Marxist Movie Reviews attempts to look at modern and classic films from the perspective of what they say about society and social conflict.The Plot: A former multi-millionaire (Melissa McCarthy) is indicted for insider trading, loses all of her money, and goes to prison. When she gets out, she tries to make a comeback selling girl scout cookies with her former assistant (Kristen Bell).
The Best Part(s): Melissa McCarthy’s performance
The best you can say about this movie is that Melissa McCarthy is a wonderful comic actor and can elevate even mediocre material into something halfway watchable. The rest of the cast just doesn’t match McCarthy’s charisma. There are some very talented people in supporting roles (Kristen Schaal, Peter Dinklage, Cedric Yarbrough) who simply cannot overcome a weak premise and script. Attempts at slapstick, parody, and cringe humor fall flat throughout the movie’s run time.
This is a film that doesn’t lend itself to deep analysis due to its shoddy construction. The film seems to have been written by people who don’t know how business actually works, which maybe says something about how hard it is for creative people to emulate “real life.” Since the movie’s protagonist is McCarthy, the message seems to be that the best way to reform a jackass Capitalist is to be even more of a jackass Capitalist and take as many along for the ride as possible, which I suspect is not the kind of message that would go over well in American society at this point in time.
Also, McCarthy needs to stop being in films with her husband Ben Falcone and Kathy Bates, who with each appearance in a McCarthy movie feel more and more like they’re just riding her coattails.
My Rating: 3 out of 10 (“Didn’t Like It”)
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