Barney's Version (2010)

I confess to low expectations on this one, but I was totally wrong.  Not only is this a good romantic comedy, it is also a very funny commentary on growing older and relationships.

Paul Giamatti delivers another masterful performance.  Dustin Hoffman surprises with the opposite to his Foker's character.  Rosamund Pike is stunning and classy as the love interest.

Jake Hoffman does another great job even playing on the same cast as his father.  Lots of fun other faces too make this a great watch for everyone over the age of 30.

Great Canadian cinema.  I loved it.

Watch this movie with someone who has met the love of their life under less than ideal circumstances.

The Graduate (1967)

It was the late 60s and conformity was on the way out. Raging against 'the machine' was becoming very popular. Rebelling against parental expectations was at an all-time high. This movie is about all those things. Forget teen-angst, this movie is about 20-something angst.

Normally a movie where all the early main characters are totally self-absorbed and without redeeming values, is not a good movie. But Director Mike Nichols is a genius. he does not bring in the story's redeeming value character until late in the story. By then the fear and loathing are complete. The delightful doe-eyed character played by Katherine Ross is SO welcome by the time she is introduced, the movie is then worth finishing, and not a moment too soon.

This is an old movie and much has been said about it. All I want to add is that as hard as the first half of this movie is to watch, the payoff in the last few moments is worth it. Believe it or not, this a romance story. Boy get's girl, then boy gets girl's daughter. OH!

Dustin Hoffman appears in his first starring role here. Has he changed much? And who knew he was 14 years younger than Ross. Does not show up here on camera.

Watch this movie with someone very patient who also has a love for good movie making.

Last Chance Harvey

If you think this romantic comedy is for baby boomers only, please think again. This movie was recommended to me by my daughter. She said it was cute. I totally agree. But it is far more than that. It is a deep story about accepting change when it comes into your life.

While Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson may not be fireworks on screen, they are two great actors and they were very convincing in their roles. They played characters the audience can relate to and care about. No doubt there are times in all of our lives when we feel a bit like one of these people.

Other cast members come and go from this story, but from the very beginning it is about these two people who find themselves way outside their comfort levels and in a position to lose everything to gain want they want. In the end, everyone gets pretty much what they want. Even the nosy, bored, lonely, cancer-survivor mother of Thompson's character.

Watch this movie with someone who resists change at every turn.

Finding Neverland

Don't let the 7 Academy Award nominations distract you from the fact this this is a very good movie.

Director Marc Foster (Monster's Ball, Stranger Than Fiction, and The Kite Runner) has a short resume but look at the great choices he's made. Wow. Smart scripts. Great casts. Award-winning results.

Johnny Depp (Nightmare on Elm Street, Platoon, and What's Eating Gilbert Grape) is Sir J.M. Barre, author of stage plays and stories like Peter Pan. This story-of-a-story film is about the relationship he had with a family inspired him to write - stories like Peter Pan.

Kate Winslet (Sense and Sensibility, Titanic, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) is the 'other woman' in Sir Barre's life and the mother of the children who invent Peter Pan.

Film greats like Julie Christie and Dustin Hoffman support well in this project. This is not Hoffman's only Pan work (see Hook). And, while this is the second Pan-related movie on this site, it will almost certainly not be the last. Just because Pan Syndrome has never been recognized by the American Psychiatric Association does not mean it does not mean anything. Right? We all just exhibit it in different ways.

I would be guilty of serious dereliction of duty if I failed to mention Radha Mitchell (Man on Fire, and Mozart and the Whale) is so convincing in everything she does, we forget how young she is. Pure talent.

Watch this movie with someone knows how to tell good stories.

Hook

I am amazed at how many people I talk to who have never seen this movie. Talk about star power? Spielberg directs Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Phil Collins (yes, of Genesis), Maggie Smith (Prof. McGonagall for you Potter fans), and a very young Gwyneth Paltrow.

Even if you are not a fan of the Pan, you should see this movie just for the theatrical one-liners. There are several which, once they have entered your psyche, may remain part of your personal vernacular forever.

"I think I just had an apostrophe"

"Bad form"

"Your brains been junktified"

And so on. How many more will you adopt? Who knows.

If you do however love the Pan story and have not seen this movie, please see it before you grow up. Your path to grown-up status should be significantly corrected.

If it has been some time since you've seen it, get it and watch it with people you like to have fun with. Kids love this movie for the story and near constant action. Oh, and there is a great food fight. Adults who used to be kids love this movie for the reminders is sends.

We all age chronologically, that is a law of nature. There is no law however, that says we must extinguish the inner child. Let yours out for a little while and see this movie.