With all the Oscar buzz this month, one might think that fewer than twenty feature films were made during 2017. THREE BILLBOARDS, THE SHAPE OF WATER, THE PHANTOM THREAD, LADY BIRD, GET OUT, DARKEST HOUR…
Of course, that is not the case. There were hundreds of feature films released theatrically last year -- more films than most of us have the time or inclination to see. From my own viewing experience, I offer a list of a few titles that have been unfairly bypassed – and a few that may not be successes but at least are interesting failures.
BRAD’S STATUS starring Ben Stiller is a film that I would place in the top fifteen films of the past year. Stiller plays a middle-class dad with a lovely wife, a wonderful teen-aged son, and meaningful work. The film focuses on a trip that father and son take to visit Harvard where the son might be studying. With all the positives in Brad’s life, he still cannot free himself of envy for the old pals he feels have been more successful. The script is strong, and Stiller’s performance is subtle and deeply-felt.
LOST IN PARIS is a French production about a small-town spinster librarian who visits Paris to be sure that her elderly aunt is doing well. The film is an absurdist comedy that features oddball performances by the writer/director duo of Fiona Gordon and Dominique Abel, and a marvelous, career-capping performance by legendary French star Emmanuelle Riva as Aunt Martha. The film gets a bit long at times, but it’s worth seeing.
THE LITTLE HOURS, another unusual comedy, has a large cast of well-known performers from Dave Franco and Jemima Kirke, to Molly Shannon and Fred Armisen. With such a group, some amount of success is guaranteed. The story centers on corrupt life in a convent in the middle ages. It has an absolutely silly plotline about sex; it’s all about sex, in fact! In many ways, it’s plainly a stupid movie that goes nowhere. Still, due to the comedic talents of the cast, there are elements of good entertainment.
THE WILDE WEDDING with acting geniuses Glenn Close, John Malkovich, and Patrick Stewart, still manages to be a major flop. The story tells of a retired film star who, surrounded by her supposedly remarkable family, is about to wed yet another time. What might be a fun story comes off as off-putting and smarmy.
Speaking of off-putting, LEMON, co-written and directed by Panamanian-American Janicza Bravo-- co-written and starring Brett Gelman-- lives up to its name. My heavens, what a lemon it is! It’s supposed to be a comedy but has an air of sadness and defeat throughout. Even with Rhea Perlman, David Paymer, Marla Gibbs and other veteran comedy stars appearing in small roles, this film lacks needed empathy and fails bigtime.
Finally, COLOSSAL, perhaps one of the worst films of 2017, features Anne Hathaway as an unemployed alcoholic who becomes associated with a giant creature that is destroying Seoul, South Korea. Yes, you heard right. Now this film could have been a silly but enjoyable entertainment. Trust me, it is not. Writer/director Nacho Vigalondo has failed to put together a cohesive script, and Anne Hathaway and co-star Jason Sudeikis are left hanging.
Audrey Kupferberg is a film and video archivist and appraiser. She is lecturer emeritus and the former Director of Film Studies at the University at Albany and has co-authored several entertainment biographies with her husband and creative partner, Rob Edelman.
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