Tag Archives: Reese Witherspoon

Comedy, Drama

YOUR PLACE OR MINE (2023): New Trailer From Reese Witherspoon, Jesse Williams, Ashton Kutcher, Zoe Chao…

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Two long-distance best friends change each other’s lives when she decides to pursue a lifelong dream and he volunteers to keep an eye on her teenage son.

Directed by Aline Brosh McKenna; Reese Witherspoon, Jesse Williams, Zoe Chao and Ashton Kutcher’s latest movie is a a drama/romance.

Also starring Steve Zahn, Wesley Kimmel and Rachel Bloom, Your Place or Mine is about two long-distance best friends (Debbie and Peter) whose lives change after Debbie decides to pursue a lifelong dream and Peter volunteers to keep an eye on her teenage son.

I’m so happy to see Resse in something light-hearted and fun. I’m also not mad at the involvement of Williams and Kutcher either.

I love the colours in this trailer. It has LA and New York looking mighty inviting. Yes, it looks quite predictable, but I just want to spend some screen time with these actors and their characters.

How intrigued are you this Your Place or Mine?

Steve Zahn, Tig Notaro, Griffin Matthews and Shiri Appleby also star.

Your Place or Mine Release Dates: February 10th, 2023 (UK & UK), Netflix…

Happy Film Loving

G

Adventure, Animation, Comedy

SING 2 (2021): New Trailer From Taron Egerton, Matthew McConaughey, Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon…

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Sing 2 (2021), Illumination
Sing 2 (2021), Illumination

This time Buster Moon (McConaughey) and his friends are tasked with persuading a reclusive rockstar to join them for the opening of a new show.

Those super adorable piggies stole my heart in the first movie. So I’m glad to see them here too, and excited for all the animated cuteness, plus the many big hit songs the movie will feature.

McConaughey is definitely in this but his voice kind of sounds different, no?

Pharrell Williams, Bobby Cannavale, Nick Kroll, Chelsea Peretti, Seth MacFarlane, Letitia Wright, Halsey, Eric André, Adam Buxton, Garth Jennings and Tori Kelly also star.

Sing 2 Release Dates: December 22nd, 2021 (US)…

Happy Film Loving

G

Comedy, Romance

FRIENDS – THE REUNION (2021): New Trailer From Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer…

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Friends - The Reunion (2021), David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, HBOMax
Friends – The Reunion (2021), David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, HBOMax

It’s time. Friends – The Reunion, the event that all big fans of the hit 90s sitcom had been ready for long before the pandemic delayed everything finally has a trailer.

Directed by Ben Winston; Friends – The Reunion is an unscripted special starring the original cast. Namely Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Courtney Cox (Monica Geller), Matt LeBlanc, (Joey Tribbiani), David Schwimmer (Ross Geller), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay) and more.

I’ll start with a confession: I feel very silly now because I honestly thought that ‘Friends – The Reunion‘ was going to be a catchup with the characters of Friends. Meaning a few new episodes to see where they are now; rather than a catchup with the actors who play the friends.

It’s no one’s fault but my own that I didn’t realise my misguided expectations until now. I’ll still be watching because I enjoyed the show growing up. Also, full disclosure, personally I’m at the stage with Friends now where I no longer get the urge to re-watch the entire series every other year. No wonder I was extra excited about new episodes!

I plan to learn from the error in my ways by paying closer attention the next time a ‘reunion’ of one of my favourite shows comes up. I know the clue was right there in the title. Even so, I guess my heart simply wanted new episodes more than it wanted the nostalgic look-back.

Are you a Friends fan? Will you be tuning in for the nostalgia? Let me know in the comments.

Friends – The Reunion Release Dates: May 27th, 2021 (US) HBOMax

Happy Film Loving

G

Drama, No Spoiler Reviews

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE (2020): The Things I Liked…

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Little Fires Everywhere (2020), Reese Witherspoon
Little Fires Everywhere (2020), Reese Witherspoon

Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio in the 90s, Little Fires Everywhere is about two families whose lives become intertwined because of their children.

Starring Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington, the ten-episode series is based on Celeste Ng’s best-selling novel of the same name – and it’s very well acted by all involved.

As a drama about families, the weight of secrets, motherhood and identity; Little Fires Everywhere tackles each topic in powerful and moving ways. One of my favourite moments/lines of dialogue ends with the words: ‘You won’t have to swim forever.’ I also liked the beginning when the families seemed to be getting along. The quiet before the storm.

Little Fires Everywhere (2020), Kerry Washington
Little Fires Everywhere (2020), Kerry Washington

The complexity of the characters is another highlight. You may not find one to fully identify with or completely like, but chances are you’ll see their humanity and get some understanding of their struggle, because the writing is so good.

Besides the strong focus on identity, the absence of humour as a key element and the fact that no one gets murdered, Little Fires Everywhere has a few things in common with hit series Desperate Housewives. There’s the suburban setting, the secrets and the different experiences of motherhood to name just three.

Outside of a moment in an earlier episode when I wanted things to move along a little faster, Little Fires Everywhere is worth watching for all the above reasons. So give it a chance if you’re curious.

Happy Film Loving

G

Drama

LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE (2020): New Trailer From Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Joshua Jackson…

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Little Fires Everywhere (2020), Reese Witherspoon, Hulu
Little Fires Everywhere (2020), Reese Witherspoon, Hulu

Read my spoiler-free movie review of Little Fires Everywhere (2020).

Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington and Joshua Jackson are the stars of Little Fires Everywhere, a new drama / mini-series based on Celeste Ng’s best selling novel of the same name.

Set in Shaker Heights, Ohio in the 1990s, and also starring Rosemarie DeWitt, Jordan Elsas, Jaime Ray Newman and Jade Pettyjohn, this is the story of two families brought together by their children…

There are quite a few things I like about this already. Firstly, not just Witherspoon but Witherspoon playing someone who doesn’t seem to be nice. I also like the pairing of Washington and Witherspoon together; the kind of pairing that has me looking forward to the 2020 The Hollywood Reporter Actress Roundtables on YouTube. I love those!

Then there’s, Jackson; something about the sound of his voice and general cadence is very much like music to my ears.

Little Fires Everywhere Release Date: March 18th, 2020 (US) / Hulu…

Happy Film Loving

G

Comedy, Drama, TV

THE MORNING SHOW (2019): New trailer From Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Mark Duplass, Steve Carell…

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The Morning Show (2019), Jennifer Aniston, Apple TV
The Morning Show (2019), Jennifer Aniston, Apple TV

The Morning Show is a new Apple TV series starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell and Mark Duplass.

Set in the wake of a major scandal at an early morning news channel, The Morning Show follows the unique challenges faced by the men and women we trust to tell the truth, and what happens when they prove themselves to be dishonest…

Aniston and Witherspoon on screen together; that’s a key reason I’m looking forward to this one. I’m a fan of Carell, Mark Duplass and Gugu Mbatha-Raw too, of course.

I was also listening quite closely when Crudup’s character said ‘Watching a beloved woman’s breakdown is timeless American entertainment.’ Now I know that I can’t wait to see how said woman will be fighting back.

The Morning Show brings to mind Gabrielle Union’s Being Mary Jane. I’m curious about the ways it’ll be different.

Nestor Carbonell, Karen Pittman, Bel Powley, Victoria Tate, Desean Terry, Shari Belafonte, Katherine Ko and Ian Gomez also star.

The Morning Show Release Date…

Happy Film Loving

G

Drama, No Spoiler Reviews, Romance

WATER FOR ELEPHANTS (2019): The Things I Liked…

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Water For Elephants (2019), Reece Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson

Directed by Francis Lawrence; starring Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson and Christoph Waltz, Water For Elephants is a drama / romance about a young man who takes a job in a travelling circus and ends up falling in love with the ringmaster’s wife.

My reasons for watching this one include the fact that I’m a fan of Witherspoon, elephants are majestic and just a few days ago, I happened to be in the mood for a film that wouldn’t prove too emotionally taxing. I’ve also recently watched and loved The Greatest Showman (2017). I therefore needed to find out whether it was possible for me to appreciate another circus movie nearly as much.  

I’ll waste not time in confirming that The Greatest Showman (2017) remains my favourite circus movie. Reason being, even though Water For Elephants proved a not especially taxing viewing experience, by the end of the film, I couldn’t say I loved it. It was just OK. The acting wasn’t bad but I may have enjoyed the film that little bit more had the central love story been stronger and more enthralling. It may also be that I’ve just seen this old fashioned style of storytelling several times before and this particularly version simply wasn’t the best.

I know I’ll likely remember Water For Elephants for the visuals of Witherspoon’s character with the beautiful white horse and also for bringing to mind the value of the kindness of strangers. Especially in terms of the fact that none of us can really survive without it. 

Watch Water For Elephants if you’re curious enough and / or when the right mood strikes. 

Happy Film Loving

G

Comedy, Drama, No Spoiler Reviews, Romance

HOME AGAIN (2017): It’s…

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Home Again (2017), Reece Witherspoon
Home Again (2017), Reece Witherspoon

Home Again is a comedy/romance that’s written and directed by Hallie Meyers-Shyer; daughter of popular romantic comedy filmmaker Nancy Meyers (It’s Complicated (2009), Something’s Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), etc).

The reason I was drawn to this film is simple, Reese Witherspoon and the chance to see her in a fun-(ish) movie. By the end of Meyers-Shyer’s story about an LA single mother whose life takes an unexpected turn when she allows three young guys to move in with her, I was unfortunately left wanting. I found myself feeling as though absolutely nothing had happened in the movie, even though I’d just sat and watched it for 1.5 hours. 

I promise that I’m not deliberately trying to sound like a stereotypically male film fan who doesn’t like romantic comedies because ‘nothing happens.’ in them. There’s just very little that’s memorable or particularly noteworthy to report. I really did not love this movie. I also wouldn’t say I hate it. I simply wish it were better, much better.

If I tried to think especially hard about what’s good about Home Again, I’d say that I enjoyed looking at all the footage of sunny LA. Especially since at time of writing, I’m personally in the midst of an annoyingly grey winter. I was also inspired by the positive attitude of Witherspoon’s character’s love interest.

Last but not least, I didn’t completely dislike some of the sweet and touching moments in this film. After all, what kind of person hates a sweet touching moment, right?

All in all, Home Again is quite forgettable. Perhaps watch it if I’ve somehow accidentally sold it to you – which I doubt.

Happy Film Loving

G