Just Getting Started never quite gets started

Movie Title:    JUST GETTING STARTED

Grade:   D

Rating: PG-13, 1 hour 31 minutes

In a Nutshell:   With a promising beginning, this lazy comedy just doesn’t get started.   It’s a disappointing waste of talent and time.

Surprisingly, this is the first time that Tommy Lee Jones and Morgan Freeman have worked in a film together.  I love them both.  

The movie features a playful rivalry between the two as they battle it out for the Alpha male position at a retirement village with Rene Russo as the prize.  Morgan Freeman’s character challenges, “You and I…just getting started.”  Their chemistry is good, but the writing is inconsistent in what could be an entertaining war between the two.

The cast includes other delightful, aging actors, but the star power is much greater than the plot and storytelling.  It’s mostly funny for people aged 60 and over.  Make that 70.

Morgan Freeman’s character sums up his goals, philosophy and this movie when he states, “Sex, booze, golf, and then you die.”

 

Uplifting theme: 

• “Happiness is not a condition.  It’s a choice.”  - Duke (Morgan Freeman)
• Friendship

Things I liked:

• Given that everyone in the audience I sat with probably has some cans of Ensure in their kitchen pantry, I think it’s funny that the movie is produced, in part, by Endurance Media.  Ha ha
• Christmas in Palm Springs includes Santa Claus in board shorts and flip flops, Christmas trees on golf carts, and carolers singing to people in hot tubs.
• Fun cameo performance by Johnny Mathis
• A shout-out for the navigator app “Waze.”  I love that app!  When Google’s navigator got me lost in Panama, Waze saved the day.  True story.

Things I didn’t like:

• It’s just not that funny.  I was so bored that I kept looking at my watch.  Well, I don’t actually wear a watch, but you know what I mean.
• I was surprised that all of the big name stars in the movie would go for such a dumb script.
• If you want to see a better Morgan Freeman “twilight years” movie, rent The Bucket List
• Lots of pointless, boring scenes.
• Sadly, this is Glenne Headly’s last movie.  She died on June 8, 2017.
• Jane Seymour is such a lovely, graceful beauty, but in this movie she plays an over-the-top mob wife who actually looks old and ridiculous.
• You hear the snotty words “Shut up!” MANY times by quite a few characters.  Once might be funny, but over and over is just sloppy writing and makes all of the characters look equally mean spirited.
• Morgan Freeman’s cronies were played by Joe Pantoliano, George Wallace, and Graham Beckel.  Sadly, their talent didn’t add much to this lame comedy.

Interesting lines:

• “A lot of trees have flaws.  So do people.  You can put the bad side of trees against the wall.  What do you do with people?” – Duke Diver (Morgan Freeman)

“That’s deep.” – Jimmy (Nick Peine)

“Write it down.” - Duke

Funny lines:

• “If she falls for a drunk Santa Claus, I badly misjudged her character.” – Leo (Tommy Lee Jones)
• “I need a cup of coffee.” – Duke

“You need a new liver.” – Leo

• “I’m exploring my feminine side.” - Leo

Tips for parents: 

• Tons of jokes about sex.   
• The trio of old women who are included for comic relief constantly throw themselves at the men and are always seen with a glass of alcohol.  Trio of lushes.  Is that like a gaggle of geese?
• Some profanity, including one F-bomb.
• Guns and shooting
• Kids will probably think it’s stupid and just think it’s a movie of a bunch of “old farts.”  Surprisingly, no one actually farts in the movie.

@trinaboice 

Jason Bourne franchise still alive

Movie Title:     Jason Bourne

  

Grade:  B

Rating:  PG-13, 123 minutes

In a Nutshell:   If you’re a fan of the Bourne movie franchise, then you will want to see this movie, regardless of any critic’s review.  

I love Jason Bourne and Matt Damon, so I was looking forward to it, although I wondered what more the writers could possibly say or do to the story line.  The fact that it is “more of the same” is its strength AND weakness.

So, is this 4^th installment the last?  Who knows.  If this one makes any money, then you can bet there will be another one.   Who knew Robert Ludlum’s “The Bourne Trilogy” series would keep going?

Themes: 

• Personal rights vs. public safety
• Revenge
• “Privacy means freedom.” – Aaron Kalloor (Riz Ahmed)
• Cyber security
• Family

Things I liked:

• I love Jason Bourne kicking bad guy butt.  Forty-five year old Matt Damon produced the film.  You see a lot of pictures and even clips of him in his younger days.
• Tommy Lee Jones can always be counted on to do a great job playing a good/bad Sherriff/Director/agent in any film.
• Alicia Vikander is beautiful to watch.  She started out with a bit of a British accent, but then it quickly toned down to a believable American one.  She’s actually Swedish and a very good singer!  She won the “Rising Star Award” at the 2010 Film Festival in Sweden and even won the role of a Danish queen in a 2012 movie without knowing any Danish.  Her career is definitely one to watch.
• It was nice to see Julia Stiles again.
• I wanted to beat the crap out of Vincent Cassel, who plays a brutal, vengeful agent with Jason Bourne in his sights…literally.
• The car chase scene down the famous Las Vegas Strip was pretty doggone impressive.  The most unbelievable thing about that scene, however, is that it is absolutely impossible to drive down Las Vegas Boulevard that fast.  I live in Vegas and can tell you that it is ALWAYS crowded and cars inch slowly along the road bumper to bumper.  Ha ha  At one point, cars crash into the Riviera Hotel, which no longer exists.  Las Vegas is the Capital of Implosions and just demolished the "Riv" in June.  Check out this clip from the real life implosion. 
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• The film begins with some old clips from past movies in case you forgot what happened 9 years ago in the last flick.
• One thing I love about the Bourne franchise is that you get to travel all over the world in the movies.

Things I didn’t like:

• Does anyone actually like the “shaky cam” effect?  Every time there was a close-up, the jiggling around would begin.  That’s so annoying.
• Sometimes you have to read really fast to catch written words on computer screens or other documents.

·       At some point, almost every character in the movie says “Understood.”

·       The same flashback gets played over and over.

·       The same tense music and drum beats during almost the entire
         movie.
*       Some lines in the trailer weren't in the actual movie.

       

Interesting lines:

• “I remember.  I remember everything.” – Jason Bourne
•  “He’s seen things.  He knows things.” -  Heather Lee (Alicia Vikander)
• “What if he’s not coming for us.  What if it’s something else?”   Heather Lee
• “I know who I am.  I remember everything.” – Jason Bourne

“Remembering everything doesn’t mean you know everything.” – Nicky Parsons

“Tell me.”  - Jason Bourne

• “I volunteered because of a lie.” – Jason Bourne

“No, you volunteered because of who you are.” – Director Dewey

• “We’ve just been hacked.” – Craig Jeffers (Ato Essandoh)

“How bad?” – Director Robert Dewey (Tommy Lee Jones)

“Could be worse than Snowden.” – Craig      - By the way, there is a movie about Snowden that hits theaters on September 9, 2016.

• “He is involved in this somehow.  I can feel it.” – Director Dewey
• “You don’t know the truth about what they did to you.” – Nicky
• “You have no idea who you’re dealing with.” – Director Dewey
• “I’m trying to find another way.” – Jason Bourne

“And how’s that working out for you?” – Director Dewey

Tips for parents:   

• LOTS of shooting, killing, crashes, riots, and bloody hand-to-hand combat.  This is a very violent movie.
• Some profanity.