Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

6/10

Starring

Ryan Gosling

Harrison Ford

Ana de Armas

Sylvia Hoeks

Robin Wright

Directed by Dennis Villeneuve

This noir film doesn’t attempt to add another genre into the mix—no action, just a crime drama similar to the first Blade Runner movie. This movie isn’t as good as the first part from 1982, even though the visual style is updated and the movie’s depth is explored a little more deeply.
One thing, though: just as Harrison Ford delivered a memorable performance as Deckard in Blade Runner (1982), Ryan Gosling masters his role as replicant K in this movie.

Everything in the movie is blurred across intent and the idea of what’s best for the populace.
Based on characters from Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, this sequel is set thirty years after the first movie. Things have changed since then, and the replicants made now are more obedient. The movie focuses on the new lead, K. K’s job is an ironic one—he’s a Blade Runner. Unlike the first movie, where Blade Runners were humans hunting renegade replicants, here the Blade Runner is a replicant hunting renegade replicants.

Things get chaotic when K completes a mission and uncovers a hidden truth. He discovers a body under a tree, and the circumstances surrounding that person’s death could turn the present world upside down.

K is tasked with making sure the secret never comes out, but he’s not the only one who wants to keep things hidden. A man named Wallace, who now controls the manufacturing of replicants, also wants what K found to remain a secret.

The movie itself may not have the same intense thrill as the first Blade Runner, but the cinematography and visual effects are better. Ridley Scott didn’t direct this movie—Denis Villeneuve did, and he did a great job.
The way he made the movie grow on you and capture your interest is worth applauding.
He handled the task of making you care about who you should be focusing on and what the repercussions of their existence were. He did this with careful precision so that you can’t easily guess how the movie will end.

Even though the movie was critically applauded for its addition to the Blade Runner tale, it wasn’t a box office success, just like the first movie. Maybe, later on, it’ll have a cult following like the first one—who knows?
What I do know is that this is a fine movie to see, just sad that it did not live up to the first.

Playing with Fire (2019)

Playing with Fire (2019)

6/10

Starring

John Cena

John Leguizamo

Brianna Hildebrand

Dennis Haysbert

Judy Greer

Directed by Andy Fickman

I like the movie Playing with Fire. I found it funny and enjoyable, even though it is as cheesy as hell. It was nice to see a family-friendly movie not take itself too seriously, and it added a little mystery to it, ending in a way that you know would never happen in real life. The movie gave us a Disney-style “they lived happily ever after” ending, even though the whole idea of these people together is a disaster waiting to happen.

What Playing with Fire has that made me enjoy it was streamlining the cast. The movie focuses on the characters at hand. In the fire station, we have four men and three children, with an occasional romantic interest visiting the station. With these eight, the movie builds its plot and doesn’t even attempt to complicate things.

The movie starts with the introduction of the men working under Superintendent Jake (John Cena). Jake and his men are smokejumpers. I never knew such a department existed within firefighting, but these are trained men who drop into wildland fires using parachutes. Jake aspires to be like his dad, who was a Division Commander.

Jake is very good at his job, but the fun thing about his team is their different personalities. Mark (Keegan-Michael Key) is emotional and often very nervous. Torres (John Leguizamo) is a little nuts, known for misquoting popular sayings and attributing them to the wrong person. Then there’s Axe, who is mostly quiet throughout the movie.

There’s a wildfire in the woodlands, and the team saves three children from a cabin. They take them to their station, but the fire, which burned down the home the children were staying in, leaves the kids stuck with the men until their parents come to pick them up.

The movie then takes a turn you would expect from movies like this. The men have no idea how to take care of children, and the fun of the movie starts there.

The movie was not a critical success, as it was disliked by many, with some saying it’s in contention to be rated the worst movie of 2019. Funny enough, I can agree that this movie isn’t the best thing you can see at the cinema, but it’s funny and best watched at home, not in theaters. It was also a commercial disappointment, a box office bomb. Nonetheless, if you catch it on TV, get ready for some cheesy fun.

Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

4/10

Starring

Robert Carradine

Anthony Edwards

Ted McGinley

Bernie Casey

Directed by Jeff Kanew

Revenge of the Nerds is a movie I expected to enjoy, but I didn’t. It’s meant to be a comedy, but it lacked genuine humor. The writers and the person responsible for the musical score seemed to take everything too literally. Nothing in this movie stands out; everything just plays into stereotypes—from the characters to their costumes. Nerds weren’t the only ones seeking revenge; all the outcasts joined forces against the jocks. Yet, with all their combined brains, the best they could do was resort to perversion and petty pranks.

The movie’s intended climax is a showdown between the two sides, but for me, that’s where it completely derailed and failed to entertain.

The plot follows two young men, Lewis and Gilbert, as they start college. They managed to endure high school with their dignity and hopes intact despite being bullied for being nerds. They believe college will be different, a place where the bullying will finally end. However, on their first day, they’re called the very name they thought they’d left behind—“nerds.” Things only get worse when the jocks take over the freshmen dorms, forcing all the freshmen to live in the gym.

Enough was enough. The freshmen, along with other outcasts, led by Lewis and Gilbert, decide to fight back. Their plan is to take revenge, strip the jocks of their power, and bring balance to the school.

The story lacks the cohesion needed to merge all its subplots into something truly engaging. At times, it’s easy to predict where the movie is heading, and at other times, you’re left wishing it had more substance beyond the simple idea of nerds standing up for themselves.

I appreciated the concept of the nerds (and other outcasts) standing up to the jocks. I also liked that the nerds weren’t portrayed as total losers who cared only about books. However, these were the only aspects of the characters that deviated from the stereotype; everything else felt clichéd.

The movie was a huge financial success, so I guess many people enjoyed seeing the underdog triumph over the regulars. For me, the movie is not one that lasted the years, the jokes do not feel the same as it would be if I saw this in the 80s, and the acting was just too silly for me to feel I can see this movie again.

So, the cult following of this movie continues, I am just not a member.

The Others (2001)

The Others (2001)

8/10

Starring

Nicole Kidman

Fionnula Flanagan

Christopher Eccleston

Elaine Cassidy

Directed by Alejandro Amenábar

The Others is one of those movies you watch once—and then watch again to see how you missed all the clues the first time. It’s an English-language Spanish gothic supernatural psychological horror film. Interestingly, not a single word of Spanish is spoken in it.

The movie has received so many accolades that if, for any reason, you haven’t seen it yet, its recognition alone is enough to give it a watch. I can never forget the first time my sister and I saw this movie back in 2002, when we got our hands on the home video. The twist ending will leave your jaw on the floor.

The plot is set in the 1940s and follows a family trying to move on with life after World War II. Grace (Nicole Kidman) has two children, Anne and Nicholas, who suffer from a rare disease that makes exposure to light dangerous for them. Grace hires three servants to help around the house: Mrs. Mills, Mr. Tuttle, and a mute girl named Lydia.

Things start to get strange when Anne tells Grace she’s been seeing people—ghosts, to be exact—in the house. Anne describes them as a family, including a boy named Victor, with whom she has spoken. Victor claims that the house belongs to his family.

At first, Grace dismisses Anne’s claims, but she soon begins experiencing odd occurrences herself. Hearing strange sounds and feeling an eerie presence, she starts investigating and even seeks help to banish the supernatural entities from the house. However, Grace begins to realize that something deeper and more unsettling is happening.

The movie is written, directed, and scored by Alejandro Amenábar—a filmmaker I hadn’t heard of before or since this movie. His direction is masterful, and the way he handles the twist is sheer perfection. The moment the credits roll, you’ll want to watch the film again.

The movie also boasts excellent cinematography that enhances the scares and keeps you on edge. Nicole Kidman delivers one of her finest performances, solidifying her status as one of the great screen legends of her time.

The Others was a huge critical and commercial success, earning over $200 million on a $17 million budget. At Spain’s prestigious Goya Awards, it won several categories, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. It also received numerous other awards and nominations from notable ceremonies worldwide.

Have you seen The Others? If not, you should.

The Nutty Professor (1996)

The Nutty Professor (1996)

6/10

Starring

Eddie Murphy

Jada Pinkett

James Coburn

Directed by Tom Shadyac

The Nutty Professor is a remake of the 1963 comedy of the same name. In this version, Eddie Murphy takes on dual roles, showcasing his comedic brilliance. Murphy is at his best here, playing the main character and several supporting roles, delivering a performance that drives the movie’s humor and charm.

The fun of the movie lies in Murphy’s portrayal of these characters and the humor he brings to the table. While there are plenty of loose ends in the plot, it’s a slapstick comedy, so that’s to be expected. What surprised me, though, was just how much I ended up enjoying it.

The movie is a parody of Robert Louis Stevenson’s Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It borrows the core concept—a man who takes a potion to become someone else—while dropping most other elements of Stevenson’s story.

In this movie, Professor Klump serves as our Dr. Jekyll. Klump is extremely obese, kind-hearted, and struggles to fit in. All he wants is to lose weight and feel “normal.” He conducts an experiment on hamsters to see if he can help a fat one slim down. When he notices progress, Klump tweaks the formula to work on humans. Late one night, without telling his lab assistants, he drinks the formula himself. The result? He transforms into a skinny, energetic man named Buddy Love—his Mr. Hyde.

Buddy is brimming with confidence, charm, and boldness—the complete opposite of Klump. The trouble begins, as expected, with a woman. Klump is in love with her and hopes Buddy can woo her on his behalf. But Buddy’s unpredictable, reckless nature complicates things. The movie then revolves around how Klump and Buddy navigate their shared existence and which side of Klump will ultimately prevail.

One interesting difference from Stevenson’s book is how the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde is portrayed. In the book, Jekyll is fully aware of what Hyde does after the transformation and vice versa. The transformation also brings a shift in perspective, leading Hyde to act in ways that Jekyll might disapprove of, even though he knows what’s happening.

In The Nutty Professor, however, Klump and Buddy seem more independent of each other, unaware of what the other has done. This inconsistency creates a plot hole. For instance, there’s a scene where Klump recalls an incident at a restaurant involving Buddy and apologizes for it, suggesting he knows what Buddy did. Yet later, Buddy tricks Klump in a way that only works if Klump is entirely unaware of Buddy’s actions.

Despite its flaws, the movie was a commercial success, leading to a sequel—which, unfortunately, didn’t measure up and isn’t worth remembering.

Coming to America (1988)

Coming to America (1988)

8/10

Starring

Eddie Murphy

Arsenio Hall

James Earl Jones

John Amos

Madge Sinclair

Shari Headley

Directed by John Landis

I was born in the 80s, but I came to understand life in the 90s, and one movie that we all got to see over and over again was Coming to America. This wasn’t just a movie—it was like a cultural icon on its own. I came to see Eddie Murphy as a stable actor to look forward to, and when I was young, there was no reason not to go see some of the classics he did in the 80s.

Coming to America stars Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall in roles that had both of them in charge of everything fun in this movie from the very start. The movie also had some of the best supporting cast you could wish for, each delivering the needed performance to make this movie memorable and their lines unforgettable.

The movie’s plot is about a young prince from a fictional African land called Zamunda. The prince’s name is Akeem (Eddie Murphy), who is feeling overwhelmed with life as a prince and bored to the bone by it. He speaks to his father about this, but his father misinterprets Akeem’s words to mean that Akeem wants to travel for sexual exploits and delay getting married to a woman who would essentially be like a slave to him.

His father arranges for Akeem to travel with a companion, Semmi (Arsenio Hall), who is also Akeem’s best friend. Akeem chooses to travel to America, and Semmi knows Akeem is going there to look for love—something both fail to tell his parents about.

When in America, Akeem decides that no one should know he’s a prince because he wants to find genuine love, not love that comes from a woman who knows he’s wealthy. He gets a job, and everything from here is something you’ll love when you go see this movie again.

The movie has some of the best comedic lines you can think of, and whether the lines originated here or were borrowed from elsewhere, it was in this movie that many were recognized as iconic.
Everyone who has seen this movie can easily pick which lines they love the most and which scenes jump out at them when they remember it.

Murphy and Hall also played numerous smaller roles in this movie, allowing the makeup to disguise them while still making it possible for us to recognize the people underneath.

The movie was a mild critical success but a huge commercial one, which almost led to a TV series that never happened. The way the movie is structured, it’s easy to see how they could have picked up any of the loose ends the screenplay left untied and made a spin-off or a sequel from it.
That said, a sequel to this movie is set to be released later this year (2020).
Will the sequel, which stars almost the same cast as the one made thirty-three years ago, be as significant or as funny as this one? I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Big (1988)

Big (1988)

7/10

Starring

Tom Hanks

Elizabeth Perkins

Robert Loggia

John Heard

Directed by Penny Marshall

Tom Hanks has been delivering magnificent performances for decades, and in the late '80s, he gave us another standout performance in Big, earning a Best Actor nomination for it. The movie has a plot that might sound silly at first, but the screenplay and acting elevate it from what could have been a simple, whimsical story to a true masterpiece. Credit for that goes to the late Penny Marshall, the director who made it happen.

Marshall was in full control of this film, and it’s not the only amazing work she delivered. She also directed another beloved Tom Hanks movie, A League of Their Own, in 1992.

The story of Big follows a twelve-year-old boy named Josh, who lives with his family. Josh faces challenges navigating the world because his height often gets in the way of doing the things he wants. His best friend, Billy, is also his next-door neighbor and closest confidant.

After a particularly embarrassing moment leaves him feeling small, Josh makes a wish on a fortune teller machine at a carnival. He wishes to be “big,” never expecting it to actually come true. But the next morning, Josh wakes up in his own bed—only now, he’s an adult (played by Tom Hanks).

Faced with this new reality, Josh runs away from home and must navigate the world as an adult while trying to find a way to reverse the wish and return to his normal life.

What struck me while rewatching the movie as an adult is how relatable Josh’s actions are. The things he does as a kid stuck in an adult’s body are exactly what I’d imagine doing in the same situation. It also reminded me of my early days as a bachelor, exploring newfound freedoms and the boundaries of adulthood.

The film’s charm lies in seeing Josh—a twelve-year-old at heart—navigate adult responsibilities, including workplace dynamics (he hilariously fails at office politics), romantic entanglements, and his relationship with his best friend, Billy.

Big was both a critical and commercial success, earning over $150 million on an $18 million budget. Beyond the Academy Award nominations for Hanks and Best Original Screenplay, it received numerous other accolades and is frequently ranked among the greatest comedies ever made. I wholeheartedly agree with that sentiment.

Big is one of those films you can enjoy every time you watch it, laughing as this fantasy comedy takes you on an unforgettable ride.

Clueless (1995)

Clueless (1995)

6/10

Starring

Alicia Silverstone

Stacey Dash

Brittany Murphy

Paul Rudd

Directed by Amy Heckerling

In the ’90s, there was a coming-of-age movie that everyone had to see. It starred Alicia Silverstone, and I’ve never forgotten her name after watching it. Clueless is fun, enjoyable, and easy to follow. The movie strikes a perfect balance between comedy and romance, even though the romantic angle feels a little odd at first.

Written and directed by Amy Heckerling (and loosely based on Jane Austen's 1815 novel Emma), Clueless is widely regarded as one of the best teen movies ever made. Alongside Alicia Silverstone, the late Brittany Murphy also shines in this film.

The performances in Clueless make it special. Each actor delivers their role so effortlessly that it feels like they were born to play these characters. This natural flow is what makes the movie such a joy to watch.

The plot is straightforward and unfolds as if we’re living life through Cher (Alicia Silverstone). Cher is a rich, popular, and self-involved teenager who leads her crew, which includes Dionne (Stacey Dash) and Tai (Brittany Murphy). The movie follows Cher as she attempts to manage her friends’ lives—from their looks to their love lives. While Cher’s intentions are often well-meaning, her efforts sometimes backfire as her friends assert their independence.

We also meet Josh (Paul Rudd), Cher’s reliable and dependable ex-stepbrother. Josh serves as the grounding force in Cher’s life, offering advice and help when she needs it. Although the two don’t always see eye to eye—Cher isn’t fond of Josh’s bluntness, and he disapproves of her self-centered behavior—his presence adds depth to the story.

That’s about all I can say without spoiling the movie. If you watch it again, you’ll likely find yourself smiling as the story unfolds in its light, charming way.

Made on a budget of $12 million, Clueless grossed over $56 million at the box office, with home video sales further cementing its success. The movie gained a massive cult following, which led to a spin-off television sitcom (though it only ran for three seasons) and a series of books.

There’s been talk of a remake, but honestly, I’m skeptical. It’s hard to imagine recapturing the magic and charm of the original. But that said, never take your eyes off Hollywood to try. They seem to be scrapping the barrel when it comes to original stories, so the chances that a remake is done is higher than usual. Love this movie.

Tommy Boy (1995)

Tommy Boy (1995)

6/10

Starring

Chris Farley

David Spade

Bo Derek

Brian Dennehy

Directed by Peter Segal

Tommy Boy is one of those movies that grabs your attention from the start and holds it until the very end. The performances by Chris Farley and David Spade carry the film, making every minute worth watching.

I’m not usually a fan of road comedies, and I’ve never been a huge fan of David Spade—not back then and not now. As for the late Chris Farley, this is the only performance of his I’ve ever seen. Though he was a popular SNL performer, I’ve never been into Saturday Night Live. So, this movie was my first and last glimpse of him as an actor. That said, he did an excellent job, showing a range of acting abilities and making every scene he was in worthwhile.

The plot introduces us to Tommy (Chris Farley), an immature man who has been cared for by his father all his life and never had to grow up. His father (played by Brian Dennehy) loves Tommy just the way he is and never tries to change him. This isn’t one of those stories where the father is disappointed in his son’s lack of maturity. However, Tommy is forced to face reality when his father unexpectedly passes away.

Tommy’s father was an industrialist whose business relied heavily on his charm and knack for sealing impossible deals. With his death, the company faces significant challenges, and Tommy must step up to save it. To do so, he embarks on a road trip with Richard (David Spade), a childhood acquaintance who works for the company and despises Tommy.

Over time, Tommy Boy has become one of those movies that everyone has seen—whether on TV or through a home video collection. However, it wasn’t a box office success upon release and didn’t receive much critical acclaim, either.

The critics’ dismissal is understandable to some extent. Aside from the two leads, the rest of the cast feels out of place. Bo Derek, for instance, was miscast and delivered a poor performance. The story itself also needed work. The way everything fell apart in the end, and how Tommy managed to piece it back together, felt rushed and poorly written.

Despite its flaws, revisiting Tommy Boy wasn’t a bad idea. I found myself laughing and enjoying the ride all over again, I do think Chris Farley is an over-the-top actor, but for this movie it works, and I believe this movie will be funny anytime you see it.

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)

6/10

Starring

Vince Vaughn

Ben Stiller

Christine Taylor

Gary Cole

Rip Torn

Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber

The 2000s were packed with goofy movies that I highly recommend you take the time to see if you’re in the mood for a good laugh. Then came this movie—a film whose title alone might make you assume it’s a dud.

I mean, who names a movie Dodgeball? It’s a game that isn’t familiar to people outside the USA (and I’m one of those people). That’s the main reason my friends and I avoided it when it first came out. We didn’t watch it until the home video release, and we finally saw it at a friend’s place. What followed was nonstop laughter at the sheer silliness and over-the-top profanity of the film. Everything about it screamed, “We know exactly what we’re doing!” We ended up watching it twice in one sitting because once just wasn’t enough. Once again, why name this movie Dodgeball?

The lead actors, Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller, gave fantastic performances that deserve recognition. The movie was also a critical success and a box office hit.

The plot centers around two men who own gyms: Pete (Vince Vaughn) and White (Ben Stiller).

Pete is a laid-back guy struggling to get his life together. He’s a decent person but lacks the drive to push himself. He’s also a terrible business owner. Pete’s gym, Average Joe’s Gymnasium, is a small, rundown place with outdated equipment and only a handful of members.

On the other hand, White is the arrogant owner of Globo Gym, a state-of-the-art facility with all the bells and whistles. White is a better businessman and manager, making his gym far more successful.

Pete’s financial troubles come to a head when he fails to pay the mortgage on his gym. As a result, his gym faces foreclosure, and White swoops in to buy the mortgage. Pete now has 30 days to come up with the money or lose his gym to White.

So, where does dodgeball come in? One of Pete’s gym members suggests entering a dodgeball contest to raise the money needed to save the gym.

The movie is directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, who also directed We’re the Millers (2013), Central Intelligence (2016), and Skyscraper (2018).

Don’t let the title fool you like it did me. If you haven’t seen Dodgeball yet, give it a shot—you won’t regret it. And if you’ve already watched it, it’s definitely worth revisiting for some good laughs.

 

South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut (1999)

South Park: Bigger Longer and Uncut (1999)

7/10

Starring the voices of

Trey Parker

Matt Stone

Mary Kay Bergman

Isaac Hayes

Directed by Trey Parker

There’s always that one movie that breaks the norm, does something totally out of place, and stirs up controversy. South Park has always been the series to do just that, and with an animated movie, there wasn’t much we could expect except for the creators to stick to their winning formula.

This animation features the devil and Saddam Hussein in some sort of partnership, bad parenting displayed as the norm, and a child on a quest to find the clit. There’s even a part in the movie that feels almost futuristic, as it touches on something very prevalent today: overreacting to something we don’t like on TV and demanding the show be shut down.

The movie parodies everything—from Disney movies and their moral lessons to inspirational musical films and social norms.

The plot of this adult-themed animated musical comedy is based on the Comedy Central animated television series South Park. The show revolves around four kids who make it worth watching: Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman.

In the movie, a new TV show is taking South Park by storm. It’s created by the Canadian comedy duo Terrance and Phillip, whose brand of comedy is filled with cursing, farting, and very R-rated content. The duo even made a movie based on their show, called Asses of Fire. Stan, Kyle, Kenny, and Cartman go see the movie and come home with R-rated mouths, which angers their parents.

The mothers band together to take on those they believe are corrupting their children. But instead of focusing solely on Terrance and Phillip, they take it a step further and blame the entire country of Canada.

So, where do the devil and Saddam Hussein fit into all this? Well, you’ll have to watch the movie to find out.

The movie was a mild box-office success but was critically acclaimed as a must-see back in the ’90s. I was younger then, so I managed to sneak off to a friend’s place to watch it. The film was written and directed by the creators of the South Park series, Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

I know the chances that you haven’t seen or heard about this movie are pretty low, but it’s one you can watch now and still laugh at the jokes and antics the kids get up to. I do not know how the makers get away with so much, but they do and that is why we get classics like this.

Mallrats (1995)

Mallrats (1995)

7/10

Starring

Shannen Doherty

Jeremy London

Jason Lee

Claire Forlani

Kevin Smith

Jason Mewes

Directed Kevin Smith

This is my first time watching Mallrats, and I can see why it’s a cult classic. I enjoyed it so much that I was already looking forward to watching it again over the weekend. I got lucky and watched the original version, not the theatrical cut. I had two hours of fun-filled time with the guys from the View Askewniverse—some I recognized, while others never showed up again in any other movie.

The runaway stars of this movie were Jay and Silent Bob. They had a more prominent role here than in other movies in the universe, excluding Jay and Silent BobStrike Back (2001) and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot (2019), which were centered entirely on them. Everything funny in Mallrats revolved around these two. If something needed to be destroyed, fixed, or if people needed to be moved into the right places (or out of the way), Jay and Silent Bob were the guys to get it done.

Another standout in this movie is Jason Lee. His character, Brodie, is the kind of person you’ll love in any movie because he’s all words with no filter.

The plot revolves around two friends, T.S. and Brodie, who get dumped by their girlfriends around the same time. T.S. is heartbroken and wants to win his girl back, openly showing his emotions. Brodie, on the other hand, is also heartbroken but hides his feelings. Brodie suggests they go to the mall to get over their pain and move on, but that turns out to be easier said than done.

At the mall, they run into their ex-girlfriends and a bunch of other characters. T.S. and Brodie go through some self-realization about what they really want. We also see them try to ruin T.S.’s girlfriend’s dad, who played a big role in the breakup of T.S.’s relationship.

Despite its simple plot, the movie fills the gaps with comedy and moments you wouldn’t believe anyone would put in a ’90s movie, let alone expect people to enjoy. At the time of its release, Mallrats wasn’t a critical or commercial success. But if you watch it now, you’ll appreciate it more. The jokes that might have been considered offensive back then are the same ones I’m laughing at today—and you will too.

Plans for a sequel to this movie are still in the works, with Kevin Smith saying they kicked off in 2020.

If, like me, you’ve delayed watching this movie for one reason or another, I’m telling you to stop wasting time and go see it.

I Spy (2002)

I Spy (2002)

6/10

Starring

Eddie Murphy

Owen Wilson

Famke Janssen

Malcolm McDowell

Directed by Betty Thomas

I watched some of the old I Spy episodes starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby. It was a serious thriller series with no comedy at all. This version, with Owen Wilson and Eddie Murphy, flips that on its head—it’s packed with jokes and every spy cliché they could squeeze in.

The characters they play are total misfits who can barely handle being in the same place at the same time. Wherever they go, chaos and comedy follow, and I couldn’t stop laughing throughout the movie. It’s a shame this film wasn’t a box office hit because there were so many directions a sequel could have gone.

The movie is directed by Betty Thomas, who also directed Murphy’s version of Doctor Dolittle (1998).

The plot revolves around two men thrown together because the country needed them to team up. One is Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy), a middleweight boxing champion. The other is Special Agent Alex Scott (Owen Wilson), who’s recently been promoted but isn’t exactly the most skilled agent—a fact made painfully clear in the first mission we see him on.

Their mission centers on a stealth plane that’s fallen into the hands of arms dealer Gundars. Gundars plans to sell the plane to the highest bidder, and Alex’s agency is determined to stop him. Conveniently, Gundars is hosting a middleweight boxing match in Budapest, where Robinson is defending his title. The government uses the match as a cover to get Alex into the operation and recover the plane.

Alex wasn’t the agency’s first choice for this mission, but their top spy is too well-known to be effective undercover.

At first, Robinson and Alex spend most of their time trying to one-up each other, which causes plenty of initial problems. Over time, though, they find a balance and start working together. Meanwhile, Alex has a crush on Agent Rachel Wright, and Robinson hilariously tries to help Alex woo her.

This movie is packed with laughs and doesn’t take itself seriously. Oddly enough, it was both a commercial and critical failure. Many critics disliked it, claiming the plot was weak and that it felt like Murphy and Wilson were just competing to see who could be funnier.

Personally, I loved that about the movie—it gave me plenty of reasons to laugh. The plot is simple, but that’s the point. They stripped out the complexity and focused entirely on the humor.

I believe this movie is funny, fun, and just misunderstood by many.

Doctor Dolittle (1998)

Doctor Dolittle (1998)

6/10

Starring

Eddie Murphy

Ossie Davis

Oliver Platt

Directed by Betty Thomas

There was a time back in the 90s and I believe the early 2000s where Eddie Murphy could do no wrong. This movie is one of those could do no wrong performances. The thing is, I had to go back and watch the Doctor Dolittle from 1998—you know, the Eddie Murphy one that was actually good and funny, unlike Dolittle (2020). This version, made twenty-two years earlier, is head and shoulders better than the 2020 remake.

The movie is packed with standout moments, from young John smelling his principal’s butt to a priest performing an exorcism on him. Then, when he’s older (now played by Eddie Murphy), we see a dog insult him for being a bad driver, his home suddenly filled with animals, and the infamous tiger incident in public. So many memorable things happen in this movie that made it amazing to watch back then—and even now.

Eddie Murphy’s talent shines through from the moment he appears on screen. The puppeteering and effects also deliver the perfect vibe to make this movie enjoyable. Inspired by the series of children’s stories by Hugh Lofting, the film is well-directed by Betty Thomas, who also directed the Eddie Murphy and Owen Wilson movie I Spy (2002).

The plot introduces us to a young John Dolittle, who talks to his dog. His father does everything he can to stop this behavior, and John grows up to become a successful doctor (not a vet) with a thriving practice and two close friends. He’s also married with two daughters, but something feels off. He’s not struggling, but it’s clear he feels out of place, like something’s missing in his life.

Everything changes when he almost hits a dog with his car and swears he hears the dog call him a “bonehead.” That single incident triggers something. The next day, during a meeting, John starts hearing all the animals around him talk. He thinks he’s having a meltdown and seeks help, but nothing makes it go away. From there, the movie shifts gears as we watch John deal with his newfound gift.

The film wasn’t a critical success, but it was a commercial hit, leading to a theatrical sequel and three spin-offs. Murphy reprised his role in the second movie. Personally, I prefer this version to the new one released in 2020. The good news is that the new Dolittle is doing so poorly that there likely won’t be a second part to that nonsense.