Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/678114
MAY 11-17, 2016 UCW 19 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM I like Kristen Bell and I want good things for her. But when she chooses confusing projects like The Boss (99 minutes) I have to wonder what is going through her head. The film is not without its redeeming qualities. There are laughs, even if they are a little hard to get to through the sexual assaults and paper-thin plot. I am guessing Melissa McCarthy pitched this as a female-driven comedy in the vein of Bridesmaids. It's not. The film opens on Michelle Darnell (McCarthy) appropriating black culture in an endlessly subpar scene that culminates with me realizing that she is going to wear fugly turtlenecks, Spanx and heavy make-up for the entire film in an attempt to conceal her weight. Maybe it's me, but I think she's funni- er (as are most women) when she is not using half her brain power to minimize the space she takes up in the world. This early in the movie I had hopes that towards the halfway point she was going to begin her character arc by ditching the Martha Stewart costume and going for something a little more relaxed, but nope. With the end of the cringeworthy step show, her assistant Claire (Bell) has a char- acter establishing conversation in which the guy from Reno 9-1-1 (Cedric Yarbrough), um, stands there and says things. He does this for a long time. He has no reason to be in the movie, really. Probably, somebody yelled at the writers until they put a man in the scene (see also Tyler Labine). Next, Michelle's ex-boyfriend Ronald/Renault (Peter Dinklage) shouts things at Michelle across the rooftop, and she accidently admits to some insider trading. Because she is intelligent enough to be a billionaire and command a high fee for speaking engagements while also running her own company, but when her ex-boyfriend is around she turns into an idiot. We're not even 15 minutes in, but at this point I could power a small city with the energy I am generating from my rolling eyes. The next day Michelle is arrested for insider trading and she gets her obligatory montage of motivation, in which it is revealed that despite being raised by nun Margo Martindale (secret Russian ninja spy) she is full of angst from a disappointing child- hood, which no one else has ever had and so we could not possibly expect her to have dealt with it gracefully. Then she is arrested and ends up in resort jail where she plays tennis. Because jokes about how the system treats rich white collar criminals are so very fresh and new. A few months later, Michelle is released. She has no money, no friends and no plans, because shut up that's how it works. Instead of accessing the funds she had hidden away in an offshore account, she goes to see her ex-assistant who has no resources or reason to help her and crashes at her place because (page missing from script). Claire has a plucky daughter (Ella Anderson) and gorgeous flowing locks of spun gold that I would sell my husband's kidney to possess. Claire has a brownie recipe that is completely unlike any other brownie recipe except that, really, it's just a brownie recipe. There are lots of them and they all taste basically the same. Maybe she puts drugs in hers? It is about this time that I realize the movie is basically a remake of Troop Beverly Hills. There are feuding girl scout troops who take selling overpriced boxed deserts really seriously, and Shelly Long's character was divided into the materialistic half (McCarthy) and the mom with great hair (Bell). While all this was going on, Tyler Labine was standing on set wait- ing for the perfect moment to step in front of Claire and become her love interest because…huh. That's funny. The script just says, the single mother needs a man and should throw her arms around the closest one. Now playing at Patriot 14 + IMAX. The Boss The Boss (Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. Fayetteville's CONCERT CONNECTION ANSTEAD'S TOBACCO CO. 320 N McPherson Church Road • 864-5705 May 21 Blackwater Jazz Trio BIG HARRY'S 3030 Fort Bragg Road • 484-9842 May 14 Bob Steele Band May 21 Khaos May 28 River Road HUSKE HARDWARE HOUSE 405 Hay Street • 437-9905 www.huskehardware.com May 13 Tommy King May 14 Tommy King KICK BACK JACKS 5081 Morganton Road. • 223-7676 Friday Live Music LUIGI'S 528 N McPherson Church Road. • 864-1810 www.luigisnc.com May 13 Chemical Lizards May 14 TJ Johnson May 20 Two Bald Guys Dueling Piano Show May 21 Jason Taylor THE CROWN COMPLEX 1960 Coliseum Drive. • 438-4100 www.crowncomplexnc.com May 20 Jeezy and Kevin Gates July 15 I love the 90s August 17 Boz Skaggs ROCK SHOP 128 S. King St. • 321-ROCK www.therockshoplive.com May 13 OTEP May 15 Pe May 18 Daniel Nickels Christian Albums • WCLN 107.3 Christian Listening Network • Visit us online at www.christian107.com 1 DANNY GOKEY Tell Your Heart To Beat Again 2 LAUREN DAIGLE Trust In You 3 WE ARE MESSENGERS Everything Comes Alive 4 CHRIS TOMLIN Good Good Father 5 7EVENTH TIME DOWN God Is On The Move 6 HAWK NELSON Diamonds 7 FRANCESCA BATTISTELLI If We're Honest 8 PHIL WICKHAM Your Love Awakens Me 9 CITIZEN WAY When I'm With You 10 FOR KING & COUNTRY It's Not Over Yet