Hey everyone! Got another of my mini-review posts to update you on all the movies I have been watching. We have quite a variety and fortunately mostly positive today! Yay!

Here goes:

Wildflower

First up we have a small indie film that premiered at TIFF last year called Wildflower that I really enjoyed and it certainly has one of the best casts of 2023 including the likes of Charlie Plummer, Jean Smart, Alexandra Daddario, Brad Garrett and more.

It’s based on a true story and stars Kiernan Shipka as the daughter of 2 intellectually disabled parents. While this premise can be terrible in movies like I am Sam, in Wildflower the disabled characters aren’t pandered to. They are treated like any other characters and they prove they can parent their daughter and be productive citizens in their own unique ways.

Like I said the cast is outstanding and the script is cute and endearing. I think if you liked CODA for its warm-hearted story you’ll enjoy this.

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Being Mary Tyler Moore

Readers might not know but I am a big fan of The Mary Tyler Moore Show so I was excited to see a new documentary about her life: Being Mary Tyler Moore. This is airing on HBO and Max (such a stupid name for a streaming service!)

In some ways this is a standard celebrity bio-doc but they don’t shy away from the lows of Mary’s life such as when she got treated for alcoholism and when her only child died in a gun accident. The most frustrating part was repeat clips with her being interviewed by David Susskind. He was so rude to her and condescending. Made me want to smack him in the face!

If you are a fan of Moore’s Being Mary Tyler Moore is a must watch. What an interesting and dynamic person she was.

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

About My Father

Next we have a comedy called About My Father which feels like a throwback to the sitcom-ish comedies of the late 90s. I do think there is an audience for this kind of comedy but it probably belongs more on streaming than the big bucks of the theater tickets. It was too cringy and annoying for my taste but it wasn’t as bad as the trailers made it appear and I can see certain tastes enjoying it.

If you like Adam Sandler movies and his antics I think you’ll enjoy About My Father. It’s star comic Sebastian Maniscalco seemed to be channeling Sandler for much of the movie. I unfortunately am not a big fan of that kind of comedy so all the antics got old fast. Robert De Niro feels like he is channeling his role in Meet the Parents again but a little more mean-spirited than that character. I particularly didn’t appreciate when he literally serves the family their pet peacock for dinner. That’s gross and unkind.

If it sounds like your kind of thing maybe give About My Father a shot but it wasn’t for me.

4.5 out of 10

Frown Worthy

The Boogeyman

All my readers know I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to horror; however, I am trying to grow and expand my palate each year and last year was a bit step forward for me with films like Black Phone, Barbarian, The Menu and X/Pearl. Now we have The Boogeyman and it’s pg13 haunted house thriller/horror film.

Based on a Stephen King short story this film is directed with style and a horror panache by director Rob Savage. Actors Chris Messina, Sophie Thatcher and Vivien Lyra Blair feel believable as a family and the tension builds well as they fight off the mysterious creature hiding in their house.

The Boogeyman takes on themes of death and loss in compelling ways and creates situations where we are rooting for all the characters. They could have spent more time building up the lore of this creature and that could have built more tension but as it is I was entertained. This is a good gateway horror film for people who want to dip their toe in the genre but don’t want anything too scary.

7 out of 10

Smile Worthy

So there you have it. Have you seen any of these films? Let me know what you think

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