March movie reviews

In reverse chronological order....

UNDER THE SAME MOON. Present-day Mexico and Los Angeles. A single mother has immigrated to East L.A., leaving her young son behind. Of course, she has done this so she can send money back home for him and he can have a better life. But it has been 4 years, and her son is starting to wonder if she loves him, because she hasn't sent for him. (She is trying, but she is having trouble getting legalized.) When his grandmother/caretaker dies, the boy decides to go to L.A. and reunite with his mother. Of course, a 9-year old on his own if bound to run into trouble, and he does when crossing the border into Texas. But he is resourceful and determined to make it to L.A., and people along the way help him avoid the bad characters. Meanwhile, his mother, who doesn’t realize he is missing, is considering marrying not for love, but so she can be legal. This is a charming movie that puts faces on the stories of illegal immigrants. The actors playing the mother and son are just wonderful. In the theater where I saw the movie, there was sobbing at the end. It’s a lovely movie.

BANK JOB. 1971 London. A group of less-than-upstanding working-class guys (including Jason Statham) get recruited by a former girlfriend to rob a bank. It's supposed to be an easy set up, and they get to keep the loot as long as they get the contents of a particular safety deposit box and turn them over to the guys making the robbery possible (by disabling alarms). Of course, in the course of the robbery, the guys also steal the contents of the many other safety deposit boxes, which can be a problem because people often put items in those boxes that they don't want anyone to see or know about. The robbers really get in over their heads, with corrupt cops, the criminal element, the radical chic, black power activists, and the highest levels of government getting involved. I like a good heist story with twists and turns, and this one is quite good. It's fun seeing if they can get themselves out of the mess they are in, and away from all various elements that are after them. Based on a true story.

HONEYDRIPPER. 1950 Alabama. Danny Glover runs a roadhouse in the rural South. His performers sing the blues, and he is losing customers to competitors who play early rock and roll. He is on the verge of being bought out, so he and his partner Charles Durning try to bring in "Guitar Sam", a big draw from New Orleans. He hopes that will bring in the crowds, and get him the money he needs to settle his debts. Of course there are complications, so story revolves around whether they can succeed in saving the bar. This was written and directed by John Sayles (Lone Star), who is a favorite of mine, but the first hour of this one moved like molasses, and the story isn't terribly original. I will say the acting was terrific.

MARRIED LIFE. 1949 New York. Harry (Chris Cooper) and Richard (Pierce Brosnan) are businessmen (the martini lunch kind). Harry is married and Richard is happily single. One day Harry confesses to Richard that he has fallen in love with a blond bombshell named Kay (Rachel McAdams). But Harry does love his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson), and can't bear to hurt her, so he hasn't told Pat that he is leaving her. He comes to think it will be kinder to kill his wife rather than tell her he doesn't love her anymore. Meanwhile, Harry has asked Richard to visit Kay and keep her company, since Harry can't be with her that often. And Richard starts becoming infatuated with Kay. The movie takes the concept that all marriages have their ups and downs and throws in some unexpected twists. This is a little like a 1950's melodrama, but with really dark humor, and I liked it.

THE COUNTERFEITERS. WWII Germany. A master counterfeiter is arrested and ends up in a concentration camp. At first he survives by painting portraits of the Nazis. But then a SS officer recognizes him, and he ends up being put to work counterfeiting foreign money (first the British pound, then the dollar). The goal for the Nazis is to destabilize the economies of their enemies. So the prisoners face a moral dilemma - do what the Nazis want, and survive while prolonging the war, or refuse to help, and die. This is the kind of movie where you put yourself in the place of the protagonists, and wonder what you would do in their place. Winner of Best Foreign Film at this year's Oscars.

MISS PETTIGREW LIVES FOR A DAY. Late 1930's London. Frances McDormand is a nanny who keeps get fired (it's implied because she is a bit of a prude). Finally, her agency won't send her out to any more jobs. So she swipes a business card from the employer's desk, and shows up at Delysia's (Amy Adams) place. It turns out Delysia doesn't want a nanny, but a social secretary. And Delysia really does need one, because she is juggling three men. One man supports her in style, one can make her a star, and one is her best friend. Surprisingly, Miss Pettigrew excels at managing Delysia's life. And so they spend a madcap day, and become friends. Miss Pettigrew even meets an attractive man. Miss Pettigrew knows the war is coming, but the young people are oblivious to the meaning of it. Somewhat in the style of 1930's screwball comedies, this is mildly amusing but not spectacular. Fine for renting.