Movie reviews

Movie reviews this week looks at The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard a riotous comedy produced by Will Ferell (Wedding Crashers)

It stars Jeremy Piven (Entourage) as Don Ready, a car sales man that has been brought in by Ben Selleck played by James Brolin (played Ronald Reagan in The Reagans, and father of Josh, he looks remarkably like an older Christian Bale), to help save his business.

Don brings along his team Ving Rhames (Pulp fiction) as Jibby Newsome, David Koechner (Saturday Night Live) as dependable Brent Gage, the lovely Kathryn Hahn (Revolutionary Road) as Babs Merrick.

In his attempt to improve sales they hire a DJ, and advertise the event, and when the day comes Don and his crew are pretty good at delivering at their promises, using every and anything to "Hard sell" people into buying from Selleck's cars.

However things are not as easy going as Don first thought, as there is a competing car lot, owned by Stu Harding played by Alan Thicke (The Trial of Red Riding Hood), whose son Paxton Harding played by Ed Helms (The Hangover) is chasing a music career with his group "The Bigups" and is a fiance to Tammy, daughter of Ben Selleck played by the lovely Jordana Spiro (My Boys).

Will Ferell makes an appearance as McDermott ill fated friend during a time in Alberquerque.

Don finds out that he would like to settle down rather than be on the road all the time, as expected he soon starts falling for Ivy, but seeing she is already engaged to Paxton, his chances are pretty slim.

It has some classic funny moments, notably including Will Ferell and a sky diving jump, and Babs seducing a man into buying a car by tapping into his fantasy. The always on edge Dick Lewiston played by Charles Napier (Austin Powers 2) who seems to talk about his dislike of others has some memorable scenes, the prelude prior to all the employees picking up on the sole "Japanese" employee Teddy Dang, played by Ken Jeong (his scenes in the hilarious The Hangover has to be seen) is memorable simply for the way Dick stares at him, as Don tries to encourage them for the big sell.

Labels: 'Movie Reviews, film review, film reviews, films, James Brolin, Jeremy Piven, Ken Jeong, Movie Review, movies, Sell Hard, Sell Hard', The Goods: Live Hard, Ving Rhames

This is a lovely teen comedy the family will enjoy, it tells the story of a typical teenager Danny Stein played by Steven Kaplan(a young Patrick Dempsey lookalike) preparing for his big prom night, except he hasn't found a girl to go to the prom with, there is the obvious girl he really should go to the prom with, who he has known all his life, they get on well, and even do school projects together, as her sister says "he is practically a brother", with, Camille played by the lovely Alia Shawkat, his entire family and hers think that they should go together, but as most teenage boys he is looking for something a little outside his immediate surroundings, notably a very pretty girl Alice played by Ashley Benson, strangely enough he wants to ask her out to the prom even though he suspects he is just a tease, and even contemplates Camille's sister Gerties(played by the very pretty Katie McClellan) as opposed to herself.

Embarrassingly for her Camille even sends him a letter to take her to the prom, which he lets her down gently that he has the eyes for someone else.

Matters come to a head when the local geek(complete with the big double rimmed glasses) not only has a date for the prom but a room hence the title, much to the shock and amazement of his entire family, his mother played by the lovely Cheryl Hines(Robin William's wife in RV) and his divorced dad complete with a nice looking perm played by the dependable William H. Macy(Boogie Nights), his dad is trying to find a date for himself, and there is a funny sequence where he takes his date to a restaurant along with Danny still asking for advice on if the girl of his dreams should be asked to the prom, based on his father's good natured meaning but awkward in the current circumstances, his date makes an excuse that her toddler needs the bathroom, and notably speeds off in her car, while the two are discussing the issue of Danny's potential prom date.

Mixed with his desire to have his parents reconciled, amidst the new man in his mother's life who is nice enough but his dad although not as rich as him will not have his son's affections taken by another guy.

It is a nice sweet family movie, and you could tell there are aspects of it if not the whole thing biographical.

Labels: 'Movie Reviews, Alia Shawkat, Ashley Benson, Bart got a room, Cheryl Hines, film reviews, films, Kathy McClellan, Movie reviews Bart got a room', movies, prom, Steven Kaplan, teenage, William H. Macy