FILM | Reviews
COMEDY THE BOSS (15) 99min ●●●●●
Since she made it big with Bridesmaids, Melissa McCarthy has sometimes struggled to find the right vehicles for her comedic talents. Her husband, Ben Falcone, was at the helm of the clumsy Tammy, but they team up far more successfully for The Boss, a foul-mouthed comedy in the actress’ usual abrasive style. McCarthy is Michelle Darnell, a strident businesswoman jailed for insider trading. Having learned nothing from that incarceration, she forces herself into the life of her former PA Claire (Kristen Bell) and Claire’s daughter Rachel (Ella Anderson) upon release. With their help she masterminds a successful campaign to sell girl-scout cookies on an industrial scale but that scheme brings her back to the attention of long- term adversary and paramour Renault (Peter Dinklage).
The film starts well, juxtaposing Darnell’s dirty tactics with the more innocent world of girl scouts. But the second half slips into routine corporate-rival shenanigans, and while McCarthy sportingly throws herself into the slapstick this often feels like a cop-out. Regardless, The Boss will please McCarthy’s large fanbase; it’s a proficient if forgettable comedy well-suited to the raucous nature of its star. (Eddie Harrison) ■ General release from Fri 10 Jun.
DOCUMENTARY WHERE TO INVADE NEXT (15) 120min ●●●●●
Documentarian Michael Moore can come across as smugly self-righteous in his ongoing mission to tell America exactly what it’s doing wrong. This time he adopts a more genial tone while embarking on an enlightening odyssey through Europe and Tunisia, staging mock invasions as he brazenly steals ideas from each country. These range from Italy’s eight weeks of paid holiday to Norway’s rehabilitative prison system and Slovenia’s free university education. We discover that France’s delicious school meals are cheaper than the slop served in the US, and that Finland’s no-homework policy and shortest, most fun-filled school hours in the West results in the top-ranking students across the world. Moore produces charts and weaves in footage of the American reality, a stark contrast to what we witness on his travels.
COMEDY THE NICE GUYS (15) 116min ●●●●●
‘You’re a detective who can’t smell?’ balks Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) as he uncovers yet another failing in Holland March (Ryan Gosling), the man he has, perhaps unwisely, teamed up with. In Shane Black’s obscenely entertaining comedy, Healy is the gruff muscle operating outside the law, while private dick March brings a squeak of legitimacy to their investigations, alongside style without swagger, spectacular cowardice and a fatal weakness for a free bar. In 1977 LA, this pair delve into the conspiracy surrounding the death of a porn star, whose
final skin-flick holds the key to local corruption. March is the single parent of 13-year-old Holly (Angourie Rice), meaning the sleazy milieu is nicely countered by the inconvenient presence of this more competent chip-off-the-old-block. The Nice Guys deftly blends buddy-movie traditions, farcical action and noir-esque machinations. A commercial cousin to the recent Inherent Vice, it riffs on Black’s own Lethal Weapon as well as such diverse fare as Paper Moon, The Long Goodbye and The Pink Panther, while the presence of Kim Basinger leads to a fitting reunion with her LA Confidential love interest Crowe. Those who think of Gosling as too-cool-for-school will be delighted by his newfound propensity for humiliation, while Crowe shows a hitherto untapped gift for comedy; or rather for bemusement at the expense of his game co-star whose tangle with a toilet cubicle is a highlight. Their rapport is so successful that this feels like a double act for the ages in a film that actually deserves to spawn a sequel: nestled amongst the fish-flinging, sucker-punching and nose-diving off buildings are the beginnings of a beautiful friendship. (Emma Simmonds) ■ General release from Fri 3 Jun.
ROMANCE ME BEFORE YOU (12A) 110min ●●●●● Me Before You is an old-fashioned weepie based on the Jojo Moyes bestseller. It follows two mismatched souls, one of whom is confined to a wheelchair: Will (Sam Claflin) had a great job and beautiful fiancée until an accident left him paralysed. Despite coming from a family able to provide him with the finest care, he's wholly embittered. Will’s exasperated parents (Janet McTeer, Charles Dance) hire bubbly carer Lou (Emilia Clarke) and her sunny outlook seeps through his cynical veneer. In spite of blossoming feelings, Will seems determined to end his life.
Not so much a ‘will they won’t they?’ as a ‘will he won’t he?’, the script has been carefully The continuing frustration is that he’s preaching to the
adapted by Moyes herself. Debut director Thea Sharrock gives the narrative a gloss which doesn’t always sit well with its darker elements, although her stage experience means she knows how to draw credible work from her cast. True, Clarke appears to have trouble controlling her eyebrows but she’s a warm, watchable presence, while Claflin modulates his performance with real skill. And for all those Richard Curtis-like primary colours, it’s hard to hold back the tears for a story that has the courage of its convictions. (James Mottram) ■ General release from Fri 3 Jun. choir, while haters won’t bother to see this in case they learn something. But it’s an entertaining, stimulating discussion with many points the British can chew on too. And, as Moore says, ‘see how easy that was? No casualties, no PTSD, just me walking away with something better than oil.’ You have to like a guy who still believes anything can happen. (Angie Errigo) ■ Selected release from Fri 10 Jun.
70 THE LIST 2 Jun–1 Sep 2016