[REVIEW] Luca (2021) Spoke to Me on a Very Personal Level

 

Just like the character of Luca, we sometimes need to say, "Silenzio, Bruno!" and take a leap of faith.

On the 16th of June, DisneyPlus premiered a little film known as Luca, the latest creation from Disney Pixar animation about the adventures of two young sea creatures, but to say that the movie has received mixed reactions since its debut would seem like an understatement.

Some have absolutely adored the film, and some have found it too simplistic, or just straight-up boring. As for me, though? Well, it became an instant favorite of mine, and today, I wanted to explain why and share the personal connection I've formed with the character of Luca.

Written by Jesse Andrews and Mike Jones, the latest Disney Pixar animation "Luca" is a coming-of-age story about a young boy who sets out on a fun-filled adventure with his new friend, Alberto, to a charming seaside town on the Italian Riviera. But the two of them have a big secret that could potentially ruin all of their excitement: Luca and Alberto are both sea creatures from another world that's just below the water's surface.

The film was directed by Enrico Casarosa, produced by Andrea Warren, and features voice work by actors Jack Dylan Grazer as Alberto, and Jacob Tremblay as Luca.

The story of Luca is not overly complicated, it's about two friends who find adventure together, pretty straightforward and to the point. But, that said, so much of this story can be interpreted in many different ways depending on what aspects of the movie are most relatable for you.

For me, it's the story of Luca developing the ability to overcome that spoke to me on a much more personal level; thanks in part to the new friendship he forms with the boisterous Alberto, Luca takes a huge risk by leaving behind the sea, and everything he's ever known in order to venture out into the human world and explore life outside of his comfort zone and speaking as someone who has a difficult time coming out of her shell, this felt very inspiring to me.

At the beginning of the movie, Alberto shows his new friend Luca how he can do more of what scares him by silencing the "Bruno" in his head, the pesky little voice that continuously tries to convince us to doubt ourselves, and question what we are truly capable of, and when the two are presented with tough challenges, they frequently repeat the words, "Silenzio, Bruno!" in an effort to push out their more negative thoughts and take a walk on the wild side.

Luca had to actively choose to block out his fear, to allow himself the chance to move forward and try regardless of what the voice in his head was telling him, and in the process, he came to realize just how capable he truly was; Luca's story put emphasis on the reality that our fear will never just "poof" and disappear from our lives, but also reveals that we all have an inner strength that can prevent it from controlling what we do.

Just like the character of Luca, we sometimes need to say, "Silenzio, Bruno!" and take a leap of faith rather than allowing our own worries and doubts to keep us from experiencing all sorts of new and exciting things. Of course, it's not always easy, but the sense of pride we feel after we overcome, and surprise ourselves, makes it all worthwhile, and this movie served as quite the nice little reminder of that for me.

I have struggled with an anxiety disorder from an incredibly young age, and while I have been vocal about this through social media, it can be difficult to describe how much it can affect and interfere with my life, and when I'm going through a particularly hard time, it sometimes seems easier to stay tucked away in my shell, avoiding failure, or embarrassment.

But the truth is, I will never be able to find happiness that way; Luca found happiness in his friendship with Alberto, someone who helped him to change his mindset, and encourage him to come out of his shell and take a few risks, and it's because of Luca's willingness to take a chance, that he ended up with a life full of endless possibilities, something I want, too.

And my appreciation for this film doesn't stop at the message I was able to take away from it. The animation was superb as per usual in the case of Disney Pixar, it's fun, and full of laughs all while maintaining a pretty chill vibe, which makes for a great comfort movie.

Overall, Luca was a delightful viewing experience for me, and while I can understand how some may have seen the film as boring, I found it to be very soothing; watching a friendship grow between two characters as they dream of cruising around on a Vespa motorscooter together, exploring all of Italy, felt very wholesome. And the fact that they had to keep dry in order to conceal their identities from the human world added a creative twist.

What did you think of the latest from Disney Pixar? Did you enjoy Luca? I'd love to know what your thoughts were on the movie, so please be sure to leave me a comment below, and don't forget to follow me over on Twitter @RR_Everything, where I talk about all of the shows and movies that I watch and also provide updates on future content!

[REVIEW] Godmothered (2020) Redefines "Happily Ever After"

Godmothered is reminiscent of popular films such as Elf and Enchanted but where those two had found success, is where Godmothered failed.

About a week ago now, my state of Maryland saw its first snowfall of the winter. In the beginning, it felt like quarantine all over again, even though I don't leave the house much at all these days, the snow took away the possibility of even getting out for essentials. 

But believe it or not, the moment I stepped outside that first snowy morning and saw all of those little, delicate snowflakes flowing down from the sky, I couldn't help but feel a sense of calm, and this snowfall suddenly turned into a much needed mental refresh for me.  

Soon I ended up back in my house with a cup of hot chocolate, ready to use this storm as an opportunity to take it easy and watch something new so I turned to the film "Godmothered" on DisneyPlus which had just come out earlier this month, and after watching it on two separate occasions, I have a few thoughts on it that I would like to share with you. 

The Positive

An inexperienced fairy godmother-in-training named Eleanor (Jillian Bell) sets out to find Mackenzie, (Isla Fisher) a troubled 10-year-old girl, after discovering her misplaced letter in which she requested the help of a fairy godmother. Soon Eleanor tracks the young girl down and is shocked to find that Mackenzie is now a 40-year-old single mother with two girls of her own, and no longer believes in the idea of living happily ever after.

Godmothered isn't your typical fairytale. Instead of the story being focused solely on finding Mackenzie her prince charming, the film flips the script and redefines what it actually means to live happily ever after and how our true loves can come in various different forms.

At the beginning of this movie, you are lead to believe that they are heading in the same old direction as most of these stories do, but instead, it managed to do a decent job of putting a creative twist on outdated fairytale concepts, without sucking too much of the magic out of it.

"We think that love needs to look a certain way, a prince, a castle, a gown, we're trapped in the fairytale when the real world is full of so much more." - Eleanor 

Eleanor was a fun character for this movie, I liked the fish out of water storytelling, and watching her reactions to what she encounters out in the world during her experience with Mackenzie made for some fun moments, and that's thanks to Jillian Bell, who portrayed this character with such a delightfully playful personality and charming innocence.

The Negative

As much as I wanted Godmothered to become a welcomed addition to my lineup of favorite Christmas films, unfortunately, there were several issues that I personally had with this movie, starting with the fact that for a story that was centered completely around the idea of magic, magic was what I found the film to be lacking in the most.

The concept sounds great in theory, the idea of pulling an ambitious, soon-to-be fairy godmother out of her fairytale environment and placing her into our world is reminiscent of popular films such as Elf and Enchanted but where those two had found success, is where Godmothered failed, with its underwhelming script.   

Now, when I tell you that I thought it was lacking in the magic department, I don't mean that Eleanor didn't do enough waving of her wand for my liking, or that she neglected to show off some of her fairy godmothering skills, it's that everything in this movie was just completely and utterly forgettable, there was nothing special enough to have left a lasting impression on me. 

One of my biggest complaints is that Isla Fisher's Mackenzie Walsh felt very one dimensional, and it seemed clear that writers didn't put that same amount of thought and effort into crafting this character that they put into Eleanor and as a result, she came off as nothing more than a prop to progress Eleanor's story, and I wasn't able to form a connection with her.   

The first time I watched Godmothered was while I was doing a little bit of Christmas themed crafting and I had it on in the background for something to listen to. I hadn't been paying as much attention as I could have, so I decided to watch it once more, but during both of those viewings, I thought the same thing, this film is much too long for the story it's trying to tell. 

Truth be told the entire thing could have been wrapped up nicely within an hour but instead, the story was long and drawn out in order to fit its almost two-hour runtime and for the most part, it was filled with a whole lot of nothing. 

And what I may have despised the most about this movie was the lack of creativity when it came to the subplot of Mackenzie's oldest daughter. Of course, this is a spoiler-free review, and I'll just say that the direction they went in with her character has been overdone when it comes to Disney, and it's frustrating to see them create the same characters with the same talents and desires, it gets old and the company has to come up with something new. 

Conclusion

Godmothered is one of those movies where I wouldn't feel comfortable saying it's bad necessarily but at the same time, it didn't do much for me. I liked the concept, but the script was average at best, which shows that a good idea is nothing without the proper execution. 

The overall message of the movie was better than I had anticipated, and I did enjoy Jillian Bell's performance but in the end, Godmothered was uneventful and somewhat predictable, I've given this one a 4/10 rating, and that's being generous for the holidays. 

 

How did you rate Godmothered? Please let me know your thoughts on it over on Twitter by tweeting me @RR_Everything! That's where I talk about all of the latest shows and movies and also post updates on my future reviews. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say and having a discussion about it!  

[REVIEW] Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square (2020) Reminds Us That It's Never Too Late to Learn From Our Mistakes

 

Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square does remind us that it's never too late to learn from our mistakes and use them to change for the better. 

Is there really a better combination than Christmastime and Dolly Parton? Happy December, everyone! As hard as it is to believe, we've finally made it to the holiday season after enduring almost a full year of a country divided and a worldwide pandemic, and if that's not something to celebrate this month, then I don't know what is!

I've been looking forward to Christmas for quite some time now. The thought of being able to put up the tree, wrap presents, bake cookies, and wear all of my favorite Christmas sweaters, was able to get me through some very difficult times while processing the current state of the world, and my own personal struggles.

And Christmas ended up coming a little early for me this year as Netflix released their new holiday special, "Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square" back in late November, and I was excited to check it out. I've never been a big fan of musicals, but I thought I'd see if the queen of country, someone who I absolutely adore, could change my opinion of them. 

The Positive

Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square tells the story of Regina Fuller (portrayed by Christine Baranski), a cold-hearted politician who returns to her Midwestern hometown as she plans to evict multiple business owners in order to sell the place and make room for a new mega-mall.

But soon Regina receives a visit from a sparkling angel (Dolly Parton) who hopes to help the bitter woman change for the better. Slowly Regina begins to see the impact that her actions have had on the people around her, while memories of her past come flooding back to her.

This holiday musical was directed by Debbie Allen (Grey's Anatomy, A Different World, Fame) and featured fourteen songs newly composed by the legend herself, Dolly Parton. 

Being that Parton has strong Christian values in real life, I really admired the fact that this was a faith-based film, focusing on the importance of forgiveness. Our main character Regina has treated the residents in her hometown of Fullerville quite poorly, to say the least, but slowly as she begins to have a change of heart, her angel encourages her that if she can change for the better, then just maybe, the town may offer her the gift of forgiveness.  

However, in the musical number "Wickedest Witch Of The Middle", we do see that the town hasn't behaved much better than Regina as they gather at the church and let their frustrations out through song, and list off the various things they would like to do to the woman looking to evict them; while meant to act as comic relief, I thought this scene worked as a way to remind us that both sides are struggling to handle things in the nicest, and most appropriate way.

Speaking of musical numbers, I found that the songs featured in this special, such as "Light Your Lamp", "When an Angel Knows Your Dreams", and "My Christmas Prayer", were some of the most touching I've ever heard in a musical like this, and it's no surprise that I liked them so much, as they were sung by Dolly herself. Though admittedly, for each one that I liked, there was at least one that I didn't, we'll touch on that in a moment. 

The Negative

Remember how I mentioned at the beginning of this review that I've never been the biggest fan of musicals? Well, Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square, unfortunately, wasn't able to make me feel any differently about them.

First of all, this film felt much too far over the top for me, as it was jam-packed with just about every groan-worthy cliché that you could possibly come up with, and as much as I would love to give you some of the examples, we'd be venturing over into spoiler territory and I'd much rather you witness all of these moments in this movie for yourself.   

And as much as it pains me to admit it, some of the music that was featured in this special didn't do a whole lot for me either, which was more than a little disappointing, considering that Dolly was the one behind all of it. The thing is, a lot of these tunes sounded a little on the generic side which felt very odd to me, as we all know Dolly Parton is far from generic. 

"Opening Number", and "Wickedest Witch Of The Middle", are two examples of songs that seemed as if they could have been written by anyone and lacked the magic that Dolly's music normally has, and there are several others that have that same exact feel to them, this had me wondering if someone involved asked for either revisions or had certain requirements for each song, that, however, is nothing more than pure speculation on my part.

But above all else, there was simply too much music packed into this film's one hour and thirty-eight minutes runtime. That may sound like a decent amount of time to work with on the surface, but trust me, it's not. Once again, there are fourteen songs featured in this special, and because of those aforementioned problems, they can wear you down very quickly.    

For me personally, I would have preferred if the musical moments in this movie had come from Dolly Parton's character only. She is an angel after all, and it would have made sense that she would be the one to communicate with Regina through song from time to time, right? And it would have cut down on all of the songs that I thought were too generic, or too silly. 

Conclusion

While it's not what I was hoping for, Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square does remind us that it's never too late to learn from our mistakes and use them to change for the better, but with its over the top nature and underwhelming music it just wasn't my cup of tea, therefore I've given this Netflix special an unfortunate, two out of five-star rating. 

If you're someone who enjoys a feel-good movie regardless of how cheesy it may be, you'll most likely enjoy watching Christmas on the Square. But if you're looking for a festive Dolly Parton film that's truly heartwarming to watch this holiday, then I would recommend that you check out "Dolly Parton’s Christmas of Many Colors" instead. 

Have you seen Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square? If so, please let me know what you thought of it over on Twitter by tweeting me @RR_Everything! That's where I talk about all of the latest shows and movies and also post updates on my future reviews. I'm looking forward to hearing what you have to say and having a discussion about it! 

[REVIEW] Judy (2019) Is Heartbreakingly Beautiful

Judy is a beautiful telling of a devastatingly sad, true story, that highlights the unfortunate mistreatment of our favorite stars in Hollywood. 

Last week on a cloudy Thursday morning I found myself with a bit of spare time on my hands and I decided to take it as an opportunity to sit down, uninterrupted, and watch something that I hadn't seen before. Soon I took to Hulu and found a movie sitting in my recommendations that I was very interested in seeing when it first came out in August of last year, Judy.

I had only been running my YouTube channel Rachel Reviews Everything for a few months back then, and unfortunately my opportunity to see Judy in the theaters had come and gone rather quickly since I hadn't been seeing very many films.

At first, I intended on watching this movie solely for entertainment purposes because admittedly, there wasn't a whole lot that I knew about "The Wizard of Oz" star, Judy Garland; but before long I found myself so intrigued by this telling of her story that I decided to take a few quick notes so that I could share my thoughts on this film with all of you because it's given me a new appreciation for this iconic performer.

The Positive

Thirty years after the legendary singer and actress starred as Dorothy in the timeless classic, "The Wizard of Oz," Judy Garland (portrayed by Renée Zellweger) finds herself broke, homeless, and in need of work as she looks to settle down and start a new life with her two younger children, Lorna and Joe. But as her popularity in America dwindles after being deemed unreliable by showrunners, Garland has no choice but to head to London, England, where fans are still clamoring to see the iconic performer live.

As tickets for her shows at the local nightclub sell out, Garland finds herself in a budding romance with musician and future fifth husband by the name of Mickey Deans, (Finn Wittrock) but despite the recent string of success, she finds herself plagued by the demons of her troubled past and continuously turns to alcohol in a self-destructing effort to cope.

Judy, while beautifully done, isn't necessarily an easy watch as touches on the tragic backstory of Garland's life and career, exploring the hardships of show business and Hollywood that would lead to alcoholism, and addiction at a young age.

As we are shown in this movie, it was Garland's mother who pushed her daughter down the path of drug addiction very early on in her life, as she would provide her with amphetamines, and sleeping pills. Unfortunately, this would lead to Garland's demise as she would later pass away by an accidental overdose at the unfortunate age of forty-seven, leaving behind her three children, including her oldest, Liza Minnelli.

But not just Garland's past that haunts her in the film, it's the combination of both the past and the present that contributes to her fragile mental state as she deals with the aforementioned financial struggles, finds herself fighting with her ex-husband Sid over who should have full custody of their two young children, and later on, we see the first crack in the honeymoon phase of her relationship with her husband Mickey Deans.

Renée Zellweger went on to win an Oscar for best actress after her fabulous performance in Judy, and rightfully so, as I was left absolutely speechless by her portrayal of the late legend.

The fifty-one-year-old actress completely transformed herself into Garland, embracing her mannerisms, inflections, and was able to put her incredible singing voice to good use as she sang some of Garland's most well-known songs.

After listening to Zellweger's performance of "Over The Rainbow" I was able to find Garland's last performance of the song to compare, and while there were some slight differences, I think she did a marvelous job at replicating Garland's voice to the best of her abilities; allowing you to believe, just for a moment that she was the woman this film was based on.

I'm no expert on the performer, but it appears that this movie was able to bring Garland back to the big screen in a respectable way with such beauty and grace, making sure to address her troubles without overshadowing her personality or talent. Garland appeared to be kind and empathetic in the film, the same way she had come off in several of the real-life interviews that I watched of her afterward.

The Negative

Something that I didn't touch on before was that Garland's past is explored through flashbacks of her younger days while working at MGM. The first time we're introduced to Garland is when she's with film producer Louis B. Mayer, having second thoughts as she's about to audition for the role of Dorothy and we're given glimpses of the mistreatment she received from those around her while working at the studio.

Much of what Garland was scrutinized for was her appearance, most often by Mayer. She was placed on strict diets in order to stay "thin enough" for her roles and those around her continued to provide her with pills to help suppress the appetite of the young actress.

These scenes set the tone for the movie and helped the audience to understand what lead up to Garland's behavior in the present day but unfortunately, as the story continues to progress the flashbacks become less frequent throughout the film.

I do wish that the writers would have been a bit more consistent with these scenes as I really felt that they added something special to the film, especially since these flashbacks of the young performer allowed me to care more about Garland as someone who hadn't known much about her prior to the film.

This younger version of Garland was portrayed by actress Darci Shaw, who also deserves a lot of credit for her role in this movie. She gave quite a convincing performance considering she wasn't given a whole lot of screentime to actually work with; it would have been nice to have seen more from her, but sadly, there were missed opportunities where Garland's past could have been further explored and would have given the movie some extra depth.

Conclusion

Overall, I thought that Judy was a heartbreakingly beautiful film; an incredible telling of a devastatingly sad true story, highlighting the dark side of Hollywood and the negative impact that it can have on our favorite performers, such as the late Garland.

As depressing as it may have been for me to sit through at times while knowing that this story wasn't going to have the happiest of endings, I ended up falling in love with the film for its emotional writing, and Renée Zellweger's spectacular performance, following my first viewing of this film, I've definitely walked away with a new found appreciation for Judy Garland.

Have you seen Judy? Please let me know what your thoughts were on the film by leaving me a comment below, and don't forget to follow me over on Twitter @RR_Everything, where I talk about all of the shows and movies that I watch and also provide updates on future reviews! 

 

[REVIEW] Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (2019) Doesn't Quite Meet The Character's Full Potential...

Writers are struggling to pull Nancy Drew into the 21st century without unintentionally stripping a bit of the young sleuth's signature charm... 

This year I've grown quite interested in the world of Nancy Drew to the point where I have spent a lot of my time during COVID-19 researching and reading the books, looking into the "HeR Interactive" computer game series, and even watching what I felt to be the not-so-great series on the CW. (which you can watch my YouTube review of here) And earlier this year, I decided to check out her latest big-screen adaptation for the first time.  

Maybe it was the anticipation for Halloween but I've been in the mood for a good mystery and decided to revisit a film that I watched a couple of months ago for free on the Roku channel, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase.

I still remember going to the movie theater with my mom to see the 2007 Nancy Drew film starring Emma Roberts. I had to have been around eleven and I absolutely loved that movie at the time. I may have to revisit that one in the near future as well. 

But after watching the 2019 version of the popular sleuth once more, I found that my thoughts on it hadn't changed too terribly much. So shall we begin our investigation? 

The Positive

Directed by Katt Shea and based on the popular Carolyn Keene mystery novel first published in 1930, Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase follows our favorite teen detective, this time portrayed by "IT" and "I Am Not Okay With This" star Sophia Lillis, as she and the local mean girl, Helen Corning (Laura Slade Wiggins) team up to investigate the haunting of Twin Elms in order to put Helen's aunt, Flora (played by Linda Lavin) at ease after she begins to experience some paranormal activity in her home.   

Sporting a new short haircut, flannel shirts, ripped jeans, and vans while riding around on a skateboard for the majority of the movie, Nancy Drew and The Hidden Staircase features a slightly different take on this legendary character; but don't let the skater-girl attitude fool you, Nancy is still bright, outgoing, curious, and sometimes just a little bit mischievous.  

The casting of 18-year-old Sophia Lillis as the iconic Nancy Drew was probably the highlight of this movie for me. In addition to the refreshing new look for the famous detective, she also brought a certain amount of energy and spunk to the character. Sophia Lillis was enjoyable enough as Nancy Drew, and should there be more movies in the future, I'd be fine with her coming back to reprise her role. 

The film features several encouraging messages of female empowerment, friendship, and morality. Nancy sees it as her civic duty to bring forth justice, therefore with every action that she takes, even if it's getting revenge on a bully, it's always done for selfless reasons. 

Throughout my viewing, I couldn't help but think about how this movie felt like a mix between a Disney Channel production with a slight American Girl vibe, anyone remember Kit Kittredge: An American Girl? I think I make that connection since that also had a bit of a mystery involved. But Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase comes with the tiniest bit of an edge to it in comparison; I'm aware of how comparing this film to those may not sound like very much, but I enjoyed those movies back in the day and I think it works for the target audience. 

The Negative

As far as our negatives go, I'll just cut to the chase and start out with what is admittedly my most nit-picky issue. As I touched on before, Nancy's personality in this film did work pretty well for me, however...I just can't say the same when it comes to her new wardrobe. 

I've been dying to see Nancy Drew in a slightly more vintage style. Something more toned down from the old Emma Roberts movie, but still channeling that time period the character was first created in; I could totally see a modern-day teen detective being intrigued by the 1930s fashion and incorporating thrifted items from that time period into her wardrobe, couldn't you? 

But the film didn't do that and instead opted for the whole skater-girl style, which, unfortunately, seemed a bit forced and came off as a rather weak attempt to modernize the character, it just didn't work for me. I think instead of trying to fit the character into modern times, writers should allow Nancy herself to be a sweet little nod to the past.

Now switching gears to what I consider to be a more reasonable criticism, I don't think the writers did a very good job introducing the characters in this movie. It felt as if it took ages to learn the names of certain characters such as Helen who ends up being Nancy's sidekick throughout the entire movie, and George, one of her very best friends.

From having the bit of Nancy Drew knowledge that I have, I was able to put the pieces together and figure out who these people were supposed to be, but I'd imagine it would have been frustrating had you not known of these characters beforehand. 

And lastly, I felt that this movie could have been better had they focused on the haunting of Twin Elms a little more, but they definitely went off track for a bit. To be fair, everything did connect to the main story but I personally, would have preferred if they had spent more time at the house rather than Nancy spending so much time investigating the mystery outside of it; things really started to drag after a while. 

Conclusion

Admittedly I did go into this movie with relatively low expectations; I hadn't heard too many good things about it from critics when it first came out but I think lowering my expectations allowed me to enjoy the film a little bit more than I would have, had I went in more hopeful.   

The ending was predictable and still didn't give me the Nancy Drew that I've been clamoring for but in the end, I didn't find myself walking away from the movie feeling that it was a huge waste of my time either. For the most part, it did keep me entertained for about an hour and a half and that's what it was meant to do. 

This wasn't a bad depiction of Nancy Drew by any means but I do think that the writers struggled to pull the character into the 21st century without unintentionally stripping a bit of the young sleuth's signature charm... 

I've given Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase what I consider to be a high three out of five stars. I was real close to giving it four when I thought about the target audience but ultimately gave it three when thinking of how much I enjoyed it myself. It wasn't great but I wouldn't feel comfortable calling it bad, either, it was just...Fair. 

Have you seen Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase? If so, let me know what you thought of it over on twitter @RR_Everything! That's where I talk about all kinds of shows and movies and also give updates on future reviews and YouTube videos! Be sure to follow me if you're interested. I can't wait to hear from you!

[REVIEW] Hubie Halloween (2020) Beneath The Surface Lies An Encouraging Message On Kindness!

.

“If I don’t get it, I’m going to come back and do one again that is so bad on purpose just to make you all pay. That’s how I get them,” - Adam Sandler 

Before Adam Sandler's Oscar snub for his performance as the jeweler with a gambling problem Howard Ratner in Uncut Gems, the actor and comedian promised that he would provide us with an intentionally bad movie should he not get his desired win. Fast forward to the present day, was Sandler able to deliver with his latest Netflix original, Hubie Halloween? Well, I suppose that it all depends on how you choose to look at it.

On the surface, Hubie Halloween may seem as if it's nothing more than a rather childish attempt at getting a few cheap laughs while adding in a spooky, supernatural twist for the fall season but hidden beneath all of that lies a surprisingly solid and encouraging message on the importance of kindness.

The Positive

It's October 31st in Salem, Massachusetts, and Hubie Dubois, the town's devoted community volunteer is preparing to do what he does every year, ensure that everyone has a very happy but also safe, Halloween. But when Hubie notices some rather strange, and potentially supernatural occurrences throughout the area, he's forced to step up to the plate and become the town hero that he was destined to be.

With Hubie Halloween, Adam Sandler returns to Netflix with his faithful comedy crew consisting of Kevin James, Steve Buscemi, Robert Schneider, and a cameo from Ben Stiller, briefly reprising his role from the 1996 Sandler movie, Happy Gilmore.

In addition, this film is overflowing with Disney Channel alumni such as Bradley Steven Perry (Good Luck Charlie), Peyton List and Karan Brar (Jessie, Bunked), and China Anne McClain (Ant Farm and Descendents 2&3) and that's just to name a few.

Written by the iconic duo of Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy, Hubie Halloween is a movie that I can't seem to describe as anything other than "ridiculously stupid" but that doesn't necessarily mean that I didn't enjoy it. This film is self-aware and thrives on its own stupidity in a cringe-worthy, yet humorous way and doesn't try to be something that it's not.

“You see Hubie, true bravery is being kind. Even to those who are being cruel to you." - Mrs. Dubois 

As someone who loves a good laugh, there were plenty of moments within this movie that I enjoyed and found to be quite humorous, even if I am a little embarrassed to admit it because most of them were rather dumb and immature. In fact, Hubie Halloween is completely immature from the very moment it begins but for the most part, it worked.

This movie features the kind of humor that is entertaining when you just need to turn your brain off for a little while and have a laugh, in that case, it should provide you with that certain amount of mindless fun, at least, that's what it did for me!

But there is an encouraging message hidden within all of the aforementioned mindless, immature humor, centered around the idea of kindness; Hubie Dubois is continuously mocked by those around him because of his unusual behavior and it's because of their cruelty and judgment toward him that they neglect to see what an incredibly selfless person he really is, who truly has everyone's best interest at heart.

Throughout the entire film, we're shown that Hubie's main goal is to make Halloween safe for his fellow citizens in Salem. He may come off as paranoid at times but ultimately his peculiar actions come from a place of concern for others despite the mistreatment that he receives from them; Hubie Halloween provides us with the reminder that choosing to spread kindness regardless of how people may or may not treat us can be the ultimate act of bravery.

The Negative

It's a bit tricky to address my complaints about this movie because when it comes down to it, the lines between what I liked and disliked are actually quite blurred. I did enjoy the goofy, immature humor that was used throughout, however, several times that did transition over into more crude humor which I didn't enjoy nearly as much; some moments were funny but for the most part, the others were cringe-worthy and just plain awkward to watch.

I thought the use of language, mild adult themes, and crude humor wasn't really necessary or even humorous enough to justify being in this movie. I personally think that Hubie Halloween could have benefited from lowering its rating and being marketed as a more family-friendly film since the whole thing had a certain amount of innocence to it, and let's not forget about that surprisingly good message. This movie was right on the cusp of appealing to a larger audience the entire time so I felt that seemed like quite the missed opportunity.

Conclusion

Hubie Halloween certainly isn't what I would call a good movie by any means but that being said, not every movie has to be good in order to be enjoyable and serve a purpose. I enjoyed it for what it was despite being filled with some rather cringe-worthy moments because for the most part, it made me laugh and that's all I could really ask of it!

I'll be giving this film a rating of three out of five stars. It's very weird, pretty crude, and most definitely juvenile but overall should provide you with a laugh or two as long as you don't take it very seriously, not even the movie does, so neither should we!

So, what did you think of Hubie Halloween? Were you entertained? Or, did you think it was just plain stupid? There's really no wrong answer here, so be sure to let me know by tweeting me over on Twitter @RR_Everything! There I talk about all sorts of shows and movies and give updates on future reviews and projects. Hope to speak to you soon!