February's Watch List

Movies:
💕 Your Place or Mine
Read the review here!
💕 Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Good movie. I was expecting to be more depressing and grieving considering the circumstances, but I'm glad it wasn't like that at all. It was really enjoyable but maybe won't be a movie I would watch alone. Maybe if I'm on a Marvel movie marathon.

TV Series:
💕 Greek
💕 The Mindy Project
💕 South Park

Movie Review: Your Place or Mine (Netflix, 2023)

Your Place or Mine is a romantic comedy movie about a love story between a single mom, who lives a safe and practical life in Los Angeles, and her friend, an aspiring writer turned business man in New York. The film stars Reese Witherspoon (Legally Blonde), Ashton Kutcher (That 70's Show), Wesley Kimmel (Jimmy Kimmel's nephew), and Tig Notaro.

Debbie (Witherspoon) is getting ready to go to New York for a week to finish her degree and secure an accounting job. She plans to go alone and stay with her friend of 20 years, Peter (Kutcher), leaving her son, Jack (Kimmel), with a babysitter in LA. However, when the babysitter cancels, Debbie realizes she can't go to New York. That's when Peter decides to take care of Jack in LA, while Debbie goes to New York alone. They both encounter new and old friends in the city and find themselves and what's next in their lives.

This movie is like a classic romantic comedy. It follows the one-night stand to friends to lovers trope between Debbie and Peter. There are also simple character tropes between the characters. Debbie is a bubbly, sunshine girl and Peter is a businessman who has a troubled past. Alicia (Notaro) and Minka (Zoe Chao) are the friends both characters rely on to realize their feelings for one another. It's also a modern love story and talks about real topics like job security and co-parenting. Those topics are mostly related to Witherspoon's character, who plays a single mom in search of a practical job to provide for her son.

One feature I liked about the movie is the set design. Both characters' homes show their personality and the locations where some scenes were filmed are also really pretty. My favorite location in New York was the Manhattan Bridge and the neighborhood surrounding Peter's apartment. The locations in LA were mainly Debbie's house and Jack's school, so there wasn't a memorable location from LA. I guess most of the budget was spent in New York.

There are some loveable scenes in the movie between Jack and Peter. I don't want to spoil too much of the movie but, Peter helps Jack break out of his shell and routine. It feels like Jack is a very sheltered child and when Peter comes over, they both do things Debbie never allowed Jack to do, like watch tv while eating and before homework. Peter talks about his past to Jack to open him up, but the movie doesn't talk about Peter's past in a negative light. It addresses his past in a lighter, face-paced way. Maybe so it doesn't dull the movie about some really sad, truthful topics. Peter and Jack are honestly the highlight of this movie.

Your Place or Mine is a sweet valentine's day movie and one of the good Netflix rom-com movies. I loved Kutcher's character and the fun adventures he went on in LA. Another favorite Netflix rom-com of mine is Set it Up (2018). I enjoyed watching it for valentine's day.

Rating: 8/10

TV Series Review: Barry (2018 - , HBO)

Barry is a drama about a hitman becoming an actor in Los Angeles. It was first aired in 2018 and had two more seasons released in 2019 and 2022. The show stars Bill Hader as Barry (SNL, Inside Out, Trainwreck), Henry Winkler, Sarah Goldberg, Anthony Carrigan, and Stephen Root.

Season 1 of Barry starts off with getting to know the characters. Barry is assigned a job in Los Angeles for the Chechen Mob (Carrigan) to kill a man. While following his victim, he steps into an acting class and is forced to take part in the scene on stage. He meets Sally Reed (Goldberg) and the teacher, Mr. Cousineau (Winkler), and realizes that he enjoys LA. Barry spends most of the season trying to quit being a hitman and pursue the acting class full time.

Season 2 of Barry continues with Barry and the acting class. Barry has cut ties with his handler, Fuches, and is with Sally. This season focuses more on the relationships between Barry and the people in his life. (Sally, Hank, Mr. Cousineau, and Fuches) It also deals with the internal dilemma Barry is facing, is he evil?

Season 3 answers the question Barry faced in season 2. There was a 6-month break from the season 2 finale and season 3 premiere in the show. Barry is pushed off the deep end and tries to swim up to shore. His mental state this season is messed up and affects his relationship with Sally and Mr. Cousineau. Season 3 is a terrifying season that has no limits to how far Barry can go to sabotage himself and his loved ones.

The production of this show is phenomenal. I found it a little similar to Mr. Robot, with the foreshadowing, planning, and editing. But this show is fantastic. Everything circles back from past storylines and are constantly referenced. The story never started the season on a clean slate and instead, kept building on what was from the last season. And that's what I love about dramas and stories like these. Most dramas try to reference past storylines, but it only plays a small part in the big picture/season. Everything that Barry does, there's a consequence that comes back and hurts him.

The cast is also incredible on-screen. The emotional scenes they act on in class or in their characters' lives are so captivating, it feels like I'm in the room with them, trying to change their minds. (Because ALL of them make bad decisions) A personal favorite scene is in season 3, episode 2 "limonada", when Barry goes to Mr. Cousineau's house in and asks Mr. Cousineau if he loves him. That whole scene is horrifying to watch. We see the demise of Barry's mentality as he's hurting his loved one all for his own gratification.

Overall I recommend Barry. The show is easy to watch and easy to fall in love with. Each season has 8 episodes, 30 minutes each. You could get the whole show done in 12 hours. Or you can savor it. (Which I am encouraging you to do) I am excited to see season 4!

Rating: 10/10