Check out our latest edition of Rapid Fire Reviews, where we share our quick thoughts about the latest set of releases that we may have missed the first time around. This edition will focus on a few streaming releases from this past month listed below (click on the title to jump straight to the review). These films are now available to stream in Canada.
Little Brother
In the Hand of Dante
Voicemails for Isabelle
Office Romance
Over Your Dead Body
Little Brother
Little Brother isn’t a great Netflix original comedy but considering it was dropped without much promotion or fanfare, it could have been a lot worse. In spite of its flaws, it is still an amusing enough way to spend 100 or so minutes. A big reason for this is the comedic talents of its two leads, John Cena and Eric Andre, who play a mismatched pair of “brothers” perfectly and have great chemistry together. Setting the stage, Cena plays Rudd Landy, a famous real estate agent’s life is disrupted when his eccentric little brother Marcus (André) unexpectedly reappears. It’s hilarious getting to see Cena as the straight man and react to all of Andre’s crazy shenanigans. André plays the eccentric Marcus just right, never crossing into annoying or obnoxious territory, something that easily could have happened in a lesser actors’ hands.
While the film has a sweetness and heart to it, on top of quite a few funny bits, its biggest problem is how inconsistently funny it is as a whole, missing more often than not. Not only is it very formulaic and predictable, and it is a shame how it fails to give its supporting cast much to do, outside of Michelle Monaghan in one extremely memorable scene as Rudd’s wife Deirdre. The film could have been the next streaming comedy hit, had more of its jokes landed, and had been a bit less dumb overall. However, at the end of the day, Little Brother delivers a fine enough way to pass the time if you happen to be on Netflix and looking to stream a comedy, more so if you’re a fan of Cena or André.
Now available on Netflix.
In the Hand of Dante
In the Hand of Dante will, without a doubt, go down as one of the most baffling misfires of the past several years. The film is a boring, bizarre, overlong, pretentious, and aimless misfire from writer-director Julian Schnabel, where every scene goes on for way too long to the point that you will feel every second of its egregious, seemingly never ending two and a half hour runtime. The longer it goes on the less sense it makes, and it becomes even more of a slog to get through. While it starts off interesting enough and has a nice visual look to it, including gorgeous cinematography, these are the only real positives in this otherwise dreadful viewing experience featuring one of the wildest casts ever put together for any film.
Starring Oscar Isaac, he is great here, as he manages to escape this mess completely unharmed in spite of the awful dialogue. Meanwhile, Gerard Butler is another highlight as a repugnant, and hammy henchmen who feels like he belongs in a totally different film. John Malkovich, Martin Scorsese, and Al Pacino appear as essentially glorified cameos. However, Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot are truly awful here and sink the film whenever they appear onscreen. Momoa, in particular, simply looks lost, while Gadot gives an astonishingly awful performance that will go down as the worst of her career. If In the Hand of Dante wasn’t so long and dreadfully boring, it would still almost be worth checking out, if only to witness how many different things go wrong.
Now available on Netflix.
Voicemails for Isabelle
Voicemails for Isabelle is a charming romcom filled with heart, big laughs, and genuine emotion that will sneak up on you. Stars Zoey Deutch and Nick Robinson deliver great performances in their own right, but they are even better together. They have such natural chemistry, they make for a romance that is easy to root for. Setting the stage, the story follows Jill (Deutch), a woman who leaves voice messages to her deceased sister Isabelle (Ciara Bravo) about her chaotic life in San Francisco. Unwittingly, Wes (Robinson), a mysterious Austin TX real estate agent, begins to receive their confessions. Both characters are instantly likeable, charismatic, and most importantly, relatable. Seamlessly balancing comedy, drama, and romance, the film explores the subject matter in a mature way. For audiences with siblings, it will hit even harder, thanks to its strong emotional core.
That being said, it is not without many of the common issues you typically find within the romcom genre, such as predictability to the point where you can see just about every plot beat coming from a mile away. Additionally, it is also slightly too long for this kind of film, and it take a little while to get going after a rough start. But still, it still offers up a delightfully old fashioned romcom with a modern edge that will definitely win you over by the end. If you’re into romcoms with great soundtracks, this is definitely one to check out, delivering one of the stronger Netflix originals in recent memory.
Now available on Netflix.
Office Romance
For better or worse, Office Romance is another typical Netflix romcom. It’s sweet, but nothing overly memorable. Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein are both solid and have solid chemistry as a pair of unconventional lovers. To set the stage, Jackie (Lopez) runs a tight ship in her business, including a stern anti-fraternization policy for all her employees. However, that policy would be put to the test once charming lawyer Daniel Blanchflower (Goldstein) began working for her. Lopez and Goldstein (who also co-wrote the script) do a decent job at selling their characters’ relationship, making it one worth rooting for. That being said, Betty Gilpin steals the show right out from under them as Sydney, Jackie’s right hand, a role that gives her a great opportunity to show-off her incredible comedic abilities.
While the film is entertaining, has heart, and the occasional laugh, you’ve seen all of this done before, and done so much better. Outside of a wild birthing scene that rightfully blew up all over social media, there just isn’t anything here that stands out in any way or will really stick with you long after the credits roll. For the most part, it is fine, undemanding enough, and will likely please its target audience, that being fans of romcoms. That is really about it, and that is not saying much. As far as JLo romcoms go, Office Romance isn’t one of her best or worst, it is simply somewhere in the middle, where most of her others preside.
Now available on Netflix.
Over Your Dead Body
Over Your Dead Body is an unpredictable, wickedly clever, and hyper-violent, darkly comedic action thriller. Jason Segel gives one of his best performances, playing against type, while Samara Weaving once again chews up the scenery and proves to be an absolute badass, once again. Segel and Weaving do very well as Dan and Lisa, a dysfunctional married couple looking to repair their relationship while retreating to a secluded cabin, as each secretly plots to murder the other. Selling the couple’s strained marriage, their dynamite chemistry makes it all the more fun to see them have to work together to get out of an even worse situation they’d soon find themselves in. Meanwhile, Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, and especially Keith Jardine are a lot of fun, too, and how they eventually come to join the plot is hilarious.
Similarly, the action is great, coming from the minds of 87North, and it is surprising just how brutal and violent it gets. The only things that ultimately hold the film back from being one of the best of the year are its inability to maintain a consistent tone, and its laughs could have been a little bigger and more consistent throughout. All things considered, Over Your Dead Body is an absolute blast that will hopefully continue to find an audience, representing a refreshing change of pace for director Jorma Taccone, who once again impresses behind the camera.
Now available on Prime Video.
still courtesy of Netflix
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