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Review by Cole Groth  Unsung Hero is your standard religious drama. If you're aware of the Christian music scene, you've undoubtedly listened to the work of the Christian pop band for KING & COUNTRY. The band, led by Australians Joel and Luke Smallbone, has won four Grammys since 2015 and has solidified themselves as one of the biggest Christian bands of our time. Now, the band's lead singer, Joel Smallbone, is ready to tell his life story as the director and lead actor in this basic, overdramatic biopic of his family and upbringing. With too much focus on religion and not enough good character moments, this falls flat across the board. Taking place in the early 1990s, Unsung Hero tells the story of David and Helen Smallbone, two hard-working Australian immigrants moving to Tennessee with their six children. The move to America isn't as bright as it seems, with the two facing many trials and tribulations on their journey to raise one of the most successful modern Christian artists. It's a narratively satisfying story that doesn't offer much of a unique perspective — the Smallbones face many challenges along the way but ultimately get through it thanks to their Christian faith. At the beginning of the film, Joel and Luke explain the thesis of the film's existence as a love letter to their parents and God. There's something very endearing about the fact that this was made less as an explanation of why the Smallbones are so successful but as a testament to their parents. David, the patriarch, is played by Joel himself and is shown to be an endlessly hard-working man alongside Helen, who tirelessly stretches every dollar in an attempt to feed her family. Even after working dozens of odd jobs to make ends meet, the Smallbones constantly find themselves with nothing left to their name. It feels a little unbelievable sometimes because even after receiving so much aid from others and getting so much work, the family is still totally broke. So, we're left with two conclusions: Joel is overplaying how much his family struggled or how hard his parents worked. Either one cuts into the credibility of the film.  The thing about Unsung Hero is that because the successful children tell the story, there aren't any flawed characters here. Joel and Helen are unflappable in their efforts to raise their children right and never do anything wrong. I don't get the impression that the story is entirely honest, and even if the Smallbones were such a flawless family, it's just not particularly interesting to watch. Every problem is one entirely because of the doing of others and gets solved through the family's resilience, Jesus, or the generosity of the kind Christians who surround them.
From a production standpoint, this is an entirely competent film. It's a tad long at almost two hours, but the editing is at least interesting enough to be a little captivating. The cinematography can be interesting at times, and the acting is good. Joel Smallbone, Daisy Betts, Kirrilee Berger, and Jonathan Jackson are a few of the actors in a very large cast that delivers a good performance, but Smallbone and Betts are clear standouts as the leads. As a film about for KING & COUNTRY, you'd probably expect more music to be made by the brothers of the band. Instead, all of the bland music featured in the film is from the daughter, Rebecca, instead. Those wanting to see how the band came to be might be disappointed by the lack of the brothers behind it. Unsung Hero falls into the pitfalls of almost all Christian films, having a contrived conflict entirely solved by faith in Christianity. The Smallbones face one true flaw in their parenting: they're too caring. Even when David gets angry at his children, it's clear that he has the best intentions when talking about what he's talking about. Even after the big argument in the film, the next scene undoes any potential conflict viewers might have about the characters. Fans of Christian filmmaking will probably not find much wrong with this, but is it too much to ask these types of movies to be less overbearing? Everybody but the Christians in this film are cruel to the Smallbones, making this feel like an ultimately shallow film. Unsung Hero releases in theaters starting April 26 Rating: 1.5/5
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Review by Cole Groth  Brittany Snow’s led a great, varied career as an actress, and as the latest actor-turned-director, she’s proved to be amazingly capable of directing. In Parachute, her debut feature, she carefully and confidently navigates the struggle of having an eating disorder. With a compelling script and good technical style, Snow masterfully weaves a dramatic story with the help of perfect performances from its stars. Parachute navigates the hard-to-talk-about world of eating disorders. Snow’s script, penned alongside Becca Gleason, tells the story of Riley (Courtney Eaton), a woman recently discharged from rehab for her struggles with an eating disorder. Once out, she meets Ethan (Thomas Mann), a charming young man with whom she instantly finds a connection. Throughout the film, the two grow together on a romantic journey of self-discovery for Riley. It’s incredibly important that films about eating disorders handle them with grace and carefulness, which Snow is fully able to do. Snow and Gleason’s script is an amazing drama because it never feels overbearing, even when the circumstances of the story are overbearing for the characters. It’s dramatic without being overly so, incredibly romantic and charming. Snow struggled with an eating disorder in the past and uses her past experiences to subtly fill in the horrors of going through one. It’s painful to watch but important.  Beyond the tender way Parachute’s script handles addiction and eating disorders, it also excels with its dialogue. It’s little things like Riley referring to her eating disorder as an “eating thing” that sound like they were written from the perspective of somebody who understands what having an eating disorder is like. It’s authentic and never once degrading. Each conversation between Riley and Ethan sounds natural and up-to-date, with modern lingo that does not sound like it’s trying too hard to be relatable. It’s a romantic, funny, and dramatic script that perfectly handles each subgenre.
With a terrific story and great dialogue, the last thing this film needed to succeed was a good pair of actors with chemistry. Courtney Eaton and Thomas Mann are that pair. The two feel like a real couple, burdened with the trauma of their pasts and moving together like two perfectly intertwined souls. They’re joined by a terrific supporting cast of Gina Rodriguez, Kid Cudi, Francesa Reale, Dave Bautista, and Joel McHale. In a cast where the two leads are already such knockouts, it’s nice to see the supporting cast pull their weight just as well. Dramas about sensitive subjects like eating disorders can often struggle with feeling too intense or boring, something that Brittany Snow can handle very well in Parachute. Her first directorial effort is a compelling watch on all fronts, showcasing the best of everybody involved. It’s clear that Snow has a bright future in writing and directing and that Courtney Eaton is an up-and-coming star. By all accounts, this is worthy of a watch. Parachute is now in theater. Rating: 4/5 Review by Cole Groth  Dark comedy is hard to get right. Bob Byington’s Lousy Carter falls into the trappings of most weak films of this genre, with a script that’s far too cynical and abrasive to deliver as many laughs as it should. With a short runtime and a decent cast, fans of this genre might have fun watching this, but those expecting more than a few chuckles will be surprised when they watch this incredibly dry and mean-spirited comedy. Lousy Carter tells the story of an eponymously pathetic professor (David Krumholtz) diagnosed with a terminal illness. With only six months to live, Bob Byington gives us a darkly comedic look into the life of a man with nothing to lose, who somehow loses even more than he bargained for. Over a quick 76-minute runtime, we watch Lousy (yes, his actual name) destroy any existing relationships through a series of stupid decisions. The problems with this film lie in its lousy (heh) screenplay. At its core, it fails because Byington is projecting his sardonic views of the world in a way that doesn’t feel realistic. Most of the characters here are caricatures of real people. At one point, Lousy engages in an affair with his best friend’s wife, only to be told that it drew the two closer together because Lousy was so bad at sex. It’s a funny thought when written down, but the way it plays in the film is about as unfunny as possible. There are certain spots where the film is amusing, but more often than not, it’s balanced with an eye-rollingly dumb joke.  For what it’s worth, David Krumholtz is decent in this. He’s a very talented actor, and after having a good role in Oppenheimer, it seems like his career is on the up and up. He’s joined by a decent cast, including Olivia Thirlby, Martin Starr, and Stephen Root. The actors are mostly let down by their parts, but Root is a particularly fun addition to an otherwise bland set of performances.
One particularly weak element is the cinematography. Some shots appear to be done with an iPhone, filmed with horrendous lighting and jarring cuts. Simply put, this film is as ugly to watch as its heart is. It’s unpleasantly edited and strangely confusing when it shouldn’t be. From any production standpoint, this is a flop. Since this was filmed in 15 days, it’s unsurprising that it doesn’t look very good, but you’d hope that the script could make up for any oversight in the production value — it doesn’t. The slice-of-life storytelling will not prepare you for the ridiculousness of the film’s ending. There’s a big twist that it ends up being almost admirably stupid. If you think this guy’s life couldn’t get worse, you’ll have your jaw on the floor, as Byington shows how much worse it can get. David Krumholtz is a very funny man, and it’s sad to see how few laughs this comedy gets. It’s a film that deeply misunderstands the real world and tries too hard to relate to a younger generation. Maybe it’s worth the watch, but if you’re in the mood for something funny, Lousy Carter might be too dry to elicit many laughs. Lousy Carter is now available on VOD. Rating: 2/5 Review by Cole Groth  Why do aging actors insist on taking roles in bizarre crime/thrillers? Russell Crowe’s talents have been sorely wasted in films like Sleeping Dogs because he’s a fun actor turned exceptionally boring when constrained to something like this. Despite a few interesting twists and turns, this is one of those films that will generally go unnoticed and ultimately forgotten in almost no time. Sleeping Dogs follows Roy Freeman, a retired policeman struggling with Alzheimer’s. After new information cracks open a cold case threatening to send a man to death row, Roy goes on a mind-bending journey to figure out who the true killer is. Along the way, he discovers that his past is not all he remembered, bringing a mysterious woman (Karen Gillan) into the case with him. Sleeping Dogs is the type of movie that puts an overbearing orchestral score of an alcoholic downing a bottle of vodka at a bar to show him reverting to his whole way. It’s never subtle when it should be; surprisingly, it is coy when explaining the stuff that matters. The complicated parts are dumb and remarkably simple, but every seemingly ordinary scene is hard to follow. The dialogue is over the top and rarely believable. For some odd reason, the opening premise of the film — a death row inmate trying to get the case reopened to save his life — is forgotten for almost the entire movie. For most of the runtime, it almost feels like the film will end without mentioning it.  It’s unsurprising and unfortunate that the acting isn’t very good here. Crowe is doing his best against a weak script but can only hold his own so well before it all falls apart. The cast surrounding him all have an overacting problem. Not much blame can be put on the actors when the script’s weakness holds them back from being good. Karen Gillan sounds like she’s ADR-ed in for every scene. Tomy Flanagan is this obnoxiously crooked-sounding cop, and Marton Csokas plays an uncanny valley-looking combination between Russell Crowe and Kevin Spacey as the lead villain.
What Sleeping Dogs may lack in writing quality, it makes up for with thrills. The twists and turns keep the two-hour runtime feel shorter, and sometimes it’s so ridiculous that it wraps around to being a little genius. It often feels like the screenplay was written quicker than the writer’s brains were going, with both writers frantically speaking over each other to get to the next big twist. For fans of noir thrillers, Sleeping Dogs could be a hit. Russell Crowe is convincing as the forgetful detective with a sinister past, and it’s an exciting ride to the end. With a weak script, confusing editing, and weak acting, this winds up like every other crime/thriller with an aging actor: stupid, over-the-top, and somewhat mean-spirited. It’s not a great watch, but it’s at least provocative. Sleeping Dogs releases in theaters starting March 22. Rating: 2/5 Review by Cole Groth  Lindsay Lohan’s return to film has so far comprised of three roles: the lead in a Lifetime-style Christmas rom-com (Falling For Christmas, 2022), a cameo in the musical reboot of one of her classic roles (Mean Girls, 2024), and now, a love-on-her-mind woman in Ireland in Irish Wish. If you’re a fan of rom-coms, you’ll probably have fun with this. With a fun fantasy twist, Lohan’s latest role offers something to differentiate itself from Netflix’s other rom-coms. It’s not very well written and boasts plenty of clichés, but as long as your expectations are low, expect a decent time. Maddie Kelly (Lohan) is traveling to Ireland to watch the love of her life (Alexander Vlahos) marry her best friend. After a spontaneous wish to be the one marrying her love instead comes true, she goes on a wild journey of self-discovery to learn that her true soulmate is somebody else entirely (Ed Speleers). You can probably guess how the rest goes. If you plan on watching this, it’s probably to see Lohan on the screen again. If that’s the case, you’re in luck! She’s great here. She’s a bubbly and cheerful presence and pretty funny, too. There’s some physical comedy here and there that’s sorta funny. Lohan is paired nicely with Speleers and Vlahos, who both play well as love interests. The rest of the cast is nothing special.  As far as the writing goes, nothing special is happening here. The screenplay relies on familiar tropes and not that much more. The dialogue is decent but sometimes impossibly cringeworthy. Lohan’s character is naive and a little too ridiculous at points. A few laughs are nicely placed throughout, but no joke stands out as anything more than a brief nose exhale. It’s a lot like other wish-fulfillment comedies, like Freaky Friday. A character gets into a wish that seems better than it is and then slowly learns to love their normal life — simple stuff.
It’s an enjoyable time, but one can only hope for something more interesting. At this point, Lohan has returned to the screens, and while her acting abilities are demonstrably limited, it would be nice if she went out into something better. Irish Wish struggles because it’s unmemorable. Many of Netflix’s films are like this: bring a star onto a poorly written and directed premise, watch it go to the top for a week, and then leave forever. If this film was trying to be something subversive or fresh, it could be a new classic for Lohan. A film career can’t be revived on cheesy rom-coms alone. At Tudum, Netflix’s annual press conference to announce their films, Lohan described the film as a “nice story of luck and love and confidence.” She put it great there, and the film isn’t trying to be anything more than just “nice.” You’ll be in and out in 90 minutes. Expect a few laughs, a few smiles, and a sappy kiss at the end. If soapy rom-coms are your thing, Irish Wish will satisfy that craving. However, in a week or so, when that craving comes back, just remember that this type of rom-com offers only a momentary distraction from this bleak world we live in. Irish Wish releases on Netflix on March 15. Rating: 2.5/5 |