Good Boys – Review

Good Boys – Budget of $20 million – 1 hour and 29 minutes

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Tweens Max, Thor, and Lucas call themselves the Bean Bag Boys.  They are trying to navigate through their first year of middle school together.  One day, a popular kid dares them to take a sip of beer.  Max does it but Thor does not.  Thor is labeled ‘Sippy Cup’ but Max has gained respect.  Soren calls Max over to the cool table during lunch and invites him to a party.  Soren warns him that it will be a kissing party with girls.   Max accepts the invite if Lucas and Thor can come too.  Soren thinks Lucas and Thor are basic.  But Max stands up for his friends, scoring them an invite too.  Max walks over to their table and tells them they are invited to a kissing party with the cool kids.  Only problem: none of them have ever kissed a girl.  Max is excited because his crush Brixlee will be there.  First, they look-up kissing on the internet and are horrified.  Then, they find Thor’s parents’ “CPR” doll but it’s a little crusty.  Finally, the boys have the idea to use Max’s dad’s work drone.  Max’s dad has warned him to never touch it.  But Max gets it and attempts to spy on Thor’s female neighbor hoping to see her kiss her boyfriend.  Before they can see a kiss, Thor and Max flight over the drone controller.  The girls see the drone and knock it down.  Now the boys must get the drone back or they will be grounded and Max will never get to Soren’s party and kiss Brixlee.

This is a coming-of-age story meets Superbad (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  If you can handle little kids kissing, cursing, and unknowingly playing with adult toys, then you can handle this movie.  Anyone else will be wildly uncomfortable.  While their crazy adventure leads these boys to a frat house, a paintball fight, and a quest for Molly, you are given small glimpses to remind you that they are still kids.  Lucas is constantly telling the truth.  Thor just wants to belong.  And Max wants to kiss his crush.  They like D&D, Fortnite, and climbing trees.  At heart, they are kids trying to get to the next stage in life together.  This movie embraces that journey is the funniest way possible.

I give it 4.5 out of 5 stars

What about me? I’m I just gonna have to sit here – Lucas

Do you know what it’s like to want to rub up against a tree all the time – Max

Shut up, Atticus.  Your dad has 2 DUIs.  That’s why he has to take the train to work every day – Thor

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Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Review

Where’d You Go, Bernadette – Budget greater than $20 million – 1 hour and 49 minutes

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Bernadette won the MacArthur Grant for her stunning architecture and revolutionary furniture design ideas.  She repurposed materials before it became trendy.  While she is a standout in her field, she has not designed anything for years.  She has ignored the renovations she wanted to attempt her home, only works virtually with an assistant in New Delhi and passive-aggressively fights with her neighbor Audrey.  Over the last few days, Bernadette’s husband – Elgin – has started worrying about her behavior.  He thinks she needs help but their daughter Bee thinks she needs to get out.  Bernadette and Elgin promise Bee she could do anything she wanted it she got perfect grades.  She did her part, now the promise is due.  Bee wants to take a trip to Antartica.  Bernadette wants to say no because Elgin has to work.  Elgin wants to say no because Bernadette doesn’t like to travel.  So, they both say yes.  As the trip gets closer, Bernadette’s behavior becomes more and more unsteady and combative.   After a heated exchange with Audrey and a visit from the FBI, Elgin is staging an intervention.  In the middle of the intervention, Bernadette excuses herself to the bathroom and never comes out.  The FBI agent kicks down the door and finds an open window but no Bernadette.  Elgin believes she will come back when she is ready.  Bee is determined to look for her mom.  So, where’d you go, Bernadette?

Based on Where’d You Go Bernadette by Maria Semple, the question isn’t about a physical location (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer). It’s more mental.  Bernadette was a shining star with great potential and a lot of ideas.  She loved to build, not only to create but to solve problems.  When her spirit was broken and she couldn’t create, she slowly started to remove herself from the world.  The mystery isn’t where she is located but her mental state.  If you are a fan of sarcastic jokes and self-reflection movies, this is the one for you.  Otherwise, wait for Netflix.

I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars

Oh my god. That’s a yes. We’re going – Bee

Any pigs will be arrested for trespassing – Bernadette

We are trying to attract the right kind of kindergarten family – Audrey

Why can’t you get along with our neighbors? Why can’t you get along with anyone? It can’t always be their fault – Elgin

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47 Meters Down: Uncaged – Review

47 Meters Down: Uncaged – Budget of $12 million – 1 hour and 29 minutes

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Step-sisters Mia and Sasha live different lives at school.  Sasha hangs out with her friends Alexa and Nicole every day.  But Mia has no friends and is relentlessly bullied.  Sasha refused to help Mia and Mia doesn’t want Sasha as a sister.  Mia’s dad has unexpected work.  To make up for his unavoidable absence, he pays for the girls to take a boat ride with a see-through bottom to view Great White Sharks in their natural habitat.  Sasha instantly hates the idea because the boat ride is a tourist thing.  Mia is a little excited.  When Mia and Sasha arrive to board the boats, Mia sees her bullies there too.  Soon, Alexa and Nicole are calling Sasha’s name.  Alexa knows a beautiful place that no tourist will be able to find and she wants Sasha to come with them.  Sasha wants to go to and ask Mia to come along with them.  When Mia starts to ponder the idea, Sasha lays out her options.  Hang out with them and do cool stuff.  Or hang out on the boat and be bullied the entire trip.  Mia picks hanging with Sasha.  The girls have a great time swimming and Mia starts talking about the Mayan underwater caves.  Alexa saw them once when Ben took her down for a date.  Nicole and Sasha want to see the caves.  There is diving equipment nearby, so the girls take a dive.  They find an underwater cave and start to explore.  They come across a Mexican tetra.  Nicole scares it and it screams, causing her to fall back and hit a column which kicks up dirt.  The girls can’t see anything and lose communication with each other.  Alexa feels something grab her.  It’s Ben.  He laughs because she never grabbed a guideline to find her way back.  While he’s gathering all the girls to take them back, a massive great white grabs Ben and eats him.  The girls run and the shark is on their tail.  They find a small passageway and go through it.  As the shark hits the passage opening to get them, the passage to cave in.  The girls can’t go back the way they came in, they have to find another way with only less than 50% air.

Sequel to 47 Meters Down, tries to up the ante with the hunted being able to swim freely (FTC Affiliate Disclaimer).  With no metal barrier to protect them from the sharks attack, there is no safe place to hide.  There are some jump scares but they are all predictable.  The kills are not too gruesome but some scenes can get too emotional.  Unlike the first movie, the second is lacking the fear of going up.  In the first movie, 47 meters was an important factor.  The girls could not come up too fast or it would kill them.  In this movie, 47 meters is not a factor because the girls never go that far down in the water.  This movie is more a mix between Crawl and Deep Blue Sea.  They even have a ‘Sam Jackson’ moment.  If you are a fan of shark week see this movie as a matinee.  Otherwise, wait for Redbox.

I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars

She’s not my sister – Mia

It’s not my fault that nobody likes her – Sasha

Yes, teacher – Nicole

Follow me – Alexa

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