Tangled (2010)

4/5

Disney's Tangled is a return to the fairytale genre they seemed to have singlehandedly created way back in 1937 with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The plot follows Rapunzel (Moore) as a young princess who was stolen by the aging Mother Gothel (Murphy) and placed in a hidden tower for the magical healing power of her hair. She dreams of what the outside world is like and one day her wish comes true when she gets rescued by a thief named Flynn Rider (Levi). Flynn is being chased by royal guards, and one particular royal horse named Maximus, who is quite possibly the most hilarious and memorable character in the entire movie, even though he never speaks a word. Disney knows good entertainment, and this movie continues in its tradition by producing this fantastic story with spectacular visuals.

I really loved the animation: it had a distinct style (unlike Beauty and the Beast) that I absolutely adored. It was painterly and beautiful and smooth and luminous and just about perfect. Except for one thing. The eyes really bugged me, because they were huge and outlined with like three million tiny eyelashes. So bizarre. I had smaller qualms with the movie as well. The narration was 100% unnecessary (the intro and ending would have been far more poignant had they tried it silently like in Up). The acting, the music, and the dialogue failed to impress me, although they never detracted from the rest of its greatness. What frustrated me the most about this movie was that it was so close to being something special. It was so close to being more than just another enjoyable flick, but unfortunately that's all I found it to be.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0398286/

License to Wed (2007)

3/5

As you probably know from the trailers and immediately forgot, License to Wed is about a young couple (John Krasinski and Mandy Moore) who go through a premarital counseling course run by the insane Reverend Frank (Robin Williams). The very insane Reverend Frank. He gives them creepy robot babies to test their parenting skills, he bugs their house to make sure there's no sex before the wedding, and he makes them drive blindfolded to practice communication skills. (Don't worry, I'm not revealing anything that isn't in the trailer.) Yes, it is preposterous and you know how it's going to end, but is that really why you're watching this movie? Naw, you see it for that feel-good moment, and after 90 minutes it comes, as expected. (Although, not as I expected, in a Michael Bay, rapidly-rotating camera shot.)

Nothing about this movie is exceptional or painful. It is solidly, forgettably mediocre. One thing did rub me the wrong way. Robin Williams's character is a bit sexually risqué for me. It just seems odd to have so much of his adult, male humor in this otherwise teenage girlie movie. But there were also little gems I really enjoyed. For example, Reverend Frank has a chubby kid protégé who's pretty hilarious. And it was great seeing Mindy Kaling, Brian Baumgartner, and Angela Kinsey in supporting roles. And of course John Krasinski in the lead. I love it when I see The Office actors pop up in random movies. They're not enough to make a movie good, but they are enough to make this movie more than watchable! Recommended for those who want to see The Office actors in something they haven't already seen (but Robin Williams fans will be disappointed).

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0762114/