Moments of Clarity
Out of all the dramedies I can remember, Moments of Clarity has the murkiest line separating what’s supposed to be funny and what’s supposed to be taken seriously. It’s the most uncomfortable moviegoing experience of 2016.
Comedy
Chopping Block
Reviewing films from the Legless Corpse collection is becoming a thankless task. How else do you describe these titles that are oh-so obviously made for the close-knit amateurs that make these low-budget indies?
In Order of Disappearance
In Order of Disappearance is a mainstream action/comedy for the arthouse crowd. It’s brave enough to treat its subject matter seriously and in jest, and the performances are of higher versatility than a cast of attractive household names who signed up for a glamour project.
Sausage Party
Sausage Party is a shock comedy that’s heavy on “shock” and light on “comedy”. The film is supposed to subvert clean-cut animated films with inappropriate dialogue and black humour, but ends up becoming a crass and awkward in-joke between the comic cast.
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley return as Edina Monsoon and Patsy Stone in the film adaptation of the popular UK sitcom Absolutely Fabulous.
Special Correspondents
Ricky Gervais revels in button-pushing humour, and he’s proven to transcend those same gags by stripping away the glamourous sheen from the rich and famous. In film and television, he’s used this gusto to make satirical jabs at faith and goodwill (The Invention of Lying) as well as fluff up ignorant egos (UK’s The Office).
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
There’s a difference between being self-aware and being self-involved – the former usually has more sense than the latter. For instance, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates is aware of its buffoonery, but neglects to be involved in its own idiocy. There’s still a brain behind the immaturity displayed by Mike (Adam Devine) and Dave (Zac Efron).
Captain Fantastic
Though it certainly has its charms, Captain Fantastic’s sweet moments and eccentricity fails to mask the serious flaws that begin to surface in the film’s second half.
The Brothers Grimsby
Sometime after Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan and before Brüno, Sacha Baron Cohen was at a crossroads with his comedy: does he expose more social experiments with wry satire or does he stick with outrageous nastiness?
Look Again
Look Again has an interesting concept, but stops at its moral dilemma. It even feels like it begins fifteen minutes into its own story, not giving audiences a fair chance to bite into any leading characters. The film is filled with ideas and questions and confrontations that are better suited for a stage show developed by a flavourful improv troupe.