Screwed (2000)

The only film both written AND directed by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, Screwed is an enjoyably silly comedy starring Norm MacDonald in the lead role. The acting isn’t amazing, the plotting is unbelievably stupid, but fans of the star will have a great time with it.

MacDonald plays Willard Fillmore, a man who has spent most of his adult life as a butler/chauffeur/cleaner for the thrifty Miss Crock (Elaine Stritch). She is so mean to him that she won’t even buy him a new suit, making him wear the same one that she had removed from his father’s dead body. Hatching a plan that involves kidnapping her beloved dog, Willard and his friend, Rusty (Dave Chappelle), end up committing to a life of crime, which ends in disaster. The dog escapes, which means Miss Crock is left with the impression that Willard is the one kidnapped. And why would she pay ransom money for Willard?

If you only see one Norm MacDonald movie then you should definitely see Dirty Work, which is his best actual movie, thanks to the gags and supporting cast. But if you see two then you should easily make room for this one, which is a lot of fun. Highlights include a battle with the small dog, the main characters making a video of Willard “pleading for his freedom”, and a meeting with a gross and inappropriate morgue attendant (Danny DeVito).

Even if you were unaware, it’s clear that Alexander and Karaszewski are much more comfortable as writers than directors. There’s no real style or finesse here, from the shot choices to the soundtrack, and the focus is always on simply moving from one gag to the next. That isn’t necessarily the worst thing ever though, especially in a comedy that you don’t expect great cinema from. This isn’t great cinema. It’s just great fun.

MacDonald was never a great leading man, which I am sure he would agree with, but he was used a couple of times in films that managed to use his style without trying to change him. That works well, probably because he seemed to never change for the sake of others anyway. Love or hate him, Norm was unique. Chappelle is a fun co-star here, his nervous energy working well alongside the laconic and dry style of MacDonald. Stritch is good as the tight-fisted employer who mistreats her staff, Sherman Hemsley has a few scenes as another member of staff, Daniel Benzali is a tough detective who doesn’t like loose ends (which is obviously problematic for our leads), and Sarah Silverman has a small role as an ex-girlfriend who might be able to help MacDonald’s character, if she is filled in on the details of the scheme. And DeVito steals a couple of scenes as that aforementioned morgue attendant.

The more I think about it now, the more I can recall that made me heartily chuckle. It may never appear on many “favourite movie” lists, and it won’t ever be discussed in the context of cinema that made an impact on psyches and pop culture, but it is a comedy that delivers a steady stream of good gags. Which makes it worth your time when you just want to laugh.

7/10

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Netflix And Chill: Klaus (2019)

The directorial debut of Sergio Pablos and Carlos Martínez López, Klaus is an animated Christmas tale that reimagines the source of many traditions, and does it with a perfect mix of good humour and gorgeous visuals.

Jason Schwartzman is the voice of Jesper, a young man who consistently outdoes himself in his efforts to coast along while he waits for his father to stop trying to make him into a useful member of society. This backfires when he is sent to the small town of Smeerensburg, tasked by his father to have 6,000 letters posted in a year. Smeerensburg has feuding families, a schoolteacher (Rashida Jones) with no pupils, and one citizen who lives out in the woods and spends his time making lots of toys by hand. That citizen is Klaus (J. K. Simmons), and he may well be the key to getting Jesper his quota of letters. He may also be the key to big changes throughout the town.

There's nothing new here, and few people will go into it expecting that, but the screenplay, written by Zach Lewis, Jim Mahoney, and Pablos (based on his story idea), is a good take on the traditional festive tales about a selfish character finding his world enriched when he starts to help others. As Jesper starts to make progress in his personal mission, he unwittingly starts off the legend of Santa Claus and spreads more and more good cheer throughout the village, with children suddenly keen to learn how to read and write, if only to ensure they can send off a letter and hope to receive a toy in return. The only main criticism of the script worth mentioning is the placement of the ongoing feud. It's obviously there for the purposes of the plot, but it would have been nice to have some origin story for it, something that could have maybe tied in better with the central plot thread.

Schwartzman is great for the lead role, giving a vocal performance not entirely dissimilar to the kind David Spade delivered in The Emperor's New Groove. Simmons may not be the first person you would think of to voice someone who is essentially Santa, but he smooths some of the roughness off his voice and fits the character perfectly. Jones is very good as the teacher who finds herself with a sudden influx of pupils, Joan Cusack and Will Sasso are good fun as the respective "leaders' of the feuding factions, and Norm MacDonald lends his voice to the character of a ferryman who is unsurprisingly prone to saying things in a tone very much in the way of Norm MacDonald.

Produced by Sergio Pablos Animation Studios, I'll say once more that the visuals here are gorgeous. Stylised, and beautifully sharp and crisp, the look of the thing sets it apart from many other animated films without making it suffer by comparison. It's a film that feels made up more of straight lines and edges than softened curves, yet the end result is no less sweet and endearing.

Although it may not have fictional royal family members, Vanessa Hudgens, or even Kurt Russell playing a Santa who channels Elvis, Klaus is perhaps the best festive treat that Netflix have delivered yet. I look forward to whatever Pablos delivers next.

9/10

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Yule Love It: The Flight Before Christmas (2008)

Directed by Michael Hegner and Kari Juusonen, and written by Marteinn Thorisson, Hannu Tuomainen, with additional dialogue from Mark Hodkinson, The Flight Before Christmas is, let’s cut to the chase here, pretty bad. Even when you compare it to other movies made for children, it doesn’t hold up well.

The story revolves around Niko, a young reindeer who is convinced that he can fly, despite also having some bad vertigo. His father was one of the flying reindeer that help Santa on his travels, or so he believes, and Niko sets out to meet him, accompanied by his friend, Julius (a flying squirrel). They make a friend along the way, a weasel named Wilma, but also have some dangerous wolves following them on their journey. The leader of the wolves has a plan, and it involves eating some reindeer AND Santa.

There's nothing here to make The Flight Before Christmas memorable, there's barely even enough here to put into a full review. It's an animated film for younger viewers that pales in comparison to many other choices you could have available. If you're ever wanting to stick on something snowy and charming to distract children then I would recommend any of the Rankin/Bass creations before this, which already gives you a handful of options before even considering Disney fare or other cartoon specials.

The voice cast, on the version I watched, includes both Norm Macdonald and Emma Roberts, respectively playing Julius and Wilma, but those were the only voices I recognised, although both helped to make it a bit more bearable than it otherwise might have been. Niko sounds suitably young, the scary wolf sounds suitably villainous, and Macdonald and Roberts sound suitably like Macdonald and Roberts.

It's the animation that allows this to stand out, and not in a good way. This is a poor piece of work that feels either inept or lazy, with the characters designed and moving as if they just stepped out of a 16-bit games console. And the environments they are placed in never feel like more than backgrounds, giving the whole thing the look of one of those books that you placed stickers in to make a story.

The script isn't great either, although it hits all of the expected notes. There's just nothing done to make this more magical or fun, despite a couple of moments in the finale that at least provide a predictable and satisfying conclusion to events. But anything actually decent is hampered by the technical shortcomings and seeming lack of care.

Very young viewers WILL enjoy this, it's at least perfectly pitched at their level in terms of the simplicity of the storyline and ideas, but you can forget about it once they've experienced some of the better seasonal treats and have started to become even the tiniest bit more discerning.

3/10

You can buy the movie here.
Americans can buy it here.