grade Movie Reviews

• Reviewed by Tony Heck grade 7 / 10

  A funny & moving romantic comedy, that deals more with self discovery than the pursuit of love itself. Field is great.

  "She's definitely weird, but like a good weird." Doris Miller (Field) has just lost her mother and reason for living. She isn't sure what to do now, stuck in a job and spending her nights with her friend Roz and Vivian. One day while heading to work she sees John (Greenfield) and everything changes. She falls in love with him and wants to find the courage to talk to him. Little by little Doris opens up and finds her confidence, and begins to find herself again. This is a movie that flips the norm on its head. This movie deals with an older woman trying to pursue a younger man. Sally Field gives one of her best performances to date and really plays this character perfectly. You feel sorry for her but not to the point of pity, and really root for her but also cringe a few times at her actions. This is at its core a funny and moving romantic comedy, but it deals more with self discovery than the pursuit of love itself. That is refreshing to see and because of that it actually felt fresh. Overall, just a really nice movie with a great performance by Sally Field. I give this a B.

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• Reviewed by ssra_25 grade 3 / 10

  A movie about a frustrated old woman

  What can I say other then the fact that this movie is about a frustrated old woman who, one day, decides to break up a young couple and then to claim that she never wanted to harm anyone. And for some reason, the gets sympathy and respect for it. All I can say is that this movie is absolutely pathetic and not worth watching.

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• Reviewed by mark.waltz grade 6 / 10

  Could Doris be the twin sister that Gidget never met?

  I find that modern films come in four varieties: those which stand the test of time (a rare few), those which appeal to older audiences or the art house crowd, those only meant for young audiences, and those which the various generations can look at in their own way. That last genre is how I see this film, and coming from the late baby boomer era, I find a lot to appreciate here, a lot to make me cringe, and even a lot more to laugh at. I identify with the seemingly sad character played by Sally Field, lost in her world of having taken care of a dying parent. She's also the sole survivor of the veterans in a modernized company (ridiculously) which takes out chairs and puts in oversized beachballs simply "because". A new young employee (Max Greenfield) whom she becomes obsessed with, stalks on social media (another big eew), becomes ridiculously trendy, yet comes to life for the very first time. I can't imagine working at an office with nothing but millennials, because as is shown here, the basic rules of language and communication get destroyed. Field though seems to be having a ball and indeed is extremely funny. There's an ironic reference to "The Glass Menagerie" which Field appeared in on Broadway at the same time. Field is supported by the wonderful Tyne Daly, earth mother supreme, raising an over the top millennial granddaughter who shows Field how to make a fake social media account and gives her all sorts of ill-advised pointers on getting Greenfield's attention, all the while virtually avoiding her grandmother. So much to amuse, but way more to annoy with it's ultra liberal viewpoints of what society has become. Unlike other modern movies, though, the urge to turn it off is suppressed by the wonderful Fields. Her outburst when an estranged brother and some intrusive social workers try to get the hording Fields to throw things away is truly magical, and as much as you realize how obsessive/compulsive she is, the attempted control is maddening. If this accomplishes anything, it's the thoughts this brings up: of a growing generation gap, of old ideals needlessly replaced by senseless trends. and how just one odd meeting of the minds between different generations can change the world.

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