0111 - Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon)

Okay, it's official now: I love Michael Haneke. I love Funny Games, and I love The White Ribbon. I am totally stressing the whole love thing, because quite often, I stumble upon someone stating that while Haneke is a filmmaker one might respect, you can't love him. Um, okay... why not? Oh I know, because he reveals the ugliness of mankind? Because his topics are too dark, too intense, too controversial? Admitting to love Haneke would be too politically incorrect. God forbid if anyone would relate to the 'sickos' he loves to portray. That would only prove we're just as sick as them.

Well, um, we are. And they're not 'sickos', they're just people. As I've already mentioned in my Funny Games review, it's not his movies that are disturbing, it's society. Haneke is brilliant at confronting. That makes his movies a no-go for hypocrites. He's brilliant at making you feel uneasy. That makes his movies a no-go for people who like to feel good, especially at the movies. One thing is for certain: Haneke doesn't make movies to eat popcorn to.

This movie is a riddle. And hell yeah, it makes me itchy and nervous, too, not being able to really solve it. To not know exactly. Like everyone else, I am used to being presented with a final answer, a resolution. Like everyone else, it pisses me off that I can't look it up somewhere, that not even Wiki has an answer. But isn't that like real life? I mean, when do we ever get to the truth of things? The most recent definite truth I could give you is that it was raining today. I am absolutely certain of that. Other than that, it's all one big fucken blur. Because the truth is an extremely fragile and subjective thing. Every day, we are confronted with questions we'll never find answers to. And I don't mean metaphysical stuff, I mean the simplest, most mundane things. Like for example... I am obsessed with trying to read minds. I have to read the minds of people, be it the sales clerk, the mailman or a new crush. I want to know their truths. But I can't. I can only observe and draw my conclusions from that. And it drives me crazy, in a similar way as this movie.

And that's what makes The White Ribbon so brilliant. It doesn't offer an answer. Some complain that makes Haneke 'controlling', but maybe it's the exact opposite. I mean, it's pretty fucken liberating that the anwers lie solely within ourselves. And how great is it to have your brains tickled, to speculate, to witness other people trying to find their answer. It's an adventure, really -- trying to get to the core of the movie. I really can't think of contemporary filmmaker who's as thought-provoking as Haneke. If you know one, please let me know.

If you are receptive to those Haneke ways, this movie will stick with you for a while. The more you think about it, the more you will become aware of its richness, its complexity. And how frustrating -- it will always be smarter than you! Just when you think you have it figured out... a whole new perspective, a new truth will reveal itself. I mean, there's just so much in this movie. Just the symbolism! You'd have to watch it several times to merely notice the richness of details, and how much they add to the story, to understanding. Just as in Funny Games, Haneke makes brilliant use of the simplest visual details. And here, the beautiful black and white cinematography (yeah, another Oscar nomination!) only add to that.

This is a story about... gee, about everything? About innocence and sin. About crime and punishment. It's about the ugliest ugliness and the prettiest birds (no, no parrot this time, hehe). Against the backdrop of a small village in Germany, shortly before World War I., this story is told in a minimalistic and extremely atmospheric style. The mood is very oppressive. The uneasy feeling I had felt only too familiar. I think the reason why I could relate so well lies in my background. I come from a very similar region with a similar mindset. I come from rigidly Catholic mountain farmers, roots you can't escape, and the way this movie was narrated felt like listening to my dad or an old uncle telling stories about the old days. And yeah, some of the stories were 'strange', like the ones in this movie. Whenever my dad would tell stories about his youth, the pictures that took shape in my head looked so much like this movie. So many of the people in this movie felt extremely familiar to me because of my background, as if they were 'my people'. And I kinda left me feeling homesick, for all the ugly and pretty things of my homeland.

A great movie that totally deserves to go grab that Oscar for Best Foreign Picture. Oh, and it will.


Trailer

0110 - Love Happens

'Just be careful. Men... are hairy.'

Simple formula, and nothing you haven't really seen yet, a little sappy, a little whiny, but it worked for me. I cried my eyes out, especially in the scenes with the parrot. You give me touching scenes involving an animal and I will happily cry for hours. It always, always, always works. That's the straightest way into my heart.

Aaron Eckhart plays a successful self-help guru for people in grief; while he does help many people dealing with the loss of a loved one, he seems to forget helping himself. That's what the lovely Jennifer Aniston was made for, to help him help himself, and yeah... everything will be alright, eventually.

Don't feel like analyzing it too much, and even if I felt like it... there just isn't a whole lot to analyze. It's a simple movie that was made to work with its target audience, and while the whole grief thing didn't really get to me (too cliché, too manipulative), it was good for a decent cry. Been a while since I cried this good during a movie, and now that I have, I feel that was just what I needed. Nothing more, nothing less. And if a movie makes you cry, it can't be that bad. And... I have to give away a Breathing Movies Award for good musical taste -- Aniston treats Eckhart to a Rogue Wave concert, and it's got that great Postal Service song in it, too, We Will Become Silhouettes.

I loved Martin Sheen in this. And the final scene with him and the parrot. The parrot, oh gee, the parrot!

Please note: this movie isn't really about a parrot.


Trailer

0109 - Big Fan

'I don't need to drink piss to know it tastes like piss.'

Seen it a while ago, and wasn't sure what to think/write about it. I guess I was a little disappointed because it was one of my most anticipated movies of 2009, and it took me a very long time to get my hands on it. So while you wait, you're piling up expectations, and the fact that it was gonna be the directorial debut from Robert Siegel, the writer of The Wrestler, didn't exactly help in keeping cool either.

I really like Patton Oswalt. He's got that tragic clown charisma. He's funny and heartbreakingly sad at the same time, like a lot of the great comedians. Good humor always draws from pain, and he made full use of this here. It all felt very natural. The rest of the cast was good too, especially Kevin Corrigan, a very likable and underrated character actor.

Oswalt plays Paul, an obsessed New York Giants fan, a wise-assed "simpleton" who lives with his mom on Staten Island, and whose highlights of the day consist of masturbation and calling in to the nightly sport's radio show to debate on the latest football game. One night, while out with his loyal best bud (Corrigan), he accidentally bumps into his favorite Giant -- Quantrell Bishop. They get tangled up in a big misunderstanding, and Bishop ends up beating the living shit out of Paul, his biggest fan.

The character study really begins here, 'cause Paul refuses to reveal his attacker, refuses to sue Bishop for the pain he has caused him. He doesn't want justice. He just wants Bishop to play football, so he can watch him play, and hell, he can't interfere that with a lawsuit! He just wants to forget it, have his life back (masturbating and obsessing over the Giants). Unfortunately, the consuming headaches, an inquisitive detective and Paul's family keep reminding him of the incident and what would be the right thing to do.

Intended or not, there's a very interesting parallel to domestic abuse. Just like a wife who stays with an abusive husband, who endures being humiliated and beaten. Loyal, devoted and dependent, she will excuse him and defend him in front of her family and friends -- and herself. She does not want to hear about him having flaws, and don't you dare pointing them out to her, for her picture of him must remain intact. That's Paul, and his idol Bishop is the abuser. Same pattern.

There's a couple of good one-liners, but oftentimes, they feel a little too thought-out. Too often during a dialogue you would hear the writer instead of the character, if that makes sense? It just felt as if Siegel wrote lines for the characters instead of hearing out what they have to say. So this made it a little contrived and felt as if Siegel didn't take his characters seriously. That bothered me. Or when something was funny, you could tell Siegel intentionally wanted to write something funny, and that intention was a little too obvious.

Totally loved the ending. Because Paul hasn't learned anything, hasn't come to senses, hasn't come out a "better person". He wasn't on a fucken "journey". No, he is still Paul, the same Paul we met at the beginning of the movie: a die-hard Giants fan who devotes his whole life to them. That's what he wants to do, that's his happiness. No character development, no enlightenment, very anti-mainstream Hollywood. I really liked that. 'cause that's probably what it would be like in real life.

All in all, it's a very interesting character study, but a not so great movie. It was just really tedious to watch. I actually fell asleep a couple of times. Which made me feel guilty, because I kinda think it's an important movie. See? I am still not sure what to think of it.

I guess you just have to find out for yourself. And I guess I just feel bad for not liking it as much as I wanted to.


Trailer

0108 - Mammoth

'Why don't you go sit on a beach, each a peach?'

Really liked this movie for a bunch of reasons. For its visuality, its poetry, its mood and -- above all -- the excellent performances by Michelle Williams, Gael García Bernal and most of all the little girl who plays their daughter, Sophie Neyweide. It was super easy to empathize with all of the main characters in this film.

Director Lukas Moodysson gave his actors a lot of space, let them take their time to help create the powerful mood of this film, accentuated by the contemplative and poetic cinematography. I loved the scene where Bernal encounters an elephant, and both just stand there and stare at each other. Made my cry a little, and I can't even tell you why. Probably because I always cry when I see animals. Or because its silence worked. There's a lot of scenes of equal power, and they all rely on mood. Moodysson movies are indeed moody! Omen est nomen.

There's only one thing I didn't like about this movie. It did get a little preachy at times. I am not a big fan of films that take you to the third world to show you how poor the people on the other side of the planet are, simply because of that very preachy and political tone. However, it wasn't so unbearably preachy for it to ruin the movie. And Moodysson gave it a certain complexity by letting a Philippine grandmother tell her grandson how good he has it by confronting him with even poorer folks.

Also, while I mentioned it was easy to empathize with the characters, at times it felt a little pushed, as if Moodysoon put a little too much focus on evoking empathy from the viewer. That felt slightly manipulative. Less would have been more, in this case.

I read this movie was "loudly booed" after its screening at the Berlin Film Festival last year. I'm not sure why, but I have a feeling it has political reasons. From what I read, this movie is considered to deal with the topic of globalization, mainly the down side of it, and I guess that's what people reacted to? I am not a political person, I don't think in political patterns, I don't know anything about economy or politics, so to me, this movie is much more about people trying (and failing) to be close, and the emptiness we feel when we don't experience real and deep human connection. Whether we live in New York City, Thailand, on the Philippines or anywhere else.

Confronted with the the Berlin booing, Moodysson said that the audience probably didn't understand the film the way he understands it. So maybe I understood it the right way, ‘cause I'd rather applaud than boo. Sometimes it's good not to be political because you might just catch the essence of something, rather than what you read into it based on your personal opinions and views.

A good and smart movie with fantastic performances. And it's got Cat Power's "The Greatest" in it.


Trailer

0107 - Leatherheads

'You're just acting like a big baby 'cause you miss your mother's bosoms.'

Leatherheads, directed by George Clooney, is a really charming screwball comedy. Even though it looks like a film about football, that's more of a side plot. It's really a story about morality with a lot of heart and good laughs. Even though I kinda grew tired of Clooney over the past few years, I gotta say it was pretty hard to resist his charms in this film, with his wiggly head and all. So yeah, I kinda like him a little bit again. But not as much as Renée Zellweger. I adore her. I wanna bathe her tiny little feet in rose water. No, seriously, I have a feeling the next decade is gonna be really kind to her, kind to us, for it will bless us with wonderful and mature performances by this brilliant woman. Age really becomes her. I really feel the older she gets, the more she's allowed to live up to her potential. See, that's the good part about brains. You got the brains, you'll still get work, even after you hit forty. Probably your best work, too. If you're Jessica Alba, you're done with twenty-seven and stuck with childbearing.

Zellweger and Clooney have perfect chemistry. Whether they used to be an 'item' or not (which would be pretty surprising, 'cause let's face it, Clooney isn't exactly known for having such a great taste in women), it's obvious these two are very acquainted and completely comfortable with each other. They really make a cute couple (damn, they should be a couple! Instead, she's dating that ugly loser guy... what's his name? Bradley Copper something. Gee. Does this woman have EVERYTHING or WHAT?! Gets to look at George‘s butt the whole day, and when she gets home at night, one might think it can only get worse. Yah, think again. 'cause there he is! Naked Bradley chillin' on her couch... ugh, I think I hate her). Anyways! It was just a joy to watch them tease each other, throw witty remarks back and forth, pretend to hate each other when in fact it's quite the opposite.

It sure as hell helped that the dialogues were superbly written. I liked how the romantic parts of the story never got corny, not even in the end. And, as a woman, I do feel the need to mention that for a movie that was written by two guys, they carved out one hell of a female lead. She's strong, tough, witty and extremely smart, but still remains soft and vulnerable as every woman should. Usually, in mainstream Hollywood, the female is written as a sort of "decoration" to make the male lead look better, she's there to fall in love with him, to admire and support him in his adventures and endeavors. If that isn't the case and the female does get to be the main character, she usually is some sort of superhero in a push-up bra and tight pants, something like Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider. Too often, that's the male definition of a strong female in mainstream films, written by men, written for men. Here, however, with the character of Lexie Littleton, the two writers really fleshed out a realistic woman, who's smart and sexy without having to wear a leather jumpsuit. And most of all, she's real and relatable.

I really liked how old-fashioned this movie was -- not only because it was set in the 20s, but also the way it was written, the whole mood... it was just very sweet and not ashamed of it. They even kinda ride into the sunset together at the end, and not even that feels corny. Just plain sweet. I always thought you could easily put Clooney in one of those old black and white classics, and he'd fit so perfectly, nobody would notice. He really is one of the few actors today that have this aura of a classic movie star. No wonder he has such a passion for movies of that era, and you can tell he put a lot of heart into this film. And Renée fits that time perfectly, as well. They both have that classic movie star thingy going on. They both also have a natural talent for slapstick, and when they do it, it never seems embarrassing. Clooney actually reminded me a little bit of Jack Lemmon in this movie (<-- wow, that's quite the compliment. Imagine someone coming up to you and saying: "Hey there, you remind me of Jack Lemmon". That's probably as good as it gets).

Also loved John Krasinski. He completed the delightful threesome. He's a very likable actor.

It's a very likable film without trying too hard. Not a masterpiece by any means, but solid entertainment with great performances and nice little details (loved the cow at the beginning). It might just brighten your day (if you happen to need that as much as I do).

And as a special treat: here's a hilarious little interview with Zellweger and Clooney, promoting this very film.

Trailer

0106 - Julie & Julia

I'm slightly disgusted by this movie. Or rather, the story behind it.

I really enjoyed the Julia parts. Meryl Streep was delightful in her portrayal of Julia Child, an excentric and modern woman with a passion for cooking. And I especially loved the depiction of her marriage with Paul Child, played by the fantastic Stanley Tucci. Streep and Tucci have excellent chemistry together, they really appear intimate like husband and wife. It was a wonderful portrayal of two people who stay lovers and best friends for a lifetime. Really loved that, and it was the best part about this movie.

Julie Powell, also someone who exists in real life, is played by Amy Adams. Stuck at a dead-end job, she wants to be/feel more special, special like Julia Child for example, her big idol, so she decides to cook her way through the famous cookbook by Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. 524 recipes in 365 days. And she's going to blog about it. She does this for one sole reason: to stick with something, to finish something once in her life. Great! I mean, that's a great idea, and I can certainly relate. But you quickly realize that it isn't about any of that. That her intentions aren't that pure. She only wants attention, her own fifteen minutes of fame. She's depressed when she doesn't get any comments on her blog, hysteric when she does, and the more fans she gains, the more self-absorbed she becomes. To the point where even her husband notices what the audience has noticed long ago: "You're totally narcissistic."

She does pull through her project, sweats blood, makes it look like it's the hardest endeavor anyone has ever embarked in -- oh, the hardship! -- and by the time those 365 days are over, the phone can't stop ringing. Literary agents, all wanting to offer her a book deal. She's a celebrity now, too.

Her blog does get published as a book, a book her half of the movie is based on. When the movie was over, I researched her a little, and I was kinda grossed out. After the success of her book, she apparently had some steamy affairs and obviously had to find something new to get some attention. What better than becoming a butcher? Yeah, a butcher. All of a sudden, that's her big passion now. I read an interview and it was crystal-clear she only did this because she wanted to stand out as the only female in a male profession. Her next book is called Cleaving: a Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession. And again, having read about it, she again makes it look like she wrote it to 'deal with the things that happened after the huge success of her first book', to 'come to terms', to analyze what happened. Why she cheated on her husband, yadda yadda. I do a lot of analyzing, too, and you can actually do that sitting in your room, you know, or while butcherin'. You don't necessarily have to let the whole world know about it.

In that, her part of the film is a pretty good portrayal of the times we live in, although I am sure this wasn't the movie's intention. How easy it is to get attention, by way of mediocrity. And how happy we are with mediocrity. You know, if you read about the big writers, back in the days, or still today, geniuses, amazingly talented, with so much to tell... how hard they had (and still have) to struggle to get a book published, how long it took them to get recognition. Some didn't live to experience that recognition. So in that sense, the movie draws a fairly good portrait of the times we live in now. Everything has to be quickly accessible and short. Today‘s people read blogs instead of novels, so the book industry publishes blogs instead of novels. That's where the money is, right? If all her followers buy her book, and tell all their friends about it, then... well, you do the math. And so another talented fellow or fellowine has to keep on washing dishes, to make room for short-lived and easily digestible 'sensations'.

What disgusted me the most was the hypocrisy behind this film. The release of Powell's new book, you know, the one with the catchy title and the steamy content, apparently was delayed because the makers of the film feared it would harm the films 'reputation'. They didn't want to spoil the success of Julie & Julia, for it was so well received. That's so disgusting it makes me want to puke.

The only thing I really loved about this story -- apart from Julie's cat -- was the fact that Julia Child didn't want to meet Julie. You know, Julie's big dream was to connect with Julia through her project, she pretty much used her project to stalk Child. To meet her in the end. But, haha, Julia didn't want to meet Julie. I know I‘m mean, but God, I laughed so hard. Child apparently 'didn‘t like her'. Well, she probably sensed that Powell was one big phony and only out to get attention. And it was such a pleasure to see Powell not get what she wanted the most. I love when Amy Adams sits on the bed with her husband and goes on whining. "Meh, Julia Child doesn't want to meet meeeeee! Julia Child doesn't like meeee! Meh!" And then her devoted husband says something real inspirational. And because the phone still keeps ringing, because she is so popular and loved now, she can and will deal with this horrible rejection. After all, so many people love her, right? I am worth something!

And then, they have sex. And from his reaction, you can tell he didn't get any for several months. But now that she got so much, she can give a tiny little blowjob back. Gee, excuse me, probably not a blowjob, after all, it's a chick flick, they made love, of course. I usually don't use gender terms (‘chick flick') to describe movies (or anything for that matter), 'cause I don't really believe in gender (roles), but yes, this is a chick flick. If this isn't, I don't know what is. Based on a chick book. Bestselling chick book, I should add. I mean, who in their right mind reads books about cooking? Only chicks would read something like that. And I don't mean a cookbook. A book about cooking! I rather eat than read about it.

Horribly written, too, by the way. Examples? 'Cooking makes me a better person'. 'I was drowning and then she pulled me out of the ocean'. You gotta be kidding. You know, I enjoy the old Nora Ephron movies, you know, back in the 90's, when Meg Ryan was still cute and looked like she always smelled of spring-scented detergent. But like Ryan, Ephron might have lost her spark, too. Especially if she decides to base a film on such a narcissistic and annoying character. Again, I am solely speaking of the Julie part of the movie. The Julia parts were great, they really felt like an entirely different movie. I guess those bits where better because they were based on Julia Child's book (My Life in France), whom I suspect of being a better writer than Powell.

Also... and I kinda hate to admit it, because everybody 'hearts' her so, but: Amy Adams has become so annoying. There's something so cocky, princessy and coquettish about her that has started to annoy me already a while ago. I think Amy Adams is someone you fall in love with real fast. But then again, it's someone you will fall out of love just as fast. At least that's what happened to me. First time I saw her -- poof! -- I was in love. Second time I was already kinda... meh. Third time, which was in the fantastic Sunshine Cleaning, I merely tolerated her and already sensed she would really annoy me in due time. As is the case now. I think Adams is trying way too hard to please, to be everybody's darling. And that's not an attractive trait. I mean, just her smile. Have you ever seen a more artificial, unnatural smile? I haven't. I might do her wrong, it's just my highly subjective feeling, but she just comes across as such a princess, and therefore, I couldn't help but feel a lot of similarities between Adams and the character she portrayed. I really feel she's a lot like the Little Miss Sunshine (Abigail Breslin). Utterly adorable at first sight, and downhill from there. I just rather fall in love gradually, and stay in love.


Trailer

0105 - Funny People

"My balls are for everybody." 

I seriously loved this movie. Lurved, loaved, luffed it (yeah, that was a quote from Annie Hall). When I saw the trailer a long time ago, I thought it looked really promising, I was pretty sure I was gonna like it a lot. And then it came out and I heard so many bad things about it. Not that I care too much what others think, but you still get kinda influenced by it. Subconsciously, you know. So, my expectations were a little damped. Still felt like watching it, though, and I finally did. Now I really feel like defending this movie, because I really don't see what's not to like. What's not to like, people of all nations?!

What I have observed is this: the typical Apatow fans, you know the kinda guys who think The 40-year-old Virgin and Knocked Up were "masterpieces", they don't seem to like Funny People. Not really surprising. It's simply too mature. I am not a fan of Apatow's previous work, too superficial, too conventional, too many immature dudes involving in annoying dude behavior. And as I'm sure I've mentioned before, Apatow writes really shitty and one-dimensional women. Come to think of it, he actually wrote the guys just as bad; both genders were extremely stuck in their predefined roles, both were extremely one-dimensional. Just that the guys always came off way better than the girls, 'cause they were the ones who got to say the funny lines, while the chick would roll her eyes. But! That was up to now. The new decade will reveal a whole new Judd Apatow, that's what my crystal ball says.

Funny People still has a little of all that, of course, but its focus lies in such a completely different place than in his previous work. And even though I am really biased towards his work, and therefore watched it with a real critical eye, I had to look out pretty damn hard to find these flaws. And I guess at one point, you just gotta let go. So he can't write women, fuck it. Get over it, I said to myself. And I did and really enjoyed the movie. It's one of those movies you don't want to end, which is actually pretty funny, because a lot of people criticized the length of this film. It's two and a half hours long and let me tell you, there wasn't one boring second. At least not for me. I knew it was gonna be long, and only a couple minutes in, I already felt bummed that it was gonna be over sometime. So I actually stopped the movie every half hour or so, took a break, ate something, danced a little, sang a little, took a piss, googled what material earwax consists of, and then went back to the movie, just to to prolong the experience and the joy of this film.

First of all, I really liked the setting. I don't think I ever saw a film on the stand-up comedy scene. Man on the Moon had a little bit of that, but this one really felt like a study of comedians and/or the typical LA types who want to make it big in the entertainment industry. And then it takes a real close look at one of them, one who's made it. George Simmons, played by Adam Sandler. That guy‘s got everything, right? Lonely and trapped, he just got diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and struggles real hard coping with the different realities of his true self and his public persona. And boy, I've never been a big Sandler fan, but what a performance! Fantastic. I have never seen him like this. So vulnerable and open. What a beautifully serious and deeply felt delivery. I'll go as far and say this was one of the finest performances of the whole fucken decade. It's pretty interesting that Adam Sandler gives an extremely mature performance in Apatow's first mature movie. Probably not a coincidence. Apatow has put a lot of heart, soul and effort into this movie. It's easy to see. It's a work of utter dedication.

It's funny, it's deep, it's intelligent and warm. And it's so much more complex. It's a pretty elaborate study of celebrity, amongst other things. Love, marriage, commitment, too. Leslie Mann, who plays Adam Sandler's ex-girlfriend, the love of his life he gets back in touch with, is almost a feminist, that's how much Apatow has changed. She's also quite funny. But not as funny as Eric Bana. Oh my God, did I laugh my ass off. He's definitely the funniest character in this movie, and he plays him so well (get a glimpse in the trailer). I still have laughing fits just thinking about him. And then we got Seth Rogen playing Seth Rogen, but he's just lovable as being just that. It's funny, when he lost all that weight, I wondered whether this would affect his anima and therefore his career, but he certainly hasn't lost that teddybearishness of his. And maybe I was delusional (or just really really lonely), but I think there were moments where he was even kinda sexy. He plays an aspiring comedian who gets hired by Sandler, to write jokes for him and be his personal assistant, but he ends up being way more than that. He's the first person Sandler opens up to, about his sickness and all the other things, and it's sweet to see Rogen care so much. At one point, he makes him an iTunes playlist, to cheer him up. I really love that scene. Not only because Rogen plays him Warren Zevon's beautifully heart-wrenching "Keep Me In Your Heart", but as the song plays, Apatow just lets you observe the wide range of emotions of both actors. Seems like he has discovered silence.

Speaking of music: Lots of little treasures for the sophisticated music lover; Rogen plans to go to a Wilco concert, Rogen wears a Wilco T-Shirt (I actually have the same one, but in gray), and then there's the legendary James Taylor who has a small but hilarious cameo appearence. Another time, Jonah Hill (very funny, too), wears a Beirut T-Shirt. Love it when filmmakers incorporate their love for music.

And Apatow stunned me again (!), when he decided not to offer a big Hollywood ending. That pissed a lot of people off, I'm sure. It could be regarded as disappointing, yeah. Or maybe it's just a little bit more realistic than what many moviegoers would want it to be. I think it's a hopeful ending. I liked it very much. The whole thing, actually. If you haven't noticed yet ;)

Judd Apatow has outgrown his audience. And I can only applaud.


Trailer