Ross Canell

An engaging philosophical debate. Ultimately, I side with Andre Gregory who notes that at a certain point, we need to insulate ourselves from the noise of the world that surrounds us so that we can determine how we authentically feel. Moreover, we don’t always need to be in action, even though we’ve been conditioned to believe that we do. It’s fascinating to read about the two actors (whose characters in the film share their real names): since Shawn is a “Jewish atheist,” perhaps that is what precluded him from fully understanding Gregory’s perspective. “My Dinner With Andre” is a great thinking man’s film, even though at times it can get monotonous listening to Gregory’s extensive soliloquies.

I am fond of the takeaway of this film: a true spiritual leader embodies both the masculine and the feminine, like Ardhanarishvara of Hindu lore. I don’t know if a pope like Innocent could turn the church around in real life, but regardless, we need more leaders more broadly who are in touch with both poles of their psyche, for those are the individuals who have the capability to be most connected with the divine.

I can tell that Saoirse Ronan is a very special person with immense strength of character and spirit, and she was well cast for this part. I liked the film’s message about the healing power of nature, once we learn to perceive the divinity inherent within it.

The singing was offputting, though I think the plot point about Arthur integrating his identity with his own shadow (i.e. the Joker) was interesting and a good lesson on psychopathology. Pretty sad and dark ending, and alas, maybe it's setting up a new legacy for the character in some way, shape, or form.

The film is between a three and a four, though I am going to round down because I feel that it was too rapidly paced, especially with the introduction of Rozzum so quickly within the storyline. I did get choked up at a couple of points, though, so the film evidently did its job effectively at pulling at the heart strings. It's a good family flick; overall worth a watch.

Maisy Stella resembles my childhood crush Christine Lakin (AI from Step by Step), so I might be subconsciously nudged at the moment to give an extra star. I did enjoy the movie either way, even though I predicted Chad's fate before "old ass" Aubrey Plaza revealed it. Hopefully this film is prosphesing a shift in generational values in coming years back to genuine romantic connection between men and women of all ages, since the Information Age has sadly caused us to rely on dating aIgorithms for too many years at this point. Let's hope and pray.

The satire on liberalism was somewhat humorous—I’ll give Walsh that. He got kicked out of a group for misrepresenting his identity; the trailers for this film led me to believe he was kicked out because of his viewpoints, so that obscured the reality (which was that the reason he was ejected by the group was pretty valid). The overall commentary was nothing new for me personally, and I am already comfortable with my viewpoints on race issues in this country, including my own perceptions of other people, different from me or otherwise. For true roll-on-the-floor-in-laughter satire, Sasha Baron Cohen did a better job as Borat, and Michael Moore is a more captivating commentator. Okay movie for the time and place, just not out of this world by any means.

It reminded me a bit of another great West Coast coming-of-age film, "Mid-90's" (both are excellent). I especially got a kick out of the scenes during which Chris was browsing on his computer, including AOL Instant Messenger chats with friends, Google searches, YouTube videos, and best of all, talking to SmarterChild in despair (who says AI is a post-COVID phenomenon). This film is an awesome depiction of pre-smartphone adolescence, and every actor's performance was spot-on to character. Truly a must-watch for a poignant portrayal of life for teenage boys in America, both then and now.

I rewatched this movie after seeing it in theaters back in 2009, and I'm glad I did. It makes me wonder whether I was born in the wrong decade; I yearn for the instances of messy romance that characterized young adulthood in the 1980s and 1990s conveyed in the film. Eisenberg and Stewart have great chemistry, and it's nice to see the nerdy hopeless romantic get the girl. It's a very good flick.

Felt shoddy and thrown together in a piecemeal way, and Hartnett's character was way too two-dimensional. I suppose the film might be a parody, though I was not aware of that going into it. Not worth a trip to the theater.