Displaying items by tag: Jim Gaffigan

GREEDY PEOPLE

US, 2024, 112 minutes, Colour.

Himesh Patel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Lily James, Uzo Aduba, Tim Blake Nelson, Simon Rex, Jim Gaffigan, Joey Lauren Adams.

Directed by Potsy Ponciroli.

The title is absolutely correct. And, there is only one of the principal characters who is not greedy.

This reviewer had read only the cast list before seeing the film but, about 15 minutes in, the title Fargo came to mind, thoughts about the Coen Brothers and their style of filmmaking. (And, then reading the comments and reviews, practically everybody thought of Fargo and the Coen Brothers!).

Once you’re on the wavelength of Greedy People, there is no turning back. Screenplay, by Mike Vukadinovich, is cleverly funny, situations highly contrived but that is part of the enjoyment. And, gradual revelation of links between the various characters and their behaviour, the consequences of greed (and husband organising the murder of his wife also reminiscent of Fargo) becoming more humorously deadly as the film goes on. This is entertaining black humour.

At the opening, we are introduced to a sympathetic young policeman on his first day in a small town in Providence, Will he ia played by British actor, Himesh Patel. His wife, played by British Lily James, is pregnant. And then he meets his partner, one of the brashest to the brash, Terry, played by a very nonchalant Joseph Gordon Levitt, a walking satire of verified self-importance.

Answering a police call, and misinterpreting it, Will becomes involved in a scenario that he could never have imagined. He calls Terry – and thus begins a series of choices that will lead to disaster, greed, violence and general mayhem which makes greedy People both interesting and funny.

There is a good supporting cast, especially Tim Blake Nelson as the fish Baron of the town (and Tim Blake Nelson had played the  title character in the director, Potsy Poncirili’s western, Old Henry). Among the supporting characters is an awkward masseur, Simon Rex, under the domination of his religion mother. There is hit man in the town, philosophical but deadly, played by Jim Gaffigan, The Irishman. And there is his Colombian counterpart who, apparently, has jurisdiction in the town for hits. There is the fish Baron’s ambitious secretary. There is also  Uza Aduba who is the good one, the police chief.

So, with memories of the Coen Brother films, tantalising situations, ironic and satiric dialogue, audiences can sit back and enjoy the mayhem until the final macabre, laugh-out-loud image and a nice postscript, perhaps another tribute to the Coens, with Raising Arizona.

1. The title? Tone? Expectations?
2. The satire, the irony is, linking to the Coen brothers, Fargo?
3. The variety of chapters, the focus on each character?
4. The introduction to Will, bloodshot eye, his relationship with Paige, her pregnancy, his first day? The revelation about his father and the stealing of money? Murphy as the boss, solid and reliable? The introduction to Terry? Terry and his style, forthright, the talk, the copies and meals, going to see the Chinese lady, the rendezvous, the loud music, Will responding to the call, thinking it a burglary, going to the house, the woman and her cutting the carrots, his entry, her fear, the shooting, the fight, her fall, the wound to her head, her death? Calling Terry, is arriving, discovering the bag of money, the plan, roughing up the house, inheriting the money in the locker, noting the missing bike? Getting an alibi, holding up the driver, the fierce argument, the time?
5. The character, Terry, life, bullied at school, becoming a policeman, 16 years, his personal style, bravado, unselfconscious, the relationship with the Chinese woman, her husband? The situation, the money, the locker, owed? His coming to dinner, the encounter with Paige, the threats, killing the dog?
6. The husband, Chetlow his grief, his being interrogated, the revelation of the truth, hiring the Colombian hitman, the payments, at work, the secretary, the affair, the plan? The Colombian, the truth about his not doing the murder? 48 hours for payment? The suspicions of the Mass are?
7. The masseur, suspicious, the meeting, his explanation himself, his work, the dancing, the sex, his mother intervening, having seen the money, escaping on his bike?
8. Paige, pregnant, painting the house, doing the shopping, the information about the Irishman? Will telling her the story but blaming Terry? The invitation to dinner, Terry at the talk, the threats, the death of the dog? The decision, going to the Irishman, the talk, his philosophising and rationale about killing, the local areas for hitmen? Her getting the money, $50,000 to pay him?
9. Will, disturbed in the night, the masseur, observing hetlow, the secretary, mother, the shootings, the secretary shooting? Everybody dead? His phoning Terry? The phone calls to page? The confrontation between Will and Terry, Terry shooting him?
10. The phone calls, Murphy, pursuit, and the shooting, Will dead?
11. Terry, confronting the Irishman, the fight, the Chinese woman defending him, shooting the Irishman?
12. Murphy, the tracking, her arrival, confrontation with Terry? His menacing Paige, her shooting him?
13. The hospital, the birth, page wanting to abscond with the money? The Colombian arriving, taking the money, killing Paige the elevator? The secretary, going to the lift? Murphy waiting, the noise, the lift opening, the two dead, the money scattered?
14. The nice ending, Murphy and her caring then for the baby, the back story of the death of her child?

UNFROSTED

US, 2024, 93 minutes, Colour.

Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant, Christian Slater, Patrick Warburton, Sebastian Maniscalco, Max Greenfield, Cedric the Entertainer, Kyle Dunnigan, James Marsden, Adrian Martinez, Thomas Lennon, Tony Hale, Maria Bakalova, Dean Norris, Peter Dinklage, Bill Burr, Ronnie Chieng, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Fred Armisen, Dan Levy.

Directed by Jerry Seinfeld.

You might have to be in a good mood to enjoy Unfrosted. Even then, it may not be entirely satisfying. But, it offers a lot of ingredients and performances for an easy enjoyable 90 minutes.

It would seem that Jerry Seinfeld has had a thing about breakfast cereals over the years, part of his stand-up comedy routines. American audience, familiar with Kellogg’s and Post cereals, the rivalries in Battle Creek, Michigan, especially in the 1950s and 1960s, may feel that this is familiar material, companies, products, promotion, cereals for parents, cereals for kids. Non-American audiences will be familiar with Kellogg’s but not so much with Post.

There is an amusing opening, a young boy is dissatisfied with his family, packing his goods in a knapsack, leaving home, arriving in a diner and encountering Jerry Seinfeld and they talk about Pop Tarts and Jerry offers to tell the true story of its origins, and the flashback to the shenanigans.

And, shenanigans there are, in many ways like a live action cartoon. Some of the behaviour is quite absurd. A lot of the action and behaviour is very silly. From a more serious point of view, there is caricature, there is irony, and a lot of satire, comment on American capitalism and business deals…

We are taken to Battle Creek in the 1960s, in the last months of JF Kennedy’s presidency. Seinfeld plays one of the executives at Kellogg’s, Jim Gaffigan playing the heir to the family business, erratic, not always confident. There are lots of discussions, issues of products, testing, marketing. But, across the way, with binoculars peering from both sides, is the Post office, led by Marjorie Post, played by Amy Schumer. An awards ceremony where Kellogg’s wins everything, compared by Cedric the Entertainer.

But, there are plots afoot, Marjorie with her underlings and spies, stealing Kellogg’s formula, Kellogg’s with their spies. They are after a family product to entice families.

Then two young children appear getting into dumpsters and finding leftovers and testing them. They become an important part of the final drama, arbiters of what children like or not.

Kellogg’s then want to go back to one of their previous experts, Donna, played by Melissa McCarthy, working in the company preparing for moon landing – and ridiculing the very idea of anybody going to the moon! She has back to the company, hires an alleged expertise group, including caricature Nazi played by Thomas Lennon, a fitness freak played by James Marsden, a bike manufacturer, a chef. In fact, they don’t come up with anything much at all. There are some comedy sketches for each of these characters, even to creating a pastry covered fish.

There are also some satiric presentations of press conferences and how not to answer questions. There is also a crisis in the supply of sugar, Kelloggs visiting a Latin dictator to ensure a steady supply of sugar, he both charming and threatening. Which means then the Post executives have to look elsewhere and decide on Cuba, including a visit to Moscow and Kruschev. This involves complications with the Kennedy administration and Kelloggs going to have an interview with the President.

In fact, one of the enjoyable aspects of the film is the range of promotion caps that critical Snap, Crackle and Pop and a wide variety, but the best of all of these is the British actor who in his Tiger outfits is filmed for commercials. The special enjoyment is that he is played by Hugh Grant, sending up himself, sending up pompous British, full of self-importance, ambitious to plead King Lear, ultimately trying to lead a revolution against Kellogg’s but failing.

Amongst the other satires are presentations of famous TV host of the 1960s, Walter Cronkite, as well as the national official for approval of foods and the pressure Kelloggs put on him.

Ultimately, both companies hasten to put a new product on the shelves, Post failing completely with “Country Squares” (and the comment who wants to be a square!) And Kelloggs using an old computer which turns out mistaken messages, wanting to have Trat Pops, finish up having Pop Tarts – an extraordinary success, and Jerry Seinfeld’s character getting all that he wanted for his house, especially a front lawn.

Audiences will enjoy the finale and the credits, all the characters performing in an entertaining musical performance and recapping their characters.