Dubby’s dvdiscussion : Boy friends

Kathmandu:

My Mom’s New Boyfriend is testimony to the fact that there are just so many plots and no more. Someone who is counting said the total number of stories in the world was seven and then with permutations and combinations you got many more.

This doesn’t however mean to say that any or all of them are good and My Mom’s New Boyfriend has a groovy plotline but is a trifle obvious, but if you like Meg Ryan and Antonio Banderas, you will love the bawdiness of Boyfriend.

Says AT Hurley, “The premise is delicious: A young, by-the-book FBI agent (Colin Hanks) is assigned his new highest-profile assignment yet — spying on his own mother (Meg Ryan). My Mom’s New Boyfriend is a romantic comedy long on both romance and comedy, and gives Ryan her first film in a long time where she can take the laughs and run with them. Viewers will remember, with a grateful sigh, why she long reigned as the queen of American romantic comedy. Ryan plays Marty, devoted mum, who last saw her son, Henry (Hanks), three years ago when she was unhealthy, coarse, and overweight (looking like she might have borrowed Monica’s fat suit from Friends). When Henry returns home from his secret op, fiancée in tow (Selma Blair), Marty’s still coarse, but has become a babe with a healthy libido. (“Oh Henry, lighten up!” is Marty’s oft-repeated refrain.) Henry is horrified, but his girlfriend, Emily, is entranced. In fact, some of the film’s best chemistry is between these two gifted actresses, as they spark and feed off each other’s energy. When Marty takes up with the sultry Tommy (Antonio Banderas), Henry gets the ultimate ‘TMI’ assignment: spying on his mum and her honey, suspected in an art-theft ring. Hanks squirms convincingly, Banderas smoulders, and Ryan truly sparkles, giving her whacky side free rein. If the plot has a few potholes, it doesn’t matter, since the cast is so stellar and has such magnetism. By sheer determination and talent, the ensemble delivers laughs and poignancy, by turns.”

Available in Kathmandu is another bawdy burlesque movie called Naked Boys Singing, which is a review from an off-Broadway play going into its eighth year. The musical features 16 songs from the totally nude Tonight you finally get what you paid for to Perky little porn star which is truly funny. There are tender moments like from Window to Window but let me hand over to Ms Kathleen C Fennessy, “In the filmed version of Robert Schrock’s enduring revue, a 10-man troupe picks up where The Full Monty left off. First, they shed their clothes as they enter LA’s Hayworth Theatre. Once on stage, they start the party with the The Chorus Line-like come-on. Throughout the set, the diverse array of physically fit men wax poetic on topics ranging from nude housekeeping (Kevin Stea’s Naked Maid) to cultural traditions (Joe Souza’s The Bliss of Bris). A hint of wistfulness aside, like original cast member Vincent Zamora’s Window to Window, the vibe is light hearted and upbeat.”

It would be apt to end with Brianorndorf, “It’s important to note that most of these songs are performed completely in the buff, and that’s no small accomplishment. Even if one rejects the music on a purely personal taste level, there has to be a hefty amount of respect paid to the actors for their skills executing elaborate dance choreography while their bits and pieces sway two moves behind. The impressive physicality of the acting is only a small part of the experience, but a notable one.”