Ali Phillips

What a find!!!! I stumbled upon this highly underrated film (screw the critics… there are so many cases where what I absolutely love ,they hate) a few months after its release and just watched it yet again and felt compelled to post my first review years later. I’ve seen this film so many times, I truly lost count. Don’t look at the trailer, it gives way too much away. Best to watch it just knowing that it stars Billy Crudup and the incredibly talented (sadly gone way too soon) Anton Yelchin. And it’s a music film with songs that grab you that you might find yourself singing after the movie’s over.I have turned so many friends onto this film and each one has personally thanked me. It’s the best movie you never heard of …trust me! When Anton was tragically killed in his own driveway, I watched the film the next day probably for the 10th time. Since then , like I said, I lost count. Enjoy!! And remember,don’t watch the trailer or read what it’s about. Just be surprised.

If you want to sit back and watch a great sports drama, one that is based on true events, one that is inspirational, disregard the low score on rotten tomatoes. I’ve seen this film twice. Of course, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson excels in his role as real life coach, Sean Porter. But the movie has way more substance to it than just choosing another movie because DJ is in it. Before watching this I had no idea that this prison football team existed. Make sure you watch right through the credits when they show footage of some of the people that the actors portrayed. Big thumbs up!!!

I’ll try and keep it shorter than some of the other reviews. Take the time for this movie if you’re in the mood for an inspirational true story. I’ve never watched tennis (although I certainly know about the Williams sisters) so I really had no interest in the film and merely chose it because I’m a fan of Will Smith. So glad I decided to see this! The Williams family history, i.m.o., is to be respected. Will Smith’s portrayal of their dad was excellent but, all the actors were great. The film held my interest right down through the credits. That’s saying a lot considering I’m more of a football fan. Don’t miss this gem!

Well, this is another movie with an overall low rating on rotten tomatoes and I just don’t understand how that happened. If one listens carefully to the narrative from the dog Enzo’s perspective (delivered perfectly by Kevin Costner), this will be a favorite amongst dog lovers. A particular George Harrison song is quite apropos in the opening credits of the film. And with that, it continues, as we hear the protagonist’s thoughts, that of the golden retriever, best buddy of Denny, a formula one race car driver. Yes, it will absolutely pull at your heartstrings, but will also make you smile. It’s quite relatable to any dog parent, guardian, dog dad, dog mom, dog lover. I saw the movie earlier this year, then felt compelled to text all my dog loving friends and tell them that they MUST see this. . A few of my male friends had read the book and said it was fantastic. One of them then went ahead and bought it for me. After reading the book a few months ago, I decided to watch the movie again. It did a great job following the book. There was one subplot that was altered but it really didn’t matter;the end result was the same. If you want to see a beautiful story of the love between a man and his best friend, you cannot go wrong with this film. Dogs are family. I’ll go out on a limb and say that this movie might prompt those without a dog to go out and adopt one. After seeing the movie, go ahead and buy the book (was on the New York Times best seller list for a very long time) available in paperback. You will need tissues sporadically, but without giving anything specific away, you’ll come out with something so incredibly sweet at the finish line. This is a movie I will revisit again in the future …it’s that special!❤️

A true masterpiece! Visually stunning with real heart. Had I not seen any interviews, I would still know this came from a super talented man’s carved out memory of his youth during a time he will never ever forget. Thank you, Kenneth Branagh!! I have always appreciated your work. This movie comes from the heart and it touched me deeply. The acting was superb and Jude Hill is a natural.

What a joke that this did not have excellent reviews across-the-board! It was like watching a long episode of curb your enthusiasm where he just has a different name. And Chicago!!! 😂 I’m still laughing. What a great escape from world news for a couple of hours.

WOW!!! The first thing I thought after watching this film (having not seen previous reviews) , was that rotten tomatoes had to have given it a very low score. Why? Because everything that I love, the critics on that site usually hate!!! This is a deeply profound film (not a comedy so whoever added that to the genre description didn’t see it) and I also recognized a distinct sensibility to the series “This Is Us”. Later, I come to find Dan Fogelman wrote and directed this. The acting in this is rock solid and includes many names you’ll surely recognize. But even those you may not know did a great job. I’m one that dislikes spoilers as I opt to be surprised, so anything I review doesn’t go into much detail. Rather, I simply post reviews when I want other people in the world to feel something special, to be affected, and then to share that with others as well. That’s the way the world can be a better place, in my opinion. That being said, I don’t know who will actually see this because the movie is four years old and I just saw it for the second time in a few years. May I kindly suggest that after you watch this film, you then come back to this particular review and scroll to my recommendations below for other movies and shows I reviewed. I promise you, unlike most reviews, I won’t give anything significant away in my reflections. If you liked this film, check out my reviews on Google for the following movies: Hustle, Life Itself, The Art Of Racing In The Rain, Gridiron Gang, Rudderless. TV Series reviews: The Offer, This is Us, and Time Travelers Wife. Have a great day or evening.

I have come to a conclusion… that which has a low score on rotten tomatoes, I will love about 90% of the time. This has been my experience for the last few years, no kidding! What reviewer Shannon wrote below I concur with 100%. This series looks extremely promising to me and I’ve just seen two episodes so far yet felt compelled to post a review. I never read the book but I did see the movie (a few times actually). The show is beautifully filmed, well written, and perfectly cast with the 2 leads,Theo James and Rose Leslie. The first episode had me smiling while the second episode brought me a few tears. That’s what good writing does… it moves you, affects you, has you thinking, reflecting. If you like this show, perhaps we have similar tastebuds in which case look at reviews I posted for The Offer, The Art of Racing in the Rain, Hustle, and Rudderless. Thank you HBO! You have yet another precious series in your vast library.❤️

50% by rotten tomatoes? Are you f..g kidding me????This series is absolutely brilliant!! A ten part series that’s engaging, entertaining and informative, even if it’s a bit embellished by Al Ruddy’s take on all that went down in the making of one of the best movies in film history! Do yourself a favor and get Paramount+ for a week’s trial just to watch this incredible show. I have one more episode and I truly don’t want it to end. I believe that even for people that have never seen The Godfather, they would be completely addicted to this series. Overlooking this because you’re swayed by rotten tomatoes would be a damn shame. Miles Teller plays producer, Al Ruddy, and displays some serious acting chops. I would give him an Emmy nomination. Robert Evans is portrayed by Matthew Goode and Emmy is written all over his performance too. Pull up some interviews with Matthew Goode and hear how he really talks. From everything I read, he nailed his role as Robert Evans. What a character!!! Drinking and snorting away, yet running Paramount!! Juno Temple is great too. Justin Chambers, who takes on the role of Marlon Brando, even though he’s not in it all that much, had me doing rewinds just to hear how much he had it down. I was smiling watching certain scenes because I’ve seen The Godfather( 1 and 2/not a fan of 3) probably over 25 times. And I’m talking about scenes where they’re talking about scenes. Then there’s this one dinner scene that made me laugh out loud but I don’t like spoilers so just look for it.😀 It’s not in The Godfather, rather, it’s something that actually happened when the main actors got together with Ruddy, Coppola, etc. for dinner one night towards the beginning of the project. Dan Fogler plays Coppola…wow! More great acting and the close friendship that developed with Mario Puzo as they closely worked on the script is another passion play that ran through this entire movie making process. It really saddens me when people are swayed by critic reviews on rotten tomatoes and then they miss something this spectacular. The tenacity Al Ruddy had to get this film made with so many obstacles in his path is a credit to his legacy. I learned a lot. I know there were certain scenes in this series that were dramatized for the purpose of entertainment, but so what? What a ride!! Google questions you have as to what was fact and fiction after you watch each episode. You’ll still be surprised what was true!!! Funny, because when I read there was a series being made about the making of The Godfather, I thought, this is a desperate attempt by a studio to grab a large audience. Then I did a 180 in my thinking when it came out. Because of rotten tomatoes it probably won’t have the large audience it actually deserves. I am so glad I took the time to watch this. Spectacular! Kudos to everybody involved.

There’s lots of reviews here where you can read more in depth about the film. Personally, I like to be surprised when I watch something, only knowing the genre and a tiny bit about it. Originally from Philly and liking Adam Sandler, there was enough for me to be interested. Although it has quite a few funny moments, this is not a comedy. Didn’t matter, I really enjoyed it. Sandler proves himself to be a solid actor, not just a comedic one. And from what I understand, he’s a b-ball player, not just a fan. So this movie is made with passion. And you can feel it …deeply. I love sports dramas anyway so this one is now added to my list😀 If you’re looking for a good movie escape for two hours, I don’t think you can go wrong and for anyone really into the NBA, there are more basketball players in this movie than you can count. In fact, the main character (other than Sandler) plays with The Jazz. And if you like this movie, come back to this post for some other suggestions. I posted reviews for The art of racing in the rain, Rudderless, and Gridiron Gang (all lesser known gems, the latter, a sports drama).