Movie Review: Boss Level (R – 94 minutes)

 

We are all familiar with the time-loop film at this point. Groundhog Day is such a prime example that it has become a descriptor of the situation. If you feel like things are repeating you would probably call it a Groundhog Day situation.  Palm Springs used the method to great success last year and now Hulu has a second time-loop movie, this one an action flick rather than a rom-com. 

Boss Level immediately drops you into the action with Roy Pulver who is repeating a day where multiple assassins are after him.  We join as he is already more than 100 days into the loop. Each time he is killed, the day restarts. He has begun to work out how to avoid each of the assassins and is starting to make progress on who or what caused this situation to come up with a plan on how to get it to stop. Each time he makes it a little further through the day, comparing it to working through a video game, restarting with each death hoping to eventually make it through to the final stage, meeting and beating the boss – hence the Boss Level, very clever. And relatable, if you’ve ever been stuck on a boss level for what feels like forever.   

Roy eventually realizes it has something to do with his ex, Dr. Jemma Wells. She is working on a top-secret project for Colonel Clive Ventor who seems to be private security company executive?  Jemma, knowing things were about to go very bad (end of the world bad), met with Roy yesterday (which for Roy feels like several months ago) and set him up for this loop. Now, Roy needs to figure out how, why, and what to do to stop it, all while learning the patterns and tactics of each one of the many killers after him and finding time to bond with his son.

The movie is directed by Joe Carnahan (Smokin’ Aces, The A-Team) who first worked with Frank Grillo in The Grey in 2011. He wanted to make this movie with Grillo then, but studios had no interest in making the movie with a relative unknown in the lead.  Now, after Grillo is best known as the MCU’s Crossbones (despite multiple other credits) the movie finally came to be and thank goodness Carnahan waited until he could do it with Grillo.  Grillo is a fantastic lead in a picture like this, custom made for him – he feels completely genuine and at ease as Roy. He is tough and brutal, while still managing to be charming and engaging. Casting his real-life son, Rio, as his son in the movie gives added chemistry to the scenes of them reconnecting.  Grillo and his 3% body fat carry the movie, nearly every other actor in it is a cameo-level appearance.

Naomi Watts gets to rattle off the science mumbo-jumbo as Jemma and does a fine job. It’s not worth spending too much time thinking about the science here, just trust that it is sound and focus on the action.

Seeing Will Sasso as Brett, Ventor’s head of security, was an absolute delight. And since small doses of Mel Gibson are all I can handle, he was fine as Ventor. Honestly, he’s exceptional as a villain and should really only be playing bad guys. Although, I do spend time wondering who could have replaced him and I think Carl Weathers would have been a good choice.

Sheaun McKinney, Michelle Yeoh, and Ken Jeong all briefly appear as allies Roy meets along the way.  Michelle Yeoh (always incredible) was perfectly placed as the sword expert that Roy takes lessons from in an interesting parallel of the piano lessons from Groundhog Day.

The group of assassins range from insane to hilarious including Annabelle Wallis, Meadow Williams, Armida Lopez, Buster Reeves, Eric Etebari, Rampage Jackson and Rashad Evans, and a very random Rob Gronkowski appearance. 

The standout was Selina Lo as Guan Yin, mostly because she kills Roy multiple times and states her name each time. This seems like a sound operating mentality and makes me wonder if I should be doing that more often – it is certainly memorable.

Overall, the movie is a fast-paced fun action movie that is perfect for popcorn-fueled couch viewing. Be forewarned that it is a hard R – the assassins do kill Frank brutally and graphically over and over (falling, exploding, shot, beheading, etc.) so make sure the kids are in bed before you start streaming this one.

9 out of 10 – so much fun. I am Jeanette Ward and Jeanette Ward has written this. Maybe Guan Yin was on to something!

 

Movie Review; Coming 2 America (PG13 – 110 minutes)

 

In the dead of winter, it is really nice to have a movie that is fun for fun’s sake.  Coming 2 America was released on Amazon Prime. It is the perfect palate cleanser if, like me, you are making an attempt on the Oscar movies.

The original Coming to America was released in 1988 and featured Eddie Murphy as Prince Akeem from Zamunda – a fictional wealthy country in Africa.  Akeem rebels against the traditional arranged marriage process in his country and his father gives him a month or so to head to America and ‘sow his royal seed’ then come back and get married.  Akeem heads to America with his trusty sidekick Semmi - hijinks ensue. Eventually he meets Lisa, a woman in a similar situation as her father is conspiring to have her marry the heir to the Soul Glo empire. They end up married in Zamunda.

Coming 2 America picks up 30 years later, Akeem and Lisa have three daughters. His father, King Jaffe Joffer has decided he is ready to die and demands his funeral be held so that he can enjoy it – Side note, this seems like an ideal plan to be able to enjoy your own party.  He reminds Akeem that only a male heir can take over the kingdom and then reveals to Akeem that he fathered a child while in America years ago.  Akeem takes Semmi and heads back to America to collect this child and bring him home to prepare to be ready to rule the country someday – much to his eldest daughter’s chagrin. He has to go through several prince-making challenges all while dealing with the time crunch of an impending invasion from the country next door.

The premise is thin, but you are not watching for the story. This movie is fun, sweet, lighthearted, and features great performances from Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall again as multiple characters.  The sets are incredible – incidentally, the movie was shot in Atlanta, and the Zamundan palace is actually Rick Ross’s house, which is why he is standing in the background for a couple of shots. The costumes are by Ruth E. Carter (who won the Oscar for Black Panther) and they are incredible. The majority of the cast from the first movie returns – James Earl Jones and John Amos being the standouts.  Louis Anderson and Paul Bates return and Garcelle Bauvais’s rose petal priestess seems to have gotten a promotion.

Eddie and Arsenio are fantastic again as all the characters they played in the first movie, with a couple of additional folks this time around.

Jermaine Fowler plays Lavelle, the long-lost son. He is an American perplexed by this sudden reveal of wealth and possibilities. At first skeptical, he then commits to trying his best, just before falling for a local hairdresser. That of course causes him to want to stray from tradition.  Leslie Jones plays his mom and she is funny and just the right level. As much as I enjoy Leslie Jones – she can exist at a big level but manages to tone down enough to fit the rest of the cast. Tracy Morgan was originally going to play the son when the movie was first conceived but now plays Lavelle’s uncle.

Shari Headley is once again lovely as Lisa, and the three girls playing the daughters are great (the middle one is Murphy’s daughter Bella).  I do wish they had a little more to do. The story of them feeling passed over because of the inherent patriarchy is briefly covered but could have been even more of the story.  For a straightforward comedy, that Is not really the focus, so they do a good job of including it in the story and resolving it in the end.

I feel like one of the best parts of this movie is Wesley Snipes. Back in 1988, he auditioned for the role that went to Eriq LaSalle. Here, he plays General Izzi, the son of the general in the first movie who presented his daughter for Akeem to marry from Nextdooria.  Izzi is upset at the slight to his sister and demands that Akeem’s oldest daughter marry his son.  Wesley seems to be the one having the most fun in the movie, entering every room in a different dance sequence.

Overall, the movie is charming and fun. Like the original, it does feel like loosely assembled set pieces and ‘bits’. The majority of those bits are all pretty funny, so they work when strung together with a through-story. As I mentioned, benefits from coming out while I was trying to watch some of the award-season flicks. Those are all quality movies but can be so incredibly depressing. It is wonderful to watch a comedy that is just fun. I also wish there were piles of outtakes over the end credits. Just give me piles of footage of the barbershop guys.

Sure, it is not quite as good as the first movie, and yes, there are some plot holes and missed opportunities. But it is very entertaining, and the perfect thing for a chilly movie night at home. Ironically, it could work for a family movie night. While the first in 1988 at the height of Eddie Murphy as the R-rated comedian was rated R, this one is a more family-friendly PG13. I suppose everyone mellows a bit as they age!

8 out of 10

Bonus points for all the cameos during the funeral, what a party!