Catch and Release, 2006

Catch and Release, 2006
Director: Susannah Grant
Cast: Jennifer Garner, Kevin Smith, Timothy Olyphant



Stage: Home TV selection, late Sunday night.



Catch and Release in short: After the sudden death of her fiancé, Gray Wheeler finds comfort in the company of his friends: lighthearted and comic Sam, hyper-responsible Dennis, and, oddly enough, his old childhood buddy Fritz, an irresponsible playboy whom she'd previously pegged as one of the least reliable people in the world. As secrets about her supposedly perfect fiancé emerge, Gray comes to see new sides of the man she thought she knew, and at the same time, finds herself drawn to the last man she ever expected to fall for.


Preps: I don't know the essence of the movie, nor have I heard anything about this piece. But Jennifer can be cute in some romantic pieces. let's see.


Reality: It is an interesting piece. Starts off with irony of the moment. Losing a guy you are supposed to marry is a tragedy. Especially if you really mean it and you are all up to it. Quite another thing is finding out all the secret life he has been living parallel to living with you. This movie deals with loss and getting over by finding out all the bad things about your ex. Somehow different to similar pieces.

Gray is faced with all the dirty details, plus she falls for one of his friends. Scene where they kiss for the first time, is one of more optimal  solutions to the problem, what to do about it. Step aside and think. Not go for it, all the way. The irony of the moment is so strong it keeps me wondering for a long time. The same goes for the dialogues and the black humour witty stuff that keeps my belly trembling with anxiety.

As said, one of the better pieces in the genre, that wants to be some kind of comical drama and succeeds truly. The friends are neat, the family is awful (getting the engagement ring back might seem a good idea as the spouse isn't going to stay in family, but from her perspective it is either highly ironical or unacceptable). I believe I would slap the future ex mother in law in the face. I need to admit Garner plays a tremendous role in this one, compared to some minor ones that I can remember, where she doesn't have the decent glow around her.

Nothing really perticular about this piece, but I do like it. A good Sunday entertainment, truly. Plus, the guy she falls for, cute and charming, Mr Yummy. :)

My personal rating: 6,0 (more than decent Sunday fun. To be sincere, fell to the solid ground).


Catch and Release on IMDB

Cop Out, 2010

Cop Out, 2010
Director: Kevin Smith
Cast: Bruce Willis, Tracy Morgan, Juan Carlos Hernandez



Cop Out in short: A comedy about a veteran NYPD cop whose rare baseball card is stolen. Since it's his only hope to pay for his daughter's upcoming wedding, he recruits his partner to track down the thief, a memorabilia-obsessed gangster.


Stage: home theatre

Preps: Hmmm, seeing Bruce again would be nice. I have seen not so impressive trailer on this piece, however, due to respect I have for Willis' work, I tend to see everything he produces. Hence, the decision is fallen. How bad can it be?


Reality: It can be worse than you expect afterall. Bruce Willis is out of his shape in the piece, striving to get at least some attention of the viewer. The script must have been written in five minutes, as it doesn't give anything besides some weird comedy scenes, that I don't find half that amusing as the actors did. The cast is awful and the story doesn't achieve my blood stream even a bit.

I always am suspicious about movies that have the smell of cheap, yet beneficial to the older actors that still want to be a part of the game. I am used having Willis in more adult roles, and less making fun of himself. I think he never wanted to participate in this movie - at least that's the energy his character shows in Cop Out. I am sorry to say this is one of more disastrous pieces that Willis showed his face in. I didn't watch it till the end, because I thought there might be a better way to spend my time. I don't recommend it, however, to the viewers that enjoyed light humour comedies and for non-demanding audience, this might bring some fun. Sure didn't do the trick for me.


There were several comical moments, this is one of them (the quote):

Paul Hodges: Why did you smack me?
Jimmy Monroe: I was in the moment and the moment said smack ya.



My personal rating: 1,0 (just for the sake that I saw Die Hard hero again, even though in one of the worst roles ever).


Cop out on IMDB

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