Judd’s Sick surprise (and there’s no Rogen joshing)
Normally, a new Judd Apatow film would be one of the highlights of the summer, but when it comes to his latest, The Big Sick (15A) I’m not so sure. For a start, he’s only acting as producer (Michael Showalter directs) and second, it has few of the attributes one usually associates with Apatow. It’s not rude, crude or up to its elbows in recreational drugs. And there’s no Seth Rogen. So, all in all, something of a surprise.
It’s the story of Kumail (an American of Pakistani origin) who meets Emily (Zoe Kazan) in Chicago, but there are problems – his family would like him to have a traditional arranged marriage and keep introducing him to suitably vetted Pakistani women.
But just when you think this might be a comedy about romance versus tradition or West v East, Emily suddenly becomes terribly ill and is placed in a medically induced coma.
Kumail is played by Kumail Nanjiani, who co-wrote the screenplay with his wife Emily Gordon, drawing on their own story. And maybe that’s why the film doesn’t totally fly – there’s too much real life to fit in, with Emily’s illness robbing the film of Kazan’s energy and likeable presence and leaving Nanjiani to carry it alone. Which is a big ask for someone who isn’t a household name.
Now, if you’d told me Girls Trip (16) was the new Apatow film I would have believed you. It’s rude and crude to a degree that defies description in a family newspaper. But it is very funny at times, has an infectious energy and – Hidden Figures apart – is still that rarity: a film led by an all-black, allfemale cast. Regina Hall plays Ryan, the most successful of a college-based gang known as the Flossy Posse. They’ve drifted apart over the years but Ryan wants to get the girls back together before it’s too late. That’s why she, gossip journalist Sasha (Queen Latifah), uptight mum Lisa (Jada Pinkett Smith) and the indescribable Dina (Tiffany Haddish) are all heading to New Orleans for something called the Essence Festival, a celebration of black-American womanhood.
It will be way too much for some, but does have a heart, ends on a nice note and you certainly won’t forget the totally un-embarrassable Haddish in a hurry.
The Wall (15A) HH is one of those low-budget, single-location films that would be a lot better if it had turned out to have been made by a brilliant young film student or a director at the start of a dazzling career. But instead it’s been made by Doug Liman, who’s been making films – including The Bourne Identity and Edge Of Tomorrow – for almost 25 years.
Set in Iraq in 2007, it’s the story of two American soldiers – a sniper (John Cena) and his spotter (Aaron TaylorJohnson) – who are outsmarted by an Iraqi sniper they can’t see.
One is soon gravely wounded, while the other scrambles for cover behind an already badly damaged wall. And then his radio crackles into life and the mind games begin…
It feels more like a festival-pleaser than a commercial release and it’s not as clever, or as metaphorical, as it thinks it is.