#WhileWe'reYoung #EnglishHollywoodFilmMovieReview #JohnsonThomas #Rating: * * *

#WhileWe'reYoung #EnglishHollywoodFilmMovieReview #JohnsonThomas #Rating: * * *

#PicksAndPiques #BestFilms(Released)thisWeek1^stMay 2015/#JohnsonThomas

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PicksAndPiques #BestFilms(Released)thisWeek1^stMay 2015/#JohnsonThomas

#GabbarIsBack(Hindi) Rating: * * It’s Ak’s #JaiHo and just as silly, unbelievable and inconsequential in premise and action. Plying it straight as a brand war between a vengeance seeking social transformer  and savvy entrepreneur villain, the ensuing action regurgitates formulaic set-ups and stereotypes with all the self-righteousness and superciliousness typical of mainstream Bollywood. Claims to be officially remade from a Murgadoss directed Telugu flick (Ramanna)of 2003- so now you know how dated the film is too. The idea for the remake must have sprung from last year’s #AnnaHazare & #NAC led Anti-corruption crusade but unfortunately the audience has already moved away from that leitmotif.  An idealistic-professor cum vigilante setting out to cure the system is just so passé now. There’s nothing tangible to hold on to here other than some south-side formula that seems so alien in today’s day and age!  #AkshayKumar #Krish #AMurgodoss #ErosInternational  #Viacom18MotionPictures #BhansaliProductions #SanjayLeelaBhansali #PanoramaStudios #ShabinaaKhan

 

#SabKiBajegiBand(Hindi) Rating: * * A bunch of friends park themselves in a farmhouse and pour out their secrets in-camera for a film helmed by one of their own. Their allusions are meant to tag the film industry and expose the real truth behind the starry façade. Billed as a ‘Reality’ film, a first of it’s kind, supposedly, this concept film plays out irritatingly without any logic or sustenance to keep you involved. That it covers every possible hidden truth of a society that is unable to live up to it’s own standards, is neither here nor there!   #AnirudhChawla #1HPR #HemaUpadhyay #TejasPR #YenMovies #PerceptPictures #KapilSharma #SwaraBhaskar #AlekhSangal #SumeetVyas #ShauryaChauhan

 

(#Best) #WhileWe’reYoung(English) Rating: * * * Softly drawn charmingly humorous portrait of a 40 something couple coming to terms with inevitable truths about themselves while struggling to be something they are not- by getting them befriended by a 20 something couple out to live life to the fullest possible in every which way-put forward by intergenerational harmonizing. The first hour or so is light, breezy and enjoyable but when the realization sets in, it becomes a little heavy-duty and tedium inducing. Even so the overall experience is heightened by the freshness of the charm and wit on display.

#PVRPictures #HardlyAnonymousPR #NaomiWatts #BenStiller  #AdamDriver #AmandaSeyfried #NoahBaumbach #A24FilmsRelease

English film review

Johnson Thomas

 Charming Comedy

Film: While We Are Young

Cast: Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts, Adam Driver , Amanda Seyfried

Director: Noah Baumbach

Rating: * * *

Runtime: 94 mins

 

Synopsis:

A childless married couple in their forties , Josh(Ben Stiller) and Cornelia(Naomi Watts)gets slyly befriended by a much younger hipster couple Jamie(Adam Driver) and Darby( Amanda Seyfried). And the differences between the two intergenerational sets begin to get pronounced as the narrative progresses- leading to several realizations.

 

Review:

 At first the older couple who feel out of place among their own age friends with children, gravitate towards the younger set for their high energy and ability to factor an un-inhibited lifestyle. Josh has been working for the past 10 years on his documentary and has been unable to finish while Jamie is an aspiring documentary filmmaker who uses Josh’s connections to make his own. At first Josh is willing to share but once he begins to doubt  Jamie’s sincerity, the relationship between the two couples crashes and that also affects his own relationship with Cornelia.

The film begins with the image of an adorable infant and a tinkling lullaby version of David Bowie’s “Golden Years” playing in the background.  The sequence in fact sets the tone for what is to come thereafter, i.e if you get it. The narrative contrasts the wisdom of age against the energised optimism of youth, while making a point about zesty ambition and quiet resignation. Hard work and willingness to wait for the right moment to push forward is set up against grab-at-it youthfulness. The younger couple while establishing facile appreciation for old world charm, also believe that everything is theirs to grab. That sense of entitlement minus the hard work is what comes across strongly. Josh, by comparison, has worked hard over the past decade on a dense and overlong documentary which he is loathe to cut. His understanding wife,  Cornelia, is a smart and seasoned producer whose father (Charles Grodin) is a pioneer of the genre –  a standing that Josh yearns for but is never close to reaching.

The first hour or so is quite entertaining and illuminating with the humor and self-mockery flowing in smoothly with the telling of the tale. But once the realization of being used sets in, the film tends to lose it’s light hearted tone and sets into a heavier gradient. Josh’s realization that he is being used and sense of betrayal is contrasted with new-age idealism brought on by changing mores. There’s a certain dignity in the narration and Ben Stiller, Naomi Watts and Charles Grodin emblemize that spirit. There’s also self-absorption, pettiness and anxiety waiting to derail that yeoman spirit. The last section of the narrative which focuses on Josh’s realization of the realities of his life and world gets a little murky and devoid of humor. The complications that arise out of differing attitudes doesn’t really come off as completely believable and the lack of levity also makes it a tad tedious. nevertheless, this is a charming enough experience. Worth a dekho!

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