You People (2023)

You People (2023)

 

5/10

Starring

Jonah Hill

Lauren London

David Duchovny

Nia Long

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Eddie Murphy

 

Directed by Kenya Barris

 

This is no disrespect—I love Eddie Murphy. I’m a child of the ’80s, and I grew up on Eddie Murphy. That said, I blame Seinfeld, Veep, and The New Adventures of Old Christine because the one person I couldn’t wait to see was Julia Louis-Dreyfus. That woman is comedy gold, and she was amazing in this movie for me. So now that I’ve put it all out there, let me dive into the movie, You People.

It had its moments where I laughed, but overall, it’s average because it never quite got it right.

The cast alone must have set Netflix back a lot, because this movie isn’t here to play. The plot, story, and cast were cool up to a point, but then the movie took a path that boiled down to silliness and just became creepy.

This movie is about Ezra (Jonah Hill), a grown man from Jewish parents, who meets and falls in love with Amira, a grown woman from Black Muslim parents. The couple are fine with each other, and even Ezra’s parents welcome Amira with joy. But the stereotypical portrayal of Black people rears its head when Amira’s parents are shown as not being so down with the idea. At first, the way it was going seemed cool and funny, but then the movie took a turn. When the parents meet, I didn’t like how the Black family (or any family, for that matter) were portrayed as hostile jerks.

In reality, if a family doesn’t approve, they probably wouldn’t show up at all, instead of showing up and talking about a character’s anti-Semitic comments while proudly claiming to be a follower of such ideas. Nobody does that—it’s just wrong.

I liked this movie until halfway through, when everything fell apart. The families start comparing the Holocaust to slavery (Jews and Blacks), and I couldn’t believe it. Who does that? Even if someone did, why would anyone think I’d want to see that in a romantic comedy? The movie crossed every line between a social experiment and a rom-com. It would have been better if it fully committed to one genre—either comedy or drama focused on social issues.

The movie drips with things we’ve all seen before, borrowing ideas left and right. Still, after the first 10 minutes, I was sold. But then the families meet, and I wanted to return the ticket.

One thing that almost made me walk away before watching this was Kenya Barris. I haven’t liked much of his work (Soul (2020) was good, though), so I had a feeling this movie wouldn’t be for me—and I wasn’t wrong.

However, Julia Louis-Dreyfus was heads and shoulders the best thing that happened to this movie.

M3GAN (2022)

M3GAN (2022)

 

7/10

Starring

Allison Williams

Jenna Davis

Violet McGraw

 

Directed by Gerard Johnstone

 

The movie has a nice blend of horror and humor. It delivered the thrill I needed for the day—a fun, entertaining surprise pack that earned its box-office hit status. Honestly, I believe everyone needed to see it. The movie is like Chucky (Child’s Play), but instead of a doll possessed by the spirit of a serial killer, we have a possessive A.I.

I’m not surprised a part 2 is already in the works. I just hope they don’t ruin it by churning out endless sequels. There’s a scene in the movie where someone is stealing files related to the production of M3GAN, and I hope whatever plans they have don’t revolve around that.

What I appreciated was how the movie embraced its B-movie vibe without apology. The suspense was crafted so well that we didn’t need a supernatural possession to know the doll had evil intentions. The central idea revolves around an A.I. gone rogue, imprinting on a little girl and being hell-bent on ensuring she never sheds a tear again. The story starts with a drive to create something revolutionary—something that would blow the toy competition out of the water. That ambition led to the creation of M3GAN.

The little girl in the movie, Cady, loses her parents in a car accident and is placed in the custody of her aunt, Gemma. Gemma, however, is too wrapped up in her life as a programmer at a toy company to fully take on the role of guardian. Her latest project is M3GAN, an A.I. doll designed to help children grow and learn. Gemma decides to test M3GAN by having Cady imprint on her, making the A.I. see Cady as her primary operator.

Gemma’s shortcuts and added codes made M3GAN more independent and maternal than planned. This possessiveness over Cady intensifies, and since Cady is still grieving her family’s loss, she also becomes attached to M3GAN.

You can probably guess what happens next: possessiveness turns into obsession, leading to several unintended deaths.

The movie is a Blumhouse production, known for its low-budget horror films, many of which riff on mainstream movies we’re familiar with. Despite that, M3GAN is a fun watch anytime, it could be possible we are seeing an IP in the making.

What I would like is the next possible part 2 (if they decided they want to do it) should also be about someone else, so the movie can always have a fresh look.

The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

The Pale Blue Eye (2022)

 

5/10

 

Starring

Christian Bale

Harry Melling

Gillian Anderson

Lucy Boynton

 

Directed by Scott Cooper

 

One thing this movie does well is its surprising ending. It will catch you off guard how the case in question was already a done deal from the start. The movie feels like a charade, molded to fit what the lead, Landor (Christian Bale), wants it to be. This makes the involvement of Poe (Harry Melling) as an assistant detective in the matter seem silly, irrelevant, and ultimately misleading. His discovery comes off as too late for someone of his supposed intellect and character.

Acting-wise, you wouldn’t expect anything less from the talented cast, but the pacing of the movie has too many dragged-out moments that verge on boring to the point of sleepiness. The other arc in the story is filled with presumptions that are more off-putting than intriguing, making the whole experience a forgettable time on Netflix.

The story follows Landor, a former veteran detective, called back to duty to investigate the death of a cadet. The cadet was found hanged, but strangely, his body was in a sitting position on the ground.

Landor disagrees with the autopsy’s conclusion that the death was a suicide. He discovers that the cadet was struck on the back of the head before an attempt to hang him failed when another cadet approached. What’s even more bizarre about the case is that the body was mutilated, with the heart missing.

Landor takes on the case, and halfway through the movie—after being dragged through one poorly lit scene after another—another cadet is killed. This death mirrors the first, except the carving of the heart this time appears clumsier.

Landor’s investigation uncovers that the town’s doctor, who performed the autopsy, is involved in occult practices, casting suspicion on him and his family. Additionally, Poe’s altercations with the two dead cadets come to light, leading some to believe he may be connected to the murders.

The movie is an okay watch but not strong enough to recommend. It could have been better if it avoided the dull moments of Poe aimlessly trying to solve the case while Landor passively listens. More focus on the investigation itself, rather than unnecessary dialogue, would have improved the experience. Or if the writers had worked on giving us engaging dialogues that would be memorable.

The movie is still streaming on Netflix if you want to check it out as a Christian Bale fan, my advice, watch something else.