Before We Go & The Music Man
At last week's Oscars ceremony, only a couple moments truly stood the test of time: Spike Lee's exuberant win, followed by his annoyance with Green Book, Regina King's touching speech and tribute to her mom, the fact that Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper are obviously in love and Chris Evans gallantly offering an arm to Regina King as she went onstage to accept her award.
Let's break it down. He only gets up when he sees she got caught in her dress, adorably offers her his arm, keeps one hand on his chest and then gets the hell out of the way so she can accept her Oscar. As I was reflecting on the work of Chris Evans (who regularly takes to Twitter to post about his dog, his fascination with space and his disgust at the President), I realized I've never written about his directorial debut, Before We Go, which I've rewatched many times. Released in 2014, Chris Evans directed and starred in this indie romantic drama, which takes place all in one night in New York City. It's a really beautiful look at two people whose lives intersect for a moment, the impact it can have on you and the beauty of opening up to someone you don't really know. Evans stars opposite Alice Eve, who plays Brooke, an art broker who misses the last train to Boston and is stuck in NYC with no money and a dead cell phone. She meets Nick (Evans), while he's playing the trumpet in Grand Central Station, looking for inspiration before a big audition. Let's skip over the fact that it makes no sense that Nick would suddenly drop everything to insist on helping Brooke find a way to Boston or the fact that if a man came up to a woman in NYC offering to help her, she'd be instantly suspicious (Brooke is, but she gets over it pretty quickly). Brooke desperately needs to get back to Boston before her husband does, so she and Nick go on an adventure to try and gather enough cash for an alternate mode of transportation. Throughout the film, Brooke slowly opens up about why she needs to get back so quickly, and Nick admits he's avoiding a party he's supposed to attend that night so he doesn't run into his ex. Both guarded at first, these two unlikely friends open up to each other throughout the night, become close and help each other confront their fears. The film avoids falling victim to romcom cliches, while still managing to have a satisfying ending for both characters. It's a really sweet (albeit slightly cheesy) film, shot for 19 days in December in Manhattan, and Evans succeeds at giving the film an intimate feeling, even in a big city. If you're looking for a Chris Evans-fix before the next Avengers hits theaters, you can watch Before We Go on Netflix.
As Seen on Screen
Last weekend, I sat down for the first time in many years to revisit the 1962 movie-version of The Music Man. After telling my boyfriend how spectacular the production is and what an impressive performance Robert Preston gives in the leading role, moments before we sat down, I realized I hadn't seen the movie since I was a child and might have a rose-colored glasses version of the events. The Music Man was the movie I watched when I was sick. It was the first musical (besides Disney ones) that I remember really connecting with. My whole family loved it and made a pit stop in Mason City, Iowa (aka the real-life River City) on a family road trip. And it sparked a love of theater that still exists today. As the opening credits began and the overture started, I settled into the classic tunes and old-fashioned train set and fell back in love. Robert Preston's performance in the leading role was just as spellbinding as I remembered, from his distinctive "weeeellll, ya got trouble my friends" to his attempts to woo Marian in the library to the romantic 'Till There Was You. As I did some reading about the history of the movie, I discovered that the film studio did not want Robert Preston, who originated the role of Harold Hill on Broadway, to reprise the part in the film, instead wanting to move forward with Frank Sinatra in the leading role. Meredith Wilson put his foot down and said he would no longer give them the rights to the show, if Preston wasn't in the starring role. Because he's a what? He's a what? He's a what? He's literally THE Music Man. The cast is filled with many other standouts, including the delightful Shirley Jones as Marian, Hermione Gingold as Mrs. Shinn and Buddy Hackett as Marcellus. While some might critique the show's music, I've always been a huge fan of most of the songs, even Shipoopi! The movie maintains the intimate feeling of watching actors onstage, which isn't always easy to do in a musical, and might be because the film was also directed and produced by Morton DaCosta, who helmed the Broadway production. Make it a double feature and watch the 1962 and 2003 film versions back to back and then march through the rest of your day while humming the Minuet in G, or more likely, Seventy-Six Trombones.
Bonus Pick: You can read a little bit more about Shirley Jones' experience filming the movie in this interview series, where she discusses working with Robert Preston, the rehearsal process for the film and her love of The Sound of Music.
Haven't You Heard?
It's rare that I'm awake at 11:30 p.m. on the weekend to actually watch Saturday Night Live, live, but for John Mulaney I make exceptions. After sipping a giant mug of chamomile tea, which will sometimes instantly put me into a pre-slumber daze, I managed to rally and make it all the way through the Weekend Update. While we didn't get an appearance from Stefon, we did get one of the best opening monologues in recent memory. John Mulaney delivered a standout, standup set, pivoting from religion to subway announcements to hilarious impressions of police car sirens. If you're looking for more, you can continue your Mulaney fix by watching his latest comedy special, Kid Gorgeous, on Netflix. I finally got around to watching it a few months back and was laughing out loud during many of his stories, highlights include when he talks about going to church as a child, working with Mick Jagger at SNL and the terrifying Street Smarts! talk that Detective J.J. Bittenbinder gave Mulaney as an elementary school student. Netflix is the spot to continue back in time on Mulaney's comedy tour. You can watch his other specials, The Comeback Kid and New in Town, as well as a recording of his Broadway show, Oh, Hello.
Required Reading
Over the last few weeks, I've been binging Schitt's Creek on Netflix. The Canadian sitcom tells the story of the Rose family. When they lose their fortune, they are forced to move to the town Schitt's Creek, a town that they bought as a joke years ago. Created by Eugene Levy and his son Daniel, the show is full of sarcasm, wit and love. GQ published an excellent profile of Daniel Levy, who is the true standout of the series, to discuss his creative process, his journey to to the show, the positive feedback he's received for the portrayal of queer relationships in the series, the loving atmosphere he encourages on set and his relationship with his father. Read it and then start binging!
