Ryan Reynolds and Blake LIvely in "The Green Lantern"
Gossip Girl Blake Lively
I can't think of Blake Lively as anything other than Boobs Legsly, thanks to the girls over at Go Fug Yourself, and it's getting inconvenient, because it seems her (real) name is everywhere.
From Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants to Gossip Girl, Lively's star is clearly on the rise. She starring in Green Lantern alongside Ryan Reynolds and has the No. 1 movie at the box office this weekend — the Ben Affleck-directed and co-written The Town.
Now, I'm not a GG devotee, but the few episodes I've seen imply that Lively's character is perpetually stealing the spotlight from her bestie, played by Leighton Meester. And it seems that for now, life is imitating art.
Where Lively's landing covers, Meester is recording — without radio play — and her outfits indicate she's falling increasingly into an angsty 1990s-era depression. It's disappointing, because I'm personally pulling for Meester. She has a way better story — she was born in prison to a drug-dealing mother serving a federal sentence, while Lively's entire family are Los Angeles industry types — and Meester's from Texas (if by force). I also really want to see her happily married so that I can refer to her hubby as Mister Meester.
Which Gossip Girl is your favorite? Do you see Lively as a serious actress?
Of all the formulaic movie genres, Christmas/holiday movies are among the most predictable. No matter what the problem is that arises between family members, friends, or potential romantic partners, the stories in holiday movies are designed to give viewers a feel-good ending even if the majority of the movie makes you feel pretty bad.
That’s certainly the case in Oh. What. Fun., in which Michelle Pfeiffer plays Claire, an underappreciated mom living in Houston with her inattentive husband, Nick (Denis Leary). As the film begins, her three children are arriving back home for Christmas: The high-strung Channing (Felicity Jones) is married to the milquetoast Doug (Jason Schwartzman); the aloof Taylor (Chloë Grace Moretz) brings home yet another new girlfriend; and the perpetual child Sammy (Dominic Sessa) has just broken up with his girlfriend.
Each of the family members seems to be oblivious to everything Claire does for them, especially when it comes to what she really wants: For them to nominate her to win a trip to see a talk show in L.A. hosted by Zazzy Tims (Eva Longoria). When she accidentally gets left behind on a planned outing to see a show, Claire reaches her breaking point and — in a kind of Home Alone in reverse — she decides to drive across the country to get to the show herself.
Written and directed by Michael Showalter (The Idea of You), and co-written by Chandler Baker (who wrote the short story on which the film is based), the movie never establishes any kind of enjoyable rhythm. Each of the characters, including competitive neighbor Jeanne (Joan Chen), is assigned a character trait that becomes their entire personality, with none of them allowed to evolve into something deeper.
The filmmakers lean hard into the idea that Claire is a person who always puts her family first and receives very little in return, but the evidence presented in the story is sketchy at best. Every situation shown in the film is so superficial that tension barely exists, and the (over)reactions by Claire give her family members few opportunities to make up for their failings.
The most interesting part of the movie comes when Claire actually makes it to the Zazzy Sims show. Even though what happens there is just as unbelievable as anything else presented in the story, Showalter and Baker concoct a scene that allows Claire and others to fully express the central theme of the film, and for a few minutes the movie actually lives up to its title.
Pfeiffer, given her first leading role since 2020’s French Exit, is a somewhat manic presence, and her thick Texas accent and unnecessary voiceover don’t do her any favors. It seems weird to have such a strong supporting cast with almost nothing of substance to do, but almost all of them are wasted, including Danielle Brooks in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it cameo. The lone exception is Longoria, who is a blast in the few scenes she gets.
Oh. What. Fun. is far from the first movie to try and fail at becoming a new holiday classic, but the pedigree of Showalter and the cast make this dismal viewing experience extra disappointing. Ironically, overworked and underappreciated moms deserve a much better story than the one this movie delivers.
Jon Hamm and Blake Lively in "The Town"
Ryan Reynolds and Blake LIvely in "The Green Lantern"
Gossip Girl Blake Lively
