Double Feature

November 2007 - Ah, family. What would the holidays be without it? Probably a lot more like a holiday, but, never mind. Here are a couple of movie families that will either remind you of your own – or make you happy that they don’t.

First is Monster-in-Law. This PG-13 comedy from 2005 pits Jennifer Lopez against Jane Fonda. Michael Vartan (from Alias) is the man caught in the middle.

Lopez plays Charlie, a clothing designer who makes ends meet by doing a series of temp jobs. One day, while walking dogs, she literally runs into Kevin (Vartan), a hunky doctor. They meet again when Charlie serves hors d'ouerves at a party Kevin is hosting. After that, he seeks her out, they start dating and they shack up.

Then, it's time to meet Kevin's mom, Viola (Fonda). She's a Barbara Walters-type TV host who went off the deep-end after learning she was being replaced by a younger woman. After three-months in the loony bin, she's home. Viola likes Charlie well enough until Kevin suddenly proposes. After that, the war is on, with Viola trying to drive Charlie away and Charlie fighting to keep her man.

Overall review: Ehhh, it was OK. This film is about 90-minutes long, but it seemed longer. Lopez got top billing, but the movie is all about Fonda. She plays her character over-the-top and does it over and over. Wanda Sykes practically steals the film as Viola's sassy assistant, and Elaine Strich upstages Fonda in a small but pivotal role as Viola's own monster-in-law.

Also from 2005 is The Weather Man. Nicolas Cage and Hope Davis star in this R-rated film about a grown man searching for direction and meaning in his life. Michael Caine also stars along with Nicholas Hoult (the boy from About a Boy).

Cage plays David Spritz, a TV weatherman - NOT a meteorologist - in Chicago. Out on the street, he's continually accosted by people who want to know what day the "nipper" is or by people who throw fast food at him.

His home life is not much better. He's divorced from his wife (Davis), estranged from his kids and doesn't quite measure up to his aloof father (Caine), an award-winning writer. Then, Dave takes up archery and the sport seems to help him find his way.

Overall review: Ehhh, it was OK. It probably deserves a higher rating, but I can't quite see my way to going there. Cage does a lot of voice-overs which give the audience a peek at the inner thoughts of his character. When the character actually speaks, there's often an abundance of swear words coming from his mouth. All this, while he's trying to prevent his kids from becoming permanently screwed up. He's also hoping to get back together with his ex, who told him to his face that she hates him. Why does he want her back? I don't know. But, why do people do anything? Trying to figure all that out is like trying to predict the weather.