What to Watch This Weekend: Sweet Parents, Croods, Uncle Frank, Jingle Jangle, Kindness, 2067, Deadpool, Stuber

For A Fulfilling Drama / Comedy - Sweet Parents (Digital)

Sweet Parents will start you off with its sweet comedy, before moving onto a darker, meatier drama that tackles relevant themes and showcases two very talented actors and writers.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Heaping Serving of Family Drama - Uncle Frank (Amazon)

Uncle Frank is a wonderful, period coming of age with an all star cast, fantastic writing, and a painful family story filled with heart, humor, and drama.  For more information, check out our review!

To Keep The Kids Occupied This Long Weekend - The Croods: A New Age (Theaters)

The Croods: A New Age adds some great new characters and plenty of silliness in this prehistoric family animated adventure.  For more information, check out our review!

For Those Getting Into The Holiday Spirit - Jingle Jange: A Christmas Journey (Netflix)

Now that Thanksgiving is over, the Christmas season can officially begin, and there are few better ways to start it off than with Jingle Jangle, a film that is getting rave reviews for its holiday spirit and uplifting message!

For An Uplifting Drama - The Kindness of Strangers (Amazon)

The Kindness of Strangers has an all star cast and good audience reactions, despite general dislike from critics.  The film has an uplifting message and some syrupy sweet sentiment, so it might be just what you need for this long weekend.

For the Sci-Fi Fan - 2067 (Redbox)

2067 is a breath of fresh air, with a new take on a post-apocalyptic scenario, strong acting from Kodi Smit-McPhee, and a well-paced story that concludes with a satisfying ending.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Irreverent Superhero Fans - Deadpool 2 (Hulu)

The fast talking, nearly invincible, and irreverent ninja is back in a super hero sequel that ups the ante in nearly every way.  Deadpool 2 is even more crazy, funny, and just downright enjoyable. 

For Those Needing a Good Laugh - Stuber (HBO)

Stuber is much better than I expected it to be, and this enjoyable buddy cop-style film is leaving HBO after this weekend!  It is a wild ride from start to finish that has plenty of laughs, ridiculous situations, and interesting commentary on societal norms. For more information, check out our review!

Uncle Frank Review: A Coming of Age Film With An All Star Cast and Painful, Heartfelt Story

Release date: November 25, 2020
Running time: 95 minutes
Starring: Paul Bettany, Sophia Lillis, Peter Macdissi, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer, Margo Martindale
Director: Alan Ball

In 1973, when Frank Bledsoe (Bettany) and his 18-year-old niece Beth (Lillis) take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina for the family patriarch's funeral, they're unexpectedly joined by Frank's lover Wally (Macdissi).

Uncle Frank mainly revolves around a small town South Carolina family, despite having detours in New York.  And the family is perfectly set up by the all star cast.  It really draws you into the whole dynamic with the way that everyone interacts.  And the standout of this family is Frank (Bettany), who definitely feels like a different character compared to the rest of the group; he stands out but you are not sure why at the beginning.  He is reserved but charismatic, someone that you want to know more about but who might not let you learn any more.  And his interactions with his niece Beth (Lillis) form a large part of the film.  As Frank and Beth grow closer and more trusting of each other, you gain a deeper understanding of both of their characters.  And the friendship between Frank and Wally (Macdissi) is also wonderful.  It is layered and nuanced, with Wally being the more caring and outgoing of the two and Frank the more cautious and quiet.  But Macdissi is wonderful as Wally, adding so much heart and emotion to this otherwise fairly reserved film.  

As you would expect with a movie about family, there is plenty of heart, love, and drama.  And this movie is first and foremost a drama; it is front and center during the film despite there being snippets of heartfelt and humorous parts.  The movie is broken into a few parts, with an introduction, some time in New York, and a road trip ultimately ending up back in South Carolina.  And through this all you learn more about the characters and their background.  This is helped along by some really fantastic writing.  It is tight and definitive, nothing is wasted in this film.  Each line gives you a new dimension to the characters and their relationships.    

And this movie is an interesting coming of age film, but not like you would expect it to be.  In this film, you have multiple characters coming into their own as they test themselves and their relationships with their family.  The journey is both entertaining and painful to watch, but it is one that will captivate you from the start.  And the cinematography throughout this journey is really wonderful, with plenty of thoughtful, understated shots.  The film is set in some very beautiful areas and the camera makes that clear from the beginning.  And on top of that, the movie has a wonderful soundtrack to effectively amplify the drama.   

Uncle Frank is a wonderful, period coming of age with an all star cast, fantastic writing, and a painful family story filled with heart, humor, and drama. 

Watch it.

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Uncle Frank will be released on Amazon Prime Video on November 25, 2020.

Screening: See Uncle Frank Early and Free, Starring Sophia Lillis, Paul Bettany, and Peter Macdissi

We have screening passes for the Amazon Studios new movie Uncle Frank.  The film is a Southern family-drama set in 1973 that tells the story of teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) who finds out her beloved Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany) is gay, and lives with his longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Peter Macdissi) -- an arrangement that he has kept secret for years. It will be on Amazon Prime Video on November 25th, but you can see it EARLY AND FREE by entering for the virtual screening below.

Synopsis:

In 1973, teenaged Beth Bledsoe (Sophia Lillis) leaves her rural Southern hometown to study at New York University where her beloved Uncle Frank (Paul Bettany) is a revered literature professor. She soon discovers that Frank is gay, and living with his longtime partner Walid “Wally” Nadeem (Peter Macdissi) -- an arrangement that he has kept secret for years. After the sudden death of Frank's father -- Beth’s grandfather -- Frank is forced to reluctantly return home for the funeral with Beth in tow, and to finally face a long-buried trauma that he has spent his entire adult life running away from.

Writer-director Alan Ball’s heartfelt and hilarious road movie travels from the bohemian scene of post-Stonewall New York City to rural South Carolina, following Frank’s painful journey from hitting rock bottom to acceptance and forgiveness and, finally, reintegration into his family and into life itself. Bettany reveals Frank’s fragile core by peeling away the layers of Frank’s sophisticated but guarded persona. Sophia Lillis plays Beth as a naive but observant young woman whose eyes are opened to a world she could never have imagined. Peter Macdissi also has a standout performance as Wally, a man whose capacity for compassion runs deeper than he even knows. Ball (known for his ensemble TV work on Six Feet Under and True Blood) also elicits strong turns from his superb supporting cast, including Stephen Root, Margo Martindale, Steve Zahn, Judy Greer and Lois Smith.

SCREENING INFO

Uncle Frank
Tuesday, November 17th
7:00 PM EST
Virtual!
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsNgR-dguhQ

Screening Link: http://amazonscreenings.com/KpoyZ38180