Gambit

Back in the dim dark days of 1966, Michael Caine and Shirley MacLaine starred in a fun little heist romp of a film, Gambit.  In 2012, a new team appropriated the name and the underlying concept of that earlier film and created their own version of Gambit, this time with Colin Firth and Cameron Diaz in the starring roles.  The film did so badly in the U.K. that the studio never even released it in the U.S.  Instead, they took it straight to DVD.

To my surprise, I only recently learned about this new version.  Given that it also features Alan Rickman and Stanley Tucci, two actors I follow, I am amazed that I had never heard of the movie before--but I had indeed somehow missed it.  Once I discovered it, however, I ordered it, and the other night a group of us watched it.

I loved it from start to finish.  With Colin Firth doing a blend of his usual performance and the sort of comedy Peter Sellers once provided, he was a wonderful lead.  Cameron Diaz kept up well enough to make her character interesting.  Alan Rickman was, as always, delightful, and Stanley Tucci chewed hard on the scenery.  The plot was engaging and constructed well enough that even though you could spot the ending early on, you still had a great time getting to it.

If you can find this movie on Netflix or for sale on DVD, do check it out.  You'll have a delightful hour and a half.

Julie & Julia

Lest you think I watch only action flicks, I not only went to see this film last weekend, I wanted to go.

And I very much liked it.

All four lead actors did very good jobs, but my hands-down favorite was Stanley Tucci. That man can flat-out act. He made Julia Child's husband so likable that despite his need to play second fiddle to Child/Streep, you simply couldn't take your eyes off him in any scene.

In addition to enjoying the mostly light and fun story, I also found myself appreciating the game the filmmakers were quietly playing with the real present story (Julie) and the cleaned-up, idealized-in-Julie's-mind back-story (Julia). At one point, Julie's husband tells her that what's important is not the real Julia but the Julia in Julie's mind, the Julia that helped Julie save herself. That statement is the proof that we are supposed to understand that the Julia we've been seeing is that same idealized version, which of course it is and has been throughout the film. It's a small thing, and if you miss it you lose nothing, but I still liked it.

If you're into food or simply want to watch some strong performances, don't miss this one.