CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Paul Rudd
Deep Two Character Drama Flavors ‘Prince Avalanche’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 16, 2013 - 4:10pmRating: 4.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Take actors Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch, make them highway line painters, put them in a fire-ravaged woodland and the makings for a savory two character portrait is realized in “Prince Avalanche.” David Gordon Green adapted and directed this appealingly offbeat art film.
Tina Fey Difficult to Get Into in ‘Admission’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on March 22, 2013 - 2:14amRating: 2.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Tina Fey, love her. Paul Rudd, like his work, he’s a Judd Apatow guy. Wallace Shawn in “The Princess Bride,” exquisite. Lily Tomlin is a comedy legend. All these great and interesting performers participated in “Admission,” for which they all get an “F.”
Judd Apatow’s ‘This is 40’ Clutters Truth with Cliché
Submitted by BrianTT on December 20, 2012 - 2:01pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Judd Apatow’s “This is 40” is a true disappointment, a comedy that purports to say something honest and insightful about approaching middle age in the ‘10s but blurs truth by smothering it in contrivance and cliché. Strong work from Leslie Mann and Albert Brooks rescue the project from complete disaster but the largely-unfunny and almost entirely disingenuous script mark this as the talented Apatow’s most notable misfire.
Wonderful ‘The Perks of Being a Wallflower’ Captures Teenage Life with Grace
Submitted by BrianTT on September 27, 2012 - 4:13pmRating: 4.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Stephen Chbosky’s “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” based on his hit book of the same name, is the most pleasant and accomplished surprise of the year, a delightful, sweet, funny, and moving examination of teenage life that merits comparison to John Hughes and Cameron Crowe.
Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston Take Funny Trip to Hippie Nirvana in ‘Wanderlust’
Submitted by BrianTT on February 23, 2012 - 5:59pmRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – David Wain’s “Wanderlust” is a deeply flawed movie. The female lead is woefully underwritten and the script pretty much falls apart at the end as characters do things they wouldn’t do and it rushes to its credits to wrap everything up in an awkward montage. But here’s the thing – it’s also DAMN funny.
Paul Rudd Makes a Difference as ‘Our Idiot Brother’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on August 27, 2011 - 12:42amRating: 3.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Advertised deceptively as a comedy, the new film “My Idiot Brother” has a Zen-like quality that is surprising, and oddly captivating, but cannot sustain itself and eventually runs out of steam. Paul Rudd plays the brother to three errant sisters, portrayed by Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel and Emily Mortimer.
Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon in Gloriously Romantic ‘How Do You Know’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on December 17, 2010 - 9:41amRating: 5.0/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Writer/Director James L. Brooks has been producing prime entertainment for nearly 50 years now, and proves he has not lost a step in ‘How Do You Know.’ This film of love, loss, power and especially romance is a great showcase for the talents of Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, Owen Wilson and the great Jack Nicholson.
Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd Serve ‘Dinner for Schmucks’
Submitted by PatrickMcD on July 30, 2010 - 12:14amRating: 3.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – The third of the Steve Carrell Seasonal Movie Trilogy debuts with the uneven but absurd comedy “Dinner for Schmucks.” Paul Rudd, now the go-to actor for straight-man-yuppie-turned-wild-dude joins a strong cast, including the ubiquitous Zach Galifianakis, Jemaine Clement (”Flight of the Concords”), and Bruce Greenwood.
DreamWorks’ ‘Monsters vs. Aliens’ Has Great 3D Concept, But Falls Flat
Submitted by BrianTT on March 27, 2009 - 12:09pmRating: 2.5/5.0 |
CHICAGO – Hasn’t Pixar proven that animation can be more than just concept and celebrity voice work? The problem with “Monsters vs. Aliens” is that the team behind it clearly prioritized nearly every element of the film over actual storytelling.
Judd Apatow Again Fashions Gimmick Into Gold in Uproarious ‘Forgetting Sarah Marshall’
Submitted by HollywoodChicago.com on April 18, 2008 - 11:00amCHICAGO – After being blitzed by an onslaught of attention-demanding advertising that begged the question “who is Sarah Marshall?” even before you realized it’s a film, anticipation was ravenous.