Figuring Out How to Survive in "Palm Springs"

Hi team!

I am so excited to talk to you about "Palm Springs" (2020)!

I'm not going to tiptoe around my opinion of this movie: Oh God I loved it. 

Here's what I am going to tiptoe around: Basically anything that gives away what the movie is about.

I had the all-too-rare experience of going into "Palm Springs" with literally no information about it.  That is extremely fortuitous, as this is a film that uniquely benefits from that ignorance.  So, if you aren't already aware of this movie and are down to acquire no further knowledge about it before diving in, I strongly encourage you to do exactly that.

While preserving overall ignorance of the story told by "Palm Springs", allow me to assure you that it contains the following things:

• Excellent, nuanced, highly watchable performances by Andy Samberg, Cristin Milioti, and J.K. Simmons.  Milioti is the standout in this crowd, and she is a damned delight.

• Genuinely funny and creative moments of humor.

• A whip-smart script.

• Moments of wonder and lovely emotional depth.

• A skillful, inventive, and highly entertaining evasion of what could easily have become a stifling Gilligan's Island problem.  And you know I love that!

• Relatedly: a surprisingly prescient, prescriptive, and ultimately empowering narrative for precisely this era.  

I haven't felt so inspired and excited about a movie like this in a while.  It therefore comes as no surprise that I gave "Palm Springs" a 5.

It's streamable now on Hulu.  Go watch it!

{Heart}

The Lovely "Mother of George"

Heyo,

I would like to talk about "Mother of George" (2013).

"Mother of George" stars Danai Gurira as Adenike, a Nigerian newlywed living in New York City hoping to conceive her first child.  It is in many ways a contemplative and ephemeral-feeling movie, moving between vibrant and lush close-ups that most leave the viewer with a vivid sense of the light and rich color of the different spaces the characters inhabit.

This is the direct result of the cinematographical choices made in "Mother of George," which make for some of the most remarkable aspects of this film.  It's almost as if the camera is being held by a child not yet tall enough to reach characters' faces, so they are often not fully shown.  This choice makes "Mother of George" at once deeply physically intimate--we are so close to the characters, it's as if we are sitting next to them at their kitchen table or on their knee--while also making the audience focus intently on what the characters are saying, since we can't see their faces to read their lips or facial expressions.  It's almost as if the child Adenike and her husband Ayodele (played with a wonderful balance of austerity and sincerity by Isaach De Bankolé) so long for is already here in the movie, even though we are unable to see them; instead, we are that child, watching the story of our own creation.

The other remarkable aspect of "Mother of George" is, of course, the peak it provides into the lived experience of Nigerian immigrants in the United States in the midst of a profound turning point in their lives.  American audiences might not otherwise be able to see this story, or may not even think to seek it out.

Honestly, it's maybe because of the seeming rarity of this opportunity that the narrative of "Mother of George" is particularly riveting and heart-rending; we are being invited into some of the most personal moments imaginable in these characters' lives.  Being given this rare invitation, as the cinematography reminds us, it is imperative that we watch and listen closely.  Adenike's loneliness and vulnerability, as well as the pressure exerted on her from all sides, are palpable as she navigates her struggle to conceive.  These forces lead her to make choices that might be difficult to imagine or understand, but here, we have a precious opportunity to try.

I gave "Mother of George" a 4.5.

{Heart}

A "Eurovision" of a Perfectly Fine Diversion

Greetings!

Let's talk about "Eurovision" (2020), which I literally only just learned as I type this is actually titled "Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga".

So first things first: no, this movie is not good.  Did you expect it to be good?  If so... how?

I mean of course it's not?

It's formulaic AF, it's cheesy, and it's very likely problematic and/or inaccurate in ways I may not be fully appreciating or catching--not least of which because of its teasing of Icelandic culture with no Icelandic actors in the major roles.  (Although there are several in the supporting cast, and the soundtrack features gorgeous Icelandic music.).  As far as I can tell, this is basically the adult version of "Trolls World Tour" (2020).  It's also two hours long, which is totally unnecessary for a silly and predictable comedy.  But like... this is a mid-late career Will Ferrell movie.  What do you want?

All that said, "Eurovision" (refusing to type out that full title more than once) is, honestly, perfectly fine.  It's got some decently funny moments, including some charmingly good-sport-y cameos from Demi Lovato and some well-deserved hostility for American tourists.  Some of the usual absurdist dialogue that is a staple in Ferrell's movies actually lands well.  Rachel McAdams does a solidly decent job as the counterpoint to Will Ferrell's usual Will Ferrell (but with an accent!).  That guy from "Downton Abbey" is in it!  The footage of Iceland and Scotland is absolutely beautiful, providing a nice visual vacation.  There's even a gesture at criticizing Russia's vicious persecution of gay people.

And while throughout the movie everyone is auto-tuned to death and back to life again, the "song-a-long" medley of Cher, Madonna, and ABBA near the film's midpoint, including a cameo from actual Eurovision contestant Conchita Wurst (and possibly other actual contestants I just didn't recognize?), is so exuberantly fun and over-the-top that it is genuinely, transportingly, entrancingly delightful.

As for the rest of the music in the film: you know what?  I didn't hate it.  I wouldn't choose it either, but like the rest of the film, it was fine.  It also fit the premise, since as far as I can tell, the actual Eurovision is a sensation of brightly-lit and tackily huge theatrics and epic ballads.  In other words, it's a thoroughly indulgent diversion.  Don't we need a bit of that?

I gave the movie a 2.

{Heart}