Tag: Comedy

My Oxford Year

2025   Netflix

Rated:  PG-13

Length:  1 hr  52min

Comedy ~ Drama ~ Romance

Directed by:  Iain Morris

Starring:  Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest.

One Year Can Change Everything

The Book:

My Oxford Year: A Novel By Julia Whelan – April 24, 2018

Synopsis:

American Ella Durran has had the same plan for her life since she was thirteen: Study at Oxford. At 24, she’s finally made it to England on a Rhodes Scholarship when she’s offered an unbelievable position in a rising political star’s presidential campaign. With the promise that she’ll work remotely and return to DC at the end of her Oxford year, she’s free to enjoy her Once in a Lifetime Experience. That is, until a smart-mouthed local who is too quick with his tongue and his car ruins her shirt and her first day.

When Ella discovers that her English literature course will be taught by none other than that same local, Jamie Davenport, she thinks for the first time that Oxford might not be all she’s envisioned. But a late-night drink reveals a connection she wasn’t anticipating finding and what begins as a casual fling soon develops into something much more when Ella learns Jamie has a life-changing secret.

Immediately, Ella is faced with a seemingly impossible decision: turn her back on the man she’s falling in love with to follow her political dreams or be there for him during a trial neither are truly prepared for. As the end of her year in Oxford rapidly approaches, Ella must decide if the dreams she’s always wanted are the same ones she’s now yearning for.

The Movie:

A few things I want to mention first about the movie, the book and why I chose to watch it. I have not read the book and just like The Life List, I didn’t know it was based on a book until I did research for the review. I do question a few things that are different from the book, like Anna is Ella in the book and an American, and she is of Hispanic descent in the movie……Anna De La Vega.  She is also slated to become involved in politics in the book, yet in the movie she is going to become an analyst for Goldman Sachs. They also changed the end of the movie to be different from the book, although I won’t tell you how so as not to spoil it. I don’t understand why Hollywood feels the need to change things around, so I did a little digging.

Sofia Carson wanted to change Ella’s name and ancestry to reflect her Hispanic heritage. Ok, I like Sofia Carson, loved her in The Life List but why do we feel the need to change the story based on the actress, why not get an actress to portray the character in the book. Nothing against Sofia, I liked her in this, I just don’t get why if we’re bringing a book to life that we don’t just follow the book and bring it to life like it is written. Ok, I’ll move on……….I’m sure you get the point. Anyway they changed the ending because they felt that that the book ending wasn’t powerful enough emotionally as it came about on the screen. They actually tried several different endings with different test audiences and picked the one that seemed to resonate the most with the audience.

I wanted to watch this because it is a new Netflix Film and Sofia Carson was really good in The Life List, so I had to give it a go. Obviously the expectations were high because I feel like The Life List is such a good movie. I was not disappointed, My Oxford Year is exactly what you think it is, a Love Story, a Romantic Comedy and yet a serious look at life and how life can throw all your best laid plans right out the window in the blink of an eye. It’s about living every moment of every day as if it were your last no matter what life throws at you. Anna was forced to make some very serious decisions about the course of her life that was nowhere near her well laid plans. And we watched her grow because of the choices she made.

I thought it was good, I thought Sofia again did a great job with her character. I also really liked Corey Mylchreest as Jamie Davenport, I thought he did a really great job. Poppy Gilbert as Cecelia did a great job as well, I really liked her. It was sad but yet just like life it was heartwarming as well. We all do the best we can do with what we are given to work with, they don’t give us a manual. I think My Oxford Year did a great job of portraying that side of life and how we have to adjust, deal and move forward no matter what. It is a good Romantic Comedy with a bittersweet slice of reality. Sofia as Anna chose to take the lemons and make lemonade, make some memories she would remember, and would change her life forever. Live life to the fullest. Give it a go.

The Life List

The Pickup Starring Eddie Murphy Coming to Prime Video on Wednesday August 6, 2025

The Pickup starring Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Jack Kesy, Andrew Dice Clay, Marshawn Lynch, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i and Keke Palmer premieres on Amazon Prime Video Wednesday August 6, 2025. In the action-comedy, a routine cash pickup takes a wild turn when two mismatched armored truck drivers, Russell (Eddie Murphy) and Travis (Pete Davidson), are ambushed by ruthless criminals led by a savvy mastermind, Zoe (Keke Palmer), with plans that go way beyond the cash cargo. As chaos unfolds around them, the unlikely duo must navigate high-risk danger, clashing personalities, and one very bad day that keeps getting worse.

The Pickup brings together two generations of comedy for an explosive and hilarious partnership that showcases the chemistry between old-school experience and new-wave energy.  In addition to Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, and Keke Palmer, the film features a diverse cast including Eva Longoria, Marshawn Lynch, Joe “Roman Reigns” Anoa’i, Andrew Dice Clay, and Ismael Cruz Córdova. Directed by Tim Story, who’s known for his work on The Blackening, Barbershop and Ride Along, the film blends high-octane action with sharp humor.​

 

 

Old Guy

2025   The Avenue

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  34min

Action ~ Comedy

Directed by: Simon West

Starring:  Christoph Waltz, Lucy Liu, and Cooper Hoffman.

Competition Is Always A Killer

Christoph Waltz as Danny Dolinski is the heart and headache of “Old Guy,” a hitman whose career high points are undermined by a creaky body and creeping obsolescence. The movie opens with Danny partying like a man half his age, only to quickly remind us, with a wicked hangover and arthritic hesitation, that time is no friend to aging assassins. When Danny’s ready to rejoin the world of contract killing after a hand surgery sideline, his handler Opal instead hands him insult with assignment: train Wihlborg (Cooper Hoffman), a Gen Z whiz kid with the fashion sense of a festival-goer and the emotional warmth of an iced latte.

Any hope for a revitalized, James Bond-style comeback fizzles as Danny and Wihlborg collide in the field—Wihlborg doesn’t drink, barely socializes, and takes killing as seriously as an avant-garde art project, all to our curmudgeonly anti-hero’s dismay. Sent to Belfast on a job that quickly unravels, Danny botches the hit thanks to his unreliable hand, forcing Wihlborg to save the day with ruthless professionalism. Despite their mutual suspicions, the two realize the gig is bigger than their personal beefs—someone inside their own organization is playing both sides, and both hitmen are rapidly moving up next on the target list themselves.

Enter Anata, played by Lucy Liu, whose nightclub serves more as a weapons depot than a party venue and whose presence complicates Danny’s feelings and loyalties. She’s no damsel, she’s the object of Danny’s unspoken affection and a wild card in the unfolding conspiracy. When the trio finds themselves caught between mob bosses and double-crossing handlers, they’re forced to rethink what loyalty, legacy, and survival really mean in the killing business.

Old Guy assembles an enviable cast; Christoph Waltz, Lucy Liu, and Cooper Hoffman, promising a genre-busting assassin caper with a splash of biting wit. The foundations are laid for a generational clash that should have been electric, but the set-up, brimming with potential for comedic and dramatic fireworks, instead sputters as the film drifts into predictability. The old pro and his green apprentice trade barbs and botched jobs through Belfast’s rain-slicked streets, but the banter rarely crackles, and the action beats stumble into well-worn “geezer assassin” territory. Even a mob war conspiracy and the reliable presence of Lucy Liu’s Anata, a fixer with more sense than most, can’t generate enough fresh energy to distinguish this outing from countless other streaming titles.

What’s most disappointing is how little the film does with its heavyweight cast. Waltz is clearly having fun with Danny’s self-deprecating swagger, but Lucy Liu and Cooper Hoffman are left orbiting his performance rather than building dynamic chemistry of their own. Instead of the odd-couple fireworks promised by the premise, we get tired tropes—grumpy mentor, sullen prodigy, double-crossing bosses—sketched out with dialogue that never quite sparkles and action sequences that feel recycled from more memorable films.

“Old Guy” isn’t unwatchable, thanks mostly to the professionalism of its stars and a handful of sly, self-aware moments, but at only 94 minutes it started to feel a lot longer. It’s a bland, overly familiar ride that fails to capitalize on the unique talents assembled. Given the collective charisma and experience of Waltz, Liu, and Hoffman, the finished product feels like a missed opportunity, a reminder that even the best casts can’t transcend a flat script and uninspired direction.

 

Watch at your own peril,

there are better choices out there.

The Instigators

2025   Apple TV+

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  41min

Action ~ Crime ~ Comedy

Directed by:  Doug Liman

Starring:  Casey Affleck, Matt Damon, Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser, Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Toby Jones, Jack Harlow, and Ron Perlman.

I need 32,480 dollars, that’s all I need.

The Instigators, directed by Doug Liman and streaming on Apple TV+, tosses viewers into a frenetic Boston backdrop on the eve of a mayoral election. From the jump, it’s clear this isn’t your average heist flick—the film’s opening moments introduce Rory (Matt Damon), a blue-collar dad hoping for a shot at redemption, and Cobby (Casey Affleck), a jittery ex-con who just can’t catch a break. Their plan? Knock off a crooked politician notorious for hiding dirty cash, Mayor Miccelli of Boston (Ron Perlman). Naturally, things go sideways fast, and what was supposed to be a one-and-done job quickly devolves into bedlam across the city’s tangled streets.

As the hunt intensifies, the duo’s fumbled heist drags an unsuspecting therapist (Hong Chau) into the fray. What starts as pure collateral damage evolves into an unlikely alliance as Rory and Cobby try—often with hilarious ineptitude—to outrun crooked city officials, shambling henchmen, and a grizzled detective who always seems half a step behind. Liman injects the chase with big swings of slapstick humor and a sharp edge of Boston grit, letting side characters and local color breathe life into even the most well-trodden genre beats.

Though The Instigators doesn’t break new ground for crime capers, it thrives on the cracked chemistry between Damon and Affleck. Their dynamic—equal parts desperation, bickering, and reluctant camaraderie—drives both the action and the heart of the film. Whether it’s a barely-in-control car chase, a botched backroom deal, or a misadventure involving bewildered bystanders, the movie keeps its foot firmly on the gas, favoring momentum and laughs over intricate plotting.

If you’re searching for a twist-filled noir or a brooding meditation on crime, look elsewhere. The Instigators leans into chaotic fun, championing its misfit characters and letting the city of Boston be as much a character as anyone on screen. This is a heist movie that’s more about the wild ride than the payoff—and for those willing to hop in for the chase, it delivers a thoroughly entertaining journey without ever taking itself too seriously.

Grab a beverage,

Make some popcorn

and Stream this movie

On Apple TV+

Greedy People

2024   Lionsgate Films

Rated:  R

Length:  1 hr  52min

Action ~ Comedy ~ Crime ~ Thriller

Directed by:  Potsy Ponciroli

Starring:  Himesh Patel, Lily James, Tim Blake Nelson, Traci Lords, Jim Gaffigan, Uzo Aduba and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

FINDER$ KEEPER$

Will (Himesh Patel) and his expectant wife Paige (Lily James) have just moved to the small coastal Island Town of Providence, South Carolina. Will is starting a job as a Police Officer in the town’s Police Department. Will heads in for his first day on the job and after meeting Police Captain Murphy (Uzo Aduba), he is assigned to be Officer Terry Brogan’s partner. Terry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) has been with the police force for sixteen years and takes Will on a tour of the Island, starting with Tilly’s Coffee Shop where they can get free coffee. Then to Al’s Diner where they can get a free donut and a coffee.

Then Terry drives to a house where he tells Will that he needs to step inside and see his Chinese girlfriend briefly, and if he sees a middle aged Chinese businessman to honk the horn very loudly. As Will is waiting a call comes over the radio for a reported burglary. Will responds and tries to get Will’s attention with the horn to no avail. As Will pounds on the door, the woman’s husband comes home and Will decides he should leave and answer the call himself. He pulls up to the address they received the call from, draws his weapon and enters.

Virginia (Traci Lords) is wearing wireless headphones in the kitchen chopping carrots, when Will sees her he accidently discharges his weapon but misses Virginia. Furious that he shot at her, Virginia attacks Will and in the struggle falls with Virginia on his back. She crashes into the wooden dining room table and it splinters and impales Virginia, who instantly dies. Terry arrives immediately after to find out that Will, on his first day on the job, has just accidently killed the wife of the most well known businessmen on the island. Wallace Chetlo (Tim Blake Nelson), owner of Chetlo’s Shrimp Company, supplies all the seafood on the island and is one of the most successful and influential people on the island.

As Terry and Will try to make sense of what happened, Terry accidently kicks open a wicker basket and discovers it is full of stacks of cash. After looking at the cash, they hatch a plan to take the money and make it look like a burglary. That will get them in the clear of being involved in a homicide and they decide to hide the cash and sit on it until things blow over way down the line. They trash the house, get their alibi’s in order, wipe the scene clear of their presence and head down the road to pull over a vehicle and write a ticket so they have a concrete time alibi.

Which opens up a Pandora’s box of events that no-one sees coming. There is a witness who they find out was in the house at the time of the unintended killing of Virginia. Who is he? Where is he? Why was a million dollars in cash in the house to begin with? Is Virginia’s husband Wallace innocent? Or is their an extra-marital affair behind the curtain? Did the cops stumble onto a conspiracy involving Murder, Adultery, Insurance Policies, Hitmen and Greedy People and in doing so become Greedy people themselves??

That is where the journey turns into a web of deceit and double crossing by half the people on the island. It is a little bit of Fargo, a dash of A Simple Plan and a Pinch of The Ice Harvest brewed up into one wicked cauldron of deceit and greed. It was a nice surprise to see Tim Blake Nelson and Jim Gaffigan in two hilarious roles. Tim as the innocent man who just lost his wife to an unknown murderer in his own house and Jim as “The Irishman”, the competition to Tim’s co-conspirator, the Columbian. Nobody is whom they seem on the surface once you start digging and they realize there is a tremendous amount of money involved. Greedy People!

It is funny, it is violent, it is a whodunit and why caper full of action and misdeeds that draws everyone deeper down a rabbit hole from which they cannot escape. It is a fun, action packed and hilarious ride deep into the abyss of Greed, with twists and turns you just don’t expect.

Is it worth a watch?

Heck Yes!

Make some popcorn, grab a beverage and Stream This Movie

on Amazon Prime & STARZ!