The Oranges

-

The Oranges
Starring Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, Alia Shawkat, Oliver Platt
Directed by Julian Farino

In the New Jersey suburb called the Oranges, there is two families that have been best friends for years.  David (Hugh Laurie), his wife Paige (Catherine Keener), and their children Vanessa (Alia Shawkat) and Toby (Adam Brody) have been friends with Terry (Oliver Platt), his wife Cathy (Allison Janney) and daughter Nina (Leighton Meester).

Nina and Vanessa were best friends growing up until Nina went with the popular crowd, and is now living away from her family.  When her boyfriend cheats on her, she returns home and begins a shocking relationship with David - who is far older, and is also married.  When the families find out what's happening, their friendship suffers and each of them goes through a transformation that significantly alters their lives forever.

The story is interesting enough, but it lacks depth.  The director tried too hard to force too many different stories into a short time frame, and none of the characters fully develop into what they should've been, especially the relationship between Nina and Vanessa, which is never fully explained.  It's funny enough, but not a laugh-out-loud riot.  In the end, it turns into a very mediocre dramedy, not one to be remembered.  Not to mention this is supposed to take place in New Jersey around Christmastime and there's absolutely no snow until the end.

My Rating: C+

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

-
Image
Major Theatrical Releases May 2019 After the hype that is "Avengers: Endgame," May offers a massive collection of differing types of movies, enough to entertain everyone. Here are the major theatrical releases for May 2019. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  The Intruder May 3 Dennis Quaid goes from starring the family-friendly "A Dog's Journey" to playing a total psycho in "The Intruder."  When a young couple purchases a home from Quaid's character Charlie, they didn't realize it came with an addition - Charlie himself, who can't seem to let his old home go.  I don't expect any twists or turns in this tale, and this looks like a film better fit for Lifetime than the big screen.  Long Shot May 3 Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the current Secretary of State and who's running for President.  Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a
Read more

Witch

-
Image
Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small
Read more

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions"

-
Image
Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a
Read more