Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

The broken heart to new love arc is generic, but constant pops (flashes? see Peter’s hilarious naked confrontation with Sarah) of goofy humour keep the film feeling fresh and engaging throughout, never taking itself too seriously (see the failed symbolic cliff jump). Other highlights include the CSI parody (Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime), Paul Rudd’s surf instructor (“Oh, the weather outside is weather”), and McBrayer’s nervous new husband constantly cursing the confounding human anatomy.

6

Frozen II (2019)

Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven leave Arendelle to travel to an ancient, autumn-bound forest of an enchanted land. They set out to find the origin of Elsa’s powers in order to save their kingdom. (IMDb)

Take the fact that I watched this with my 4-year old on her first trip to the cinema as a grain of salt with my assessment of both the film’s flaws and strengths: the plot’s hard to follow (thanks for the running commentary, dear daughter) but damn if it wasn’t just a magical experience (that look of awe on her face I’ll never forget). A beautifully animated tapestry of mysticism, memory, music, and humour with a great set of characters (see the surprising but appropriate resolve to Elsa’s arc).

8/10 (Great)

Frozen (2013)

When the newly crowned Queen Elsa accidentally uses her power to turn things into ice to curse her home in infinite winter, her sister, Anna, teams up with a mountain man, his playful reindeer, and a snowman to change the weather condition. (IMDb)

The real strength in this film is its subversive take on the typical princess story, as it is ultimately about a sister relationship and not a romantic one: e.g. the “act of true love” that saves one of the sisters’ life is not a kiss from a loving prince (as was supposed), but her own sacrificial act to save her sibling. Unfortunately, this refreshing plot goes by almost too quickly to really sink in, but it remains an enjoyable snowy journey punctuated by fun characters and great songs.

7.5/10 (Really Good)