Movie Review "The Half of It"

This gem (which came out in 2020) can also be found on Netflix, but it does not boast a star-studded ensemble cast like the last movie I reviewed, nor is it directed by the famous (or is it infamous?) Garry Marshal. This indie film, written and directed by Alice Wu, has a cast of relative unknowns, but big stars aren't what makes epic movies and this movie... Well, I'll let my review speak for itself.

I'm going to be honest. When I watched this movie for the first time, I was in love. The story, the characters, the setting, everything about it was perfect. I did not become disillusioned of this notion when I re-watched the film to show it to my children.

One of my favorite things about this story is the non-typical romance that exists within its borders, but does not play out like you might expect. Another thing is that it has a more realistic, bittersweet, ending. And a third thing is that the characters feel more like real people. The English teacher who knows Ellie is writing other kids papers but doesn't report her because "then I'd have to read whatever they wrote", the popular jock who thinks the entire world revolves around him, the popular pretty girl who doesn't really like being popular but goes along to get along, the less popular geeky jock who isn't the star of the team so no one really pays him any mind, the racist bully kids, the ultra conservative small town that seems like a black hole, and finally the main character.

The story follows teenage Chinese immigrant Ellie Chu who is very mature for her age because she has to be. Her father, who has found a roadblock in his career path (this is heavily implied to be because of discrimination) and whose wife has died years prior to the beginning of the film, is very obviously depressed. He sits around the house watching old movies while his daughter takes care of the responsibilities that should fall on his shoulders. Ellie makes money by writing essays for her classmates, which she passes out during band practice and by playing the organ for the local church's services. The opening scene, so important to pulling a viewer in, does its job to perfection. It sets up the whole movie:

As Ellie gets ready for school, she prints out copies of essays putting a different name on each. Then she checks items off a list she has written, gives herself a little pep talk and heads out the door to bike what seems like more than a mile to school. As she struggles uphill some racist bullies drive by yelling "chugga-chugga-chu-chu" this is both in reference to her Chinese name and the fact that her father works tending the railroad crossing. At school, she waits until the music teacher begins announcements and then passes out the essays folded inside the music books. Then, the choir begins to practice and the love interest comes on. The beautiful Aster Flores begins to sing "You Fill up My Senses" in an angelic voice and the camera pans, first to an enraptured Ellie, then outside to a young jock (Paul Munsky) who also seems entranced by the sound, so much so, that he lets an errant ball hit him. He is told to "pay attention" and goes back to practice.

Paul, who has never gotten up the courage to approach the beautiful Aster himself, asks Ellie's help in drafting a love letter. Ellie, who needs the money to pay the utilities before they are shut off, reluctantly agrees, and the triangle begins. Aster and Ellie exchange letters, but Aster believes she is communicating with Paul. Aster is dating a popular jock who is also rich but she doesn't feel as lucky as everyone else seems to think. She is looking for substance and the jock (Trig Carson) just doesn't bring that to the table. She finds an escape in "Paul's" letters and allows herself to get pulled in.

I really liked that this movie featured an LGBT main character without making that the primary focus for her arc. Yes, she is in love with Aster (at first from afar, more over time as she gets to know her through the letters), but there is so much more to her character. Her friendship with Paul also begins to blossom as they keep writing the letters and she resigns herself to cheering him on rather than getting what she really wants. As with any relationship rooted in deceit, things eventually come out. I don't want to spoil it, so I won't say more than that, but the climax was exceptional, and the ending was perfect.

I give this movie a 10/10, I would rate it higher if I could.

"Mother's Day" Movie Review

I chose this movie for my first review because I wanted to review something popular which I hadn't seen yet, so I was coming to it from a completely unbiased perspective. This movie can be watched on Netflix for the time being. I hope you enjoy my review.

This is a feel-good drama/comedy about several moms in Atlanta, Georgia who are all going through their own various life-dilemmas, all of which (for the purpose of a happy ending) get magically solved in the space of a week. Overall, I did enjoy this movie because I tend to like movies that make me experience a range of emotions. I enjoyed seeing several familiar faces from other shows or movies. That being said, this is a review and so I'm going to focus on some of the things I did not like about the movie as well.

The main story revolves around Sandy, a divorced mom who has a very friendly and open relationship with her ex-husband Henry. As her story opens he is shown ogling her and making a comment about her "hotness" this is a setup for the coming conflict for her character. Their dynamic seems to be: strict mom/fun dad, and this comes to a head when Henry announces out of the blue that he has gotten remarried to the much younger Tina. Sandy's 13 year-old son suffers from asthma, which plays a part in the conflict resolution for her character. Sandy's story was relatable, but her story could have been told just as well, if not better, without her very obviously still being in love with her ex. It is revealed at some point that the two have been amicably divorced for 11 years, and her still pining for Henry seems like a very worn trope. Sandy's issues with Tina could be confined to being seen as "replaceable" as a mom which is something Sandy admits aloud later in the movie before receiving good advice from a very unexpected place.

One of the main problems I have with the movie is how it treats the only two LGBT characters. The second family it follows are two sisters who have both moved far from home (Texas) to get away from their bigoted parents. One of the sisters (Gabi) is gay, and the other (Jesse) is in a bi-racial marriage with a man of Indian heritage (Russel). Both are afraid to let their parents know about their relationships which causes the main conflict for this family when the parents (Flo and Earl) show up on their doorstep in an RV as an unexpected Mother's Day surprise. Gabi and Max are a very stereotypical gay couple. They are quirky (creating a womb shaped float for the Mother's Day parade), Max is butch, while Gabi comes off as more feminine. But, worst of all, they seem to exist just for the conflict with Flo and Earl and the jokes about their unique parade float. Apart from that, Max gets no screen time whatsoever and Gabi gets less than her heterosexual sister. If the movie were actually being inclusive, they might have included a transgender mom as one of the characters, or at least flushed out the two lesbian moms a little more. I also take away points for one microaggression "Indians don't get divorced" spoken by one of the white female characters as they discuss the possibility of Jessie's marriage dissolving.

It also follows a grieving widower (Bradley) who is trying to take on the role of soccer mom, which his wife filled while she was alive, and also dealing with his older teenager's period (buying her feminine products), and her showing romantic interest in someone else for the first time. A lot of the responses this dad makes to raising his daughters are very stereotypical (getting embarrassed about buying tampons, being late to soccer practice even though their mom never was). Bradley mainly exists for comedic relief but there are a few tear-jerker moments concerning his grief and what it's doing to his family.

Finally, there is Kristin and Zack a couple who have been together for five years and have a child together but are not married. The main problem I have with this couple's arc is the huge emphasis it puts on marriage. I think this is the overall theme of the movie, because Sandy is fine with Henry's relationship with Tina when it was "casual" but as soon as they get married, she starts getting upset. There is also enormous pressure put on Bradley to "move on" from his wife's death, even though grieving is something everyone must do at their own pace.

As you would expect, all the familial conflicts (even the ones that seem the least likely) are resolved by the end and everyone gets what they want. Although this makes for a feel-good ending, it also feels more like a fairy tale. No one is a bad parent, not even the ones that literally threaten to disown their kids for bi-racial marriage or being gay. That is the most unrealistic element to this movie. Prejudice does not disappear overnight, although it can diminish by exposure. That and the adopted child/bio mom situation were the most obvious candidates for a bittersweet or unhappy conclusion. However, the writers decided that even those stories had to have a feel-good/happy ending where no one is a bad person and everything is resolved.

I will say that Sandy's situation and her reactions are the most realistic of anyone in the movie. Her arc (feeling that the step-mom is an intruder who has come to replace her, and her realization that being the bigger person and accepting this change is what is best for her kids) would have seemed more realistic if the situation had taken place over a longer period of time than a week. Even still, it was the best part of the movie, (although Bradley's situation did bring me to tears a time or two).

I give this movie a 7.5 out of 10. It loses points for being pretty formulaic, but gains some for an unexpected twist for one of the character arcs (I won't spoil for anyone who hasn't seen it yet), although there was some pretty good foreshadowing and, in retrospect, I should have seen it coming.

Rebranding

So I'm thinking of rebranding, myself, this blog. I thought, what's better for "thoughts of a nobody" than doing movie and book reviews, maybe even a game review here and there. I already watch a lot of stuff, and I have opinions about everything I see or read. Sometimes I have trouble finding other people who are interested in the same things I am interested in so all the energy I have in me that wants to discuss it or expand upon it gets wasted and then I move on to something else. But what if I didn't have to lose that energy and could use it to expand my writing horizons?

Ideally, I would get paid to write the things I want, but it takes time and experience to be considered an expert. If I don't put myself out there and have a list of relevant writing to point towards, then how am I going to find paying work?

I do need to finish up my teaching course and get started on that career path, if possible. However, there is a dream career I've always had of being a published author. I can write books and self-publish them, but there is little profit or satisfaction in that. I wish to travel as soon as humanly possible and I would love it if that were something I did not have to take time away from work to do. As nice as paid vacation would be, it would only last a short while. Reviews would be the ideal way to work while traveling, because movies can be watched from anywhere. If I became well-known and respected enough I could even branch out to reviewing other things while I travel. I would love to review foreign films and media as well. There, my language skills could come in handy.

I am excited to start this new journey, but I am unsure of what to review first. If any of my readers would like to see my perspective on a particular film, please comment the name of it. I will probably start with older films because I have them readily available. I will try to post at least one review a week, starting on my day off this week which is Friday. If I receive a comment on one of my posts requesting a particular review, I will address it as soon as possible.

I may still interject with a personal blog post updating everyone to my changing circumstances, or at the very least, letting you know how this change is effecting my blog (positively or negatively). If I get the time, or the posts get popular enough I may start posting more than one a week. Thank you for your readership up to now, I hope you stay for this exciting new development.