Week in Review: What I Missed in the Theater

Life is hectic and at times there are movies I’d like to see are only in the local theater such a short time that I never make it there to see them. Now that Netflix and I are such good friends, I’ve been able to watch a few films I wanted to see, but never got the chance to.

Did You Hear About the Morgans? – Similar in vein to the Tim Allen movie, For Richer for Poorer, this film finds Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker as a nearly divorced couple who are thrown back together and sent to the country where they find perhaps they are still in love after all. I’ve been a Hugh Grant film for quite some time, so seeing he alone would have made the film, but I also really enjoyed the performances given by Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen. Overall it was a satisfying comedy-romance and one that I wouldn’t mind watching again.

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work – This is rated R and there is good reason. Joan’s language and comedic material is quite raw, but the look inside this icon’s life was compelling, so I just learned to quickly mute the screen when it was obvious Joan was on stage. The year prior to her win on Celebrity Apprentice did not look good career-wise for Joan. Used to being booked for multiple shows each day, she suddenly found herself with an empty calendar, and the bareness was driving her insane. The documentary follows Joan and her staff as they go through the process of finding bookings, firing her longtime manager, and her eventual win on Celebrity Apprentice, which kick starts her career into yet another successful run for the seventy-five year old classic performer known as Joan Rivers.

The Way We Were – Okay, this one is a revisit to an old favorite. I saw the Barbra Streisand interview on Oprah where Robert Redford joined them and wanted to rewatch this film. But who knows where my VHS copy disappeared and I didn’t want to rebuy it on DVD when it becomes available, so I discovered that Netflix had free streaming for it until January 1st. So, I’m taking a break now from writing these blog messages to go down memory lane and watch one of my favorite romantic movies of all time.