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Reviews
Yogi Bear (2010)
Ruined by Tom Cavanagh
My kids enjoyed this movie, but it was tough for me to sit through. The plot is disappointing, the actual jokes are few and far between, but all would have been forgiven had they cast a different male lead. Tom Cavanagh does his best not to act, emote, speak clearly, or do much more than look into the camera as a male model might. T.J. Miller is scarcely better as he mumbles most of his lines, but his character is small enough to ignore for much of the movie. Ana Faris does her best, but just can't get any chemistry with Tom Cavanagh, who looks and acts like he'd rather be anywhere else. Couldn't they have paid Justin Timberlake extra for donning the Ranger's outfit? I wanted to like this movie for my kids and for nostalgia's sake, but Tom Cavanagh bears the lion's share of the blame for ruining it.
Bob Roberts (1992)
A caricature, but relevant and frightening nonetheless
A broad take on arch-conservatism in American politics that rings true on many levels, false on others. The songs and videos are the weak points--simple and shallow as they are, it's hard to buy that Bob Roberts could have had any commercial success at all. On the other hand, the portrayals of the newscasters and Roberts' followers are a beautiful mix of satire and truth.
There are so many broad caricatures on this film, I found myself wishing that Tim Robbins would have toned it down for the sake of believability. This film lays it on a little heavy, which keeps it from being a more important work. None the less, it is eerily more timely in 2003 than it was in 1992.
As you will read, this is a highly political movie which may be friendly or unfriendly to your political sensibilities. Keep that in mind when you read this, or any, review. ;-)
Bamboozled (2000)
Train wreck
"Bamboozled" is easily the most disappointing movie of 2000, and of Spike Lee's career. Simplistic and confusing all at once, this film suffers from multiple maladies. There's poor character development(especially in the case of Pierre, who we learn surprisingly little about, and Womack, whose righteous change of heart seems to come out of nowhere). There are rapid style changes (is this film a narrative? A documentary? A farce? A straight drama?), all handled with the grace of a donkey falling down a flight of stairs. The last 10 minutes are so disjointed and nonsensical that the viewer is left wondering who slipped what substance into their soda. Keenan Wayans is simply awful.
This satire doesn't know what kind of satire it wants to be. It occupies multiple places along the continuum between understated satire and full-blown silliness, but never finds a place of its own. In addition, Spike "Why whisper when you can shout?" Lee's lack of subtlety destroys this work completely.
There are some positives. Savion Glover and Tommy Davidson deliver with a bang. Lee lampoons both sides of the racial coin, often effectively. The inclusion of demeaning stereotypes from vintage film and cartoons is necessary and thorough--but very overdone by the end.
It's sad that this film falls so short of what it could have been in more capable hands. This is an important topic, and a film that desperately needs to be made...by someone else.