The Life of Chuck has been described to me many times as a “feel good” movie, but I think it more accurately belongs in the much more niche genre of “for the love of god appreciate that you’re alive!” movies. It’s more It’s a Wonderful Life than Paddington. Such a strong point of view can make it easy to bounce off of, but at the end of the day I can’t deny that when the beat was going strong I wanted to get up and dance along with this one.
Confession time; before a week ago I hadn’t seen a single Final Destination film. So, with Bloodlines coming out, I made my way through all five preceding films in a few days, then went and saw Bloodlines.
Bloodlines is, in my opinion, the best Final Destination film. It’s funny, it’s thrilling, it's emotional, and one more time it’s funny, because it really is very, very funny. Maybe I’m wrong, but this feels like the best these movies can be. I’m sure there will be more, and I’m not necessarily opposed to that, but I’m hard pressed to think of improvements a sequel could make, which is something I couldn’t necessarily say for any of Bloodlines’ five predecessors.
Bad rom-coms are self perpetuating. I’m not using bad fully as a quality descriptor, but more as a genre label. There are rom-coms that are trying very hard to do something new, that offer unique stories, bold ideas, genuine chemistry, and memorable lines. Many rom-coms, conversely, have absolutely no interest in any of those things. They’re comfort food, it’s just what they aim to be. 2023’s Anyone But You was a great example of this. Things Like This is… well, like that. It’s working off of a tradition of comfortably okay rom-coms, but now it’s gay, which is frankly enough for me to softly recommend it in itself.
Friendship is the good choice for one side of a scale displaying how comedies change over time. For the opposite side of the scale, I propose to you; Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, another comedy that, for at least part of it, puts a charming Paul Rudd opposite a central, strange man. Will Ferrell does what I would describe as jokes in Anchorman. There are set ups, punchlines, one-liners, Will says things that you could classify as jokes. Tim Robinson doesn’t really do jokes. He… reacts. He screams, he shouts, he is frequently confused. Maybe that’s why I liked Friendship so much. 20 years ago maybe I would have had jokes for the world, but now all I feel like I can do is react to it.
