Jan Wahl Movie Review: 'A Long Way Down' &' Sex Tape'
You can hear KCBS Entertainment Editor Jan Wahl's movie reviews on KCBS All News 740AM and 106.9FM Fridays at 8:53am & 4:53pm.
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SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — KCBS Entertainment Editor Jan Wahl reviews "Sex Tape," a comedy about a young couple (Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel) who attempt to spice up their marriage only to have things goes awry, and "A Long Way Down," a dramedy about four strangers—including Pierce Bronsan and Toni Collette—who meet on New Year's Eve and form a surrogate family to help each other get through life's difficulties.
Jan Wahl Movie Review: Sex Tape & A Long Way Down
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A LONG WAY DOWN (R) 96 min
From "Tailor of Panama" (2001) to "Evelyn"(2002) to playing James Bond, Pierce Brosnan is always worth watching and he is the strength in this film based on a novel by Nick Hornby and directed by Pascal Chaumeil. It's a strange tale about four people (Aaron Paul from "Breaking Bad," Imogen Poots and the always-good Toni Collette) who want to jump off a London building on New Years Eve. After some odd circumstances, they form a dysfunctional family unit that somehow helps each one of them through their individual pain.
But Brosnan steals the film, portraying a notorious TV personality who went to prison and the press is just waiting to exploit him. This is another film that will play well DVD or the big screen; it's not great but definitely worth seeing.
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SEX TAPE (R) 94 min
In this film directed by Jake Kasdan,Cameron Diaz and Jason Segel portray a likable and smart couple who start out being crazy about each other. Their chemistry continues for a few years until economic insecurity, two children and lagging libidos enter the picture. So they turn on that camera to heat things up but end up mostly leaving the audience lukewarm with clichés and silliness. There are, however, some laugh-out-loud moments from supporting players Jack Black ("Bernie") and Rob Lowe.
Cameron Diaz supplies the anchor for the insanity but I wish she had material like "In Her Shoes" (2005) and "Inside John Malkovich" (1999) that's worthy of her talent. This is one of those light movies that will seem fine on DVD and good for a date when you want to escape the real world. Don't expect much; just have fun.
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Movies To See Right Now: Life Itself, Le Chef, Begin Again, The Fault In Our Stars, Jersey Boys & The Last Sentence
Home Viewing/DVD: The Grand Budapest Hotel, Frozen, Bad Words & 3 Days To Kill
