Review by Adam Donato

Review by Sean Boelman

Re-teaming duo Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar is either going to be hilarious or obnoxious for most viewers, depending on one’s sense of humor. There are a few decently charming moments to be found here, but it feels like most will see this for what it is: Kristen Wiig’s far less funny version of Austin Powers.

The film follows two best friends from a Midwestern town who are thrown into an unexpected adventure when they decide to go on a vacation and experience the rest of the world for the first time in their lives. What starts as a simple buddy comedy turns into something much more silly and convoluted, and it loses track of what would have made it shine.

This isn’t quite thrilling enough to work as an action-comedy, nor is it raunchy enough to be a very good sex comedy. That makes it little more than an exercise in self-indulgent absurdism. Either you’re in on the joke, or you’re left out in the cold, wondering who it is that is supposed to think this is funny.

Of course, there is a heavy-handed message about the importance of friendship and how honesty is essential for friendships to survive, but it’s nothing particularly unique or original to say. And the villain’s motivation and the moral that goes along with that story is even more frustratingly conventional.

The characters in the movie are sure to be divisive. Some will find them to be lovable goofs, but others (this critic included) will find them to be grating. Mumolo and Wiig are very obviously having the time of their lives here, but their welcome wears out a few minutes in as it becomes clear how one-note their turns are going to be.

Wiig does double duty here, also playing the film’s villain (further reminiscent of Austin Powers), but she seems to have put more effort into her half of the eponymous duo, for better or worse. Jamie Dornan is a potential scene-stealer, having the movie’s few genuinely funny moments, but he also feels a little out-of-place.

It is in a visual sense that the film shows the most potential, but it is rarely delivered upon. Only in a few scenes in which the movie truly embraces its campiness, like a few musical numbers, does the film live up to its promise of true quirkiness. More often than not, it feels like a bunch of ideas that might have been funny on their own but blend into something less satisfying.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar simply isn’t that funny, but not for lack of trying. Mumolo and Wiig seem to think this is hilarious, and so will some audience members who appreciate their comedy ridiculously over-the-top with no edge to it, and good for them. The rest of us will find it a chore to get through.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar hits VOD on February 12.

​Rating: 2/5

Review by Sean Boelman

Often when a filmmaker serves as writer, director, and star of a film, it is out of necessity, but Louise Linton’s Me You Madness is a vanity project if there ever was one. Inconsistent in pretty much every sense, this is a mildly entertaining but mostly forgettable film that could have used a clearer vision at the helm.

The film follows a young thief and an eccentric serial killer who match wits with each other when he tries to rob her house. In one sense, it desperately wants to be a female American Psycho, but it lacks the nuance or insight to pull that off, yet it is also too dark and bitter to be particularly successful as a romantic comedy.

Perhaps most damning is the fact that the film is divided pretty cleanly in two, and that structure doesn’t really work. For the first forty minutes or so, the film follows the serial killer as she takes advantage of the bumbling thief, only for them to be pitted against each other for the rest of the film. It’s such a massive shift that it doesn’t work.

There are also a lot of references and tongue-in-cheek moments in the film that largely don’t land. The near-constant breaking of the fourth wall becomes grating after a while, especially when the script seems to think that it is much smarter than it actually is. Brief glimpses of edginess interspersed with consistent over-the-top campiness is less than satisfying.

The idea of a wealthy female killer is an interesting one, but the personality that Linton gives to her is so scattered that it doesn’t exactly pay off. It feels like an amalgamation of so many other great characters that came before it. On the other hand, the romantic interest is about as cookie-cutter as they come.

Linton is most successful in the film as an actress. She brings an unhinged quality to the character that is pretty much the only thing holding this mess of scraps together. Co-lead Ed Westwick’s performance is far less memorable, although the chemistry he has with Linton is good enough to keep the viewer invested.

For better or worse, the film definitely isn’t lacking in visual energy. The editing style is truly erratic, there is some awful sound design, and Linton employs some annoying visual gimmicks. The only good thing about the execution is the soundtrack, which is filled with fun (if clichéd and basic) tunes to give the film a playful tone. 

Me You Madness should be an absolute nightmare, but somehow, it manages to be mostly bearable despite all the factors working against it. Even if it is an imitation of better films, it’s not the worst rip-off there has been.

Me You Madness hits VOD on February 12.

​Rating: 2.5/5

Review by Camden Ferrell

To All the Boys: Always and Forever is the third installment of the film series based on Jenny Han’s novels. Veteran cinematographer Michael Fimognari is back in the director’s chair after directing the film’s second installment. While the final movie in this series doesn’t tread new ground, it hits the same cheesy rom com beats as its predecessor and will please fans of the series.
 
Lara Jean is now a senior in high school. This year brings new challenges and changes in her life. She juggles her family, her future, and her relationship with Peter as new experiences prepare her for her future after graduation. This premise benefits the movie by being slightly different from its predecessors. There’s no gimmick like the first movie, and there’s no love triangle like the second, and this allows it to feel somewhat fresh in context of the larger story.
 
Katie Lovejoy’s first feature-length screenplay is as sweet and cheesy as one could expect. It pays homage to the rom com genre while simultaneously playing safely by its rules. This can lead the film to feeling very formulaic and predictable, but these movies revel more in its low-risk cuteness rather than any narrative deviations. It’s a sweet and simple script that is probably the best of the franchise even if it is just as boilerplate.
 
One could easily assess that the acting from the lead couple is strongest in this movie. After two movies, they both develop a genuine on-screen bond that is very believable while also being completely cliché. Lana Condor is as adorable and ambitious as she’s ever been as Lara Jean, and Noah Centineo finally plays a toned-down Peter. This allows the movie to feel more realistic, and it makes it easier for the narrative to highlight their connection. 

The first film was about them finding love, and the second was about enduring love through the drama of high school life. The reason the third one feels more visceral is that it’s about pushing love to the limits while our leads are on the cusp of adulthood. It’s the most honest the series has ever been. It is definitely not without flaw, but there’s a certain spark present that the previous film’s lack.
 
While this is the most accomplished film of the series, it still suffers from many of the same mistakes. I’ve already mentioned the inherent predictability and derivative nature of these movies. However, the movie also fails when it comes to the film’s supporting cast. The side characters don’t feel fleshed out, and they sometimes skirt the fence of believability.
 
Even though the film is still incredibly flawed and never really becomes anything beyond a cheesy Netflix rom com, it is a satisfying ending for our protagonists. It’s the ending that was always expected, but it’s nice to see a franchise wrap up their story so neatly for its die-hard fans. There are many things working against this film, but fan service is not one of them.
 
To All the Boys: Always and Forever will please fans of the franchise and of the rom com genre as a whole. It suffers from the same predictability and cheesiness of the previous films. However, if you enjoyed the first two films, you would absolutely adore the final movie in the series.
 
To All the Boys: Always and Forever is available on Netflix February 12.
 
Rating: 3/5

Review by Sarah Williams

Love letters are the most common surviving relic of relationships between women of the past. Diaries and notes are pieces together, getting a half idea if love affairs that, while not outwardly forbidden, went unnoticed in a male-driven society. These female friendships were often tinged with a burning passion, commitment beyond that to a husband. The World To Come is a chain of such love letters and diary entries, threaded into a delicate love tragedy, that though flawed, is so believably rendered, with a pleading, beating heart of chemistry.

Abigail (Katherine Waterston) has recently lost her daughter from diptheria in late 19th century Upstate New York. A winding diary entry monologue details her detachment from her husband and child, and how she feels that she has become her grief. Redhead whirlwind Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) falls into her life one day, met at the edge of their property, and the two women begin to meet often, and grow close, coming alive with the company. It's a romance film, but it's more about the awakening than anything. We see Abigail roll over in the night and express her newly articulated discomfort for physical intimacy with her husband before we ever see her and Tallie do the same.

​This, in large part, is a film about ecstasy, and finding something holy in love. Tallie's visits come weekly, and they're a light in Abigail's life that leaves her breathless and excited each time, even when it's something as simple as plucking chickens together. That religious ecstasy climaxes when Tallie's visit ends in a gently burning kiss. Abigail seats herself on a bench when she shuts the door behind her, and lays back against the table. Her arms outstretch, her neck cranes back, and dark hair and billowy dark sleeves and skirting pool around her. She looks to be sacrificed to some power above, spare for a sigh of pleasure that comes with having known joy in love that day.

For Abigail and Tallie, finding pleasure becomes like heaven. The two women find a certain freedom in their escapes together, laying in a small clearing in the forest for gentle affection. Small rays of sunlight find them here, and they are able to strip down a bit and blend in with nature in their joy. Abigail saves her money to buy an atlas, as she dreams of far off places, and longs for that tactile feeling of pages beneath her fingertips. For her, in those coming months, Tallie will become her world, and she'll be that atlas of pages of memories she can take to love on with her. Abigail once says "And you know what memory it is that I most cherish? It's of your turning to me, with that smile you gave me, once you realized that you were loved", and it really sums up the power she finds in having this brief love, and in being able to make someone else feel that same joy she does. Cliche, but it's the power of a good love story.

The film is far from without its issues, and they may overwhelm it for others. While many praised the score as innovative and beautiful, a fellow disappointment media critic referred to the sound as "like someone had deep-throated an oboe" after the Sundance screening. This is a minor and subjective issue, however, compared to the film's messy messaging when it comes to the finale. A turn for tragedy breaks the rhythm of the film, and feels unnecessarily cruel (not to mention the misplaced sex scene) when this plot point is there for a message that love can be what awakens you, and that the memory is important. There are so many less jarring ways to do this, that don't feel like a tonal pitfall, and changing the original short story ending feels warranted here. Abigail's diary entries sometimes feel like a copout to avoid showing the intricacies of dialogue, though they're usually wonderful. Also, this is a movie starring Casey Affleck. Do what you will with that.

The World To Come has its missteps, but the fantastic chemistry of those first two acts make it emotionally devastating enough some of its issues can be forgiven. It's bluntly realistic enough about each of the two women's situations, whether they be grief or an unhealthy relationship. This frankness makes the moments we don't see easier to fill in, easier to see what level of passion Abigail and Tallie have between the scenes. With splendid craft all around, it's an ideal Valentine's Day alone and cry movie.

The World to Come hits theaters February 12 and VOD on March 2.

Rating: 4/5