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Two Quickie Reviews - Kill The Messenger & The Lunchbox

Kill the Messenger was one of those odd Hollywood films that flew under the radar despite having an all-star cast. It seems as though there is a name actor in each and every role and in a way, this makes and breaks the film. You keep waiting for more depth, but it never really materializes. The film is so well acted and scripted in the first 90 minutes, you're completely blindsided when the movie just fades, resorting to postscripts to explain what happens. It's a huge letdown for a movie that showed constant promise. The very fact this is a true story, with an absolutely incredibly hard to believe ending makes the movie an overall failure, despite Renner's magnificent job.

Romantic Comedies are a tough nut to crack. As a man, who doesn't seek them out, it's refreshing when one strips away the macho bullshit and goes right to the heart of what we all want from a relationship and that is to be appreciated. Being loved, even worshiped, gets old pretty fast, but appreciation is the key. In The Lunchbox, an Indian Film from 2013 that actually received a Best Foreign Film nomination from the BAFTAs, we are given two people who are in need of attention. One is a married young mother, who is trying to make her husband happy, but also just feel like she matters. The other is a soon-to-be retired claims adjuster, who misses his dead wife and has become detached from the outside world. He doesn't want friends and he doesn't want to be bothered. The movie is all abouta mistake that leads a chance "encounter." To explain it further, would give away too much of the film, but trust me when I tell you, it isn't what you'd expect. It doesn't tug at the heartstrings or follow a formula, but it shows you the importance of what you do and how you do it. And it always matters.


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