90s Movie Review - Election

Director: Alexander Payne
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 1999
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 28: A FILM FROM 1999
 
Description: A high school teacher (Matthew Broderick) meets his match in an over-achieving student politician (Reese Witherspoon)

Review: Director Alexander Payne set this delightful mix of political satire and high school comedy in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. Tracy Flick is a bewilderingly driven student who runs for student council. She leaves no stone unturned in her quest to get elected. Her teacher, Jim McAllister, who views her ambitions with a mixture of fear and admiration, puts forward and opposing candidate.

“Election” is cleverly written and exceptionally infectiously acted by a young Reese Witherspoon. And Matthew Broderick is really strong as Jim McAllister. The atmosphere at the high school is portrayed very well, actors play their typical characters very well, and the film contains a dose of satirical, dark humor. A high school comedy with actual depth.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

10s Movie Review - How Do You Know

Director: James L. Brooks
Genre: Romance/ Comedy/ Drama
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2010
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson, Jack Nicholson, Kathryn Hahn

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2025 MOVIE CHALLENGE.
WEEK 21: A FILM WITH JACK NICHOLSON

Description: After being cut from the U.S.A. softball team and feeling a bit past her prime, Lisa (Reese Witherspoon) finds herself evaluating her life and in the middle of a love triangle, as a corporate guy (Paul Rudd) in crisis competes with her current, baseball-playing beau (Owen Wilson).

Review: Lisa has just been cut from the U.S.A. softball team and struggling what to do with her life. With that she is also dealing with two men in her life.
 
There is no good reason for this movie to be two hours long. And don’t fall for the excellent cast. A romcom with Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson and Paul Rudd sounds like a great idea. And then Jack Nicholson, working again with director James L. Brooks, as previous in “Terms of Endearment” and “As Good As It Gets”. Well, we got fooled.
 
It took me some time to get into the story, but there isn’t really a story. There is so much going on, there is no focus on a clear plot. It’s verry messy. The actors are doing fine, with what they’re given. But there’s not much to work with.
 
“How Do You Know” is a very forgettable romcom. Already forgotten.
 
Rating: 2/ 5

90s Movie Review - Fear

Director: James Foley
Genre: Thriller
Runtime: 97 minutes
Year: 1996
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Mark Wahlberg, William Petersen, Alyssa Milano, Amy Brenneman

Description: When Nicole (Reese Witherspoon) met David (Mark Wahlberg); handsome, charming, affectionate, he was everything. It seemed perfect, but soon she sees that David has a darker side. And his adoration turns to obsession, their dream into a nightmare, and her love into fear.

Review: Daddy’s little girl is all grown up. That’s what Steve realizes when his daughter Nicole comes home with her boyfriend David. A charming and good looking young man at first sight. But David has a dark side.
Steve didn’t like him from the start. He starts an investigation, to find out any dirt about David. But neither Nicole nor his wife Laura seem to see the problem. When Nicole sees a more aggressive side of David, she starts to be scared of him.
“Fear” is a really strong thriller, in Reese Witherspoon and Mark Wahlberg’s early days. Especially Wahlberg is good, as the psychopath David. The movie is entertaining and a lot better than most reviews claim it to be.

Rating: 3, 5/ 5

TV Show Review - Big Little Lies (Season 2)

Season: 2
Genre: Thriller/ Drama/ Crime
Number of episodes: 7
Year: 2019
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Zoë Kravitz, Laura Dern, Meryl Streep, Adam Scott, Alexander Skarsgård, James Tupper

Description: After the death of Perry, the five women involved are all dealing with it in their own way. And new problems form for each of them.

Review: What can you say about an unnecessary second season to a good show, that got so many nominations and prizes. How can I explain to you that the second season of “Big Little Lies” didn’t need to happen, but was so good that it really doesn’t matter. The second season is really good and Meryl Streep steals the show.
Streep does everything well, as Celeste’s mother-in-law, with her snappy returns and sharp one-liners. Her Mary Louise Wright has a sad background and this reflects on her and the people around her. The mother of the deceased Perry moves in with Celeste, to help her with the twins. But she is actually there to find out what really happened to Perry. And when she finds out about Ziggy, who is also Perry’s son, Mary Louise doesn’t go easy on Jane either.
It’s off course not just Streep, the rest of the cast is sublime as well. The storylines are good, as are the scripts and the direction. Bonnie is going through an emotional rollercoaster, Renata has to deal with bankruptcy and Madeline and Ed are facing a rough patch. But what this season is mostly about is dealing with loss, the past, the present and pain.
The first season was good and it ended well. It was good the way it was, so it didn’t need a second season. But now I am very happy that there is a second season, because it’s such a joy to watch all those strong actresses perform at their very best.
The ending could suggest a third season, but that is very unlikely.

100 Movie Challenge 2017 - # 16: Sing

Director: Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet
Genre: Animation/ Comedy/ Musical
Runtime: 108 minutes
Year: 2016
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth McFarlane, Scarlett Johansson, Tori Kelly, Taron Egerton, Nick Kroll, John C. Reilly, Jennifer Hudson, Peter Serafinowicz, Beck Bennett, Jay Pharoah, Nick Offerman

Description: In a city of humanoid animals, a hustling theater impresario's (Matthew McConaighey) attempt to save his theater with a singing competition becomes grander than he anticipates even as its finalists' find that their lives will never be the same.

Review: A pig in a leotard singing a Lady Gaga song, twerking bunnies, a crooning snail, a rapping crocodile, an opera singing camel. Like many talent shows we have these days, the auditions are most often the best part of them. In “Sing” it’s animals auditioning for a new singing competition. And like many of us, they all have dreams of becoming stars.
Koala Buster Moon is the owner of a theater, that hasn’t been doing well lately. His last hope is a singing competition, but due to a mistake of his chaotic assistant (who is hilarious) the prize money is a lot higher then he wanted it to be. Lots of animals show up for the auditions.
“Sing” is filled with modern hits, but also some classics. This makes the film really easy to watch, because it somehow becomes a sing-a-long film. There are many characters in this and some of them are really funny. Kids will eat this up! The voice cast is really good and all the main characters have a purpose. But the competition element in the film was not as exciting. The story never goes out of the lines, it’s all pretty standard and solid.
“Sing” is a fun animated musical film, great for the entire family.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2016 - # 49: Little Nicky

Director: Steven Brill
Genre: Comedy
Runtime: 90 minutes
Year: 2000
Starring: Adam Sandler, Harvey Keitel, Patricia Arquette, Rhys Ifans, Rodney Dangerfield, Reese Witherspoon, Michael McKean, Rob Schneider, Henry Winkler, Peter Dante, Alan Covert, Kevin Nealon, Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz

Description: After two of the devil's three sons escape Hell to wreak havoc on Earth, the devil (Harvey Keitel) must send his third son, the mild-mannered Nicky (Adam Sandler), to bring them back before it's too late.

Review: Adam Sandler doesn’t have the best reputation, but he has made some great memorable comedies like “Billy Madison”, “The Wedding Singer” and “Happy Gilmore”. “Little Nicky” unfortunately isn’t one of them.
Sandler plays one of Satan’s three sons, who has to stop his two other borhters from creating a battlefield on Earth. This character, Nicky, has a major speech impediment and is actually a more kind hearted guy.
The movie is filled with bad jokes and there is way too much going on. Sandler’s jokes are often bad, but bearable and still funny. Here in “Little Nicky” I didn’t really laugh a lot and I was a bit annoyed with the film.
“Little Nicky” is probably one of Sandler’s worst films.

Rating: 1/ 5

100 Movie Challenge # 67: Mud

Director: Jeff Nichols

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 130 minutes

Year: 2012

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Sam Shepard, Michael Shannon, Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland, Ray McKinnon, Sarah Paulson

Description: Two young boys (Tye Sheridan, Jacob Lofland) encounter a fugitive (Matthew McConaughey) and form a pact to help him evade the vigilantes that are on his trail and to reunite him with his true love (Reese Witherspoon).

Review: The American saying ‘his/ my name is mud’ is used when someone does something stupid or dumb. And that is exactly what is going on in “Mud”, by director Jeff Nichols.

Some will know Jeff Nichols from the strong “Take Shelter” (2011). In “Mud” the ‘heartland’ of America is again the setting. The story focusses on the young boy Ellis, who spends time in the outdoors of Arkansas with his friend Neckbone. During one of their adventures, Ellis and Neckbone find a boat stuck in a tree. While investigating the boat, they come to the conclusion someone is living there. When they go back to their own boat, they meet a strange man. He introduces himself as Mud. Mud is the one living in the boat. Because the boys really want the boat, Mud agrees. But first they have to do him a favor.

“Mud” was already a success at the 2012 Cannes film festival. Just like “Take Shelter”, “Mud” is a truly amazing film. Matthew McConaughey really impresses. I’ve come to love this actor over the years. He is finally getting the right roles and films. The rest of the cast, Reese Witherspoon, Michael Shannon and Sam Shephard, all perform at a high level. But the most welcome surprise is the young duo Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland.

“Mud’ can be compared to movies like “No Country for Old Men” when it comes to atmosphere. Some might find it slow, but eventually it comes together.

I’m truly looking forward to Jeff Nichols’ next project, because I really enjoyed “Mud”.

Rating: 4,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 47: Devil's Knot

Director: Atom Egoyan

Genre: Drama/ Crime/ Thriller

Runtime: 114 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Alessandro Nivola, James Hamrick, Seth Meriwether, Kristopher Higgins, Amy Ryan, Robert Baker, Collette Wolfe, Rex Linn, Bruce Greenwood, Kristoffer Polaha, Matt Letscher, Michael Gladis, Stephen Moyer, Martin Hednerson, Ted Huckabee, Elias Koteas, Dane DeHaan, Kerry Cahill, Jet Jurgensmeyer, Paul Boardman Jr., Brandon Spink, Kevin Durand, Julie Ivey

Description: The savage murders of three young children sparks a controversial trial of three teenagers accused of killing the kids as part of a satanic ritual.

Review: “Devil’s Knot” is based on the book with the same name by Mara Leveritt. The author was inspired by real life events. The trial of ‘The West Memphis Three’ was the inspiration for both book and movie. Director Atom Egoyan decided to make it into a movie.

In 1993 three children were murdered, in a town in Memphis. After a few weeks the suspects were arrested. Three teenagers, The West Memphis Three, were caught and they were accused of using satanic rituals. They were convicted for the murders. The end? Not exactly, because a lot of facts were wrong and the police wasn’t thorough enough. The question is: are the teenagers really guilty? The movie is almost two hours long and this is simply not enough time to tell the entire story. It’s a complicated case and there isn’t enough room for the characters, because there are so many people involved in the case. Director Egoyan bit off more than he could chew.

Reese Witherspoon plays the mother of one of the murdered boys. She does a good job. She manages to show desperation and despair, but her character doesn’t really add anything. Colin Firth’s character has the same problem. The three suspects don’t get enough screen time, which is a shame.

Atom Egoyan tried, that’s a plus. He didn’t want to give us a boring history lesson. But the movie simply doesn’t work that wellm when the source material is so interesting. It’s just an okay film, which could have been so much better. Shame.

Rating: 2,5/ 5

100 Movie Challenge 2015 - # 22: Inherent Vice

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson

Genre: Crime/ Drama/ Comedy

Runtime: 148 minutes

Year: 2014

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Katherine Waterston, Eric Roberts, Benicio Del Toro, Jena Malone, Reese Witherspoon, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short

Description: In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles detective Larry "Doc" Sportello (Joaquin Phoenix) investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.

Review: When you see the name of director Paul Thomas Anderson on a movie poster, you have certain expectations. He has movies like “Magnolia”, “Boogie Nights” and “There Will Be Blood” on his resume.

With “Inherent Vice” Anderson chose a book to movie adaptation. Books by author Thomas Pynchon are known for its complexity, so it’s not that strange this is the first adaptation.

The seventies have just begun and we join private detective Larry Sportello, better known as Doc. His ex-girlfriend Shasta walks in and starts telling him about a collusion to get her wealthy, married lover into a psychiatric facility. Doc decides to investigate. Before he knows it, he is surrounded by strippers, neo-Nazis, hostile cops and eccentric cults.

“Inherent Vice” makes you feel like that one sober person at a party. The more you try to hold on to a logic story development, the more frustrated you’ll get. And the long duration will also add to that confusion. You really need a ‘go with the flow’ mentality.

When it comes to style and setting, “Inherent Vice” doesn’t disappoint. Like he did in “Boogie Nights”, again he shows us how masterful he can take the audience to a certain time period. And the soundtrack is also worth mentioning.

“Inherent Vice” is not a movie for just everyone, it’s for a selective audience. It’s not one of my favorite Anderson movies, but definitely not bad.

Rating: 3/ 5

Best of... Reese Witherspoon

Although I was never really a fan of Reese Witherspoon, I came to love her after seeing "Walk the Line". I like her more now and she did make some great movies through the years.

"Fear"
Her first big role, where she played a young girl who fell in love with Mark Wahlberg. He wasn't as sweet as he appeared. I admit that this isn't the best movie in the world, but very exciting and entertaining.

"Pleasantville"
At first I thought this was just a movie about two kids ending up in the TV world, but it had a far deeper meaning. It's a bit of a fairytale like story. Real good acting and the way it was filmed is just brilliant.

"Cruel Intentions"
A very intriguing story. It seems like another teen flick, but it goes further than that and goes beyond borders. It's about love, betrayal, seduction and deceit. Sarah Michelle Gellar plays the best part.

"Election"
"Election" is a very cynical comedy, just the way I like it. It's a modern day satire, very well performed by both Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon.

"American Psycho"
Probably the best one or her list. Christian Bale is responsible for making this film so fantastic. What I love the most is the ending, that you still don't really know if Patrick Bateman is a psycho or that it's just all in his head. Reese only has a minor role in it.

"Legally Blonde"
I didn't want to put it on this list, because I don't really love it that much. But "Legally Blonde" is just a no nonsense fun movie, a real no-brainer. And Reese is so over the top, she can totally get away with that.

"Sweet Home Alabama"
Just another romcom, I thought. But in this movie the girl doesn't go for the overall perfect and handsome man. No... she chooses the tough guy how does have flaws. Yes, not so cliché after all (maybe a little, because I could predict who she would end up with).

"Walk the Line"
Her best role so far and I don't know if she can ever top that. She played a fantastic role and she had perfect chemistry with Joaquin Phoenix. I love this movie, what a great story.

"Just Like Heaven"
I like this movie mostly because of Mark Ruffalo. He's so sweet, cute and charming in this movie. And he does look good together with Reese Witherspoon.

"Monsters Vs. Aliens"
I didn't think I would like it this much. It was a very funny animation and I especially loved Dr. Cockroach and B.O.B.

"Water for Elephants"
I have to admit that the books was really hard to top, so it was better than the movie. It did come close. I was sceptic about Robert Pattinson playing such a beloved character like Jacob, but he did a good job. Reese Witherspoon and especially Christoph Waltz did an even better job. While reading this book, I actually pictured Waltz as August and he wasn't even casted yet.

I can't wait to see "This Means War" where Tom Hardy and Chris Pine fight over Reese. Sounds awesome, trailer looked fun.

Something new from Steve, Ryan, Will, Tom, Julia, Reese, Owen and Rachel

I always like to check the newest movie trailer, to see what is coming in the theatres soon. I've seen some great new ones this week. Here are my favorites:

"Crazy, Stupid, Love" (with Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei and Kevin Bacon)
Steve Carell plays a man who's dealing with a marital crisis. He meets Ryan Goslings character, who is a ladiesman. Steve Carell is just great, he's so endeering. And Ryan Gosling.... oooh. Fantastic, underrated actor and extremely handsome!

"Everything Must Go" (with Will Ferrell, Rebecca Hall and Laura Dern)
After he lost his wife and job, Nick Halsey holds a yardsale in order to start over. A new neighbour might be the key to his return to form. I think Will Ferrell is hilarious and this seems like a mix of comedy and light drama. I really like those kind of films.

"Larry Crowne" (Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts)
After losing his job, the middle aged Larry Crowne reinvents himself by going back to college. I look forward to anything with Tom Hanks in it, he can hardly do anything wrong. Julia Roberts will make a great leading lady.

"Water for Elephants" (Robert Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz)
After his parents die, Jacob joins a traveling circus. He takes care of Rosie, the elphant and falls for the beautiful Marlene who's the wife of brute August. I think all three actors where cast perfectly, especially Waltz. I actually pictures him while reading the book (which I loved!).

"Midnight in Paris" (Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Adrien Brody and Kathy Bates)
It's a romantic comedy that follows a family traveling to the city for business. The party includes a young engaged couple that has their lives transformed throughout the journey. I love Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams and they reunite in this film (they starred together in "Wedding Crashers"). And I love the poster!

Some great movies, I can't say which one I'm looking forward to the most. It's just fun to see movies with some of my favorites in it.