Tag: #willferrell

2¢ After Dark, 2¢ Valentines

Bewitched (2005)

Just being Bree

Isabel (Nicole Kidman) moves to the mortal realm determined to give up witchcraft with varying degrees of success in order to live a normal human life much to her warlock father’s dismay. (Hmmm. Sounds familiar.).
Jack’s (Will Ferrell) movie career is in trouble so he makes the move from silver screen to small in a revival of popular 60’s sitcom Bewitched reimagined for a modern day audience (groan) with Darren in a starring role and nose-twitching Sam as a glorified extra.

He spots Isabel’s twitching nose in a bookstore and begs her to play Samantha. She agrees and ends up immediately falling head over heels in love with him.

It isn’t long before she discovers that she’s playing second fiddle unlike in the original where she’d be the star. She starts living her life according to the question What Would Samantha Do? Enter Aunt Clara with a hex that backfires and mix it with a with a situation where art starts reflecting life when she decides to tell Jack she’s a witch and you end up with a fun little rom-com based off a classic sit-com. It’s the best of both worlds for a girl who’s obsessed with both.

I loved Bewitched. I wasn’t expecting to enjoy it so much considering how much I love the original show, but it was fun! It had Enchanted vibes and was very enjoyable. Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman are a bit of an odd couple, but they were cute.Whoever cast Steve Carrell as Uncle Arthur deserves a raise! He was perfect and probably the best part of the entire thing!
There was a little language like several uses of hell and pussy, Jack’s agent reminds him he’s the Sherriff of Ballsville, and several misuses of God’s name. One use each of damn and ass. In my opinion, there weren’t enough issues to warrant a PG-13 rating. It should’ve been PG. You can rent it from iTunes or Amazon.

2¢ After Dark, 2¢ Christmas

2¢ After Dark: Spirited

Just being Bree

Is anyone truly unredeemable? That’s the question Spirited attempts to answer.

Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds FINALLY star in a movie together where they play the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Scrooge-like Clint respectively in this modern day take on the Classic story, A Christmas Carol.

Present is faced with retirement but pushes it off to go another round at this redeeming business choosing Unredeemable Clint as the next perp in need of redemption. Clint believes nobody can change. Present would like to prove him wrong and in the process do a little more by creating a redemption ripple effect big enough to have a global impact. But it’s hard to convince someone they can change when Present still considers himself Unredeemable even after two centuries of making up for his past. The two guys become unlikely friends and help each other where they need it most and in the end they end up providing each other’s redemption.

Spirited is a beautiful story full of flaws of the unnecessary language variety. Language includes damn, shit, bullshit, bitch, dick, and ass, along with many others. But this time, I did not care. At. All. This movie had something that the language-filled Scrooged did not: heart and soul. Plus a lot of really catchy musical numbers. Good Afternoon is my favorite! It was overflowing with the theme of redemption which is what Christmas is really about: God loving us so much that he sent Jesus to die so that he could redeem us from our sin.

The movie ended in a way I didn’t expect, but that doesn’t mean I loved it any less. It’s one of the most original movies I’ve watched in a long time. You can stream Spirited now on Apple TV. And if it doesn’t come out on DVD, I’ll be wishing Apple a Good Afternoon!

2¢ After Dark, 2¢ Christmas, Sequels

2¢ After Dark: Daddy’s Home Duology

Just being Bree

Daddy’s Home isn’t technically a Christmas movie, but there is one Christmas scene so I’m counting it. I’m ignoring that it takes in April because it’s my blog and I do whatever I want here.
Brad (Will Ferrell) has it all including a gorgeous wife and two kids. Ok so the kids aren’t his biologically, but that doesn’t matter. Unfortunately, he can’t have kids of his own, so being a stepfather is the next best thing, or it would be if the kids accepted him.
Then bio dad Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) flies in for a visit and tries to move in on Brad’s territory by trying to get his family back. This puts the two guys in a competition of dad vs. step-dad. May the best dad win.
This is a movie on fatherhood and the importance of dads in general, but a large part of the plot involves male infertility which is a total blast to watch with your own father in the room. Ask me how I know. 😜 You also get to see Will Ferrell’s butt and with his shirt off which is more than I ever personally wanted to see.

Daddy’s Home is very funny and has a lot of heart. It also has a lot of language. All the usual hits are here including shit, ass, damn, twice paired with God’s name. A couple uses of bitch used once each by both child stars. Sounds even better when kids say it. sarcasm Several misuses of both God and Jesus along with a plethora of other unnecessary language. And despite all that, it still manages to be one of my favorite comedies. Go figure. For added viewing pleasure, just add parents. It’s not awkward. At all. This movie is both sour and sweet. How much sour you’re willing to sit through in order to get to the sweet is up to you.

Brad (Will Ferrell) and Dusty (Mark Wahlberg) had a rough road to get here but now their co-dad BFFs to the point where it’s over the top and at times annoying. The guys hatch a plan for their blended families to spend Christmas together, but didn’t plan on having both of their fathers joining them. Dusty’s dad, Kurt (Mel Gibson), constantly makes fun of his son’s progressive parenting choices, and Brad’ dad, Don (John Lithgow), is just as wholesomely annoying as he is. They rent an Airbnb together for Christmas. One big happy family. Many different personalities and parenting styles under one roof. What could possibly go wrong?

This sequel is far more family friendly than the original! I think Will Ferrell is at his best when making Christmas movies. It’s everything I loved about the original with the amount of language cut in half. Language includes the usual like damn, ass, shit, bitch, several misuses of God’s name, and several unnecessary exclamations. Daddy’s Home 2 is not as crass and just as fun the second time around. A fun but imperfect Christmas comedy for families with older children. You can rent it from online retailers or borrow it from the library.