“Smile” Makes Sosie Shine, “Bros” Does Rom-Com Perfectly and “Hocus Pocus 2” Conjures Up Much of the Same
We have hit the time of year where the holidays start coming at us faster than a Kardashian’s bank account.
Toni Gonzales
We have hit the time of year where the holidays start coming at us faster than a Kardashian’s bank account. And while we can argue over the earlier than normal arrival of Christmas trees at Costco in September, we have to concede that October is the right time for horror films at the theater. Even though Halloween Ends is still a couple of weeks away, Hollywood has begun to let the scares flow.
It is with this genre that we begin this weeks “What to Watch.” We start with a movie that is not likely to make you smile, even if the title suggests otherwise.
“Smile”
For those of us who have been blessed with a wickedly good smile, we can tell you that it is a welcome sight to anyone on the other end of our pearly whites. This is certainly not the case for those in the new horror film Smile.
Dr. Rose Cotter (Sosie Bacon, Mare of Easttown) is a psychiatrist that works in the ER. Her job has made her used to seeing her fair share of deeply disturbed patients on the daily. That all changes when a young woman comes in frightened to her core by a spirit that has been following her. With no warning (or scary movie to cue the audience) the young woman takes her own life in front of the doctor while wearing a smile so wicked it would scare a seasoned priest.
This is where the strange occurrences begin for Dr. Cotter. What she will soon discover is that this is the latest in a string of traumatic suicides that goes back further than she imagined. Becoming more fragile and erratic, Rose does what she can to ensure no one sees a set of dimples again.
Does she succeed? Even though the story is more than predictable, I am not going to spoil it. What I will say is that Sosie Bacon (daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedwick) can turn on the terrified look quicker than the Reeses Cups will disappear from my house this Halloween. My theory is she has been confronted with people all her life raving about her sex-symbol dad. That thought would make any girl shudder.
“Hocus Pocus 2”
The Sanderson sisters have been conjured up again in this long awaited sequel. Hocus Pocus 2 sees Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy appear once again in the Salem of today thanks to another set of three young ladies. The child-hungry witches – complete with a fun-sized origin story in the beginning – begin working their magic upon the town.
Those of us who remember the first Hocus Pocus we know exactly what to expect from this sequel. That is to say, other than the advancement of special effects, not much has changed. The formula, story and even the wardrobe are the same.
New to the movie are Sam Richardson and Tony Hale (both of VEEP). They along with a super duper brief appearance from Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) make this a bit more enjoyable.
Hocus Pocus 2 is a product of Disney and if there is one thing the Mouse House does not like, it’s change. For parents, that is welcomed news for this family friendly film. While some fans of the original are taking to social media and trashing the movie, others are loving that they can share it with their kiddos.
“Bros”
If you don’t know by now that Bros is the first ever gay romcom flick starring an all gay cast ever to be distributed by a major studio yet, then we have to insist you stop trolling your ex’s social feed and rejoin society.
Billy Eichner (Billy on the Street) is a 40-year old podcaster in New York named Bobby Lieber. He wears his single-ness with pride and has zero-point-zero issues using apps to get his. He comes across Aaron (Luke McFarlane) who saunters into his social circle one night at a club. The two opposites are drawn together in one of the funniest films dripping in pop culture references to be released this decade.
Bros is as advertised, a gay romantic comedy. As such you can expect ridiculously witty one-liners, an intimate love scene and a look into what it is really like to be gay. Not the sit-com gay that delivers a passive agressive insult along with a physical trademark kind of gay. The kind that we are surrounded by in our communities everyday. The kind that are vulnerable and shy. The ones that are confident and unapologetic. You know, the human ones. That is the biggest takeaway from Bros. Well, the humor is the biggest, but humanity is a close second. Why it took this long is beyond this critic.
Bros is in theaters now
Rated R, 1h 55m