Cook: Movie Reviews – “Enough Said” and “Gravity”

Dreyfus and Gandolfini meet at a party and soon after begin a romance.  At first, Dreyfus is apprehensive about dating Gandolfini since he’s a rotund fella who’s a self-proclaimed slob.  But his sweet nature and good sense of humor win her over and the relationship blossoms.

However, Dreyfus inadvertently takes on as a client Gandolfini’s ex-wife, played by Catherine Keener, and strikes up a friendship with her.  Dreyfus quickly discovers the connection between her new friend and her new boyfriend, but says nothing to either.  Keener begins to confide to her new friend about the faults of her ex-husband. Dreyfus all the while internalizes this information, but still doesn’t let on she knows both people.

This is the rare smart, romantic comedy for adults that doesn’t come around that often, unfortunately.  It was refreshing to see a romance grow between people who are not Katherine Heigl or James Marsden lookalikes, but are comfortable with being just a touch past the middle-aged point in life.

“Enough Said” hits just the right tone on certain adult themes, such as hurting the ones we love, single parenthood and empty nest syndrome and finding love after divorce.

Finally, Gandolfini’s untimely death gives the film a bittersweet tone since it’s clear he had a range far beyond the iconic “The Sopranos” role that brought him fame. Dreyfus has finely-honed comedic chops after her years on “Seinfeld,” but she also has a dramatic range that causes one to hope she makes more movies.I give “Enough Said” an 8.5 out of 10.

“Gravity”
This film stars two of Hollywood’s most likeable actors, Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, and is directed by the phenomenal Alfonso Cuaron.  Cuaron’s last full-length film was “Children of Men,” which is one my top ten films from the last decade.

Bullock plays Dr. Ryan Stone on her inaugural mission for NASA, and her character is understandably a bit discombobulated on her first trip to space.  Clooney is the gregarious veteran astronaut on his last mission to the new frontier.  Both, along with a few other astronauts, are sent up to fix the Hubble telescope and conduct scientific experiments.

An accident occurs that sets the astronauts adrift making their prospects for survival bleak, but they work together to figure out a way to get back to Earth.

I am purposefully not getting too deep into the plot for fear of giving something away.  There is more to it than you will see from the trailer.

This film is so visually stunning you could probably persuade future generations it was the first movie to be filmed on location.  The first sequence takes your breath away with the Earth’s quiet beauty and the vastness of space.  Cuaron has mastered technology so that you feel as if you’re in space with the actors and not seeing it on screen with CGI effects.

I’ve often complained that many sci-fi flicks tend to focus on the special effects first, treating dialogue and character development as a secondary concern.  “Gravity,” thankfully, manages to avoid this trap with a script that has some emotional punches that make the fight to survive all the more gripping.

And since Bullock and Clooney come to the film with their built-in likeability, it gives the film an even tenser edge than if it was filmed with unknown actors.

If you plan to one day see this film, you absolutely must view it at a theater, preferably an IMAX with 3-D lest you miss out on the heart-racing sequences that keep you on the edge of your seat.

I give “Gravity” and 8.5 out of 10.

You can catch my movie reviews every Friday morning on FOX16’s Good Day Arkansas.