The Battle of the Ryans

Comic Hits and Misses With Reynolds and Gosling

Many are stumped and befuddled as to the truth.  Who is the hotter, oops, I mean stronger actor, Ryan Gosling or Ryan Reynolds?  Just like it’s cats vs. dogs and Mets vs. Yankees, you are either Team Gosling or Team Reynolds.  There is no in-between!

What better time to compare their abs, er, talents, then a time like this when both Canadian leading men star in comedies that came out this summer: “Crazy Stupid Love” for Gosling and “The Change Up” for Reynolds.  After the jump: a quick review and conclusion as to which Ryan truly rules.

X-Men: First Class ***1/2

Starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Kevin Bacon, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Zoë Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult, Lucas Till, Edi Gathegi, Caleb Landry Jones


Rated PG-13 (for intense sequences of action and violence, some sexual content including brief partial nudity and language)


Directed by Matthew Vaughn


Written by Ashley Miller, Zack Stentz, Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn

* * * 1/2

A new layer of the X-men saga is revealed in “X-men: First Class” and with a host of fresh faces and familiar characters.  The story is set mainly in the 1960s, right in the midst of the reign of JFK and the Cuban Missile Crisis.  The evil plot of Sebastian Shaw, played by Kevin Bacon, sets the foundation for the first wave of X-men characters to come together.

The cast is lead by many talented actors; it is no mere action flick.  James McAvoy (think “Atonement” with Keira Knightley), playing Professor X, always brings a quiet dignity to his roles and 2010 Academy Award-nominee Jennifer Lawrence is a fierce Mystique with her real-girl figure and cherubic face.  Michael Fassbender (recognize him from this year’s “Jane Eyre” or 2009’s “Inglourious Basterds”?) is wonderful as Erik.  With his sculpted, moving performance, he practically dominates every scene he’s in.

The film stands out as one of the best in the X-Men series.  The script is solid and there are cameos from Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Romijn.  “X-Men: First Class” is a fun, entertaining and mildly provocative kickoff to the summer blockbuster season. 

Bridesmaids * * * *

Starring Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Chris O'Dowd, Jon Hamm, Jill Clayburgh

Rated R (for some strong sexuality and language throughout)

Directed by Paul Feig

Written by Kristin Wiig and Annie Mumolo

                                    * * * *                                                                                             

The topic of weddings, bridezillas and bridesmaids is common fodder for reality tv, film and books today. “Bridesmaids” is one of the best things to hit the genre in a long time.  

Mother's Day Mix ("Something Borrowed," "Water for Elephants," "African Cats")

Heading to the movies with Mom this weekend? Here are the top mom-friendly picks. (Psst! You don’t have to be a mother to enjoy them!)


Something Borrowed 

"The It’s More Than Just a Rom-Com Flick"

"Something Borrowed" is just the right recipe for a romantic comedy: a plotline that has fresh twists, some really funny scenes, and a relatable heroine.It’s based on the book written by Emily Giffin, an author who is ahead of the pack in women’s literature (chick lit if you must).  The movie does stray from the book in several parts, but overall it follows the plot of Rachel and the love triangle with her old law school crush Dex, who is now engaged to her best friend, Darcy.  

John Krasinski, as Ethan, brings the funny in every scene he’s in.  He has perfect comedic timing and a genuine acting style that makes him endearing and sexy all at the same time.  Ginnifer Goodwin is good-girl-gone-bad Rachel, a seemingly easy fit for Goodwin and Kate Hudson plays Darcy.  This may be the first (and only) time we see Hudson go beyond playing the silly/confident party girl character she usually plays in films.  Can she pull off the angry scene at the end? That’s for you to see and determine! 

Mom-worthy? Yep! It has a total mom stamp of approval, with a great mix of comedy and drama.


Water For Elephants 

“The Tragically Enchanting Circus Drama”

Another film adapted from a novel (they’re everywhere these days!), this time it’s the gritty, depression-era story by Sara Gruen, which unfolds the demise of a fictional circus, The Benzini Brothers.Money is scarce, workers are overworked and underpaid and animal abuse is rampant.  

Robert Pattinson (looking gloriously tanned and with a crew cut) plays Jacob Jankowski, the story’s narrator and star.  If there was any doubt that Pattinson could be believable as someone other than Edward Cullen, it’s been squashed.  He is Jacob, solidly hitting his highs and lows. He comes across as downright giddy at times, smiling (!) and laughing with almost child-like glee, especially when he’s around the true star of the film, Rosie the elephant. 

Reese Witherspoon is Marlena, the mesmerizing golden-haired beauty married to the cruel, emotionally unstable ringleader August, played by Christoph Waltz with effortless intensity.  At times, the chemistry between Witherspoon and Pattinson seems a bit off, but the characters do fit together in an offbeat way.

Mom-worthy? Please, it’s RPatz! In all seriousness, it’s a thrilling, at times disturbing story, infused with glamour (Witherspoon’s wardrobe is brilliant), humour and a delightful narrator.


African Cats 

"The Animal Lover’s Choice”

Here is the perfect mother’s day movie. It is based on the love two very different mothers, one a cheetah and the other a lion, have for their cubs.  Get lost in the amazing landscape of the African savanna and take in the up-close-and-personal view of these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.

Soul Surfer * * * *

Starring AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, Dennis Quaid, Lorraine Nicholson, Carrie Underwood, Kevin Sorbo


Rated PG (for an intense accident sequence and some thematic material)


Written by Sean McNamara, Debra Schwartz (based on the book "Soul Surfer" by Bethany Hamilton, Sheryl Berk, and Rick Bundschuh)


Directed by Sean McNamara

* * * *

"Surfer Soul"

Picture this: You live in Hawaii with your hippie-cool surfer family.  At 13, you're already a surfing champion in your own right, on the way to becoming a professional surfer.  Then, on Halloween morning, as you lay on your surfboard, your hand dangling in the cool waters, a shark attacks...and your arm is gone.  What would you do?  This is Bethany Hamilton's story in "Soul Surfer."  Here's the real shocker: she was back on her board a month later.

No Strings Attached **

Starring Natalie Portman, Ashton Kutcher, Kevin Kline, Greta Gerwig, Lake Bell, Olivia Thirlby, Cary Elwes, Ludacris and Jake M. Johnson

Rated R (for sexual content, language and some drug material)

Directed by Ivan Reitman

Screenplay/Story by Elizabeth Meriwether and Michael Samonek



* *

"No Strings Attached:" Dignity Hangs by a Thread

If you can’t get enough of Natalie Portman this season, then by all means, rush to see “No Strings Attached.” Soak up the gorgeous pint-sized actress’s offbeat, quirky humor. Otherwise, this film is one to Netflix.

It’s not that Kutcher and Portman don’t have chemistry, they surely do. Nor is it that they aren’t believable in their roles: Portman is Emma, a brilliant commitment-phobe doctor and Kutcher is Adam, a wannabe writer with a big heart. Even the script and storyline aren’t bad; it’s Hollywood’s effort to appeal to both sexes watching the film that baffles me.

Instead of smart humor that tickles the funnybone, there are endless penis and vagina jokes. The writers rely on a lot of raucous humor and drug references to draw laughs, which has become all too predictable in this new generation of rom-coms. While “No Strings Attached” isn’t as horribly off-target (and offensive to both sexes) as 2009’s “The Ugly Truth” with Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, it comes in as a distant second. Its saving grace is the quality of the acting and the story.

Despite all of this, there are several winning supporting actors that bring humor to the film on a much simpler level. Kevin Kline is Kutcher’s horrible father and young talent Olivia Thirlby plays Portman’s younger sister. Other appearances, unfortunately few and far between are from Cary Elwes and “The Office’s” Mindy Kaling.

Amusing throughout, with some sweetly romantic moments, “No Strings Attached” misses the mark on being truly entertaining to both men and women. Instead it relies on dumbing down its audience with base humor for a quick laugh. I have high hopes that audiences are looking for more than that.

Due Date **1/2

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Zach Galifianakis, Jamie Foxx and Michelle Monaghan

Rated R (for language, drug use and sexual content)

Directed by Todd Phillips

Screenplay by Alan R. Cohen, Alan Freedland, Adam Sztykiel and Todd Phillips

* * 1/2

A Wild Ride

With any comedy where the main character is shadowed by a wildly annoying person, there is a fine line between irritating moviegoers and making them laugh. “Due Date” walks the line alright. It has its wobbly moments, but overall accomplishes the feat of balancing the crazy with the funny.

This is mostly due to Robert Downey Jr. and Zach Galifianakis. They are compelling separately, but together create such an odd couple, hard to look away from. When the storyline is based almost solely on two characters, they’d better be compelling!

Downey is Peter Highman, a straight-laced businessman with a temper and Galifianakis is Ethan Tremblay/Chase, a wanna-be actor, whose idiosyncrasies keep him from fitting into any one mold.

From the moment Ethan crashes into his life, he causes Peter nothing but trouble upon trouble upon trouble. All Peter cares about is getting home to LA in time to see his wife give birth to their first child. An unfortunate turn of events (i.e. Ethan) leaves him without any transportation across the country. Ethan and his dog Sonny are Peter's only hope to get back to his wife.

Ethan’s wackiness, plus his childish and at times, uncouth behavior, would drive any person out of their right mind. Despite this, he does have a heart and the “serious” moments of the film are carried off as well as they are because of the dead-on acting skills of Downey and Galifianakis.

Watch it for a good laugh. Watch it to see an unlikely pair mix together rather well. Just don’t expect anything less than total insanity and ridiculousness!