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One of my all-time favorite movies. I love the scenery and, just like in Four Weddings, the friends group. I’m not a big Julia Roberts fan but I must admit that I loved her hopping-the-fence scene and that her smile in the press conference at the end really did light up the room (& excellent song choice w/Elvis Costello’s “She”). I also love the montage of Hugh walking through the seasons and the changes in some of the same background actors. Considering becoming a fruititarian, lol.

One of my all-time favorite movies, so fun. I only have one critique: Andi’s line, “Is it still raining? I hadn’t noticed” is poor acting. Yes her character is a little odd but still sounds wooden/fake. Hugh glosses over it to continue the scene but they should’ve re-shot that until it came across as more natural, maybe with a little laugh acknowledging the cheesiness. I love the movie but that line delivery always irks me.

I’d never heard about this movie until seeing a recent clip about Hugh Grant characters and deciding to watch the films I’ve missed. Like everybody else, I am a big fan of Four Weddings and Notting Hill, and also About A Boy. In short, I loved this gorgeous movie. The scenery, interiors, and costumes are amazing, as is the acting. I would not want any scene to be one minute shorter.

Pretty much exactly what I expected: a feel-good movie with laughs and sweetness. Was there some corniness, cringe, and stereotyping? Yep. Were some scenes unrealistic and predictable? For sure. I wanted more of cousin Nicky and far less of brother Nick but thankfully, Aunt Voula was again allowed to steal the show. I’m surprised other reviewers criticized her role in the trilogy and also the reverent sprinkling of ashes scene. For me, this was a refreshingly nice movie that made me smile.

Was so excited when I saw the release date for this movie; my son & I looked forward to this for months and planned the outing as an end-of-school celebration. Rocket! Groot Jr! Drax the hilarious! Star-lord, that loveable doof! A talking Golden/Labrador retriever! We left the theater silent. The movie seems like it was written by someone else; a fan who copied some things but didn’t get the jell of the team quite right. Chris Pratt—whom I love—seemed to be doing this because he had to through contractual obligation. Disappointment with the ending, the lack of the resolution viewers want between Peter and Gamora, and the soundtrack. Others in the theater tried to rev things up by whooping and clapping to the Beastie Boys but it was short-lived. Unnecessary grossness and ickyness, which moviemakers seem to think viewers want. We also stayed til the very very end of the credits, which hinted at a future glimpse of Starlord but not the gang together. But all that is secondary to my main response, which was: sadness bordering on depression. I expected to be full-out entertained and laugh a lot. There were a few cute and funny moments but much of the film made me feel upset. There is much emotional manipulation via the showing of big, wet, tearful eyes of horribly abused animals. Limbs and face replaced by metal parts. Little-child voices obviously recorded by adults. A turtle who goes through screaming shape-shifting torture before being incinerated. Heart-tugging, dark, disturbing, and creepy. Some might say the fact that the movie evoked these feelings means it’s good, but that was not what I signed up for. There are also nightmare-inducing images of bending/breaking bodies a la “Stranger Things” that might stick in the mind as well. Show your kids the original movie (maybe fast-forwarding past the mother’s death at the very beginning) and the cute Christmas short with Kevin Bacon instead. p.s. I love-love-loved GoG I; did not care for the turn in GoG II of Peter not being a regular guy after all and the nonsense of his father being a “planet,” but it was entertaining, baby and teen Groot were wonderful, and Yongu’s death was handled with dignity and feel-good reverence. There is nothing of the sort in GoG III. You are not missing anything by skipping this installment; in fact you will be better off leaving it at GoG I & II and letting your imagination create a better Volume III. I gave it 2 stars due to the big-budget cinematography efforts and because I love the characters from previous films. Addition: I just read some of the 5-star reviews and found so many of them rang untrue, using sweeping adjectives that sounded like those praise blurbs on the back covers of books in a style that ordinary people just wouldn’t use. At least 20 of them mentioned the fabulous director James Gunn and all in the last paragraph in a formulaic-seeming way. Why would you include the director’s name when recapping a movie’s plot or your experience of watching it? A little suspicious to me. Read the NPR review instead. “Moreau for less”: now, that’s writing genius.