Tag: AngourieRice

Finding Emily

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

When Owen (Spike Fearn) meets Emily (Sadie Soverall) while on shift at one of the many university bars in Manchester, he believes he has found his dream girl. Realizing she gave him the wrong phone number, he sets out on the impossible task of finding her. But there are many Emilys who go to the same university and he has no idea how he’ll track her down. Enter Emily (Angourie Rice), an American psych major, who is writing her thesis on how love makes people do crazy things. She volunteers to help him thinking he’ll be a great addition to her case studies. Grateful for her act of kindness, Owen accepts, though he has no idea of her true intentions.

From the team behind Bridget Jones’s Diary and Love Actually, I knew from the very first time I saw the trailer that I needed to watch this movie. Romcoms are few and far between these days which is something I can never understand because they just make you feel so good. I’m pleased to report that this film exceeded my expectations in more ways than one. I loved everything about it!

Rice more than delivers as the titular Emily. While her character may be a morally grey one, she plays it well. The choices she makes are questionable at the best of times, but I have to admit that I understood where she was coming from. She stuck to her guns and knew when to admit she was wrong which I appreciated. Fearn was utterly charming as our unlikely Romeo. He wears his heart on his sleeve and will stop at nothing for love. This may not have always worked in his favor, but his gumption made it all worth it. Together their chemistry was real and genuine – it popped off the screen right from the first moment they met.

Though the film was initially supposed to be set in Los Angeles, I am glad that it was moved to Manchester. The north England vibes just added so much to the story. From the sprawling university grounds, to the student bars, and the local shops, I felt like I was transported to this time and place. The soundtrack was also filled with some brilliant bops that perfectly captured what was transpiring on screen.

The romance was spot on and the comedy delivered in spades. But the film also focused on consent in romantic relationships which is so important. We all know that Owen didn’t mean any harm when he set out to find Emily, but not everybody agreed with the choices he made. The way in which this was depicted was smart and topical. I’m glad they included it. I also did not expect the film to be so heartfelt. It dealt with some pretty serious themes such as grief, loss and rejection that were well handled too.

Finding Emily was probably the biggest surprise of the year for me so far. I had a feeling I would enjoy it, I just didn’t know how much. It left me smiling and feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. An instant classic for sure!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Mean Girls

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Is it 2004 or 2024 I had to wonder while watching this new adaptation of Mean Girls. Based on the musical that was based on the classic film, the story follows new student Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) as she is invited to hang out with the Plastics: Regina George (Renée Rapp), Karen Shetty (Avantika) and Gretchen Wieners (Bebe Wood). But when Cody falls for Aaron Samuels, (Christopher Briney) who just so happens to be Regina’s ex boyfriend, she finds herself in Regina’s crosshairs.

The 2004 version of Mean Girls is one of my all time favorite films. It is untouchable to me. I have seen it more times than I can count and I can recite the lines word for word. Did we really need an upgrade on something that was already perfect? I wasn’t sure, but I was willing to give it a chance.

I’m surprised that I enjoyed this as much as I did. Firstly, everyone could carry a tune which was much appreciated. This allowed for the musical numbers to be even more fun. They were big and colorful and one was completely different from the other.

Of course there were going to be some updates to the material, since the original came out twenty years ago. While some of these didn’t quite work for me and a few of the newer jokes failed to land, I still found myself laughing out loud. The Halloween scene in particular and Karen’s song Sexy were such a vibe.

The casting was also pretty good. I was not familiar with Rice prior to her taking on the role of Cady, but I felt like she did it justice. Her portrayal was reminiscent of Lindsay Lohan’s for sure. Rapp, Shetty and Wood were fabulous as the Plastics and Briney worked well as our lovable heartthrob. I did think that Auli’i Cravalho’s Janis and Jaquel Spivey’s Damien were the scene stealers though – I loved that they narrated us through the story.

While I didn’t initially think we needed an updated version of Mean Girls, I am glad that we got one. It’s a slightly new take on a beloved classic that will be able to reach a new generation of fans. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that!

Rating: ♥️♥️♥️.5

Senior Year

Published on by DanielaLeave a comment

Everyone knows Stephanie Conway (Angourie Rice). Popular, smart, head of the cheerleading squad and dating the hottest guy in school, she is a shoe in for Prom Queen. But when a cheerleading stunt goes terribly wrong at the school pep rally, she falls into a coma. Twenty years later, Steph (Rebel Wilson) wakes up to a whole new world. Believing she cannot move on with her life, she decides to go back to high school to claim that prom title once and for all.

Like many of the films Netflix puts out, my expectations are never very high. I had to learn that the hard way. Maybe that’s why I ended up liking Senior Year as much as I did. It was exactly the type of movie I needed to indulge in this weekend.

The best part of the whole thing was the soundtrack. I was immediately transported back to the early 2000s with all the songs I used to love listening to on repeat. Who else still remembers the lyrics to Sk8er Boi and Candy? Each scene was perfectly paired with a nostalgic throwback that, paired together with the timeless butterfly clips and bell bottoms, made my heart soar.

Another positive came about with the movie’s humor. Rebel Wilson is known for her comedic chops and this was no different. After discussing it with my husband, we decided that she is the female Ryan Reynolds as she tends to play herself, but that’s all part of her charm. Thanks to the rest of the cast, the laughs kept coming.

I had no idea there would be so many familiar faces here. Mary Holland as Steph’s best friend Martha was a great addition whereas Sam Richardson as Seth and Zoë Chao as Tiffany threw me back to when they starred in The After Party together. There was also heartthrob Justin Hartley who portrayed Steph’s ex boyfriend Blaine and Chris Parnell who starred as her dad Jim.

Senior Year is one of those movies where you know exactly what you are signing up for. You may also know how it is going to end. That still doesn’t stand in the way of you smiling, laughing and enjoying yourself anyway.

Rating: ♥♥♥