My Movie Picks and Pans for December 2025

[I review "The Kiss of the Spider Woman (the musical starring Jennifer Lopez)," "Blue Moon," a new one from director Richard Linklater starring Ethan Hawke, "Oh.What.Fun," an all-star Christmas movie that defies the Hallmark tropes, and "The Wrong Paris," a little rom-com with one very handsome star]

Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025)

• 
• A new movie version of the 1993 Broadway musical.

I can't believe it has taken this long to make a movie out of the musical version of this story (the musical opened on Broadway in 1993 and won a Tony for Best Musical).  Yes, I know it was originally a 1976 novel by Manuel Puig which was made into a movie drama starring William Hurt (he won an Oscar), and then it was a Broadway musical, but 32 years before a movie version of the musical?  I guess that says something about the waning popularity of movie musicals over the years, right? That makes me sad because I love musicals.

Anyway, enough about me.  On with the show!

It's 1983 in Argentina during the "Dirty War," and Valentin (Diego Luna), a political prisoner and Molina (Tonatiuh), his cell mate, who is there for "public indecency," pass the time with Molina sharing the story of his favorite Hollywood musical, "Kiss of the Spider Woman." It transports them out of their dreary confines into a imaginary world.

So, okay, "public indecency" is code in some countries for someone being gay and that is the case with Luis Molina. He is in a cell with Valentin Arregui Paz who is a political dissident involved with a revolutionary group in a time in Argentina when the country's military dictatorship was rounding up and imprisoning left-wing opponents and civilians who disagreed with the regime. Molina is obsessed with the old Hollywood movie "Kiss of the Spider Woman," and despite Valentin's irritation with Molina's flamboyance, he lets him recount the story of the movie. The film flips back and forth between the dark existence of the two men in the jail cell and the bright lights of the silver screen depicting the story of "Kiss of the Spider Woman." It's a movie within a movie.

So here's that story.

The "Kiss of the Spider Woman" film stars Ingrid Luna (Jennifer Lopez) as Aurora, a successful magazine publisher (Molina's retelling also casts himself as Kendall, Aurora's assistant and a closeted homosexual and Valentin as Armando, a photographer and Aurora's love interest, because remember this is all playing out in their minds). Aurora and Kendall accompany Armando to a shoot in his and Aurora's home village. Aurora and Armando fall in love, but when Aurora learns that the village is protected from malevolent spirits by the Spider Woman (also played by Lopez) in exchange for the regular sacrifice of a native woman's lover, Aurora worries that this means Armando will be taken from her. 

But to find out what happens to Aurora and Armando, you will have to listen along with Valentin as Molina tells the story.

In the meantime, the warden has coerced Molina into spying on Valentin in exchange for potential parole. Despite being eager to be released from prison as his mother is ailing, Molina starts to have feelings for Valentin and Valentin for Molina. Can Molina betray Valentin?

Written for the screen and directed by Bill Condon, there is a change of scene from the original, but it is still a dark story of political persecution and prison life and the need to escape, at least mentally.  And the two men escape into Aurora's world. Luna and Tonatiuh are compelling together as Molina tells his tale and Valentin tries to resist but is eventually drawn into both the fantasy story and Molina's own story as well.

And this is Jennifer Lopez as you have never seen her.  She stretches her acting, singing and dancing chops here. I have always been a fan of Jennifer Lopez, but not so much for her singing, so I was pleasantly surprised to see what a great job she did with that. Her dancing was great, too, but that wasn't really a surprise because I remembered that she had been a dancer on "In Living Color," one of the Fly Girls. Lopez has shared that it has always been her dream to do Broadway and this film would be a close second to that. I also heard her say getting an award for this would be a dream come true. Sadly, though I think she was wonderful in this and deserved a nomination, she was snubbed by the Golden Globes.

I was pleasingly surprised about how much I enjoyed this, because it wasn't on my list of favorite musicals (in fact I had never seen it). I wouldn't say that the songs by John Kander and Fred Ebb (they also wrote the songs for "Chicago" and "Cabaret") are particularly memorable, but they are enjoyable, and with the vivid, extravagant costumes by Colleen Atwood and Christine L.Cantella and the glittery production values during the musical numbers, the whole thing works. 

Just as the retelling of a movie musical helps these two prisoners escape  their dreary and scary lives, so, too, do musicals take us away from our own cares of the world as we watch. That's why musicals are an important art form.

Rosy the Reviewer says...an homage to musicals, and I was reminded how much I love and miss them. I throw a kiss to the movie musical! (For rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)

Blue Moon (2025)

A night in the life of Lorenz Hart.

The film begins with a quote from Mabel Mercer: "He was the saddest man I ever knew."

"He was dynamic and fun to be around." - Oscar Hammerstein II

They were both talking about Lorenz Hart who with his writing partner, Richard Rodgers, wrote 28 Broadway musicals and some 500 songs: "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," "Where or When," "Isn't It Romantic?" "My Funny Valentine," "Spring is Here," "The Lady is a Tramp" and, of course, "Blue Moon," to name a few. They were considered the American Gilbert and Sullivan and wrote together for 25 years.

But now it's March 31, 1943, opening night for the new musical "Oklahoma!," and Lorenz Hart (Ethan Hawke) is in the audience but slips away and heads over to Sardi's, where the opening night celebration will be. Hart is a bit down in the dumps because it looks like the show will be a hit and he is not a part of it. His former creative partner, Richard Rodgers (Andrew Scott), has written the show with Oscar Hammerstein II (Simon Delaney) and not him. Rodgers and Hart "broke up" after a string of very successful musicals and hit songs because Hart's drinking made him unreliable.

But now Hart is newly sober and very talkative.  He holds court with the bartender, Eddie (Bobby Cannavale), who tries not to serve him liquor, but you know how those things go. Morty (Jonah Lees) is at the piano and the two commiserate with Hart as he complains about the sensational success of Oklahoma!, which he declined to write, and the state of his own career. Declaring himself "omnisexual," Hart reveals his infatuation with Elizabeth Weiland (Margaret Qualley), a Yale art student and aspiring production designer. After months of correspondence and an unconsummated weekend with the 20-year-old Elizabeth, 47-year-old Hart believes this is the night to win her over.

Meanwhile, Hart recognizes writer E.B. White (Patrick Kennedy) sitting nearby, and seeks out his opinions as a fellow writer in a fun little digression.  White reveals he is working on his first children's book and Hart intrigues White with the story of a mouse who keeps coming back to his 19th floor apartment. White asks if he'd named the mouse and Hart comes up with "Stuart."  Well, we all know how that turned out, right?

As the playgoers, Elizabeth, and Rodgers and Hammerstein arrive at Sardi's and the rave reviews for "Oklahoma!" pour in and it becomes clear that Elizabeth doesn't think of Hart "that way," he becomes more and more depressed, so he drinks.

It doesn't end well for Hart.

Nominated for a Best Picture Golden Globe, this film, directed by Richard Linklater, and written for the screen by Robert Kaplow (based on the letters of Lorenz Hart and the real life Elizabeth Weiland) is a wonderful recreation of 1940's New York and boasts a first-rate ensemble cast.  

But this is a tour de force for Ethan Hawke, who is completely transformed into Hart, who was less than five feet tall (Hawke is 5' 11" in real life) thanks to the direction of Linklater and Hawke's acting abilities (he is also nominated for a Best Actor Golden Globe). Hawke even shaved part of his head to achieve the comb over that Hart sported. And it's all him, all of the time, holding forth in Sardi's as Hart, lamenting what could be unrequited love for the 20-year-old Elizabeth and bitter about what could perhaps be the end of his career.  I think Hawke said recently he had more lines in this movie than in all of his movies for the last ten years (or something like that). And he is just remarkable.  I forgot I was watching Ethan Hawke and for an hour and 40 minutes, I felt like I was in Lorenz Hart's world.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you love classic musicals, you will have fun getting all of the references (and see if you spot a young Stephen Sondheim), but even if you aren't particularly interested in musicals, if you appreciate great acting, this will be an enjoyable experience. I see an Oscar nod for Ethan Hawke. (in theatres and for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime)

Oh.What.Fun (2025)

An homage to the true heroes of the holidays, the Moms who make Christmas happen for their families.

Texas housewife Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) spends the entire year planning the perfect family Christmas for her husband Nick (Denis Leary) and their kids. Channing (Felicity Jones), the oldest, is home for the holidays with her husband, Doug (Jason Schwartzman), and two kids; middle child Taylor (Chloe Grace Moretz) is gay and has a reputation for bringing a different girlfriend home every Christmas and this year she has brought Donna (Devery Jacobs); and Sammy (Dominic Sessa) is in a funk because his girlfriend just dumped him. 

But Claire is doing everything she can to make the holiday merry and bright and all she wants for Christmas is for the kids to nominate her for the Best Holiday Mom contest, which would result in an all-expenses-paid trip to Burbank to meet her idol, self-help guru and talk show host, Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). She has been hinting about that to the kids but not only don't they get the hints, they take all of her efforts for granted.

And then the final straw.  Claire has gotten tickets to a show and everyone climbs into two cars - and they forget Claire.  Think "Home Alone," except instead of forgetting Kevin, the family forgot Mom!  So that's it. Claire decides to leave and drive to California where she gate-crashes Zazzy's live televised broadcast.

Written by Chandler Baker and Michael Showalter and directed by Showalter, I was really looking forward to this film.  It had a great line-up of stars and none of the Hallmark Christmas movie tropes. The idea that Moms would get some props seemed to be a refreshing idea, but sadly, overall the movie was very disappointing. 

Though the competition between Claire and her neighbor, Jeanne Wang-Wasserman (Joan Chen), who appears to have the perfect family and who seems to do everything right much to Claire's annoyance, was kind of fun, it all fell apart for me when Claire goes to the mall to get a candle for Jeanne that will outdo the one Jeanne gave Claire, and finding the checkout line too long, Claire walks out of the mall with the candle.  Security tries to stop her and chases her, but she gets away and that's that. Huh? No knock on the door later, no police, she gets away with it?  All I could do was talk to the screen and say, "What? Didn't they get her car's license number and report her to the police?" That whole scene didn't need to happen. And then why was Doug so needing to get Taylor's approval?  Made no sense. And then it all kept going downhill from there for me. Too many unbelievable plot holes, too many questions and I just didn't care anymore.

Rosy the Reviewer says...despite an all-star cast and a good idea, it was NOT so.much.fun. It made me wish for those Hallmark movie tropes! (Amazon Prime)

The Wrong Paris (2025)

Twenty-five-year-old aspiring artist, Dawn, has been admitted to art school in Paris but doesn't have the funds to pay for it.  What to do?  Why, go on a dating show, what else?

Dawn (Miranda Cosgrove) lives in a small Texas town with her two sisters and grandmother Birdie (Frances Fisher). Dawn is thrilled to be accepted to an art school in Paris, but is short of funds after spending some of her savings on Birdie's medical expenses.

A huge fan of the dating show - "The Honeypot" - a bachelor-type show - Dawn's sister, Emily (Emilija Baranac) talks Dawn into auditioning for the show, as the  appearance fee would help cover her studies. Dawn reluctantly goes to an audition and is surprised to learn she is cast for the upcoming season, which will be taking place in Paris. Later, the two sisters go out for a drink and to play pool to celebrate, and Dawn connects with one very handsome cowboy. They have a few moments together and then part, thinking, that's that.  Well, this is rom-com.  You know how that goes.

But here's the twist for Dawn and the viewer.  The show is not going to take place in Paris, France, but rather Paris, Texas!  And guess who the bachelor on the show is going to be?  You got it.

So though Dawn likes the cowboy bachelor, Trey (Pierson Fode), she doesn't like the fact that she is in Paris, Texas, and not Paris, France, so she wants off of the show and does everything she can to get kicked off. But this is rom-com. Again, you know how that goes.

Yes, I know, this isn't "Citizen Kane," but sometimes it's fun to watch a little airy rom-com, especially if it stars two nice looking people, especially one very handsome cowboy.  Sorry.  I gush. 

Written by Nicole Henrich and directed by Janeen Damian, this definitely feeds into my obsession, er... tendency to watch dating shows. I enjoy watching handsome and beautiful people fall in love, but this little movie is also a satire of that genre, poking fun at it e.g. all of the girls are kind of wacky and none of them will eat in front of the camera (kind of true - think about it) and when Trey chooses who stays, he asks "Will you accept this...spur? Lol! But that aside, the movie is also one of those "what if" stories.  What if there is a girl on a Bachelor-type reality show who really doesn't want to be there? Fun ensues.

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you enjoy dating shows, you will enjoy this, and even if you don't, this is a light refreshment. Yes, it's far-fetched and has a certain amount of slapstick, but what's wrong with that?  But I thought it was fun, and I am accepting the spur! (Netflix)

See You Next Time!

And Happy Holidays!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

What's The Deal With Those Hallmark...er... Netflix Holiday Movies? Netflix? What?

[I review the holiday movies "Jingle Bell Heist," "Champagne Problems" and "The Merry Gentlemen"]

Hallmark holiday movies have reigned supreme during the holidays, despite the fact that each and every one of them has the same predictable tropes: a big-city professional returns to his or her small and charming town and ends up saving a bakery or inn.  He or she is also a fish out of water but finds romance, usually an unlikely one where they don't like each other at first; the road to love is rocky and then there are encounters with odd characters followed by a major plot point involving the holidays with an uplifting message reminding us of what the holiday season is supposed to be about.  And then there is snow.

But now Netflix is giving Hallmark a run for it's money when it comes to holiday movies and don't expect the usual tropes. Netflix has found some new ways to celebrate the holidays. But never fear.  Yes, there will be an unlikely romance.  There has to be.  And yes, there will be an uplifting message...and sometimes snow.

So cuddle up by the fire, grab a hot drink and take a break from the hassles of real life and get in the holiday mood.  These are hot on Netflix right now.

Jingle Bell Heist (2025)

An American ex-pat and a British ex-con meet in London and plan a Christmas Eve heist together. Just your usual holiday fun!

Sophie Arbus (Olivia Holt) works two jobs, one at Sterlings department store and another at a pub in London.  She is in London for cancer treatment for her mother. Sophie also happens to be a pick-pocket, and doesn't have a problem lifting the occasional wallet. 

While working her job at the department store, Sophie steals a diamond encrusted dog collar from a rude customer and while dropping it off in the store's vaulted security room, she steals some petty cash as well and eyes some expensive jewelry being kept there, not realizing that she is being watched by Nick O'Connor (Connor Swindells) on the department store's video feed. You see, Nick installed the security camera system but, unfortunately, he was fired for his trouble and falsely accused of stealing from the store which led to his spending two years in prison.  Now he is struggling financially and trying to stay connected to his young daughter and ex-wife. But, he still has access to the store's video feed and, of course, he wants revenge on the store.

Nick approaches Sophie, tells her he saw her in the vault and tries to blackmail her into helping him rob Sterlings.  She says no at first, but when she learns her mother needs some expensive treatment she can't afford, she says yes and the two plan a heist for Christmas Eve.

There are many bungled attempts and a big twist before the Christmas Day reveal.  Will these two prevail?  More importantly, will they fall in love?

Written by Abby McDonald and Amy Reed and directed by Michael Fimognan, this holiday movie defies the tropes. No charming, rural small town, no bakery to save. There isn't even any snow, but the production values are first rate, and it was actually filmed in London, which is not often the case with the Hallmark movies, which even if set in London are most often filmed in Canada. Anyway, this is a charming film to get you into the holiday mood.  Holt and Swindells make charming thieves, and believe it or not, the dialogue and story are also charming. I loved it!

Rosy the Reviewer says...if you are a bit of an Anglophile (I am a big one!), you will enjoy this British take on a holiday movie. Did I say it was charming?

Champagne Problems (2025)

A company executive travels to Paris during the Christmas holiday to secure the acquisition of a renowned champagne brand and meets a handsome Parisian.  Gee, Paris, Christmas, handsome guy.  Do you think there will be romance? Duh.

"Champagne isn't just a drink, it's a celebration!" 

During a meeting at her company, The Roth Group (TRG), Sydney Price (Minka Kelly), who is in charge of acquisitions for the company, suggests they enter the Champagne business, whereupon her boss Marvin (Mitchell Mullen) asks her to go to Paris to buy the Champagne Chateau of Hugo Cassell. 

In Paris, Sydney checks out a bookstore called Les Etoiles, where a French gentleman, Henri (Tom Wozniczka), directs her to a section she is looking for. He admits that he doesn't really work there, but wants to eventually open a bookstore that also serves wine. He offers to guide her around the city, and she accepts. They embark on a tour of the city, and on a Ferris wheel that stalls, the two have plenty of time to share their stories and begin a romance.  And wouldn't you know, the next morning when Sydney arrives for her meeting with Hugo Cassell (Thibault de Montalembert), there, in the meeting, is Henri, who just happens to be Hugo's son.  Awk...ward.

In the meantime, Sydney is not the only one vying for acquisition of Champagne Chateau.  There are Roberto Salazar (Sean Amsing) and Otto Moller (Flula Borg) who provide some comic relief as well as Brigitte Laurent (Astrid Whettnall), Hugo's business partner, is also in attendance at the meeting and Hugo invites all of them to the Chateau. But Sydney's boss, Marvin, is not feeling that Sydney is up for the job, so he sends Ryan Garner (Xavier Samuel) to assist her.

It's all very beautiful and decorated for the holidays at the Chateau, but a dark cloud descends when Ryan arrives and announces that the ultimate plan for the Chateau Cassell is to be sold to a Japanese company for a big profit.  Henri overhears and is not happy.  Sydney tries to voice her opposition but Ryan threatens to have her fired if she doesn't follow the plan. 

All kinds of machinations involving the acquisition of the Chateau ensue as well as misunderstandings between our lovers. 

Yes, even though this is a Netflix movie, the Hallmark tropes are in place and we all know how this is going to end. Written and directed by Mark Steven Johnson, it's the usual formula, but that doesn't mean this is not an enjoyable film. It is.  Beautiful actors, beautiful location, who cares if there are a few cliches? Minka Kelly, who is probably best known for her role in the TV show "Friday Night Lights," is a lovely, believable actress and the rest of the cast and the production values raise this film above the usual TV rom-com. It's a warm, comforting little movie just right for this time of year. We love these kinds of movies despite their predictability because we love the holidays, but more importantly, we love love, and when we see an attractive couple falling in love, we remember how our first (or second or third) great loves looked at us with love in their eyes and we get to relive it.  Well, that's my theory and I'm sticking with it! And it doesn't hurt if you also love champagne.

I have to add that Paris is a special place at Christmas.  We flew there one Christmas day thinking that no one would be there because they would all be at home with their families.  We were wrong. I guess everyone else also thought Paris was a special place for Christmas and they were there too.  It was a madhouse.  But you can avoid the crowds and enjoy it watching this little movie from your comfortable chair, hopefully with a glass of champagne!  

Rosy the Reviewer says...this one has the Hallmark tropes, but hey, we get to hang out in France for the holidays! And it was actually filmed in France.

The Merry Gentlemen (2024)

Broadway dancer Ashley Davis (Britt Robertson) has rarely been back to her hometown in the 12 years since becoming a "Jingle Belle" on Broadway (think the Rockettes), but when she is fired from her job, it's back home she goes for the holidays. 

Yes, Ashley returns home to her small town of Sycamore Creek, and yes, her parents' bar, "The Rhythm Room," needs saving and yes, she "meets cute" with Luke (Chad Michael Murray), a handsome handyman, when she arrives (she gets snarled up in a holiday wreath he is putting up). Trope-de-trope-de trope, but that's where the tropes end.  Enter the male strippers!

But first, let me back up a bit.

When Ashley arrives in town and after running into Luke, she discovers that her parents, Stan (Michael Gross) and Lily (Beth Broderick), owe $30,000 in rent for their bar, and if not paid they will lose it. But when Ashley sees Luke with his shirt off, she gets the idea to have a male Christmas revue in the bar to raise the cash. She is a dancer, after all. She enlists Luke as well as her sister's husband, Rodger (Marc Anthony Samuel); Ricky (Hector David Jr.), a local taxi driver she met when she arrived; and Troy (Colt Prattes), the bartender; and dubs them "The Merry Gentlemen." And when Rodger twists his ankle, she recruits older bar customer, Danny (Maxwell Caulfield). When he agrees and is questioned about whether he can learn the choreography, he answers by saying he doesn't just drink when he sits at the bar. 

The troupe is a G-rated "Magic Mike" and they are a hit. All goes well and it is clear that Luke and Ashley have feelings for each other.  But then, Ashley is offered her job back on Broadway.  What will she do? Will she leave Sycamore Creek and Luke behind?

I don't think it's a spoiler if I say...duh. 

With a story by Jeffrey Schenck and Peter Sullivan, a screenplay by Marla Sokoloff (who also plays Ashley's sister) and directed by Sullivan, what saves this from being just another predictable Hallmark-type holiday movie is that it has characters you care about. Britt Robertson, probably best known for "The Longest Ride " and "Tomorrowland (both of which I reviewed favorably in 2015) is a lovely actress with a luminous quality that draws you in, and hey, there is nothing wrong with enjoying buff guys gyrating with their shirts off! 

Rosy the Reviewer says...despite the usual predictability, this has the holiday spirit we yearn for and is a heartwarming reminder that "there's no place like home."

See You Next Time!

And Happy Holidays!

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to like it and share it on Facebook, X, or other sites; email it to your friends and/or follow me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/rosythereviewer where I share short reviews about TV shows I am watching, books I am reading and all sorts of other fun stuff that doesn't appear here!

And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critics Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!

"Maestro" and The Week in Reviews

[I review "Maestro," the new Bradley Cooper biopic about Leonard Bernstein as well as "Pain Hustlers," an expose of some bad practices in the pharmaceutical industry, and Eddie Murphy's holiday film, "Candy Cane Lane"]

Maestro (2023)

Not just a biopic about conductor/composter Leonard Bernstein, it's also a complicated love story.

The film industry is strange right now.  Movies open in "limited release" in theatres, and then open big on streaming platforms like Netflix.  A good example is this film.  I kept waiting for it to show up in my town, because I have a standing date with a good friend to see movies in the theatre, but it never came.  But now here it is, only a few weeks after it's so-called limited release in the movie theatres, on Netflix.  I am not complaining.  Except for not seeing it with my friend, I could watch it in my jammies with a glass of wine. And I did.

Leonard Bernstein was an American conductor, composer, pianist, teacher, author and activist. Considered to be one of the most important conductors of his time, he was the first American-born conductor to lead a major American symphony orchestra, the New York Philharmonic. He wrote music in many genres - classical pieces, scores for movies and Broadway shows, most notably the music for "West Side Story." He died in 1990, and despite his fame during the 50's,60's and beyond, I am wondering how many people of the younger generation even know who he is today.

But I am not a member of the younger generation, and I have personal memories of Bernstein. First as a little girl, when my mother wanted me to get out of her hair on a Saturday and go out and play, she would tell me, if I stayed inside, I couldn't watch cartoons, I would have to watch Bernstein's Young People's Concerts, a part educational show about music that included performances by the New York Philharmonic.  I went outside.  I was not a particularly sophisticated ten-year-old.  But when I was 12, I saw "West Side Story" and was obsessed with not just the film, but the music.  I bought the record and played it over and over and over.

So I couldn't wait to see this film.

It begins in color with Bernstein (Bradley Cooper) as an old man remembering his wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn (Carey Mulligan), who had passed, and then the film switches to black and white with Bernstein as a young man getting his first break in 1943 as a conductor to fill in for conductor Bruno Walter at Carnegie Hall.  He was a success and his career took off. The film follows his career, his entanglements, meeting his wife and then the film switches back to color as Bernstein matures in the 60's and 70's.

However, this film is less a biopic and more of a love story and the story of a marriage.  It's as much about Bernstein's wife, Felicia, as it is about Bernstein and the personal journey they found themselves on.  Bernstein was a homosexual in a time when that was not accepted and many closeted men married and had families, especially those in the public eye. But that doesn't mean he didn't love his wife, Felicia.  He did. Though preferring men, Bernstein had affairs with both men and women.  He loved Felicia and they mostly stayed together until her death, though she knew of his desires for men and put up with dalliances taking place right in front of her.

Bradley Cooper is quite wonderful as Bernstein and, I say that as someone who was never particularly a big Cooper fan. Though named People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" in 2011, I always thought he looked nerdie.  But nerdie or not, here he embodies Bernstein, and it's not just the prosthetics. And speaking of which, there was a big flap about those prosthetics. People were upset that he enlarged his nose because Bernstein was Jewish and Cooper was not.  I didn't find that distracting because Cooper really looked like Bernstein, and my feeling is that if Bernstein's family was not offended (and they supposedly were not), then get over it. But though Cooper was made to look like Bernstein, his embodiment of him wasn't just the make-up. Cooper had the mannerisms and voice cadence down, and he is spectacular in a scene where he conducts the orchestra in a Mahler symphony and captures Bernstein's dramatics, something he worked on for six years! It's a  tour de force performance and, I think, the apex of Cooper's acting career so far. That conducting scene is about as dramatic as you can get.

But like I said, this film is as much about Felicia as it is about Bernstein and Carey Mulligan is amazing as Felicia.  Just watch her eyes.  They tell Felicia's story as she goes from love struck wife to one who has to accept her husband's desires.  Both Cooper and Mulligan are nominated for Best Actor Golden Globes, and I expect Oscar nominations in their future.

Directed by Cooper (he also wrote the screenplay with Josh Singer), this has the feel of an old style film from the 40's and 50's.  It is a fairly linear tale, it has lush production values, with Bernstein's music punctuating the plot and a certain amount of melodrama, which I enjoy.  Though Cooper's directorial choices were odd at times, this film evokes a time gone by, when artistic people got together at parties, and instead of looking at their phones, performed for each other, told jokes, talked about their creative processes and smoked and smoked and smoked.  But the film is also a very human story, a linear love story about a man struggling with his sexuality and the woman who loved him.

I can't help but wonder, though, why is Bernstein's story being told now?  He died 34 years ago and few probably remember him today.  But don't get me wrong, his story deserves to be told and his music and achievements remembered because he was a very special man. This is clearly a labor of love for Cooper as well as the other executive producers - Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg - and maybe that's all the reason needed.

Rosy the Reviewer says...a fascinating film about a man who deserves to be remembered and performances that are a tribute to him. (Netflix)

Pain Hustlers (2023)

An expose of some criminal shenanigans in the pharmaceutical industry.

Based on a true story chronicled in the 2022 book "The Hard Sell" by Evan Hughes and adapted for the screen by Wells Tower, this is the story of Liza Drake (Emily Blunt), a stripper who has fallen on hard times but suddenly finds herself making tons of money as a pharmaceutical rep until it all comes crashing down.

In 2011, Liza Drake is a struggling single mother living out of her sister's garage in Florida with her epileptic daughter, Phoebe (Chloe Coleman). When working as a stripper, she meets Pete Brenner (Chris Evans), who works for Zanna, a pharmaceutical company, and he offers her a job as a pharmaceutical rep at his company.  Hey, stripper?...pharma rep?...sure, why not?

When things get even worse for Liza and her daughter's health worsens, she takes Pete up on his offer but since she is a high school dropout, Pete writes her a resume, giving her a degree in biochemistry.  In her interview with Dr. Jack Neel (Andy Garcia), the company founder, she impresses him and gets the job only to discover that Zanna has also fallen on hard times, finding it difficult to break into the pharma market. Neel gives her five days to convince a doctor to prescribe their drug, Lonafen, a pain medication for cancer patients. The "fen" part of Lonafen should give you a hint on what this drug is all about.

After some missteps, Liza manages to convince a Dr. Lydell (Brian d'Arcy James) to prescribe the drug, and it snowballs, giving Zanna a foot into the market and Liza is promoted to National Sales Director and Pete to COO. Things are looking good for Zanna, but when sales flatten, Neel gets greedy and he pressures the sales staff to market Lonafen for all types of pain, not just cancer. Now people are in lines outside of pain management clinics needing the drug.  And then bribery, illegal speaker programs and other criminal activities join the mix.

The U.S. Attorney's office eventually gets involved, and when people start dying from Lonafen, one of them Liza's friend's husband, Liza starts feeling guilty and agrees to testify against the company. And yes, Lonafen is basically fentanyl which is why non-terminal patients became addicts and often overdosed.

There is a reason why those pharma reps waiting outside your doctor's office are good-looking and dressed to the nines.  It's all about sales, and it seems back in the day some doctors could be charmed into prescribing certain drugs or even bribed, at least according to this film. Similar to the TV series "Dope Sick," which I thought was one of the best series of 2021, this film, directed by David Yates, is not as good but also exposes the dark side of the pharma industry, especially the unscrupulous methods that some used to get opioids into our health care industry.

Emily Blunt plays against type as a sort of Erin Brockovich character and Chris Evans eschews his "Captain America" uniform and heroic persona for a suit and tie and a sleazy attitude. Blunt is especially good.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this movie should make you mad...in a good way. (Netflix)

Candy Cane Lane (2023)

It's Christmas and Chris Carver (Eddie Murphy) is determined to win the big prize for best decorated house on his street.

Let me just say from the start, my little town has a Candy Cane Lane so we are used to over-the-top house decorating. Christmas Eve, it was a family tradition to have our Christmas Eve pizza, get in the car and sing Christmas carols as we toured our Candy Cane Lane and then returned home to open presents.  So I relate to the Candy Cane Lane concept.  However, I just could not relate to this movie. Remember that Rosy the Reviewer says "I see the bad ones so you don't have to?"  Well, you are welcome. It's bad.

Chris Carver needs to win the $100,000 prize for best decorated house because he lost his job and his wife, Carol (Tracee Ellis Ross), may not get the promotion she deserves. Their daughter, Joy (Genneya Walton), a high school track star, doesn't appear to want to attend USC, their alma mater, and son, Nick (Thaddeus J. Mixson), enjoys playing his tuba more than getting his math grades up.  So Chris needs a distraction, not to mention that hundred grand, so the race is on to find the perfect decorations. Oh, I forgot to mention the precocious younger, daughter, Holly (Madison Thomas).  There is always one of those in these kinds of movies. You know, the little kid who sees what the adults can't see?  And did you notice the names?  Chris, Carol, Joy, Nick, Holly.  That should give you some idea of what is to come and it ain't pretty.

One can't help but compare this movie to "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation" and Chris to Clark Griswold, but I am sorry to say no real comparison. Not even close.  Even with the element of magic that is introduced, it just doesn't work. 

Chris, looking for Christmas decorations, takes a strange detour and ends up in a building under the freeway and a store run by Pepper (Jillian Bell), who turns out to be an evil elf. Of course, he doesn't know that.  She sells Chris a "Twelve Days of Christmas" tree that Chris is certain will win him the contest, but in order to buy the decoration he must sign an agreement, that, of course, he doesn't read.  

When the big night arrives, Chris lights up the tree and the decorations are spectacular until...all of the characters on the tree come to life and terrorize the neighborhood.  So now Chris must spend the rest of the movie reeling in the seven swans a swimming, the six geese a laying...well you know the drill...and he must find the five gold rings before midnight or he will turn into a teeny-tiny version of himself, a Christmas figurine. Remember that agreement he signed that he didn't read?  And remember I said that Pepper was an evil elf? Oh, didn't I tell you...when he was in the shop he met three other miniature humans (Nick Offerman, Robin Thede and Chris Redd) who had been turned into figurines by the evil Pepper (they didn't read their agreements either), and they just happened to hitch a ride over to his house, so they become part of the story as well.

Enough said.  Written by Kelly Younger and directed by Reginald Hudlin, bad jokes and cliches abound - even that over-used slo-mo power walk that we always see when some butt kicking needs to happen is in this.  I am fairly certain this movie was supposed to be funny and stir up some happy holiday memories.  But it isn't and it doesn't.  As a longtime Eddie Murphy fan, I had such high hopes for this film. What is it about these comedians who stop being funny when they get old and they fall into the sentimentality trap?  It happened to Richard Pryor, it happened to Chevy Chase and now it's happened to Eddie.  He's just not funny and neither is this movie.

Rosy the Reviewer says...this is one holiday chore you can skip. (Amazon Prime)

Thanks for reading!

See you next time!

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And next time you are wondering whether or not to watch a particular film, check out my reviews on IMDB (The International Movie Database). Go to IMDB.com, find the movie you are interested in.  Scroll over to the right of the synopsis to where it says "Critic Reviews" - Click on that and if I have reviewed that film, you will find Rosy the Reviewer alphabetically on the list (NOTE:  IMDB keeps moving stuff around so if you don't find "Critics Reviews" where I am sending you, look around.  It's worth it)!