Funny People

This movie is funny but not for children. I have kids 24-4 and I would not have felt comfortable with any of them sitting in a theater. You know how some R rated films are peppered with a few words or gestures that are borderline racy this film is not one of those. Not for children. I recommend this movie if you enjoy Judd Apatow and his crew of regulars this will make you laugh. Adam Sandler proved his range of funny to extremely serious. The story goes behind the curtains to show the life of a stand-up comic. The lead character played by Sandler is a huge success but somewhat of a sellout for making mindless movies that allow him live quite well. He is diagnosed with a blood disease, his only hope is to try Canadian experimental drugs. He evaluates his priorities, after all his great success his person life suffered and he was alone. He hires a fresh up and coming comic Seth Rogen to be an assistant/joke writer. Their relationship becomes a friendship. I enjoyed watching the process of how comics develop concepts and tweak them into funny jokes. If Godfellas went on record for using the f word more than any other movie Funny People uses penis/balls/ball sack more than I could count, be prepared. It's difficult for me to review without spoiling the plot but realize this film is not just a comedy it deals with some serious issues of difficult life choices. To forgive or not to forgive that is the questions quite a few times. There are a couple scank moves by the female characters, sad. Be prepared for this movie to stop instead of it ending. Go and see Funny People.

A Flash Of Genius

Greg Kinnear portrays the lead character in a film based on the true life story of Robert Kearns an inventor who sued the Ford Motor Company for stealing his invention of the intermittent windshield wiper. Kearns was a PHD, college professor and a family man, in good faith he entered into a deal with Ford to buy the wipers he and his children would produce. Ford backed out of the agreement and 18 months later Kearns saw a Ford Mustang with his wipers driving down the street. The story is a classic David and Goliath tale of the little guy not backing down when battling a company with unlimited resources, the process was 12 years long. He was told by everyone from business partners to family members that it was a fight he couldn't win. He has a mental breakdown and loses his job. Kinnear is amazing as the everyday family man that has a flash of genius. Dr. Robert Kearns had a deep rooted set of ethics. It is a simple story that rouses emotions of excitement, disbelief, sadness and rage. It is a family friendly film.

My Sister's Keeper

We heard that the ending was altered and the reviews were lukewarm but our book club loved the novel and we had to see this film. The cast was A-1 but if you think it is the Abigail Breslin show you are wrong. Abigail is great but the young woman that plays Kate is amazing. If Sofia Vassilieva is not nominated for an Oscar I will be disappointed, every time she was on the screen I cried. Spoiler alert, you need to bring lots of tissue, you will ugly cry, I am talking Terms Of Endearment level of tears. My face was in pain from trying to hold back in the presence of friends. If you read the book you will probably wish they had true to the original story. If you have not read the book and you need a good cry, go. If you want to witness the tale of a mother willing to do anything to save her daughter, go see this film. In the news we hear of moms drowning kids to be with a new boyfriend but this woman was a determined mama bear willing to rip out the throat of anyone who got in the way of her mission, she wants to save her child. Jason Patric is great as the dad and Cameron Diaz in her first role as a mom is awesome. Many families experience the pain of having chronically ill children and this film allows you to see the day to day pain and the heart wrenching choices they are forced to make. If I never read the book I would give it 4 stars but I read the book so I am forced to give it 2 and 1/2 stars.