Film
WHILE WE’RE YOUNG
What Josh’s Alter Ego Teaches Him
Noah Baumbach’s While We’re Young is much more than a look at how youth wants to outdo the old. How the older envy youth. Or, how a mid-life crisis leads to all kinds of desperate shenanigans. It’s also the story of 40-something Josh (Ben Stiller) who can’t move forward for complex psychological reasons. And, of…
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MELISSA MCCARTHY & SEXIST REPORTER
A Teaching Moment
A male reporter told Melissa McCarthy that she’s only a good actress when she looks attractive. And that she, in fact, looked “really bad” in her role as Tammy. She quite understandably was angry. But, Melissa McCarthy took the time to make it a teaching moment. To the reporter’s credit, he listened. He heard what…
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NANCY MEYERS THE INTERN
Mentorship Can Go Both Ways
I just watched the trailer for Nancy Meyers The Intern, coming to theaters on September 25th. It looks like it’s going to be right up there with The Holiday, Something’s Gotta Give, and It’s Complicated. Nancy Meyers is a master at exploring the intricate emotions and complex difficulties that relationships bring for women and men.…
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PRETTY WOMAN
3 Things
A Loving Relationship Requires
On the 25th Anniversary of Pretty Woman’s release, the question for some still remains. Does Pretty Women take the seriousness of prostitution and the misuse of vulnerable women too lightly? Or is there more to the film than that? As a psychoanalyst who just re-watched this spirited and poignant film, I think there’s more. Sexual exploitation is…
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PRETTY WOMAN
Still Controversy After 25 Years
Does the film that launched Julia Roberts’ stardom insensitively overlook sexual exploitation? Or is it a romantic comedy that features one man’s fantasy? The jury is still out. Such serious issues as prostitution and sex trafficking are hardly comedic. (See my post on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). Reactions have resurfaced from many camps with the celebration…
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THE SECOND BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL
6 Obstacles To Love
We all need love. Age doesn’t lessen that. Yet, sometimes it’s hard to trust love, for complicated reasons, even though you want it. John Madden’s The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel gives us a bird’s eye view into 6 serious obstacles to love. The reasons for putting love off are often not conscious, in my…
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