The joyful return of Thor and a cleaning cringefest
Thor: Love and Thunder Cert: 15 | How to Please a Woman
IN 2017, Taika Waititi (What We Do In The Shadows, Flight of the Conchords, Jojo Rabbit) delivered one of the funniest and best loved films yet in the MCU (“Marvel comic universe”): the hilarious Thor: Ragnarok. The film was not only a resounding triumph for the Jewish writer-director and his signature absurdist comedy, but it also went on to become one of the franchise’s most lucrative offerings yet, amassing an $854m worldwide.
Waititi and Thor star Chris Hemsworth are now back with a second helping of much of the same in Thor: Love and Thunder. This time Hemsworth is joined by Jewish American actor Natalie Portman while Tessa Thompson reprises her Valkyrie role. Elsewhere, Christian Bale makes his triumphant MCU debut as the villain du jour, while Russell Crowe puts in a comedic turn as a petulant Zeus.
Following the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Thor tries to find inner peace, but is forced to return to action, recruiting Valkyrie, his old friend Korg and former love Jane Foster/Mighty Thor (Portman, brilliant) in the process. Thor and his friends must do all they can to stop Gorr the God Butcher (Bale) from eliminating all the gods from the universe to avenge the death of his own child.
Waikiki et al deliver another classic adventure full of high octane action set pieces and silly antics. Having said that, there is a lot about this second instalment that just feels a little too samey, and more
CERT: 15 |
IN RENEE Webster’s quirky Aussie comedy, British actor Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’s Diary, Veep) stars as a middle aged woman who feels she has become invisible. Written by Webster, the film also stars Erik Thomson (Somersault, The Furnace), Caroline Brazier and Alexander England (Alien: Covenant). It will make its UK debut on Sky movies this weekend.
Gina (Phillips) is shocked when, for her 50th birthday, she is gifted a sex male worker (England) by her group of her female friends, partly as a joke and patly to help elevate her mood. At first shocked and appalled by the gift, unhappily married Gina rejects the young man’s advances but implores him to clean her house instead. than a little disjoined. While the Later, Gina laughs and gags keep on coming, realises there is also a distinct lack of direction that her in the storyline which sadly new friend cannot be ignored. works at a
Elevated by an electrifyingly removals campy rock soundtrack and by a business she hilariously playful casting choices, was involved Thor: Love and Thunder is reminiscent with liquidating. of earlier MCU offerings and plays mostly on the nostalgia it is After being likely to provide for millions of Marvel unceremoniously fans around the world. Having let go said that, it doesn’t feel like it has from her job anything new to add to the franchise, and replaced by aside from revisiting some a younger woman, much loved characters. Gina starts a new
While there is very little doubt business in the that this second instalment will go hope of fulfilling on to make just as much at the box her dreams of office as its predecessor, if not more, autonomy. She it does however feel as though the later hires the franchise as a whole has lost its entire male shine and originality. team from the aforementioned removal company and employs them as sexy cleaners. Gina’s life is soon turned upside down by her new job and a new possible love interest. Often contrived and more than a little far-fetched, Webster’s film is sure to make any ageing woman’s cringe glands flare up throughout its excruciating 90 monutes of pseudo-feminist claptrap.
While the recent Good Luck To You Leo Grande made some pertinent points about female sexual desire and the importance of exploring the idea of sex after 50 further, How To Please a Woman is in contrast contrived, reductive in its ideas and more than a little dated.
Still, there are some half decent performances here and Webster’s direction is faultless throughout. It just feels rather strange to have such a cliché-ridden screenplay in a world in which, as Leo Grande proved, there is so much more to consider about the nees and desires of older women. Sadly, this film was truly a missed opportunity.