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Weekend Box Office Top Films of 2002 (Special)
by Lee Tistaert


8. About a Boy

How much better can you get than Hugh Grant playing an a**hole?

Let’s clarify that that’s in the comedic sense, as the British comedian has a tremendous talent of being an absolute jerk (in roles) yet one of the most enjoyable on-screen character actors working today. About a Boy would very presumably not work at all if the main lead character was not someone at the level of Hugh Grant. The movie calls for someone who can be really ignorant and loveable at the same time. You can’t just cast anybody in that role, as not every actor would be able to make it convincing. If it were poorly cast, the film would not work because the viewer needs to love the guy. Hugh Grant, as always, controls the role where he is allowed to apply all his usual charms while still being an absolute prick.

Chris and Paul Weitz, who wrote and directed the film, have backed the comedian up with a well-written script with heart, soul, a lot of laughs, and well crafted characters. Unlike many of the productions listed so far, About a Boy is the movie to walk into for entertainment. It’s very funny, can be very touching, but most of all, it’s really well put together at the same time as being really pleasurable. It’s not always easy to blend pure entertainment with pure quality, as most films of this genre are more so aimed to make you walk out happy and forget that you saw them two weeks later.

About a Boy can stick around the mind for a while due to its very fine acting, a witty and clever script, and two directors who comprehend the language of comedy. In the end, it may carry along a few virtues from themes in films that have come before it, but it does more than serve an hour and a half of laughs, and for that About a Boy is something special.

9. The Good Girl

Written by Mike White, who scribed the intelligent teen flick, Orange County, the darkly humorous Chuck & Buck, along with the underrated Dead Man on Campus, The Good Girl is one of those movies that (for the most part) is the way it is because of the writing. White has created these characters within the page as if they’re living creatures. They have their lifestyles, they have their personalities, they have their flaws, and we all see this due to the script diving into their minds. The movie itself is really more of a character study film, as it centers its attention on the people on-screen and lets the viewer analyze and interpret them. Director Miguel Arteta has conveyed the hellhole that these people live in (or so some of them believe) in the ways (of the perfection) of the monotonous acting, the tired and boring atmosphere that is brought on by the cinematography, and the music, which can be a little depressing but fits right in the show.

The Good Girl is ultimately a rather small production like 25th Hour, but it is also a lot more depressing than many of the films listed so far. It’s depressing in that the people we watch are just a small picture of what life is really like for so many others like them. It’s a boring lifestyle that these characters live for themselves, but it’s the road that they’ve taken. The movie has some really terrific offbeat humor that is thrown in at the right spots, which makes the film a partially dark comedy. But all the ingredients are there, and the script is rolling with detail. The Good Girl is an example of a really great script handled beautifully by the director.

10. About Schmidt

Coming from the co-writer and director of Election, I had a level of expectation for About Schmidt that was pretty well covered in the long run. I loved Election with its very detailed character analysis, the humor, the acting, and the story as well. About Schmidt is much of the same, as it combines outstanding talent with an excellent screenplay, along with humor and a story that is very honest and sincere. In the end, I only had two real complaints about the movie and they were substantial enough to downgrade the film from a straight "A" rating. Outside of those two factors, this movie really had me into the story every step of the way.

The cinematography, while not as superior as Road to Perdition’s, is excellent and really nails the tone of the film. There are bits and pieces to Schmidt that are consisted of camera shots aided by background music, but these spots can have meaning depending on your current state-of-mind and involvement with the themes at play. It’s a movie that really depends on your approval of what’s taken place thus far in the story. If you’re not drawn in and engaged from the beginning, there may be problems for some folks in connection. About Schmidt is for mature moviegoers who are willing to watch a movie, invest care and sympathy, and think.

There are quite a few movies of Jack Nicholson’s that I’ve never seen, but from what I’ve heard from others who’ve seen this film, when I say this is his best work yet it could be accurate. There are some film concepts that come crawling along where the main lead is already destined to be someone in particular. There are films where really, producers/directors and even audience members can only see one man/woman pulling off the job. One upcoming example is Bruce Almighty, as I don’t have any other actor in my mind that I think would pull off more of a fun God-character than Jim Carrey.

About Schmidt tags along storytelling methods introduced back in Election, but the story and ambitions are different and new. The acting is more refined here, in my opinion, and the subject matter is a lot more brutal and less friendly, yet the messages and themes that come out of it are very bright and inspirational. It’s sort of a semi-depressing film that can even make you walk out happy all depending on your view of the story all the way through, and the impact of the concluding scene. It’s a very powerful film that is more realistically honest than many inspire-flicks that have come before it. It’s really an indirect inspirational story, as it’s either going to hit you or it may not. But if the ending scene/ending shot doesn’t produce any emotional feeling from you whatsoever, you might want to check your pulse.

Further rankings and a list of all 2002's movie ratings will be added on soon.


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