The Reitmans Cometh

What do the movies My Super Ex-Girlfriend and Thank You for Smoking have in common? The Reitman connection, that's what. Ex-Girlfriend was directed by Ivan Reitman, who in his heyday did Ghostbusters and has gone rapidly downhill since then, and Smoking was directed by his son Jason Reitman, who made his feature film debut with this... I think.


My Super Ex-Girlfriend
Watching this movie, I couldn't help but detect incredibly misogynistic notes in it. Uma Thurman's character is so completely psychotic, she doesn't border on the edge of insanity - she's leaped into the pool, fully clothed, in a leather thong and cape. This, of course, renders her thoroughly unlikable and as one dimensional as the artworks she supposedly sells. But she's supposed to be pushing our main character away into the arms of his wholesome-to-a-fault colleague Anna Faris, so I suppose she does serve her function.

Anna, on the other hand, is absolutely lovely, I have to admit. In the strictly physical sense though, and nothing more. I found myself captivated by her every time she appeared onscreen, but sadly, it wasn't because of her acting ability or character nuances. The wholesome girl she plays is as bland and boring as a wafer biscuit, even though she's cute as hell.

Eddie Izzard loses lots of his bite as a blah "villain", and Luke Wilson is simply forgettable as the main character, flip-flopping his decisions faster than some politicians. It eventually ends up, as it must, with everyone getting superpowers, a massive earth-shaking (literally) catfight breaking out, someone making pretty "I love you, no, he loves you!" speeches, and within 5 minutes everything is neatly resolved - and I so do not buy it. It all boils down to a not-so-great script with a great concept and a couple of good ideas that ultimately get lost in the overwrought hamfistedness of the direction.


Thank You for Smoking
What else can I say? It's smart, consistently funny, and makes you almost forgive the fact that it doesn't seem to really have a point and the emotional journey seems somewhat forced. That aside, Aaron Eckhart is slicker than oil, and the supporting cast is uniformly excellent and memorable... with the exception of Cameron Bright, quite possibly the worst child actor on the face of the planet with an uncanny ability to suck all the emotion out of his lines and look exactly the same in every fucking scene. Oh yes, and Katie Holmes kinda blows too, being thoroughly unconvincing in her seductress role.

I suppose it's time for the father to make way for the son and stop subjecting us to any more of his crap. As the Chinese saying goes, the tides of the Yangtze River rolls ever forward. Reitman senior should get out before the entire world catches on that he's a washout.