Is “Think Like a Man” Franchise A Sign Of Things To Come?

Kevin Hart headlines the sequel to the hit comedy Think Like a Man Too. You may wish he didn’t.

I was recently able to watch both Warner Brothers’ new musical Jersey Boys and Sony Picture’s new comedy sequel Think Like A Man Too starring comedian Kevin Hart on consecutive days. To my amazement I found myself liking the sequel directed by a relative unknown by the name of Tim Story than the adaptation of the Tony Award® winning Broadway hit musical directed by four time Academy Award winner Clint Eastwood.

Make no mistake neither film is going to win any Academy Awards® next February. But if found myself falling more for the wacky Vegas adventures on a wedding weekend among a diverse group of characters that made up another adaption based loosely on the premise of comedian’s Steve Harvey’s hit book “Think Like a Man.” Both movies certainly had their flaws. Jersey Boys was a too strictly by-the-book adaptation while Think Like a Man ironically veered too far away from the original source material. This version of “Think” came across like a poor man’s “The Hangover” with considerable less sex and debauchery, but more heart and sentimentality, clearly to appeal to the female viewers no doubt. And this is not a bad thing.

So What’s the Big Deal?

“Think” came across a funny take on sentimentality and heart when a couple enjoys dueling bachelor and bachelorette parties and an eventual wedding during a weekend in Vegas. Long story short, as usual with any Vegas movie, signals get crossed, hijinks occur, people get crude and nude and in the end the wedding actually takes place with a lot of aw shucks earnestness you would actually expect out of a Steve Harvey self-help book. Lots of happy endings abound and your left wondering how the story is supposed to advance for the inevitable third sequel of this comedy showcase which revolves around a group of predominately African American friends.

The one well intentioned caveat was the not so common story this movie was trying to tell. That of the wild adventures of a diverse group of friends who are upper middle class to upper class enjoying their lives. That’s it period. No other stereotypes were being exploited. Sure Kevin Hart laid out his traditional “if I’m loud enough, you’ll think I’m funny” routine. And since his star is on the rise since the original Think Like Man movie came out I was not surprised to see his character basically take the lead and help bring all of the other storylines together. Thanks to Think Like a Man Too I was reminded how rarely this kind of story is told. This point was especially brought home when I recently caught a showing of movie The Best Man Holiday on HBO.

The cast of “The Best Man Holiday” live up a life in luxury in their latest sequel. But why don’t we see more of this in movies?

It Pays To Be Rich

One caveat I noticed in both “Think” and “Holiday” is that they both showcase financially well off African Americans. For example, Hart’s character Cedric spends a huge amount of money on a lavish suite a Caeser’s Palace, and Taraji P. Henson’s character of Lauren is promoted to the COO position of her company. Over at “Holiday” Morris Chestnut’s character is living in the lap of luxury thanks to his high profile football player Lance Sullivan enjoying success on the field. At the same time, all of the other characters in both films are enjoying their peak working professional lives successfully coexisting with their personal lives.

So What’s The Problem?

I began thinking why aren’t these stories told more often? Where financially well-off people of color are burning the candle, so to speak, at both ends. This is where our main source of story, at least in the two movies I just watched, come from. For one, I question why directors like Tim Story and “Holiday’s” Malcolm D. Lee aren’t given more opportunities to work with more actors of color and not just their niche African American repertoires they tend to work with? Why aren’t more screenwriters allowed to tell more stories about well off characters of color? Is it because studio heads aren’t of color and don’t think a majority of audiences will relate?

Fiction vs. Reality

The Best Man Holiday had a lot of hijinks this time around but it also had a considerable amount of sorrow. This rollercoaster of emotions allowed director Malcolm D. Lee to tell a fully realized story with actual characters with real emotions no matter how maudlin it really got towards the end of his film. On the other end of the spectrum, director Tim Story showcased through Think Like a Man Too as a wacky PG-13 rated adventure movie  while ending the movie with a romanticized story that left many of our couples with happy endings with fully accomplished dreams still to come.

These stories aren’t being told enough, and that’s a real shame. For once I’d love to see biracial couple’s experience life’s adventures beyond their race or ethnicity. Hopefully this can be possible with a more diverse group of writers, directors and producers in Hollywood. But in reality it will only happen if more open-minded studio heads will consider this a reliable option. Because in the end, if a movie makes money, sequel can’t be too far off. That’s not a bad thing for me it just needs to have purpose.

Film Review: Oh What A Not So Great Night with the “Jersey Boys” Movie

Why the Adaptation of the Hit Tony Award Winning Musical Failed On So Many Levels

The film version of Jersey Boys had all the elements of a great movie. It just wasn’t executed well enough to become a well respected hit which is a real shock for fans of Clint Eastwood’s work.

This past weekend, director Clint Eastwood’s version of the hit Broadway musical “Jersey Boys” finally made it to the big screen and if you read the reviews and looked at the disappointing weekend returns many have been taken aback on why the film resonates with audiences. I have to admit I am a Jersey Boys fan for life. I have seen it twice in San Francisco, once when they launched their national tour and Frankie Valli and Bob Gaudio were in the audience themselves to approve. And a second time to commemorate the show being so successful that the producers had to send the original cast on the aforementioned national tour and they hired a whole new staff and ha them perform a hugely publicized tour as well. I also saw the musical on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre and like in San Francisco I was tapping my feet to “Oh What a Night” at the encore at the end of the two act play. So obviously I got really excited when I heard that none other than Clint Eastwood himself had been approached to direct the film version of Jersey Boys after many years of wrangling between directors, producer, and writers over the script and direction. Imagine my disappointment over what I thought had been a great stage musical and the makings of a great film musical turn out so disappointing, and judging by the first weekend box office receipts I wasn’t the only one who thought the film was lacking in a number of ways that made the film lackluster. So without further ado, here’s why Jersey Boys didn’t work for me:

Story Comes First

One thing it is hard to adapt a musical to the big screen no matter how many have succeeded with audiences before for every Chicago or Les Miserables there’s been failures like Rock of Ages and The Producers. So why did the Jersey Boys musical feel so stale? For one thing although the screenplay was written by the same two individuals (Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice) who won a Tony® nomination for writing the book of the play, the film version of Jersey Boys looked and sounded virtually the same. And that’s not a good thing. The main caveats for the movie and the play is that it is told in first person by all four members of the musical group The Four Seasons during different times of the groups accession. As Tommy DeVito, actor Vincent Piazza explains how the group was formed in their native New Jersey. Then Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen) joins the group and tells the tale of how the group made it big thanks to his keen songwriting abilities. Then division and rifts happen between members of the group and that’s where Michael Lomenda’s Nick Massi takes over. Finally heading out on a solo career once the band has called it quits, John Lloyd Young, who won a Tony® Award for the role on Broadway takes over narration as leading man Frankie Valli. The problem here is that the audience never grows with the characters as they tell their story. We never get to realize how far and how big The Four Seasons truly became and how their music defined them and their fans. For all we know the group was playing state fairs and small clubs because on film that’s all we saw them sang. Also, we never get the inventive “Seasons” part of the play. Every act is supposed to represent the seasons in a year. If the film was going to borrow so liberally from the musical I question why was this aspect dropped? As we see how things are done the Jersey way through loyalty and ties with the mob, we see how members of the group became so indebted to members of the mafia. One mob boss in particular, played by Christopher Walken is actually a much bigger role here than in the play. I can see why Walken was given a bigger role, he was after all the most noteworthy member of the cast, but his role had very little to do with the formation of the group and how they kept the hits rolling. Finally, there was odd placement of both storyline being told on a linear and non-linear timeline, which made things truly confusing, this was in addition to songs being sung by Valli to give meaning to the storyline but not making sense when you actually hear the lyrics of the songs. (see: “My Eyes Adore You” being randomly sung to Valli’s daughter).

John Lloyd Young won a well deserved Tony® for the role of Frankie Valli. But was he the best person for the job for the film this time around? Me thinks not.

Of His Element This Time Around?

The second thing that was problematic was Mr. Eastwood’s involvement with the film to begin with. He is a phenomenal director with two Best Director Academy® Awards to his credit and it should have showcased his talents as an auteur, but this movie version of the play comes up surprisingly flat. Granted, Mr. Eastwood had done a biopic on a musician before (Bird in 1988) but this was his first mainstream musical. The problem was this was more of a concert musical where the characters sing their songs in a more natural manner like when they are pitching a new song or singing on a concert stage so it really shouldn’t have been as challenging to direct traditional concert moments. There were no huge song and dance numbers that required huge casts and choreography. Until that is, the very end of the movie when Eastwood films the show’s encore of “Oh What a Night” and it becomes one of the most awkward last scenes I have seen in quite some time. That fact alone proves to me that Eastwood should never lens another movie musical again if it winds up like the end of Jersey Boys. Then there’s Eastwood’s decision to cast Young as Valli to begin with. I thought Young’s voice was amazing and the fact that he’s still touring with Jersey Boys after all these years is nothing but remarkable. But there in lies the problem, Young looks way too old to play a sixteen year old in some scenes and with the poorest makeup job I’ve seen in quite some time, Young as Valli at 60 years of age does not look any more realistic. This fact combined with some of the most unrealistic driving scenes I’ve seen on film this century make the film story come across as a more banal experience than magnum opus.

Director Clint Eastwood brought his star power to directing this popular story. But did he bring his “A” game this time out? Maybe he’s just waiting to show off his work in American Sniper later this year.

Finally there was the remarkably odd release schedule of the film in general. If this film really had awards potential in it, then the producers and studio should have at very least waited until the fall to release this movie. Why in the middle of popcorn action films and comedies is this film being release it in June? Maybe producers thought it would be good counterprogramming to all of that madness at the box office. But this film had to be considered a flawless adaptation in order to play with some the biggest movies of the year, and Jersey Boys in this incarnation just isn’t it. Had producers waited until say late September early October maybe the film could have been a late bloomer with less competition. Granted movie musicals can be considered a pricey investment and this one was no exception (rumor has the cost at more than 40 million) so making a profit from this play was going to be a challenge no matter what month you released it.

Too many factors against Jersey Boys had the movie fighting a losing battle in a tough marketplace and tough time of year. Why didn’t they wait until the fall season to release this film clearly geared toward older viewers?

The Bottom Line

Although I don’t agree with the Daily Beast’s Andrew Romano in his saying that Clint Eastwood is the most overrated director in Hollywood. I do feel that Entertainment Weekly’s Jake Perlman was more succinct in suggesting that Eastwood was all wrong for this particular adaption. Romano suggested that Martin Scorsese would have done wonders and Perlman suggests Adam Shankman. I actually think a fresh voice would have been more appropriate for this movie. From the director to the screenwriters to some of the actors.  I would have recommended everyone involved in the adaptation still see the stage play to get a feeling for the musical and chose wisely in what direction in which they want to frame the story of how Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons came to be. I actually think there is a poignant and fun and unique story to share with the musical genre loving world out there. I’m just not sure the one we got last weekend is the one we all deserved to see. If that’s possible one day, then we’ll all be singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” when we see a better version of this movie. As lovers of both musicals and movies, we can all still dream can’t we?

 

 

Is Broadway Devoid of Original Ideas?

 

Why can’t anyone come up with something original for the Great White Way? Is it familiarity or cluelessness or something else?

The 68th Annual Tony® nominations were revealed last Wednesday and the only major surprises were the fact that some well known Hollywood thespians were snubbed in their respective categories. Not only were frontrunners for Best Actor in a play Denzel Washington, Daniel Radcliffe, and James Franco snubbed but other celebs such as Michelle Williams and Zach Braff were also left off of the Tony’s® nomination list in their own respective categories as well. All of this fun round of award show roulette got me thinking of the current state of Broadway.

It seems to me that Great White Way could use a little injection of creativity. I say this because this season alone there seems to be a void of original ideas for new musicals that have not been based on previously produced motion pictures. This season alone saw the debuts of Bullets Over Broadway, Aladdin, Rocky: The Musical, and The Bridges of Madison County all of which heard their names cited on Wednesday morning for a nomination or two. of the four musical nominated for Best Musical: the musical revue After Midnight, Disney produced Aladdin, Carole King biography revue Beautiful, and the favorite going into June 8th’s ceremony A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder.

I found out from another well written article analyzing Broadway’s obsession with Hollywood that Gentleman’s Guide is also based on a motion picture albeit one from 1949, Kind Hearts and Coronets starring Alec Guinness. Even shows that didn’t get that much critical acclaim such as If/Then are also loosely based on Hollywood product, ever heard of Sliding Doors? Yep it’s the same premise with songs! This year’s revivals are also tinged with Hollywood razzle dazzle. Although Hedwig and the angry Inch starring Neil Patrick Harris started as a musical off Broadway. John Cameron Mitchell’s successful independent movie of the same title and premise in 2001 surely helped get this musical back on Broadway where more people could enjoy this unique rock opera. This year also saw Big Fish: The Musical come and go earlier this year.

This is not the first year Broadway was overrun with musicals from the silver screen. Most recently we’ve seem shows based on Kinky Boots, Matilda, Once, Newsies, and Thoroughly Modern Millie , many of which were so acclaimed they went on to win Best Musical of the Year. In hindsight one has to give credit to producers of the Tony® winning musicals such as Spring Awakening, Memphis and The Book of Mormon some credit for at least thinking outside the box when conjuring up their “new” idea for the big stage.

My point is that why isn’t Broadway coming up with amazing character filled storylines on their own? Why do they keep having to go back to the well of tried and true with Broadway songs and staging? Look I’m all for the razzle dazzle of a show thinking outside the box in adapting it’s source material such a Rocky incorporating the audience in it’s final pivotal fight scene and the musical Aladdin broadening its previously staged show from Disney’s California Adventure theme park to a more accessible and knowledgeable theatrical audience. I’m just wondering why every Hollywood script that’s even moderately well reviewed needs to be turned into a Broadway musical.

Rumors persist that producers are working on everything from The Princess Bride to Twenty Feet From Stardom. Gee I cannot wait for Pretty Woman: The Musical to be fully realized. Please tell me they are joking with that one. The problem with all of these films being adapted for the stage is the surprise the newness that is supposed to accompany a Broadway show full of songs lights and pizzazz is all but gone. Since these are such beloved titles we all know where the script is headed and how these characters came to be. What is unique is that songs are now accompanying these titles but that’s not necessarily a good thing as humor comes to mind once Rocky and Adrian Balboa busting into a final chorus at the end of Rocky: The Musical. Gonna Fly Know indeed right out of the theatre that is. I just the creative people behind some of Broadway’s most successful productions to look in the mirror and analyze what’s around the corner. How about adapting a great novel like Wicked did back in the day? Or how about basing a show on another famous production or historical event like Rent did in the 1990s or 1776 did back in the 1970s? Is it too much to ask for Broadway to start trying harder?

Hey if I’m investing close to one hundred dollars per ticket at the TKTS ticket stand then I would like to think that Broadway is doing its part to invest in its future. Is that too much to ask?