"Big Fish"

I heard this movie was good when it came out, but for some reason I never got around to seeing it. Basically, it's about a 30-something American guy, living in France and about to have his first child with his French wife. His father told him fantastical stories about his own life when he was a young boy and even into his adulthood. Now as his father is dying, he doesn't know his own father and what to believe about him.

Though the movie mostly shows the events his father described, such as a town no one ever leaves, a sheep-stealing 15 foot giant, and impossible feats in war, it touches on a much more beautiful subject. I think that the real meaning of the movie is about our relationship with our parents, and the importance of having a close one even after we're out of the house and gone.

The main character, Will Bloom, goes the whole movie wanting to know the truth about his father's past, the truth behind the stories of werewolf circus leaders and catching the uncatchable giant catfish. But more than anything, he feels his father is a stranger, a close stranger. I am glad that I don't feel the same way, and I think it shows us the importance of working towards a closer relationship with our parents, not just letting them build it, but doing some of the work ourselves. He finally realizes that his father has shared his life with him the way he knew how. It was now Will's turn to accept it and work towards a closer relationship with his father.

Like I said, I loved this movie. Not just for the outward tall tales and myths, but for the poignant meaning lying underneath the main script.

"Cold Comfort Farm"

This movie stars Kate Beckinsale and Sir Ian McKellen. It's about a young society woman in the 30s whose parents die and leave her orphaned. She doesn't want to work, so she farms herself out to the relatives she has. She decides to go live on Cold Comfort Farm with some very strange relatives to turn the farm around and make them proper ladies and gentlemen. The matriarch of the family is a crazy old lady who barely comes out of her room but leads the farm with an iron fist and no one can ever leave because she "saw something nasty in the woodshed" (she can't even remember what it was she saw).

I thought this was a very sweet movie. It was a BBC production, so I had never heard of it. But the fun came in the characters. You have McKellen who plays the son-in-law of the crazy lady. He runs the farm, but doesn't care much for it because all he wants to do is preach. He's one of those crazy preachers who likes to scare everyone into submission believing that they'll all go to hell. A little intense. Then you have the sons. The quiet Ruben who cares deeply about the farm and turning it around. Seth is the younger brother who really wants to be in the talkies but has no way of doing it (he's played by one of my favorite British character actors: Rufus Sewell of "Knight's Tale" and "Tristan and Isolde"). The mother of the boys is just as crazy as her mother. And the daughter is secretly in love with a rich heir but spouts poetry all day.

Kate Beckinsale basically comes in, talks to these people, cleans them up, and helps them acheive their dreams. That's all she cares about. She wants them to go out and make something of their lives, while being proper. She also has two admirers, one of them a loon and the other a very sweet man who watches her with the cutest looks on his face.

It was great to see what she could do for these people just through small gestures and some talking. The movie was so much fun to watch, and I was sad when it ended. I highly recommend it to everyone. It really talked mostly about how change was a good thing and that sometimes we all just need to break away to make our lives better. Though it was set in the 30s, it transcends all time limitations.

"About a Boy"

I rented this movie about a week ago. It stars Hugh Grant, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, and some boy that hasn't been in much. I liked it a lot, and will probably buy it down the road.

Grant plays a commitment-phobic Londoner who lives handsomely off of royalties from a crappy Christmas song his dad wrote. So, naturally, if he doesn't have to do anything, he doesn't. He spends his time going from relationship to relationship, breaking hearts and not caring. Then, a friend hooks him up with a single mom who ends the relationship just at the time he does. So, he thinks that all single moms would be like that and goes out trying to find some to date.

In his pursuit, he goes to a meeting for single parents, inventing a two year old son. His behavior is horrible, but watching him try to live up to this lie is amusing enough. He gets a date with one of the moms and when they go to a picnic, she has to bring along the twelve year-old boy of a friend suffering from depression. This boy, is, well, weird. And I mean singing random 80s pop songs in class weird. When they take the kid home at the end of the day, they find his mom on the couch after a failed suicide attempt.

After that, the boy begins following Grant around town, showing up at his house, and they form an unlikely friendship. They help each other out with girls, friends, and life in general.

The premise of this movie could go either way. But, they did an excellent job with it. Grant was perfect for the role, going from a selfish late 30s man to someone who has something to care about. It also spoke beautifully on how we do need to have others around us to help us be happy and how we can cheer up someone else's life. Selflessness was a huge theme of the movie. Definitely a movie that can bring some tears to your eyes, it really touched me. I think it was a great movie. It is rated PG-13, and I think that's because there are a few swear words here and there. But I would definitely give this movie a 5 out of 5. It relates a great message about caring for others which, I'm afraid, we don't see much in the world of movies anymore.

"Benchwarmers"

Now, generally I'm into much more intelligent comedy than this slapstick nonsense, but being a huge fan of "Napoleon Dynamite" and Jon Heder, I thought I would give this movie a chance.

First off, it is funny. The whole premise is that 3 adult losers, 2 of which had never even had dates before, form a baseball team to kick the butts of all the little league bullies. They get financial help from a billionare who was a loser as a kid, too, and away they go. The only person who can actually play is Gus, and along the way, Clark and Richie learn and get pretty good.

Clark tends to throw the bat when he tries to hit the ball. This results in many broken windshields, the death of three squirrels, and a few other mishaps. The first time Richie throws a ball, it ends up landing on his head. Or when Clark throws a rock at Gus mowing the lawn, well, let's just say someone gets hurt. These moments are really some of the funniest. Guffaws might even ensue.

The movie does try to have a moving end, letting some kids get into the game. Unfortunately, I think it fails to really move anyone anywhere. I guess the guys' hearts are in the right place, but that message really doesn't come out that much.

So, would I recommend buying this one? No. I recommend watching it once. It is funny, but I can't see that any enjoyment can be gotten out of seeing it more than that. Now, like I said, I don't really go for this brand of comedy. It was good, but I didn't walk away from it all that impressed. So I give it 2 1/2 popcorn kernals out of 5.