The Meyerowitz Stories- A Tad Boring

For most of his career, ever since I can remember, Adam Sandler has been the king of bad movies and bad acting (The Wedding Singer, anyone?)! With that slug dialogue delivery and a perpetually confused look and add to that bad story lines, he got way too annoying to watch. Until Murder Mystery on Netflix showed up! Finally a movie where Sandler finally stopped taking himself too seriously and just delivered. He was genuinely funny in the film.

(Image credit: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/80242619)

Another movie which is thoroughly an Adam Sandler fare is The Meyerowitz Stories. With a stunning star cast of Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Ben Stiller, Elizabeth Marvel & Sandler, it reminds you of The Royal Tenenbaums in some places. I am aware that this movie is critically acclaimed and has been a film fest darling, but I have to break it to you, it's a tad boring! Written by Noah Baumbach (creator of Oscar nominated, Marriage Story) it follows Meyerowitz family. The story has peels and peels of different personalities and relationships that it tries to explore.

(Image credit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5536736/)

Dustin Hoffman as the family's patriarch, Harold Meyerowitz is a fading sculptor who also taught at Bard college. He has married 4 times and has 3 children- Danny (Sandler), Mathew (Stiller) and Jean (Marvel). He lives with his forth wife, a kookie Maureen (played brilliantly by Emma Thompson) in New York. Danny, recently separated from his wife, comes to visit them with his daughter, Eliza who starts college at Bard the next day. Harold is an utter douchebag who is angry that his career is fading and is not a good father to his children, including his favorite, Mathew. You see throughout the movie that he is extremely self-involved and regularly talks over people. Hoffman has done a convincing job of an egocentric little man! Mathew, Harold's other son has become a successful financial advisor and his own company. However successful, he does harbor anger and resentment towards Harold for not having made right choices in life, ie, money over art. He has attempted to create a better life for himself.

(Image credit: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-demand/0/themeyerowitzstories-review-adam-sandler-makes-splendid-bittersweet/)

4 months after Danny's visit, Harold is admitted to a hospital for "chronic subdural hematoma". During this time, all his children come together and drama unfolds. True feelings between the two step brothers emerge and they clash frequently, finally making up and trying to understand each other. They begin to realize the circumstances that led them to become who they are and in time, accept each other. Sandler does really get funny especially here, in scenes where he is angry! I know I am saying this a lot but it is kind of the point of this post, that Adam Sandler may actually be funny! Ben Stiller is also a treat to watch. What I did not understand though is that Eliza makes almost porno short movies and the entire family, including her father Danny, watch it with surprising nonchalance! (Get this, she has named one of her movies, The Pagina Man!) I don't get it, is that normal?? I don't think so! Isn't that kinda dysfunctional?

 (Image credit: https://hpr1.com/index.php/arts-entertainment/cinema/fun-and-dysfunction-in-baumbachs-the-meyerowitz-stories/)

Anyway, the movie did not keep me hooked, made me realize that I might not be into Art Movies anymore. Surprising because I remember having enjoyed The Royal Tenenbaums , The Darjeeling Limited and The Grand Budapest Hotel, long ago. If you are into such movies and if you would like to see Adam Sandler surprise you, do watch it!

The Interview - A Brilliant Thriller!

This 1998 Australian movie is a masterclass on psycho-thrillers. All the other movies I have watched of this genre seem to have taken an inspiration from this brilliant film. Taking place almost entirely in a police station, the story follows Edward Fleming, a suspect in a stolen car case and his interrogation by Detectivea Sergeant John Steele & Detective Prior. It makes you question your own instincts and takes you on a "he did it"- "he didnt do it" goosechase.

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At 5 AM on a fine morning, Edward Fleming is whisked away by the police on charges of vehicle theft. Edward is disturbed and scared by the sudden arrest and questions why he has been arrested multiple times. The police does not answer him straight away and instead, they beat him up, ransack his house for documents, cuff link him and take him away for questioning.

(Image credit: https://twitter.com/aliciazhang0220/status/1170771159366950912/photo/4)

Once they are in the interrogation room, Edward is denied food and is questioned about an Andrew Beecroft and his stolen car. Despite Edward's repeated denial of ever knowing Beecroft, the detectives threaten him and abuse him. Based on a handwriting match on a vehicle transfer document and a few witnesses corroborating seeing someone like Edward around the crime scene area, detective Steele is sure Edward is involved in the theft. You are convinced they are forcing an innocent man to confess so that the case is closed.

(Image credit: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/60000545)

At some point in the interrogation, Edward reveals that he has been reading news on Beecroft and the others who went missing under similar circumstances. He even goes on to guess that he is not here about a stolen car but that the police is trying to pin him for Beecroft's murder. He demands for a solicitor who advises him not to comment on any further questions.

(Image credit: https://www.sbs.com.au/movies/review/absolute-compelling-psychological-drama)

Turns out, there are 5 other similar open cases and, the victims are all suspected to be murdered by a serial killer. That Edward knows this accurately, convinces Steele that he is playing a game, which if kept up with would lead to a confession. Steele persuades his boss, Detective Jackson for more time with Edward. Jackson advises the detective to not act out on his usual ways as there have been prior complaints on Steele's and Prior's method of questioning.

Half-way through the movie you see Edward's demeanor instantly change from that of a scared, weak person to a confident man (This is where Hugo Weaving's sheer brilliance as an actor shines through!). As Steele asks Edward to elaborate on what he knows or has been following on news about the open cases, Fleming admits he does not believe the murders had any motive and promises to reveal more only if he is given something to eat.

(Image credit: https://wegotthiscovered.com/movies/10-great-thrillers-watched/10/)

In front of full plates of food, Fleming starts talking about how he hitch-hiked a ride with Beecroft and after a stop for fuel, slyly directed him towards an abandoned place where they drank to their heart's content and then killed Beecroft in a drunken haze where he saw ghosts of those he had murdered before. He insists that the murder had no motive and done on a whim. Edward goes on to draw a diagram indicating where he buried Beecroft. He commits to provide details of the other murders too but he doesn't remember much about where he buried his victims.

Edward agrees to confess everything on video. As he is questioned again by Detective Steele for the video, you see Fleming getting uneasy and you know he is going to deny his own story. Before he begins to respond, Detective Jackson walks in and enquires Fleming on how the interviews were going on and if he needed anything. At this point, Fleming back-pedals his story and insists he only concocted the story about Beecroft and the others just so that the detectives gave him some food and stopped abusing him. As a viewer, you are mighty challenged here. Because you have seen how poor Edward was treated from the get-go, you want to believe that he is innocent. But you also saw how convincing it was when he admitted to all those crimes a few minutes ago.

(Image credit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120714/mediaindex?ref_=tt_mv_sm)

Also, it comes to light that Detectives Steele and Prior have been videotaped the entire time by an ethics committee that determines that their questioning method was unethical based on all the threats and abuses directed towards Edward and hence, the interrogation tapes cannot be considered as admissible in court.

Near the end, Steele watches Jackson escort Edward on his way out. Edward has what appears to be a you-blink-and-you-miss-it smirk on his face. As he walks out of the station, you see this smirk spread into a wide shady grin like he won the game! In the end scene, you see Fleming on the road hitch-hiking. It's up to you to interpret whether this was the scene where Edward got into Beecroft's car or of the scene where he is waiting for his next victim.

I do not have another word for all the actors in this film, except Brilliant! Hugo Weaving's innocent act in the beginning turning into a devilish serial killer mode and then back to a scared Edward is definitely class acting. Tony Martin is almost there with him as a devious Detective who will get his hands dirty and does not stop at anything until he nails his suspects. If you enjoy psycho-thrillers, this movie just hands its genius to you on a plate. I admit I have never watched The Matrix trilogy but reading that Hugo is in all the three movies with eye-candy Keanu Reeves and that the trilogy just dropped on Netflix, you know where I am gonna be all next week! (Hey don't judge me ok? I don't like sci-fi movies!)

(Image credit: https://www.indiewire.com/2020/01/hugo-weaving-matrix-4-agent-smith-1202204827/)

(PS: If anybody thought this was a review of Dave Franco and Seth Rogen's 2014 movie of the same name, I don't do the Franco's and cheap comedies. IMHO, they are extremely annoying and over-rated, and their brand of comedy is almost always misogynistic. So I avoid their movies as much as I can, thank you!)

Demolition- Another Jake Gyllenhaal Show

Everyone processes grief differently, sometimes in ways we don't understand. This is the premise of the 2015 movie, Demolition. Played wonderfully by Jake Gyllenhaal, the protagonist Davis Mitchell goes through his journey of finding his way after losing his wife. He goes from a man refusing to get in touch with his emotions to finally, with a trigger of a post-it note, breaking down.

 (Image credit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172049/)

Davis, an investment banker gets in a car accident with his wife Julia. When he wakes up from the jolt, he realizes Julia has passed away. While in the hospital, unable to get his candy dislodged from the vending machine, he decides to write to Champions Vending Company about it. As he starts writing, he tries to provide more context to the letter by talking about what happened to him and his wife. This is on the night of Julia's funeral where he also stands in front of a mirror and tries to cry, to no avail. While he is unable to show any emotion towards his dead wife, he does unknowingly, start pouring out in his letter to the company. And he doesn't stop at one, he writes four more, not expecting anyone on the other side to read them. He is comfortable feeling that he is talking about his experience to a void. Turns out, the customer rep at the vending machine company has been reading his letters and feels empathetic towards him. One thing leads to another and he ends up becoming friends with the rep, Karen and her rock music loving son, Chris. 

 (Image credit: https://www.mandatory.com/culture/1009831-interview-jake-gyllenhaal-discusses-new-film-demolition-dealing-with-grief-identity-in-the-modern-age)

The day after the funeral, Davis goes on usually about his life. He wakes up, jogs, has breakfast and leaves to office, the firm owned by his father in law, Phil. Taken aback by his decision to get back to work so soon, Phil advises him to take some time off. But Davis continues much to the surprise of everyone. While at work, he notices that one of the washroom stall's door creaked every time he opens it. This leads to noticing a series of things he had never before- the leaking Fridge (about which Julia talks to him in the car just before the accident), the blinking lamp at his in-laws' place and more. When he does, he decides to start fixing things. 

 (Image credit: https://movies.mxdwn.com/reviews/movie-review-demolition/)

"Repairing the human heart is like repairing an automobile. You have to take everything apart, just examine everything, and then you can put it all back together". An advice from Phil that Davis decides to take matter of factly and does just that, starts "demolishing" things like the squeaky door at work, his computer, his fridge, his own home (with a bulldozer!) and he quits his job at the investment firm to work as a part of a wrecking crew. He also has Chris helping him rip apart the beautiful house he had built with Julia. But nothing seems to help him "fix" anything because he hasn't tried "fixing" himself.

(Image credit: https://movies.mxdwn.com/reviews/movie-review-demolition/)

Ultimately, the fix comes in the form of a crumpled post-it note in his car one fine day, the day he decides to visit Julia's grave. He meets the man that has been following him in his station wagon, the man who was responsible to ram his car into Julia's. Davis immediately seems to forgive this man and gets into his car to find a note from his departed wife written when she was alive. This opens all flood gates and Davis grieves.  

 (Image credit: https://dailygyllenhaals.tumblr.com/post/146468924390/demolition-2016-dir-jean-marc-vall%C3%A9e)

(Yeah no, that's the fake crying scene!)

There are different supporting story arcs for Karen, Chris, Julia and the Eastwoods. However, I wouldn't want to write about them as they are not important (at least that's how I feel). 

 (Image credit: http://marcusgohmarcusgoh.com/movies/movie-review-demolition)

Gyllenhaal has always delivered stellar performances since Brokeback Mountain and this movie is no different. I especially, enjoyed watching him go from a man showing literally no emotion at the start of the movie to ending it all with uncontrollable sobs. 

There are a few parts that were not my favorite though, like the one where Davis places a gun in Chris' hands (the underage son of Karen) and asks him to shoot him while he wears a safety vest, the one where he and Chris (again!) demolish everything that costs a ton of money!! (I get that he is filthy rich but that is just taking things too far), the one where he brings Karen to a scholarship party held in the memory of his wife (how is that remotely respectful?) and Karen laughs inappropriately in the middle of the scholarship announcements by Phil, etc.

 (Image credit: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1172049/mediaviewer/rm3612811008)

  One of the best things about the movie though is the music! Given that Chris Moreno is a rock music fan, you are treated to a ton of them! You get to see Gyllenhaal dance wildly on the street to "Mr. Big" by Free (honestly, this guy's got some moves!) and enjoy the beach with Karen while La bohème byCharles Aznavour plays in the background. 

 (Image credit: https://giphy.com/gifs/foxsearchlight-dance-jake-gyllenhaal-l2QDLujtcAvAr2gRa) 

Watch it if you like slow movies that need you to contemplate what's happening and interpret the story your own way. (Personally, not my favorite brand of movies but then it is inescapable with Jake Gyllenhaal's cool sun-glasses and headphones wearing picture on the Netflix thumbnail!)

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