Lorne (2026)

Lorne Michaels, the maverick behind Saturday Night Live for the past five decades, is given his own spotlight here, where he is as cagey, elusive and stoic as ever, including to his own friends and co-workers. This doc attempts to penetrate the mystique that surrounds this aura with a cheeky narrative approach that guesses at half-truths, along with some candid footage of the man behind the curtain at Studio 8H, where he ushered in an era of counter-cultural voices and leaves behind an enormous legacy of comedic talent. Yet, at the end of the day, we still don't know much more than when we started. 

2½ Dr. Evil impressions out of 5

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT [2016]

Funny girl Tina Fey takes a bit more of a serious tone in director Glenn Ficcara & John Requa's humorous war drama Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.
Inspired by journalist Kim Baker's time she spent in Afghanistan, during the early years of the war, where she was one of the first American civilians to experience what was really going on there.
These folks are so crazily focused on their career in such a self-centered manner they're hard to like, so thankfully the great cast humanizes them enough to make us see the world from this insane point of view.  WTF brings all sorts of interesting ideas to the table but it simply does not have enough time to fully explore them to make any sort of strong emotional connection.
With another 10 or 15 minutes to flesh out it's army of themes and topics this film would have been an thoroughly engaging character study.

3 beautiful mysterious IKEA bags out of 5

SISTERS [2015]

Pitch Perfect director Jason Moore's Sisters reunites SNL vets Tina Fey & Amy Poehler with much greater success than their previous big screen effort, Baby Mama.
Two 40-something sisters decide to throw a raging house party before their parents sell their cherished childhood home.
It's a humorous twist to have "mature" adults instead of the usual frat-pack partake in this sort of debauchery, even if does occasionally it does forget that's part of the joke and comes off as just plain sad.  There's plenty of great laugh out loud moments amidst the alcohol & drug-infused chaos but it grows a little thin at it's overly long 2 hour running time.  Thankfully, the chemistry of it's two leads and funny supporting cast make the trip seem a little shorter.
Like the drunken characters, you'll come out of it knowing you had fun but don't remember much.

2½ queefs on a yoga ball out of 5

THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU [2014]

Director Shawn Levy tones things down from his usual fare for the quiet dysfunctional family drama, This Is Where I Leave You.
After the death of their father, four big city siblings are forced to return to their suburban home to live with their mother for a week which reveals many things about their messy past, present and futures.  It saunters through overly familiar territory but with it's dynamic cast (not a weak link in the group), realistically written potty-mouthed script and amusing moments galore it still manages to capture the heart by the end.  As great as the cast is, there's just so damned many characters, some of the more interesting ones are never fully explored and you're left yearning for just a bit more.  In a way it's a delightful wasted opportunity that just narrowly missed the mark from becoming what it wants to be.

3 Jewish atheists out of 5

MUPPETS MOST WANTED [2014]

Da Ali G Show writer/director James Bobin returns for a second run with Jim Henson's lovable creations in Muppets Most Wanted.
Like the preceding film, this one is self-aware and not afraid to admit that the "sequel is never quite as good", so with that fuzzy, googly-eyed elephant out of the room we're allowed to sit back and never stop grinning from the silliness we're embarking on.  Oddly enough it does explore some darker areas of the Muppet world but never enough to steer right off track from the fun.  Ricky Gervais and Tina Fey's comic skills are sadly put to waste here but it's Ty Burrell who steals every single scene he's in and that makes up for more than enough.
It might not be as great as the previous film but it's pretty darned close.

3½ pink frogs & green pigs out of 5

THE INVENTION OF LYING [2009]

Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson co-write & co-direct The Invention Of Lying, a seemingly fluffy romantic comedy with cynical undertones.
It takes place in an alternate universe where the concept of lying never existed until it suddenly triggers in one man's brain and spirals out of control.  It takes the viewer into very grey areas about religion, politics, Hollywood and general day to day interactions while dissecting everything most folks take for granted or are oblivious to.  Gervais has a wonderful way of slugging us square in the face with our own stupidity and selfishness, especially where it's cleverly disguised as a harmless rom-com that occasionally even fools itself.  It looks, feels and plays like a generic rom-com but is so much more and unfortunately that doesn't leave much when it comes to the bland technical side of the film.

3 fatty fat faggots out of 5