Here are my film reviews for the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival (original posted on dose.ca‘s TIFF blog).
THE IDES OF MARCH
Starring: Ryan Gosling, George Clooney, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Jeffrey Wright, Max Minghella
Kinda Like: A political movie that you’d actually watch. (But don’t worry, it’s not really a political movie.)
Rating: 5 out of 5
The Deal:
Ryan Gosling stars as Stephen Meyers, an up-and-coming campaign press secretary who becomes entrenched in moral dilemmas while working for Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney), a Democratic presidential candidate. Clooney also co-wrote and directed the film, based on Beau Willimon’s Broadway play, Farragut North.
While working alongside a seasoned advisor (Seymour Hoffman) Stephen is offered the chance to join the competition during the final days of the all important Ohio presidential primary. Stephen must decide if he should further his career and betray his boss who just happens to be a friend and someone he believes in. This decision becomes harder to deal with once Stephen discovers a shocking campaign secret.
Make no mistake, Ryan Gosling is the lead actor in this film and is able to hold his own against vets like Clooney, Giamatti, Seymour Hoffman and Tomei. Combined with his recent release, Drive, Gosling is about to become one of the biggest leading stars in Hollywood, and it’s about time.
– Jeevan Brar/Dose.ca
**For press conference coverage, click here.**
JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME
Staring: Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, Judy Geer
Kinda Like: If Marshall never met Lily.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
The Deal:
Jason Segel stars as Jeff, a thirty year-old who still lives at home with his mother (Susan Sarandon) and is awaiting his destiny. Jeff, also a stoner, believes that all things in the universe are connected (as outlined in M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs).
Jeff needs to run an errand for his mother but gets sidetracked when he receives signs to find or follow a “Kevin.” This journey leads him to his estranged brother, Pat (Ed Helms), who is going through his own personal crisis — his wife (Judy Geer) could be having an affair.
Unfortunately we don’t see much of this family interacting with the mother or Jeff even living at home. Instead, we have Jeff, who just needs to reference better movies. Although the reunion of the brothers at the end is heartwarming, it remains unclear as to what caused the rift in the first placed.
– Jeevan Brar/Dose.ca
THE ORANGES
Starring: Hugh Laurie, Leighton Meester, Oliver Platt, Allison Janney, Adam Brody, Alia Shawkat, Catherine Keener
Kinda Like: Blair Waldorf has an affair with Dr. House
Rating: 3 out of 5
The Deal:
After breaking up with her fiance, Nina (Meester) returns home for Thanksgiving after a five-year absence. Her mother (Janney), immediately begins setting her up with Toby, the son of their neighbours/best friends. Things for both families turn sour as Nina and Toby’s father, David (Laurie), become increasingly attracted to each other and begin having an affair. We see the situation unfold from the eyes of Vanessa, who used to be Nina’s (Shawkat) childhood best friend until Nina made a play for her crush.
As you’d expect with this cast, the performances were pretty solid. Their biggest strength was with their comedic timing. Shawkat, Laurie and Janney all delivered. However, the subject matter is pretty serious. This affair has caused chaos for two families and best friends. What was missing was some more interaction between the former BFFs Nina and Vanessa and some heavy confrontation between Toby and David (After all, Dr. House did just steal Seth Cohen’s almost-girl).
– Jeevan Brar/Dose.ca
