June was a relatively sparse month for me at the cinema, so only two films to review.
The Hangover is very much a dumb comedy. There’s nothing clever happening and it doesn’t have the levels of sheer bizarre genius of something like Anchorman. It does, however, have Zach Galifianakis doing his slightly crazed humour, that pushes against the comfort threshold a little much at times. The cast are pretty solid, and the laughs are consistent throughout, but don’t see the highs of other films. All in a good comedy. (see my The Hangover Twitter review).
Sunshine Cleaning is a slightly odd film. Being the next movie after an Oscar winning indie film (but not a sequel), it sits in a middle ground: it’s not a big movie, but it doesn’t seem like an indie film either. At it’s heart, it deals with the story of two sisters coming together to build something, while dealing with the issues elsewhere in their lives. When that something is a bio clean-up service, you know you’re going to get some funny moments, some sweet scenes and some troublesome times. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt are both great as the aforementioned sister, and the supporting cast are all solid. Alan Arkin was equally good, but seemed to be shoe-horned in. It could really have benefited from tighter editing and a reduced running time, but it was good as-is. Worth seeing. (see my Sunshine Cleaning Twitter review).
I don’t feel all that strongly about either film. They’re both good in their own right, but haven’t exactly resonated with me all these months later that I’m writing this. I’m going to opt for The Hangover though, simply because if you asked me to watch one right now, I know I’d pick it.