Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon in "Invictus"
courtesy of Warner Home Entertainment
“Eastwood, Mandella and Matt”

If you have Clint Eastwood as the director of a story about Nelson Mandella and it co-stars Matt Damon then you know you have a winner going in unless something terrible happens, and with “Invictus” nothing terrible happens. Sure there is Hollywood’s way of making movies ands then there is the Eastwood way. Eastwood stamps each of his films with his own imprint. They are straight to the point movies that don’t waste the audience’s time on superfluous events. This has worked for Eastwood in the past and it works for him again in “Invictus.”

The film deals with the period of Nelson Mandela’s life when he was released from prison after twenty-seven years. Soon thereafter he was elected President of South Africa. He presided over a divided country. The blacks didn’t trust the whites and vice versa. In order to unite the country Mandela (Morgan Freeman) came up with the idea of using sports.

Rugby is the sport of choice in South Africa and the Springbok team represented South Africa. The team was lead by Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon) and he and his teammates were far from favorites to win the 1995 World Cup. Still Mandela thought they could and he enlisted the help of Francoise to inspire the team to greatness.

This is the bare bones of the plot and the bare bones of the script. We get glimpses along the way of the country, Mandela and Pienaar but there are no “getting to know you” scenes. It is either basic to the plot or it is not shown.

At first this lack of detail is off putting but as the film progresses the audience is drawn into the quest for glory of the rugby team and with Mandela’s vision of unity. The emotions of the story have a life of their own and eventually make the movie a rousing success.

Freeman is amazing as Mandela. He has the look of the man as well as his speech patterns. It is a perfect melding of man and role. Eastwood knows how to draw the best performance from his friend and he makes his performance a celebration of the power of Mandela and his place in history.

As Pienaar, Damon is very low key which is in keeping with the role he is playing. Pienaar is an athlete, pure and simple. He appreciates the politics of what is happening, but he keeps his focus on the game. In every way Pienaar’s life is second in importance to that of Mandela, and so it is with the screenplay. Damon has the supporting role and he enhances Morgan’s performance at every turn.

Most of us know little or nothing about the sport of rugby, but that is not a block to enjoying this film. As long as you can appreciate the dream of unity Mandela has, and how he uses the team to achieve that goal then you will be able to follow the film. Freeman and Damon are at the top of their game and they are in the hands of the maestro himself. Eastwood does things the “Eastwood way” and ends up with a film that you will want to watch on DVD.

If “Invictus” was bare bones movie making, “Extraordinary Measures” is a 4-H movie. It is about Hope, Health, Happiness and Helping. It is one of those feel good movies that make you appreciate what a few good people can accomplish when their hearts are in the right place. The fact it is based on a true story adds to the enjoyment of the film as you don’t have to waste time scoffing at the unreality of it all.

The story focuses on John and Aileen Crowley (Brendan Fraser and Keri Russell) who are the parents of three children. The oldest is perfectly healthy but the younger two are afflicted with Pome’s Disease, a neuromuscular ailment that is usually fatal within the first eight years of life. Megan (Meredith Droeger) is the middle child and Patrick (Diego Velazquez) is the youngest. Megan is eight years old at the start of the film and Patrick is six so time is running out for them.

John works for Bristol-Meters and Aileen stays home with the children. When Megan takes a turn for the worse John knows he has to do something. Through his research he has learned that Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford) is one of the leading researchers in the filed of Pome’s. He has tried to contact him several times but has been unsuccessful. Finally he decides to drive to the University of Nebraska where Stonehill is employed.

The two men meet and clash. Stonehill is crusty and cantankerous but he needs John’s business acumen to help him get research dollars. John of course needs for Stonehill to find a cure for Pome’s. They form a symbiotic relationship that might help them both.

The film is maudlin to say the least but true life is sometimes maudlin. It is also horrific in its scenes of the children’s’ illness. If you are a parent it is difficult to watch this and place yourself in the Crowley’s place. But the film also underscores the need for activism in the face of adversity. Plus both John and Stonehill have to bend to achieve their goals.

Ford is perfectly cast as the irascible Stonehill. He is light years away from his action hero characters but he is still a hero of sorts in this movie. He has good chemistry with the other actors in the film and makes his participation integral to the success of the movie.

Fraser has to grow on you. At first glance he appears to be out of his league in this very serious role but the more you get into the film the better he gets. He convinced me he was a dedicated father willing to do anything to help his kids. Russell is kind and loving in her role but doesn’t get much of a chance to flex her acting muscles.

“Extraordinary Measures” will touch your heart and give you hope. It shows mankind at its best, and we need to see that reflected in the movies. This is a DVD you will want to watch more than once to get the full impact of the story.

“When In Rome” is one of those cutesy, sweet, nauseating movies that you expect to get better but it never does. It takes minimally talented actors like Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Dax Shepard and Will Arnett and shows them at their worst. And we won’t even mention at this point the abominable performance by Jon Heder. Believe me this is not a movie to watch when in Rome, Paducah or even at home on DVD. Just say no.

The story starts with Beth (Bell) being humiliated by her ex-boyfriend (Lee Pace). Luckily she has to leave town immediately to be in her sister’s wedding in Rome. While at the wedding she meets Nick (Duhamel) and is attracted to him but that relationship also stalls. 

Feeling a little pathetic Beth drinks too much and ends up wading in a fountain. For some unexplained reason she decides to pick up four coins and a poker chip and take them with her. For another unexplainable reason this causes the five guys who have tossed the coins and chip into the fountain to fall immediately in love with her.

When she returns to New York five men arrive to pursue her. They include a male model (Shepard), a painter (Arnett), a street magician (Heder), a sausage king (Danny DeVito) and our old friend Nick. The fun, and I use the term loosely, is in watching Beth deal with these five suitors.

Danny DeVito is fun to watch because he makes everything he does seem funny. He is underused in this film as is Anjelica Huston who plays Beth’s boss. Peggy Lipton and Don Johnson plat Beth’s parents and it seems more could have been done with them.

Arnett acts embarrassed to be in the film while Heder and Shepard overact to compensate for the lack of anything funny in the script. Bell is blonde, beautiful and boring while Duhamel is just inept as the romantic lead.

To add insult to injury there is a dance number tacked on at the end of the movie while the credits roll. Most of the cast members participate in this event much to their embarrassment and ours. There must have been a gun pointed their way from off camera.

“When In Rome” is a movie that was avoided in theaters and on DVD it should be shunned again.. The only redeeming features are the good looks of the two leads and the fact the movie is clean. You can watch it with your grandmother.
 

 

 

 

 

©2010 Jackie K. Cooper

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