A Walk in the Woods (2015)

(Not so) Fun fact. I watched A Walk in the Woods because one does not simply pass a movie starring Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, and Emma Thompson, but also because I needed a film for a Thursday Movie Picks a while back, and by a while back I mean more than two years ago. As usual, I wrote the review, obviously picked the film for the series, and then forgot about it. So here it is, better late than never, right?

Anyways, the story follows travel writer Bill Bryson (Robert Redford), who instead of retiring and spending time with his loving wife, Catherine (Emma Thompson), decides to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends, Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte).

Despite it being based on a true story, the plot feels rather flat and lacks credibility — it's clear the filmmakers weren't able to transform the material into a story — and we barely know where it's going. It's hard to tell even after the film has ended.

The characters aren't that interesting either. They are just a bunch of weird and sometimes predictable and stereotyped people, among which Nick Nolte's stands out for being utterly annoying as he desperately tries to be a dramatic character. And the performances aren't much better.

Anyway, the real problem is another one. Given the title of the film and having a plot revolving around a hike of something like two thousand miles of track, one would expect the film to take place in the woods. Well, there couldn't be anything more wrong. In fact, most of the film takes place in diners, motels and laundromats, and when it takes place in the woods, it's nothing more than some mountain ledges and some truly awful green screen effects.

But there's still the comedy. Although it's stupid and falls flat most of the time, the film is able to make you laugh — more like chuckle actually — a few times mostly because of Redford's character cynical sarcasm. Ultimately, A Walk in the Woods is a mediocre, barely funny slapstick film that isn't worth watching unless you really love the actors involved. 

The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)

When I first saw The Meyerowitz Stories on Netflix, I decided I would pass it because of Adam Sandler. He's always so annoying and his movies are always so stupid, I didn't want to waste time watching it. Then Kevin over Speaks in Movie Lines spoke highly of it (and Sandler's performance) so I absolutely had to check it out. And I'm glad I did because it was a real joy to watch.

It tells the stories of three estranged siblings, Danny (Adam Sandler), Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) and Matt (Ben Stiller), that reunite when their bitter ageing father (Dustin Hoffmann) gets hospitalized and try to figure out how to step out from their father's shadow and live their own lives.

The film portrays and analyses with wit and realism this dysfunctional family, mainly focusing on the rivalry between Danny and Matt, unemployed and divorced the first, successful business-wise but trapped in an unhappy marriage the latter.

Which brings me to the only problem I had with this, it completely left out Jean's story. Watching the multiple storylines unravelling and witnessing the slow amending of the relationship between the characters and their growth (especially Matt's) was interesting and enjoyable but the movie ends and we barely know a thing about Jean. And it's a shame because her character could have been so interesting.

Netflix

But now let's talk about the real deal here, Adam Sandler. Yes, you read that right. Adam Sandler gives his best performance ever as Danny, the older brother dealing with a divorce and with the loss of his daughter Eliza, brilliantly played by Grace Van Patten, who is leaving for college. I know it's not that hard to top his past performances, but this one could (and hopefully will) lead to an Oscar nomination. Also, the chemistry he has with Grace Van Patten is great and they share a father-and-daughter moment that is the most emotional, touching and beautiful moment of the film.

Ben Stiller is also very good as Matt, the successful brother and favourite son. His character is the one that changes the most throughout the film, and he's able to deliver that. And he's really great at portraying that struggle between staying calm and polite and just losing it at the beginning of his story when he's having lunch with his father (I could really relate to that). Dustin Hoffman also gives a great performance as Harold, the family patriarch who can face his failure as a father and can accept the fact of being a nothing more than a mediocre artist. Great support also comes from Elizabeth Marvel who unfortunately doesn't have a lot of screen time but never misses the change to shine, and Emma Thompson who plays Harold's new wife, a quite unlikable and almost-unexistent character.

Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

Genre

Biography | Comedy | Drama

Director

John Lee Hancock

Country

UK | Australia | USA

Cast

Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Colin Farrell, Ruth Wilson, Paul Giamatti, Bradley Whitford, B. J. Novak, Jason Schwartzman, Kathy Baker, Melanie Paxson, Rachel Griffiths, Ronan Vibert, Kristopher Kyer, Victoria Summer

Storyline

After 20 years, when she's financially strapped, author P.L. Travers (Emma Thompson) finally considers Walt Disney's (Tom Hanks) offer to make a film of her book, Mary Poppins, but won't approve unless Disney does it as she wants. So she goes to California, and while working on bringing the character of Mary Poppins to life, she starts reflecting on her childhood, upon which the book is based.

Opinion

Although this film has been on my watch-list for a while, I was reluctant because of some negative reviews I've heard and read. People complaining about Walt Disney being nothing like the man portrayed by Tom Hanks, others complaining about this being not a biopic worthy of such a man. Well, I'm not sure those people have quite understood what the film is really about.

Saving Mr. Banks actually tells the story of the making of the Mary Poppins film, and if it has to be considered a biography, it is surely not Walt Disney's but P.L. Travers's. Now, the fact that the story is more or less accurate, and that maybe there is a spoonful of sugar too much to make the film suitable for families is another thing.

Having said that, Saving Mr. Banks is a feel-good dramatic comedy, both witty and sentimental, that draws you in.

The film praises imagination and its power to help some grow, by lighting up childhood and its natural path towards adulthood. It also praises those people that, even though they have grown, are still capable of dreaming, like P.L. Travers or Walt Disney.

There are some outstanding performances too. Emma Thompson play P.L. Travers beautifully. Cold and definitely not likable in the first part (as required), she brings out all the emotions, and the serious aspects of her character. Tom Hanks does a nice job as Walt Disney and seems to be enjoying himself but this is not one of his best achievements. The supporting cast offers strong performances, especially Colin Farrell, who brings vitality and interest in the parallel story about Travers's childhood. 

Don’t you ever stop dreaming. You can be anyone you want to be. - Travers Goff