Review: Hello, My Name Is Doris (2016)

Sometimes you come across a film that stays with you for all the right reasons.  Hello, My Name Is Doris is that film.  I was so tired when I decided to watch it that I never thought I would finish it but it sucked me in and I couldn't turn it off.

Doris (Sally Field), is a sixty-something woman who has spent her life looking after her ailing Mother.  After attending a self help seminar she decides to pursue her romantic interest, John (Max Greenfield) who just happens to be half her age.

I spent most of this film with my hand over my face because I kept assuming that Doris was going to make a complete fool out of herself but everytime she just owned her decisions. I loved the positive message that it gives out that it doesn't matter what people think of you, it's what you think of you.  It really tugged at my heartstrings because I was judging her, I saw her wear an outfit and I assumed she was going to be laughed at but she wore it with such confidence that everyone loved it, and why the hell not.  I think more people in the world need to be like Doris. Last week I was ranting about how every office needs a dog (it does - but perhaps not your office Jenna!) but this week's rant is that every office needs a Doris! 

This movie was so cool! I was expecting a bit of a silly, slapstick kind of comedy (I didn't see the trailer) but this was something better than that. It was funny in all the right places, and it had a truly original storyline. Original to me at least, I've never seen anything like it. I lost interest in some of the slower parts of the movie, but it was definitely refreshing to see something so unique.

It's always good to see Max Greenfield (even if he's not playing Schmidt!) but Sally Field absolutely steals the show in this dramedy, playing the confident Doris who is just a little bit broken on the inside from the loss of her Mother and the insensitivity of her Brother.  I've decided this whole movie takes place in the New Girl universe, and the company they work in is in fact the marketing firm Schmidt works for...!

I still don't know how I feel about the ending! If you've seen it you'll know what I mean...it sort of has two endings. At first my reaction was 'NOOOOOO you ruined it', then I laughed till it hurt, and then my face kind of did this scrunchy thing when I realised it may have ended that way. I don't know, man...I don't know.

Review: They Came Together (2014)

I’m really riding out this Parks and Recreation obsession right now. I’ve moved onto the phase of looking up the entire cast’s filmography and consuming it as quickly as possible. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine…

They Came Together (2014) is a spoof rom com of sorts, starring Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd as a couple telling their friends over dinner one night about the story of how they met. They claim their story is just like a romantic comedy, and so the movie plays out their telling of the events. As we all like to do, many of the details are exaggerated, which is the core of the comedy in this movie.

Molly (Amy Poehler) runs her own boutique sweet store in New York City called Upper Sweet Side, and Joel (Paul Rudd) just so happens to work for a huge corporate business who are trying to shut Molly’s business down. It was hate at first sight!

So, here’s what I loved about this movie. The cast was amazing. It had so many of my favourite TV faces in (Cobie Smulders, Ed Helms, Jack McBrayer, Max Greenfield, Adam Scott, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, just to name a few) that I could have happily watched just to spot them all. The comedy style was right up my street. It almost has a Muppets feel to it, it’s so literal, which I realise will probably put a lot of people off straight away, but honestly, I love that kind of humour. 

Just a really quick example off the top of my head: Mollie is chatting with her colleague at the sweet store and her colleague warns her that Joel is right outside. Mollie gaps in horror and exclaims “But I look like a chimney sweep!” and then we see Mollie, literally dressed as a chimney sweep, with soot on her face and everything. It just tickles me!

I think the humour more than makes up for the predictable plot, but I don’t even think that needs to be apologised for. There’s a line Mollie says very early on in the movie that clearly indicates where the plot is going, so it was deliberate anyway.

My one gripe with They Came Together, and it pains me to say, is that some of the jokes fall so flat they’re quite painful. One minute I was actually crying from laughing so hard, and the next, a joke would fall so flat I winced and kind of wanted to pretend the moment never happened.

I imagine this movie really splits opinions, but my score will rest somewhere in the middle.

Bonus screenshot: