What I’m watching: a superb thriller and a well crafted comedy

Date: 12/3/2019

What I’m watching: a superb thriller and a well-crafted comedy and character study. 

In theaters: The Good Liar

Director Bill Condon has had a very interesting career: from being a screenwriter for some wildly diverse films – from “Strange Invaders” to “Dreamgirls – as well as directing some fascinating films.

He has shown his ability to bring musicals to the screen – “Beauty and the Beast,” “Dreamgirls” and “The Greatest Showman” – as well as two of the “Twilight” movies and some great dramas. I loved his “God and Monsters,” a biographical films about director James Whale and “Mr. Holmes” his take on a retired Sherlock Holmes.

And now I love his latest film “The Good Liar.”

The film, based on the novel of the same title, presents us with Roy (Ian McKellen) a predator con man who uses an online dating service to find older women who are seeking companionship in the year 2009. Roy finds a likely target, Betty, (Helen Mirren) and wastes little time meeting her.

Betty is a retired instructor who taught at Oxford University. She is retired to a senior community outside of London and only has one grandson. She and Roy hit it off very well, much to the grandson’s concern.

When Roy shows her a check for 20,000 pounds – a “windfall” from his investment strategy – she is interested to learn how she can participate. Roy thinks he has securely hooked her, but that may not be the case.

This film presents two very accomplished lead performers in a story with twists, turns and surprises. I won’t spoil them for you.

For people who yearn for truly adult fare in movies today, “The Good Liar” satisfies. Mirren and McKellen create fascinating characters and Condon knows how to build suspense and to allow actors to build their characterizations.

Seek this one out.

On Hulu: Booksmart

I had wanted to see this film in theaters and it slipped through too quickly for me to act. It is currently being featured on Hulu.

There are plenty of movies that have presented stories with young people facing the end of their high schools years, but I can’t remember one that featured female characters as strongly and sharply as this one.

Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein) are best friends and over-achievers who have worked in their four years of high school to be ready for the next step: college. They have looked down at their classmates for being frivolous but have been secretly envious.

The urge to be part of the class manifests itself the night before graduation when the two girls decide to go to the most sought-after party hosted by the boy with whom Molly has a secret crush. Amy has a crush on a female classmate who will also be attending the party.

The challenge is that neither girl has any clue where this party is located.

The film depicts both a physical journey as well as an emotional one. First time director Olivia Wilde does a great job with this comedy-drama. The performances from the two young leads are impressive. They create two young people who are instantly recognizable and sympathetic.

There are four very funny adults in the film, played by Jessica Williams, Lisa Kudrow, Will Forte and Jason Sudeikis, who illustrate that navigating life is just as difficult for an adult as it is for a teenager.

Funny, poignant and sharp, I truly enjoyed “Booksmart.”