Stuber (2019) Movie Review

STUBER (2019) MOVIE REVIEW

Uber may just be the most useful app to be released in recent memory. The ability to create jobs and have access to fast transportation at the press of a button has helped millions of people across the world. Its honestly surprising a major spoof of the app has taken this long to be created, but director Micheal Dowse has stepped up to the plate and made a surprisingly entertaining story filled with action, love and breaking of the status quo.

Mild-mannered man Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) gets thrust into a night of action as his passenger Vic (Dave Bautista) turns out to be a detective following a lead on a killer he has been searching for months. Unfortunately Vic receives this lead on the same day he gets laser surgery, meaning he can't properly see for 24 hours. As a result of this handicap, Vic needs the help of his driver Stu to follow the clues and find his man before he skips town. While the overall concept has been delved into numerous times, the way the story is set up feels semi natural and gives a good reason for Vic to be more or less on the same level as Stu in terms of usefulness. Adding Uber to the mix makes this simple and overplayed story a little bit more interesting and results in some really creative and funny moments involving the share-ride app.

Kumali Nanjiani and Dave Bautista are your comedy pairing for the movie and do a great job at playing off each other brilliantly. Genuinely feeling like polar opposites, both Dave and Kumali show this numerous times throughout the story and actually have some emotional moments by illustrating their respective insecurities. Alongside the buddy pair we have Natalie Morales who plays Vic's daughter who does a good job however I feel her performance was aided by the script. Weirdly enough her character's dialogue had some of the more emotional lines which is fair given the fact her and Dave's character have a struggling father/daughter relationship which is handled well and is easy to sympathise with as we gradually understand what both Vic and Nicole are going through. Speaking of great writing, writer Tripper Clancy understood that the movie wasn't going to be taken seriously and opted to head more towards the absurd end of the spectrum by implementing self-referential humour early on like how an electric car can have a gas explosion for example. Many of the jokes are also related back to the whole Uber concept involving different features including the total billing cost Vic receives for the whole movie. Spoiler alert, its a big one. 

Overall Stuber is a movie that exists. Its not one you have to go see straight out of the gates but if you're looking for an easy and enjoyable watch, this is one for you. Aided by the chemistry between Kumali and Dave as well as the script by debut writer Tripper Clancy, Stuber ended up being an enjoyable time at the cinema that made me smile for 90 minutes. And in my books, that is what the sign of a good film truly is. 

OVERALL

6 / 10

Yesterday (2019) Movie Review

YESTERDAY (2019) MOVIE REVIEW

In this day of age where people are continually grasping at straws to come up with the next big idea, often an already established concept can be altered and become a success among casual movie goers. Award winning director Danny Boyle understood this in spades when creating Yesterday, the simple premise of creating a world where only one man knows that legendary band The Beatles ever existed. Despite the fact that in this universe, the band never formed in the first place. Add a love story between two friends and we have potentially 2019's biggest sleeper hit. 

Struggling musician Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) and her best friend and manager Ellie Appleton (Lily James) try to keep Jack's career alive as his career enters a downward spiral. However after getting struck by an oncoming bus moments following a worldwide blackout, Jack wakes up in the hospital and begins to suspect things are not what they used to be. This escalates much further as a conversation with his friends reveals that no one knows the existence of The Beatles and that none of their songs ever came to be. Now faced with a choice, Jack must question the morality of plagiarising songs that never existed all the while dealing with an underlining relationship with Ellie. A unique concept to say the least and is easily one of the film's biggest strengths and the reason many viewers came to watch. What would a world without such an influential group be like? Safe to say the idea is handled very well and is expanded upon by The Beatles not being the only thing not to exist anymore as shown through small gags. 

No matter how enthralling a concept is, the idea alone cannot carry a movie unless aided by the script and supporting cast. Himesh Patel plays Jack Malik who did a decent enough job with his role but felt more like a host for the audience to put their shoes in. The real standout in this film was Lily James as Ellie who stole the whole show with a heartfelt and genuine performance. This was no surprise for me as James has been one of my favourite actresses through her performances in Baby Driver (2017) and now Yesterday. Each actor and actress did a good or even great job and given the script they were faced with, its easy to see how. Richard Curtis, the screenplay writer who also did Love Actually and Four Weddings And A Funeral, managed to blend the comedy and romance elements from each respective film near perfectly which resulted in a film that felt like it never had to rely on the already unique and compelling scenario. Also Ed Sheeran is in this film and he..is an actor and actually does a much better job than anticipated. 

Overall Yesterday is exactly what I hoped for and more. Although far from a perfect movie, the movie succeeded in just about every aspect which in the end added up to one of the most heartfelt and charming films to come out in a long time. Even if you aren't the biggest fan of The Beatles, their music is just a plot device to keep the story rolling and interesting and if you are a fan, will add to the experience and enjoyment you will get from Yesterday.

OVERALL

7 / 10