American Dreamer (2022)

Movie Name/Year: American Dreamer (2022)
Genre: Comedy
Length: 1h 38min
Rating: R
Director: Paul Dektor
Writer: Theodore Melfi, Christopher Wehner
Actors: Peter Dinklage, Shirley MacLaine, Matt Dillon, Kimberly Quinn, Danny Pudi, Danny Glover, Michelle Mylett
 
Blurb: American Dreamer is the story of Phil Loder, a professor of economics whose dream of owning a home is tragically out of reach until a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity comes his way when a widow offers Phil her sprawling estate for pennies.
 

Selina's Point of View:
When I saw I could get access to American Dreamer, I was all over it. I am a Peter Dinklage (I Care A Lot, Game of Thrones, Brothers) fanatic. Dinklage is a master of his craft, and he elevates every actor who opts to work with him. Of course, the rest of the cast didn't need elevating. Not with names like Shirley MacLaine (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Steel Magnolias, Noelle), Danny Glover (The Dead Don't Die, Jumanji: The Next Level, Press Play), Matt Dillan (Going In Style, Asteroid City, The House That Jack Built), and Danny Pudi (Community, DuckTales, Somebody I Used to Know). As a long-time fan of Letterkenny (2016-2023), I also gave a little squee when I saw Michelle Mylett (Bad Blood, Heritage Minutes, Ascension).
 
I had high hopes for American Dreamer based on cast alone. Add to that the inclusion of Hidden Figures (2016) writer/director Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent, The Starling, Winding Roads), and I was sure I was looking at a smash hit.
 

In the end, it wasn't bad. Dinklage's sad sack Phil was somewhat endearing—if a bit cringy at times. I didn't have an issue with his character, but the connections with the other characters felt forced and a bit weird. The ties that were built between Phil and Astrid felt undeserved and strange.
 
The pacing also felt a bit off. From one circumstance to the next, it felt like nothing really flowed. It was as if the film was giving us insight into short stories that made up a much larger one without giving us insight into why certain strides were made. I felt like I was missing entire scenes. I don't know what filming or post-production looked like, so that could have been a writing issue, but it could also have happened in post-production.
 
I wasn't bored; I was just a bit confused. A lot happened, but nothing happened.
 
If you want to decide for yourself, American Dreamer is available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime or, for free, on Tubi.
 

Cat's Point of View:
You've probably seen Selina and I mention that we'd watch just about any production that Peter Dinklage was involved with. Imagine my excitement that our first review after this last brief break would be a Dinklage movie. The icing on the proverbial cake was that American Dreamer certainly didn't lack for substantial talent, featuring Shirley MacLaine, Danny Glover, and Matt Dillon, among others.
 
When I first watched the trailer for American Dreamer, I was a little on the fence about whether this particular dramedy would be my cup of tea. If I'm honest, I still am – at least a little.
 
Despite my adoration for the actor, Dinklage's character was a little hard to like, but he grew on me a little. I feel like some plot holes and pacing issues could have been polished up a little, but American Dreamer was, at the very least, a solid offering. Considering this was the director's debut, however, this was an excellent first project.
 

I wasn't mad at the movie, even if I couldn't say this was my favorite.
 
Dillon always excels at portraying a royal ass, and he was in fine form here. The legendary Shirley MacLaine was one of the bright spots of this film. I enjoyed the subtle and wry nature of the humor that her role brought to the movie. Glover was also excellent.
 
I just wasn't knocked out of my seat. I was, unfortunately, aware of the passage of time while watching American Dreamer. For whatever reason, I didn't get immersed in this movie as much as I would have liked. That's not to say that I didn't like American Dreamer. If this sort of dramedy is in your wheelhouse, I encourage you to watch it. I don't think this one is going into my re-watch rotation.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 49%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 80%
Metascore – 53%
Metacritic User Score – None
IMDB Score – 6/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina's Rating – 2.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat's Rating – 3.5/5
 
Movie Trailer: 

Strays (2023)

 

Streaming Service: Peacock

Movie Name/Year: Strays (2023) 

Genre: Adventure, Comedy 

Length:  1h 33min 

Rating: R 

Director: Josh Greenbaum 

Writer: Dan Perrault 

Actors: Will Ferrell, Jamie Foxx, Isla Fisher, Randall Park, Will Forte, Brett Gelman, Rob Riggle, Josh Gad, Sofía Vergara, Jamie Demetriou, Greta Lee, Jimmy Tatro, Harvey Guillén, Jack De Sanz, Phil Morris, Charity Cervantes, Jade Fernandez, Mikayla Rousseau, Aven Lotz, Dan Perrault, Dennis Quaid, Keith Brooks, Hedy Nasser, Dexter Masland, AJ Bernard 

 

IMDb Blurb: An abandoned dog teams up with other strays to get revenge on his former owner. 

 

 

Cat’s Point of View: 

I have struggled to put my thoughts together in order to review Strays.

 

My daughter and I saw this in the theater with friends, and we had a collective consensus as we left post-credits. Never again. (Much to my husband’s dismay, we’ve told him he’s on his own if he wants to watch it, and we mean it.)

 

To be fair to Strays, the movie was funny – hilarious adjacent - and even touching occasionally. Unfortunately, there was an over-abundance of toilet humor… and that is in the most literal sense. I’ve seen other reviews give it the fancy term of ‘scatalogical humor’ but I’ll cut to the chase – poop jokes. The movie was full of dog poop.

 

 

Sure, it’s about dogs…and they poop. Every living being poops in some form or fashion. It doesn’t stop there, though; and explaining what had our stomachs churning would be giving spoilers so just take my word on it. If the thought of feces has you wanting to run to worship porcelain fast and in a hurry, then Strays may not be the film experience you’re looking for. The upside to that, I guess, is that now Strays is available on streaming, you can always pause it to run and ralph in the privacy of your own home. I did not enjoy holding down my popcorn in the very public theater. (I’m not squeamish, either. There are just some lines my internal fortitude has drawn.)

 

I’m never about tearing a movie down. There were some positives to Strays. This canine adventure was well executed and I was impressed that they clearly used real dogs for the majority of the scenes. The CGI to enable them to “talk” was also very well executed. The story was endearing, if a little sad, as the clueless, disillusioned, and yet still hopeless romantic pup takes his new friends on an adventure to wreak revenge on his former human. The concept, itself, was hilarious. There was even a dog-movie Easter egg worked in.

 

 

When we saw the trailer for the first time, my daughter and I were immediately on board wanting to watch. This is one of those instances that the trailer wasn’t exactly misleading, but it didn’t give us an accurate representation of what we were in store for.

 

I was also excited to see a film with Jamie Foxx (Day Shift, They Cloned Tyrone, The Burial). I’m always eager to see what Foxx has been working on whether it’s big or small screen productions – and especially while he’s been on medical hiatus from the latter.

 

 

Excellent cast and all its best efforts to provide a fun Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey (1993) – like adventure focused on revenge simply couldn’t overcome its own potty jokes to become a film I’d be willing to recommend to others or even ever watch again. This doesn’t make it a bad movie, so to speak, but it definitely goes into my personal One-and-Done category in which very few films reside.

 

There’s just one more thing to remember: even though Strays is about cute dogs on an adventure, this is not a movie for kids – at all. The R – Rating is absolutely appropriate for the content of this film… and not just because of the poop.

 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 53%

 Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 69% 

Metascore – 54% 

Metacritic User Score – 5.2/10 

IMDB Score – 6.3/10 

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating –  2.5/5 

 

Movie Trailer:

The Out-Laws (2023)

 

 

Streaming Service: Netflix

Movie Name/Year: The Out-Laws (2023)

Genre: Action, Comedy, Crime

Length:  1h 35min

Rating: R

Production/Distribution: Happy Madison Productions, Netflix

Director: Tyler Spindel

Writers: Evan Turner, Ben Zazove

Actors: Poorna Jagannathan, Ellen Barkin, Nina Dobrev, Adam Devine, Pierce Brosnan, Michael Rooker, Lauren Lapkus, Richard Kind, Julie Howery, Blake Anderson, Derek Russo, Laci Mosley

 

IMDb Blurb: A straight-laced bank manager about to marry the love of his life. When his bank is held up by infamous Ghost Bandits during his wedding week, he believes his future in-laws who just arrived in town, are the infamous Out-Laws.

 

Selina’s Point of View:

With Adam Devine involved, I knew the cringe-factor on The Out-Laws would be high. Although cringe is not my preferred form of comedy, I was ready to give it a chance. Devine does have some endearing qualities that can sometimes outweigh the cringe.

 

Unfortunately, that didn’t happen in The Out-Laws.

 

I would have given The Out-Laws some lee-way if it had inspired any laughter at all. Even uncomfortable laughter would have worked because I know some people dig that kind of thing. I didn’t laugh at all. Not for even a second during any part of the film. For the majority, my face was stuck in a permanent cringe.

 

It was awful.

 

The trailer is the best thing about The Out-Laws. Save yourself the time and just find that on Youtube.

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

I’ll be frank. The Out-laws was ostensibly fairly hard to watch with a straight face - or even a smiling one, really. Of course, with a comedy feature, you’d hope people aren’t staring deadpan at the screen but laughing, instead. I had a few chuckles here and there, but ultimately This movie was a hot mess cringe-fest. 

Let’s start with the few positives I have to offer, though. 

When we saw the trailer for The Out-laws, I found it funny but, realistically I realized that Adam Devine’s (The Lego Batman Movie,. Isn't It Romantic, Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin) involvement was going to make the film, on the whole, a little dicey because he was pretty much the main character. He’s very talented, just not generally to my taste. I tend to get annoyed when I see him on the screen. Now, don’t get me wrong - his performance in Green Eggs and Ham (2019-2022) where he voiced Sam I Am was great. It’s just the live-action stuff that goes off the rails.

 

 

I was hoping that the rest of the outstanding cast would help elevate everything around him and help it work overall, so I listed The Out-laws as a hopeful #12 on my personal Top 20 list in this month’s article. Maybe I was just a little too loopy-generous with that placement, considering I was in the hospital at the time. I digress…

This cast was stacked with actors I really enjoy. I fell in love with Nina Dobrev (xXx: Return of Xander Cage, Run This Town, Redeeming Love) during The Vampire Diaries (2009-2017). (In fact, I keep procrastinating on finishing the final season that ended years ago because I don’t want to acknowledge it’s over.) Pierce Brosnan (Riverdance: The Animated Adventure, The Misfits, The King's Daughter) is amazing in action and heist roles - or really anything. I’m absolutely biased, admittedly. I was excited he got to use his real accent, too. Ellen Barkin (The Cobbler, Animal Kingdom, The Man from Toronto) was solid, and the combination of Richard Kind (tick tick...BOOM!, Beau is Afraid, American Dad) and Julie Hagerty (Instant Family, Marriage Story, A Christmas Story Christmas) was hilarious. Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, F9: The Fast Saga, White Elephant) was even involved! I had no complaints about any of their involvement.

The best moments of The Out-laws for me were scenes where references to the cast’s past work were involved. I adore Easter Eggs. I spent the rest of the time generally face-palming and talking to the screen because of the moronic bumbling of Devine’s character. 

 

I get that his character was supposed to be like that, painted as the doofus but likable underdog. I just couldn’t get into it enough to suspend disbelief on several plot-holes wide enough to park a Winnebago in. That's not even taking into account the general predictability of the overall story. The "twists" weren't twisty at all.

As it stands, I probably won’t watch this one again because there are plenty of other comedy heist movies out there that I would enjoy repeating, and I’ve got a to-watch and to-read list a mile long that would take precedent. My almost 20-year-old daughter was a bit meh as the credits were rolling, as well. Take that as you will. 

If you like Devine’s brand of humor steered by the Happy Madison folks, and have enjoyed his previous team-ups with his buddy Blake Anderson (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Game Over Man!), The Out-laws might just tickle your fancy a bit more than it did for me. 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 20%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 43%

Metascore – 36%

Metacritic User Score – 3.5/10

IMDB Score – 5.5/10

 

Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 1/5

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 2/5

P.S. -  There is a small additional scene during the beginning of the credits. 

 

Movie Trailer:

 

My Best Friend's Exorcism (2022)

 

 

Streaming Service: Amazon Prime

Movie Name/Year: My Best Friend's Exorcism (2022)

Genre: Comedy, Horror

Length:  1h 36min

Rating: R

Production/Distribution: Endeavor Content, Gotham Group, Amazon Prime Video

Director: Damon Thomas

Writers: Grady Hendrix, Jenna Lamia

Actors: Amiah Miller, Ashley LeConte Campbell, Cathy Ang, Chris Lowell, Clayton Royal Johnson, Cynthia Evans, Elsie Fisher, Erin Ownbey, Michael Wayne Foster, Nathan Anderson, Rachel Ogechi Kanu

 

Rotten Tomatoes Blurb: The year is 1988. High school sophomores Abby and Gretchen have been best friends since fourth grade. But after an evening of skinny-dipping goes disastrously wrong, Gretchen begins to act...different. She's moody. She's irritable. And bizarre incidents keep happening whenever she's nearby. Abby's investigation leads her to some startling discoveries-and by the time their story reaches its terrifying conclusion, the fate of Abby and Gretchen will be determined by a single question: Is their friendship powerful enough to beat the devil?

 

 

Cat’s Point of View:

When My Best Friend’s Exorcism popped up on my radar in time for September 2022’s Top 20 article, I was fairly chomping at the bit to watch this movie. In fact, I did watch it pretty much right away when Amazon released it. I didn’t have any problems watching it again a second time as a refresher to bring you this review. 

I’ve probably said this a million times, and I’ll likely say it oodles more - I’m absolutely an 80s baby. While my teen years were solidly in the 90s, the 1980s is the era of warm fuzzy nostalgia for me. Yeah… I’ve dated myself, but it’s fine. My Best Friend’s Exorcism was set in 1988 and resonated with me as if it were a time capsule. 

 

Before I go further, I do feel that I need to advise that My Best Friend’s Exorcism is an adaptation of a book by Grady Hendrix (Mohawk, Satanic Panic, Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks). I haven’t read the book and, honestly, really didn’t realize it existed until I was pulling a few details together to provide this review. That being said, I’m unable to advise whether or not this production follows the source material closely or not - in spirit or otherwise. I can only offer my impression of the movie, itself. 

I realize that My Best Friend’s Exorcism isn’t going to be for everyone. It wasn’t made to be in contention for Oscars or festival prizes. It’s clearly a love letter to the 80s and the awkwardness of navigating the real-world horrors of school and friendship. This is definitely far removed from the “kids with bikes” type adventure, however. It’s best to toss out thoughts of something such as Stranger Things (2016-) and think more along the lines of Jennifer’s Body (2009).

 

I resonated with this film so hard that it was fairly uncomfortable even while I enjoyed it. I loved the Trapper Keepers, the silly teen magazine quizzes, and how it accurately captured the feel of slumber-party peer pressure. I was one of those sheltered awkward girls in the plaid school uniform. I often felt out of my depth with my peers that seemed to float effortlessly through that world. Of course, Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now” was also absolutely my jam. 

My Best Friend’s Exorcism was a mixed bag of a little of everything. Some of it wasn’t as polished and cohesive, but it wasn’t anything serious enough to dim my enjoyment of the movie. The acting was solid, the effects were decent, and they nailed the setting. 

If you’re looking for some silly, if a little cringey, 80s campy horror fun, My Best Friend’s Exorcism wouldn’t be a bad choice. I would probably watch it again, myself. 

 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 53%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 35%

Metascore – 58%

Metacritic User Score – 4.7/10

IMDB Score – 5.3/10

 

Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 3/5

 

Movie Trailer:

Metal Lords (2022)

Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: Metal Lords (2022)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Music
Length: 97 minutes
Rating: R 
Production/Distribution: Bighead Littlehead, Netflix
Director: Peter Sollett
Writer:  D.B. Weiss
Actors: Jaeden Martell, Adrian Greensmith, Isis Hainsworth, Noah Urrea, Brett Gelman, Analesa Fisher, Michelle Mao, Phelan Davis, Austin Huynh, Joe Manganiello, Teddy Van Ee, Aroon Nagappan, Kieran Thomas, Christopher M. Lopes, Rachel Pate
 
Blurb from IMDb: Two friends try to form a heavy metal band with a cellist for a Battle of the Bands.
 

Selina’s Point of View:
It’s hard for me to ignore some of the parallels between Metal Lords and my favorite film of all time.
 
SLC Punk (1998) was a love letter to the punk lifestyle and the music that birthed it. As a budding punk in high school, it spoke to me on a whole other level than most films. (I didn’t see it when it came out, it was a few years later.) It covered how the main characters got into the music, where that chaos took them, and where they ended up. On a more general level, it went into the very heart and soul of what punk was.
 
Metal Lords does the same thing for its music genre. There are some definite differences though.
 
For one, the characters are younger in Metal Lords. That means the R-rating represents the language a little more than anything else. There’s a touch of nudity, but anything sex-related is, thankfully, insinuated. 

Because the characters are younger, there’s also a lot more cringe involved. The teens are fighting their own emotions and causing a different kind of unintentional chaos. As a result, it feels like it’s for a younger demographic – although it’s really not.
 

That was the big thing that kept me from enjoying Metal Lords on the same level as SLC Punk. I hate cringe. I cannot stress that enough. Those parts of this movie really were not for me.
 
That said, the movie wasn’t made for me. I could never be classified as a metalhead. I do like my music loud and fast, but with a bit less structure and some base-level politics thrown in. I like to sing-yell at specific things, not just into the void. Though, I have nothing against metal either. There’s a little Pantera on my list, and I had a Sepultura phase.
 
Still, even without tapping into the nostalgia some of my friends might get out of this flick, it was decent. Just because it’s not unseating SLC Punk as my all-time fav, doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it.
 
A lot of moments really subverted expectations. Even in the end, when it looked like Metal Lords might take the road most traveled, it had a last ‘fuck you’ ready. I can appreciate that.
 
It was a love letter to all things metal. As a result, metal fans might enjoy it best – but there’s enough in there for people just looking for a coming-of-age story.
 

Cat’s Point of View:
Let me tell you – Metal Lords made my inner metalhead very happy.
 
I adored this story from beginning to end and found myself relating with the characters on multiple levels. Honestly, I don’t think you have to be a die-hard fan of the heavy metal genre to connect with this movie. Though, if you are – it’s that much more fun of a ride. The heavy metal music homework list that is featured in Metal Lords is a well-deserved shout-out to some classic hard-hitting tracks.
 
Metal Lords was one of those movies that made me wish I knew how to play real drums rather than the imaginary air variety. I just wanted to jam out.
 
There were elements of a coming-of-age tale, dealing with dysfunctional family dynamics, and the struggle of high school and finding your voice all woven into a slamming tapestry of sound and laced with humor.
 
The cast didn’t disappoint, either.
 

I was absolutely astonished that Metal Lords was the breakout role for Adrian Greensmith, who plays the role of Hunter. This was one hell of a debut and I hope he keeps up this impressive level of work. Isis Hainsworth (A Midsummer Night's Dream, Emma., Misbehaviour) really captured my attention with her performance as well. Jaeden Martell (The Book of Henry, Knives Out, Defending Jacob) was a solid choice and captured the heart of Metal Lords’ essence with his journey.
 
Oh, and then there’s Joe Manganiello (Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, Archenemy, Koati). His scenes were more than just a cameo from a trendy actor that could fit the intimidating character. Metal Lords capitalized on his wry humor to drive home its message. Metal-loving kids aren’t fucked up just because they like noisy music. There’s more to that but I don’t want to give away spoilers.
 
Hats off to the production team as a whole, seriously. I loved the care that was put into everything. Even the posters on the wall were epic. Costuming was on point. There were so many nuances that helped this flick hit all the right notes.
 
Just keep in mind that while this story does focus on the teenage experience, there are bits that might make it problematic for younger audiences - primarily the language content. That’s really the only overtly explicit element.
 
I can’t wait to watch Metal Lords again with my family. (My husband is a bigger metalhead than I am.) I am certainly not regretting listing this on my personal Top 20 Movies Coming Out in April - I just wish I'd listed it higher than #12.
 

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 61%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 83%
Metascore – 57%
Metacritic User Score – 7.1
IMDB Score – 6.8/10
 
Trust the Dice: Selina’s Rating – 4.5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4.5/5
 
Movie Trailer: