Yeah, I know “Office Christmas Party” (2016) is stupid, but it’s appropriately stupid for the plot (epic gesture needed to save the company). It’s necessarily stupid for its genre (R-rated farce). Simply put, it’s just the right amount of stupid (although I saw the unrated version, so, technically, what I saw was extra stupid). Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman have made like 377 films in the past few years, so they seem to be homing in on a formula in which they’re both uptight and everyone else is crazy (although I do wish the formula involved my seeing fewer penises).
Archives for posts with tag: Jason Bateman
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Kevin Hart made a movie called “Central Intelligence” (2016). I can imagine some critics enjoyed playing with the word “intelligence,” as in the movie’s lack thereof. But the story itself has depth: high school loser and homecoming king find roles reversed 20 years later as they team up in a sort-of buddy-cop flick with a complex, and cartoonishly violent, international espionage subplot. Johnson gives a great effort, but Hart’s high-pitched schtick makes me tired after about 10 minutes. It’s similar to my feelings toward Melissa McCarthy, who, ironically, has a funny (and blessedly brief) cameo.
In “The Gift” (2015), Jason Bateman once again has a stick up his butt, except this time with a twist. (Sorry about that visual.) Speaking of which, there are several visuals you’ll feel sorry about – not that it’s a bad movie or anything, you’ll just maybe feel like you need a shower afterwards. So, like I said, Bateman has made a boatload of money over the past several years playing uptight, middle-aged middle managers. Same character, over and over and over, always in comedies. Except this is a psychological thriller, not a rom-com or a bro-com or a road movie.
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