Talking Movies: Windfall, Playing God and Four Good Days
Spling reviews Windfall, Playing God and Four Good Days as broadcast on Talking Movies, Fine Music Radio. Listen to podcast.
TRANSCRIPT
Good morning – welcome to Talking Movies, I’m Spling…
This week, we’re talking about a crime thriller, a comedy crime caper and a drama.
Starting off with a film now on Netflix…
WINDFALL
A man finds himself trapped after breaking into a tech billionaire’s empty vacation home.
Director: Charlie McDowell
Stars: Jason Segel, Lily Collins and Jesse Plemons
– Windfall plays like a modest Hitchcockian crime thriller, a cat and mouse game where the steadily evolving situation remains precarious and unpredictable.
– Centred on a hostage scenario, the clumsiness of the gunman’s modus operandi creates a dry, awkward and offbeat comedy as the victims try to help him get away with it.
– Taking place against an orange plantation, the wide-open spaces of the picturesque location become surprisingly claustrophobic as the focus narrows to the characters.
– The trio of Segel, Collins and Plemons ground the thriller with solid performances in spite of the apparent sense of arrested development.
– While simple on the surface, there’s much more going on below thanks to obscured motivations and a slow creeping mystery.
– It’s amusing to have a lovable goofball like Segel in command, a gentle giant of a man who never seems quite sure of his game plan.
– Plemons is just as watchable, chiming in with an increasingly irritable tech billionaire who is frustrated by his captor’s indecision and lack of foresight.
– The strength of the performances keep this indie thriller on the boil, fresh by virtue of its offbeat handling and whimsical sense of humour.
– Just as you think you’ve got a handle on it, Windfall’s laid-back hostage situation morphs into something much darker almost by accident as its social commentary ramps up.
– The tension of its candid genre mix gives this film lightweight suspense, which is contrasted with its entertaining, off-the-cuff and dry sense of humour.
A satisfactory 6 on the splingometer!
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Moving on to a film now on Showmax…
PLAYING GOD
Con artists recruit their longtime mentor to “play” God in order to scam a grieving billionaire.
Writer-Director: Scott Brignac
Stars: Hannah Kasulka, Alan Tudyk and Michael McKean
– Playing God is an unusual crime comedy caper, which pivots on several strong performances from its game cast.
– The young co-leads deliver, supported by the accomplished Tudyk and McKean whose nutty charm and experienced control are most welcome.
– Kasulka’s cold blue angelic eyes tie into this long con’s bold deception around a meeting with the creator, while Tudyk’s quiet intensity and calm-like-a-bomb demeanour contrast beautifully against McKean’s Cheshire cat wiles.
– Seesawing between amusing conman trickery and heartfelt drama, the film conjures up a strange blend of entertainment with a twinkle in the eye.
– The unusual union reflects each of the co-lead character’s dispositions, as the twins find themselves staring down one last job in order to make good on a bad debt.
– While entertaining, leveraging its performances, thoughtful morality and colourful creative visuals, Playing God is never quite as self-assured as its actors.
– You’re never quite sure who is conning who, gently suspending a concept that never seems quite as airtight as its characters would have you believe.
– It’s worth watching for the performances and fresh take, but it’s story bedrock, technical inconsistency and indecision undermine the overall effect.
A flat 5 on the splingometer!
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And finally a film on Showmax…
FOUR GOOD DAYS
A mother helps her daughter work through four crucial days of recovery from substance abuse.
Director: Rodrigo García
Stars: Mila Kunis, Carla Gallo and Glenn Close
– This estranged mother-daughter drama deals with the tough love that goes with trying to rehabilitate a heroin addict, whose reckless behaviour and recurrent addiction have distanced her from everyone she loves.
– An insightful portrait of the consequences of continued substance abuse, the affliction could substitute for any number of issues that jeopardise relationships in Four Good Days.
– While it dabbles with the grittier side of perpetually being in search of your next high, the real focus is on a maternal relationship with a doting mother bending over backwards to help her daughter stay clean.
– The kitchen sink drama is sensitively drawn, crafting a realistic suburban setting and leaning on strong work from Kunis and Close.
– Kunis is best known for her commercial performances, getting a rare opportunity to truly act, showing a fuller expression of her potential in one of her best performances yet.
– Close was brilliant in Hillbilly Elegy, dialing it back to play a deeply concerned mom on a quest to find her daughter and separate her from the turmoil of her addiction.
– While definitely not the first mother-daughter pairing you’d expect to see playing opposite one another, Four Good Days works surprisingly well, generating enough spark and on-screen chemistry to buy into their predicament.
– This is a small, intimate and emotional drama about restoration and healing, which is elevated by several fine performances with Close in full command.
A satisfactory 6 on the splingometer!
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So just to wrap up…
WINDFALL… a strong trio and offbeat sense of humour enliven this candid, unconventional and unpredictable hangout thriller… A satisfactory 6!
PLAYING GOD… a rickety concept underpins this colourful, visually-inventive, well-acted and amusing crime caper… A flat 5!
FOUR GOOD DAYS… fine co-lead performances and powerful themes reinforce this earnest, intimate and touching coming-of-age drama… A satisfactory 6!
For more movie reviews and previous Talking Movies podcasts visit splingmovies.com.
And remember, Don’t WING it, SPL!NG it!
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