes MacArthuhur. Rebel Wilson fans don't expect to see a lot of her. She makes an appearance in the first and last 20 minutes of the movie. I loved that the film had Rebel being the one getting married to the rich, handsome guy. Sure, the film has her doubting her self worth and wondering if she's good enough, but the film ends on a very positive note.

I love this cast. I love this sort of comedy. Even the parts that I thought were a tad cheesy didn't bother me at all. This is a fun film to watch in a mixed group of men and women (I'm sure it will spur some interesting discussion topics.) Was it perfect? No. But it did surpass my expectations. B+