Tag: Glen Powell

‘Hit Man’ (2024) Review

Gary Johnson (Glen Powell) is a professor of psychology and philosophy at the University of New Orleans who also assists in undercover sting operations for the NOPD. When Jasper, a cop who impersonates fake hitmen to elicit confessions and payments from suspects, gets suspended, Gary is reluctantly thrown into the role.

As it turns out, Gary is a natural. He researches each suspect and creates a persona that appeals to them, making it easier to solicit them. When he meets Madison, an unhappy woman who wants her abusive husband killed, Gary, posing as the charismatic Ron, finds himself attracted to her.

I have been a fan of Glen Powell’s ever since Set It Up (2018), and I love all of the films he has appeared in recently. Hit Man is no exception. It’s a sharply written dark comedy that poses some pretty profound questions about one’s “true self” and whether it even exists.

Powell’s talent is on full display as Gary/Ron, and it’s clear he’s going to have some longevity in his career, especially since he doesn’t seem to be typecast or nailed down to one particular genre. He also shares some sizzling chemistry with Adria Arjona, who plays Madison. Her role is not as flashy as Powell’s, but she holds her own as a wife looking to become her true self after a disastrous marriage. Is she a blossoming flower or a femme fatale?

I absolutely adored Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy, and I see some shades of the creative partnership he shared with Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke in the screenplay he wrote with Powell. The premise is a bit wild, but the characters are engaging enough to make even the most implausible aspects of the movie… well… plausible. There’s a lot more going on beneath the surface here, and I think Linklater and Powell cleverly disguised the movie’s message of morality and the constructs of one’s self in the wrappings of a sexy, dark rom-com.

Hit Man has plenty of laughs and more than a couple of WTF!? moments. I think the ending may polarize some people, but I found it a fitting way to wrap up the story. If nothing else, it will definitely spark some discussion.

Fun fact: Hit Man is based on the true story of Gary Johnson’s life. Obviously, a lot of liberties are taken, but it’s still worth looking into after you’ve watched the movie.

Watched: 06/15/2024
Notable Song: Such a Night by Dr. John

Rating:

07/15/2024
‘Anyone But You’ (2023) Review

Happy 2024, everyone! Anyone But You was the last romantic comedy I saw in 2023, and it’s taken me a while to get to this review for no reason other than being lazy. However, I knew I wouldn’t dread writing this because I loved Anyone But You.

Anyone But You is a modern twist on William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing, focused solely on the characters of Benedick and Beatrice – played here as Ben and Bea(trice), two people who have a hilarious meet-cute in a coffee shop. They experience a fantastic one-day romance. But misunderstandings on both sides cause their would-be relationship to grow hostile, something they must overcome when Bea’s sister, Halle, is set to marry one of Ben’s closest friends, Claudia.

While not a direct adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing, Anyone But You focuses solely on the love-to-hate relationship between Ben and Bea, which, if you ask me, is also the best part of Shakespeare’s play. Who doesn’t love an enemies-to-lovers romance?

Glen Powell and Sydney Sweeney have palpable chemistry. I knew I already liked Powell from his role in Set It Up, but I had not yet seen Sweeney in anything. Like Powell, Sweeney is affable and has great comedic timing. I’m unsure how I feel about her as an actress yet, but I am excited to see her in something else. All I know is she and Powell were white hot on screen, and that’s what I love to see in a romantic comedy, especially one rated R.

I also want to rave about the supporting cast. My Best Friend’s Wedding co-stars, Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths, play Bea’s parents. Their expectations for Bea’s future are high, and they keep hope that Bea will eventually reunite with her ex-fiancé, Jonathan (Darren Barnet). Alexandra Shipp and Hadley Robinson are the soon-to-be newlyweds, Claudia and Halle. They’re all fantastic, but much of the supporting comedy is supplied by GaTa, who steals his scenes as Pete, Claudia’s brother and Ben’s best friend.

Director Will Gluck is in the genre I’ve kept an eye on. I loved Easy A, liked Friends with Benefits a lot, and… I can’t really remember Fired Up a lot, but I know my husband and I still quote it. With Anyone But You, he nails it again, managing to give us a charming rom-com with legit humor and romance. Perhaps it’s easier when you have a romantic, witty script to work with, not to mention two talented, good-looking leads who can do much more than just look pretty on screen.

Anyone But You is the kind of swoon-worthy romance we deserve to have more of, especially on the big screen. It embraces many of the genre’s tropes – fake dating, misunderstandings, the rom-com Bellamy, grand exclamations of love – and executes them perfectly. To say I left the theater smiling is an understatement, and I cannot wait to see it again.

Watched: 12/25/2023
Notable Song: Unwritten by Natasha Beddingfield

Rating:

01/01/2024
‘Set It Up’ (2018) Review

Set It Up was one of my favorite movies to watch in 2018. The premise might not be overly original, but the writing and chemistry between the two leads make the rom-com feel like it’s reignited the genre. There are genuine laughs in Set It Up and some naughty humor that toes the line quite perfectly between hilariously raunchy and just plain over-the-top raunchy.

Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell have some incredible chemistry, and you see it almost from the very first scene they share together. There is no insta-romance or quick attraction between Harper and Charlie. Their ‘meet cute’ is them fighting over who gets the lone takeout meal during a late night at work, only to return to their demanding, hungry bosses. From there, the relationship shifts to the two of them plotting to set up their bosses, and in the process, they become friends, and from there… well, the pizza scene comes. Oh, the pizza scene. If I created a list of my top ten rom-com moments, you would most definitely read about the pizza scene.

Another plus is the development of the secondary characters. Lucy Liu is a badass woman, strong and unapologetic, but plays that yearning to be a bit softer with emotional nuance. Taye Diggs is gorgeous and charming with just the right amount of smarminess that you’re almost willing to forgive… almost…okay, not really, since he’s a bit of a jerk!

They’re both demanding and stubborn, caught up in their own personal and professional worlds that one might think they’re completely oblivious to the plights of their overworked assistants. Thankfully, Set It Up doesn’t stick to the one-dimensional stereotype of a ‘workaholic boss,’ and they give Kirsten and Rick plenty of moments where their personalities and chemistry can shine through.

Set It Up plays the rom-com tropes to a T, but it works. It works so well. Those of us who watch these movies know how most of them will end, but the really special ones will have us feeling the happy endings right to our core. Set It Up is one of those movies.

Watched: 08/18/2018
Notable Song: Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits

Rating:

08/18/2018