Romantic Comedies | The Ultimate Rabbit

‘Anora’ – Never a Dull or Unemotional Moment In It

So, I finally got to see Sean Baker’s “Anora,” the Palme d’Or and Best Picture winner, and I was fortunate enough to watch it at New Beverly Cinema in 35mm. It certainly has the look of a 1970’s cinematic classic even as it seems to be a familiar story of a woman who looks to be rescued from what many might consider a sordid existence. But when all is said and done, I could not take my eyes off the screen for a single second. Seriously, I always consider this to be quite the compliment.

We are introduced to Anora “Ani” Mikheeva (Mikey Madison), a 23-year-old stripper from Brighton Beach, New York during a montage which shows a line of sex workers giving customers lap dances. Her face sticks out immediately to where we are seeing an individual instead of just another worker, and things kick into high gear from there. We see Anora moving through the strip club like a real pro as she ingratiates herself to each and every customer with a strong likability, and she effortlessly encourages patrons to come with her to the nearby ATM to get some cash for a private VIP dance. She’s so convincing to where I have no doubt that the men are quick to forget the pesky ATM fee they pay when withdrawing their funds. What is now anyway, four dollars?

Then one night, Anora meets Ivan Zakharov (Mark Eydelshteyn), the son of a Russian oligarch whom she affectionally calls Vanya. They quickly find themselves spending a lot of time with one another as they travel out with friends to Las Vegas where they indulge in an endless party atmosphere, they are clearly not the least bit enthusiastic to see end. It’s an exhilarating sequence as it felt like we the audience was being drawn into the fun, and it culminates in Vanya proposing marriage to Anora, and it feels like things have nowhere else to go for them but up from there.

I initially found myself appreciating “Anora” as a comedy because my experiencing the infectious party atmosphere led to many hilarious moments, but I also felt a certain dread as I kept thinking the roof was going to fall down at some point. And when Ivan’s parents become aware of his recent marriage, and they send men over to his luxurious mansion (it has an elevator) to get Ivan’s act together and to have the marriage annulled.

It’s hard not to think of “Pretty Woman” while watching “Anora” as it has a similar plotline of a man welcoming a woman into a life of luxury which she has never seen up close before, but this is no Disney movie. As much as Anora is experiencing the highs life and privilege have to offer, I constantly sensed she was on the verge of experiencing some serious lows to where I felt a strong need to protect myself from the heartache I was convinced would eventually be heaped upon us all.

For the record, the only other Sean Baker film I have see to date is “Tangerine,” but like that one, “Anora” is filled with such wonderfully drawn characters who, in any other film, would have come across as caricatures in a lazily written screenplay. Just when I thought these characters would be ever so easy to figure out, they came to surprise me in wonderfully unexpected ways to where it is impossible for any of them to become one-dimensional. It also helps to have actors like Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan and Aleksei Serebryakov among so many others bring these characters to such vivid life.

But make no mistake, this is far and away Mikey Madison’s show. As much as I wanted Demi Moore to take home the Best Actress Oscar for “The Substance,” I can completely understand and appreciate why Madison took home the prize. She perfectly inhabits Anora as someone who is, above all else, a survivor. Throughout, Madison exhibits just about ever conceivable emotion Ani gets put through, and she also evokes a vulnerability that her innate toughness can never fully hide. Even if Ani is not always likable, you have to respect how she handles herself as she quickly reduces many around her to mere ashes.

Another performance worth singling out is Yura Borisov’s as Igor, a Russian henchman who, at first appearance, looks like he can beat the shit out of anyone dumb enough to cross his path. But Borisov shows there is more to him than meets the eye, particularly when he is quick to complement Ani after she punches him in the face. Even when he has no dialogue, the actor shows so much humanity for this particular henchman as he too has a vulnerability he cannot hide from those around him. And most importantly, Igor is the only one who dares to treat Ani as a person rather than a piece of meat as others are quick to label her as.

What I love most about “Anora” is how alive it feels. Baker and company have given us a motion picture which feels ever so lively to where nothing about it feels the least bit staged. Some will be quick to judge the title character for the line of the work she has chosen, but I found myself not willing to do so as this film left me completely enthralled throughout. It is a tremendous motion picture which takes the viewer on a journey they may not normally go on, It is no wonder to me why this film was so acclaimed as it invites your empathy to the characters in a very genuine way.

Whether or not I feel “Anora” deserved its Best Picture win at this year’s Academy Awards ceremony, I can quickly admit it deserves a place on my list of the ten best films of 2024. In a time where Hollywood is eager to continue long running franchises even if they have long overstayed their welcome, it is very reassuring to see a $6 million dollar defy the odds and make quite the impact in an immense cinematic landscape. While this film may not have the most original plot, it does take us through quite the emotional adventure, the kind which most audiences are not quick to appreciate in this day and age.

I am very eager to see this film again very soon, as experiencing the great tapestry of emotions made this cinematic experience all the more enthralling. Even though I know how things end in “Anora,” I still want to go through all those emotions again. Also, there is no forgetting Take That’s “Greatest Day” as reworked by Calum Scott and Robin Schulz.

* * * * out of * * * *

‘Heart Eyes’ – A Romantic Comedy Slasher Film Worth a Look

Posted on January 31 by The Ultimate Rabbit

“Heart Eyes” comes to us packaged as a horror comedy filled with blood, gore, creative kills, mystery and a pair of sexy leads, one of whom looks like he just stepped off the set of “Bridgerton.” Perhaps the filmmakers wanted to give February 14^th another horror classic as “My Bloody Valentine” may not have the same staying power these days have (assuming it ever did). As for “The St, Valentine’s Day Massacre,” that’s a gangster film not many have watched in a long time (and they probably should). Whatever the case, it is here and, judging from its gloriously bloody trailer, looks to be Valentine’s Day’s answer to Eli Roth’s “Thanksgiving.”

The masked serial killer of this film is called the Heart Eyes Killer, and he, his gender assumed, wreaks havoc on Valentine’s Day by killing couples who are madly in love. Clearly, the filmmakers have brought all the tools to the table as this killer has everything a growing serial killer needs; a machete, a simple knife, night vision, martial arts training, and if he doesn’t have any weapons on him at any given moment, he will be quick to make use of whatever automotive parts or kitchen tools available at his (again, I assume) disposal. The first kills come to represent how good this psycho is with their aim and viciously cold he is ending the existence of those unlucky to be in their way.

From there we head over to Seattle, Washington, home of the Space Needle. Ally (Olivia Holt) has a chance meeting with a “Bridgerton” looking dude named Jay (Mason Gooding) at a coffee shop where it turns out they like the same drink and the same amount of sugar and honey put in it. The chemistry is very palpable to where there is no denying this is love at first sight, but Ally is still recovering from a breakup from an ex who has quickly moved on to another love, and Jay is only in town for a day.

Well, it turns out they are to be co-workers on an advertising project which needs to be salvaged as Ally’s take on love is not the least bit appealing to her condescending boss who is given an inspired portrayal by Michaela Watkins. This leads to dinner, drinks, and an arrival at someone’s apartment. Unfortunately for them, the Heart Eyes Killer is waiting for them there, and they become the killer’s favorite target even though they are not exactly a couple.

In a lot of ways, “Heart Eyes” plays a but like a “Scream” movie as we spend our time trying to figure out who the killer is, and if there is more than one. All the while, we are treated to a film score by Jay Wadley which sounds like Marco Beltrami leftovers. But while I have been down this road many times before, I still enjoyed what this romantic comedy slasher flick had to offer as it held my attention throughout, and it never lost my attention throughout.

The beginning which features a couple getting engaged, and the man proposes in a rather gross way to put it mildly (watch it for yourself), and it quickly reminds us of how difficult it is to get a proposal just right. Those who are lucky enough to do so strive for perfection, and they should just be happy they didn’t get an arrow through the eye or get smashed in a compactor to where one of their eyes shoots out of its socket. This sets this film off to an inspired start to where I was curious to see where things would go from there.

As for the kills, they are as creative as one might expect for a slasher flick. A tire iron will never look the same, a machete cannot help but be a welcome sight even if it isn’t being wielded by Danny Trejo, and an arrow which ends up in the most painful, let alone fatal, spots of the human body. Just when you think you have everything, there is another which cuts much too close, and I don’t just mean to one’s private parts.

Oh yeah, there are also a pair of police detectives out to investigate and solve the crime, and they go by the last names of Hobbs and Shaw. The fact that one of them is played Jordana Brewster should help to clue the average viewer as to what franchise this is all referring to. For the more naïve ones, it might just refer to a drift, particularly from Tokyo.

What really holds “Heart Eyes” together the most is the irresistible chemistry between Holt and Gooding. Together, they power a film which might have easily come across as an average slasher flick, but instead works as a subversive answer to the regular romantic comedy.

As you may expect, the identity of the killer is eventually revealed, or is it really? I imagine there are some who will say, “I knew who it was all along,” but even those schmucks will be wondering if there is a second shooter on the grassy knoll. This all results in a number of inconsistences which tend to make for the worst plot holes of all, but I was having enough fun to where I lost any interest in examining just how big those holes were.

Director Josh Ruben and screenwriters Phillip Murphy, Christopher Landon and Michael Kennedy were intent on taking the kind of slasher flick we all grew up watching and mashing them together into something which is recognizable but still its own thing. When it comes to romantic comedies, I usually find myself running in the opposite direction from them like everyone else, but the scene in which Ally and Jay share their vulnerabilities with one another while hiding in a van at a drive in showing a film starring Cary Grant while the couple who own the van have loud and passionate sex in the rear proved to be moving enough to where if Elton John’s song “Someone Saved My Life Tonight” started playing in the background, I would have been totally cool with that.

It will be some time before critics, film buffs and horror movie addicts can proclaim “Heart Eyes” a horror classic for the ages. Some works age like a fine wine, and while this one is no classic, I like to believe people will come to appreciate it more in the future than upon its release. It is not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I found it to be a fun ride which is worth the price of admission.

And looking at the pattern of this serial killer’s victims, it makes me wonder what this film’s tagline could have been. I am thinking it could have been something like “it’s better to be single” or “just when you thought it was safe to get into a romantic relationship,” this one reminds you of the advantages of going into Valentine’s Day solo. Then again, mistaken identity, as it is shown to be here, is a real bitch.

* * * out of * * * *