The Waitress

M: For me, this movie was a lot like Johnny Depp's Chocolat. Everybody around me seems to be nodding their head in a deep and understanding way, as the actors talk of, and passionately cook, some sort of food product. I just sit there, thinking to myself that I must be missing something. Is it just me? Is food production really that meaningful and sexy. I don't get it. Also, I am not a huge fan of affairs in a movie. If one is going to happen, I like the spouse that is cheated on to sort of have it coming. Maybe I am naive in that way. This show had two spouses who were cheated on. One had it coming, the other, as far as I could tell, didn't. This made it very difficult for me to like the main characters. And when you don't care for the main characters, that can't be a good sign, can it? 2 1/2 Stars

V: This show has plenty of charm. It does, however, revolve around an affair, which made me uneasy for the duration. In defense of the food thing, (see above) . . . it's not the food (pies, in this case)- it's the care she puts into making the pies, the nostalgia she feels from when her mother taught her how to make them (she has been missing a caring/nurturing presence in her life), and the genuine interest and appreciation the co-adulterer has for the heroine's talent - those things mean something. Plus pies, specifically, are wholesome and comforting - things also missing from her life at the onset. It doesn't really matter what it is, food, music, art, nature - as long as someone cares about what you care about - it's romantic. Did it work romantically here? Yeah, a little. Mostly the pies were a great device for her to express any kind of emotion, e.g., frustration, gratitude, anger, guilt. And at times it was pretty funny. Keri Russell does a good job in this movie. I think I would recommend this show, with reservations because of the infidelity. 3 stars.

All of Our Reviews are here!

Don't forget to check out the link on the right to the spreadsheet with all of our reviews. We've been keeping this for years, so please forgive if we haven't updated all of the entries. We're working on it - In the meantime, give what we have done a look.

Juno

V: Juno, Juno, Juno. Well, I think it was interesting. I had high hopes. In the end, I thought the story was pretty good. I liked the up-close attention to the main character-- they didn't speed through her conundrum slapstick style. Interesting how some characters changed in her perception (and ours), though it may have been too clean a switch. Ellen Page was very good. The boyfriend is great, we already loved that actor. Her Dad was a highlight, funny, rude, but always loving. It had a lot of crude elements/language, so that cast a shadow over it from the beginning. However, the script was natural and original. Music was fun. It was good, not super. 3 stars

M:I had very high expectations going into this movie, which perhaps put it at an unfair disadvantage. At first, I was a bit surprised at the content (you might say, "what did you expect from a movie about teenage pregnancy," but I didn't see it coming). As the movie rolled on, I grew to really like the characters. Juno is funny, her family is dysfunctional but fun. In the end, I really liked this movie. Of course, Ellen Page did great. I really like Michael Cere (played George Michael in Arrested Development). I wish they had found a way to do more with him. I also liked Juno's dad, cracked me up. I am not going to say that this is the greatest movie of all time, it isn't. But, it is good, the characters are likable, and the content, looking back, wasn't really all that bad. Tough call, tempted to give it a 3, but I will go with . . . 3 1/2 stars.

Dan in Real Life

M: Good Show! We love Steve Carell. The first time we saw him in Bruce Almighty, he stole the show. He is also fantastic in The Office. And now, we find that he makes a good-- weird-- but good, leading man in a romantic comedy. Dan's insecurities and his funny relationship with his family made the show for me. Line of the show: "This corn is like an angel." Makes no sense sitting here on this blog, but watch the show, it is one of many lines that left us laughing out loud. As a bonus, the show had very little swearing, if any, and no sex scenes. A few innuendos, but light. 3 1/2 Stars

PS - I (V) watched the bonus material and it turns out the "corn is like an angel" line was an ad-lib by Carell.

V: I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! Another take on Cyrano de Bergerac, Steve Carell (who does have a pretty big schnoz) is a writer and the less-likely candidate for the affections of the lovely Marie (Juliette Binoche) who is dating a younger, more "manly" man. The humor was perfect - I laughed at everything they intended to be funny. There were also some very sweet and touching moments. (kleenex grab, tear dab) Carell and Binoche, of course, were great. No one in the cast bugged me. The family was diverse and endearing. The script was unique and realistic. I liked the filming, the soundtrack, the story. Almost a PG show, too. I have no complaints - and am so happy to have seen it! Excellent. 4 stars

Enchanted

M: This is a fantastic movie. McDreamy (Grey's Anatomy), Jim's Pam-look-alike girlfriend (the office), and Cyclops (X-Men) all made appearances and all three were great. Particularly Amy Adams who was so sweet and funny and perfect for the part (maybe Jim should have stuck with her, see review of Blades of Glory). The prince, James Marsden, was pretty hilarious, and Patrick Dempsy made a very likeable leading man. The music scenes were great. This is a classic, for adults and children. Nearly a four star movie but a couple of overly silly things, think animal bowels, keep it from perfection. I also wasn't 100% sold on the ending. Having said that, I highly recommend. 3 1/2 stars

V: I also really liked this show. Many funny parts and great references to Disney movies past. Amy Adams as Giselle was so great - you could really picture her animated counterpart. Loved watching her change, too, as she grasped reality. The prince was one of the funniest parts. The chipmunk was the least funny when he could talk - so it was good he could only squeak for most of the movie. Songs were great fun. Very entertaining. 3 1/2 stars

August Rush

V: Movie of a young boy who must "follow the music" to find his parents. This show had so many unlikely and unbelievable elements, we were constantly rolling our eyes, "yeah, right"-ing, or being plain creeped out. So girl and boy play in their respective concerts, girl meets boy on rooftop, boy sings Moondance and says he talks to the moon, so girl sleeps with boy on rooftop, they part the next morning, both forswear music and pine for each other for 11 years, 3 months and 15 days, son searches for parents, they all "follow the music" to their happily-ever-after. And when they find each other, they seem remarkably unsurprised and underwhelmed. The script was bad, predictable and rushed to dramatic points. This could have worked had it been treated in a more fantastical way (ala Big Fish or Pushing Daisies). But since it took itself so seriously, we just couldn't. The best part was the little African American girl from the church choir. (She had about 10 lines.) Music was good, by Hans Zimmer. 2 stars

M: A couple that knew each other for less than 11 hours pine away for 11 years, abandoning their music and being generally blue. Girl gets hit by a car and her dad forges her signature to give away her baby while she is unconscious. She thinks the baby is dead. Baby grows up in an orphanage, but can hear his parents "music" so, at about age 12, he follows it, literally, through the streets. Meets an incredibly creepy Robin Williams and his gang of singing ruffians. Creepy Williams really likes music. Baby, now kid, learns to play a guitar like a pro overnight. Escapes to a church, where he learns to play the piano and write symphonies in an afternoon. Is enrolled by the minister/choir director into Julliard (what is that, $40,000 a year tuition) where he naturally becomes the top student. Conducts the philharmonic in central park as they play his music. Of course! My neck hurts from shaking my head so much. Otherwise, its a feel good movie, if you can only accept the heavy heavy cheese that comes along with that good feeling. I couldn't. 1 1/2 stars