Tyler Perry's Spring 2014 hit The Single Moms Club was a surprisingly good film. I've never been Perry's biggest fan, so I was shocked when I found the film funny and even up-lifting. The film explores the lives of five single mothers brought together because of their children's misbehaviour in school. As a result, they are asked to help with the organisation of a school event. The women, being from several different backgrounds, obviously clash in the beginning.
As the film develops we get a deeper understanding of each woman's situation and the reasons why they might need each other in their lives. I particularly enjoyed Wendi McLendon-Covey as Jan. She was cold and callous in her portrayal providing fodder for some hilarious scenes. The character is sassy and intelligent with the ultimate 'I don't need a man' attitude. Within a movie that focuses on women without a man, it's so important to emphasise that being a single mother doesn't make their lives worse or lower their status in society. The women end up as equals at the end of the film because of this fact and the understanding that no one woman is above another because of their financial situation. The film also explores the importance of new relationships when you have a child and an ex-husband. Zulay Henao as Esperanza Luego is central to this topic. After dating a man for a year, she is still hesitant to introduce him to her daughter. It's wonderful to see an accurate representation of a single mother's dating life. And I mean accurate in comparison to films that reject single mothers from the dating world and reserve them to a world of loneliness.
The theme of girl power is obviously present in heavy doses. A film with five female protagonist's is of course going to explore the female friendship in detail. And thankfully, race didn't play as big a part as I thought it would. With Tyler Perry films and a mixed race cast, it's always likely that there will be a few race jokes thrown back and forth. Thankfully, The Single Mom's Club limited this and focused instead on partnership, motherhood and friendships. There was a slight hint of PSA about the film as if Perry was trying to raise awareness for a cause but the relaxed nature and smart story quickly made me reconsider this analysis. Whilst it does showcase some of the struggles faced by single mothers, it's also entertaining, heartbreaking and up-lifting. A perfect recipe for a great film. Considering the film jumps back and forth from the different women and their lives, it was smooth to watch and easy to follow. Perry surprised me and has converted me to a fan. It might now be interesting to go back and re-watch some of his other popular films.
I'm always interested when a director decides to put themselves into their own movie. Perry is seen as TK in the film, love interest of May Miller (Nia Long). He's a caring character but I'm confused as to why Perry felt compelled to play the character himself. Normally when we see a director in his own film, it's a cameo or a passing glimpse, not a somewhat central role. Having said that, he does the character justice and doesn't take away from the female characters. And considering the film still turned out to be entertaining and purposeful it's clear that taking on a dual role did not hinder his work.
At the end of the day, I thoroughly enjoyed this film. It was something different to what I normally watch and did not disappoint. I'll be interested in watching similar titles and work by Perry. Although the story was a little heavy at times, the outcome was up-lifting. If I could have changed anything it would have been the fact that each woman's story was so enveloping. It was sometimes hard to take it all in at once. Perhaps reducing the number of characters with dramatic or depressing storylines could have improved the film.
Christopher Nolan has a cavernous brain of fantastic and intricate ideas. His latest, Interstellar, is no different from his other wonderful work.
The film opens on Matthew McConaughey, his father, played by John Lithgow, and his two young children. We soon learn of the dust and how it's slowly covering their land. The crops are failing and it seems like planet earth is in a slow demise. McConaughey plays former pilot and now farmer Cooper: A single dad with a love for space and science. The film is just under three hours long, so as you can imagine, we're given a real insight to their family life before venturing out into space. We follow along as Cooper visits his kids school, as he downplays the existence of the supernatural to his ghost visited daughter and as he brings down a military drone whilst driving through a corn field. Just your normal day! But soon, things escalate with the weather and Cooper, with daughter in tow, discovers a secret government run base. I wont go into much more detail about the plot because it's fantastically constructed and my words wont do it justice.
Firstly, the film is available in both 2D and 3D. I saw the film in 2D and still had brief moments of motion sickness. There are several moments within Interstellar that involve constant spinning and wormhole light contortions. As you can imagine, this will be heightened in 3D and could leave audiences feeling nauseous by the closing titles! Even in 2D the film is beautiful with sharp colours, wide angle views and beautiful other-worldly landscapes. Even the scenes that were created using advanced CGI technology looked incredibly realistic and were familiar enough to be understood as real. With so many people choosing to watch films at home on smaller screens and on laptops, this film would be wasted anywhere but the wide screen of a cinema.
Undoubtably, like most of Nolan's films, Interstellar has more than a few plot twists and turns! Once in space, the team encounter difficulties with gravity, relativity, fuel and with a particularly suspicious astronaut from a previous expedition. However, I think one of the biggest surprises was the emotional depths that the film explores. I found myself on the brink of tears not once or twice but five times. The film is intense and builds as the minutes tick by. Even in the moments of silence in space, there is an uncertainty that haunts each action on screen. Anne Hathaway, as Amelia Brand, and Jessica Chastain, as Murph(ey) Cooper, provide tender but powerful feminine touches to an otherwise entirely masculine cast. They are both strong characters, one more than the other, who are a representation of the smart and strong willed girls in our society who still have typically 'feminine' emotions that sometimes take control.
The film deals with so many fascinating questions, most notably: Is earth the only planet we can live on? This film will likely spark thought provoking conversations amongst audiences world wide. Are we alone? Can we travel through time and space? It's important for films to open this discussion because it's not only interesting but it could potentially spark a light under a passionate individual who could one day answer these questions for us. Nolan's ability to create such captivating characters and dialogue, opens doors for Science Fiction to further infiltrate mainstream cinema more than ever before.
This film is a must see and will likely win big during award season next year. If the film wasn't three hours long, I'd head back to the cinema now to watch it again!
