BY CHRISTOPHER STAMM
GUEST movie REVIEWER
Here Today (Showing in Theatres)
Rated PG-13 – For off-color comedy and strong language.
Well, friends I seem to be on a roll lately. This is the second week in a row I have a film that I simply cannot rave about enough.
Here Today is what good filmmaking is all about: great writing, relatable characters, excellent direction. When all these elements come together in perfect balance, you get a film like this one.
Charlie Burnz (brilliantly played by Billy Crystal who is performing triple duty on this one as director, writer, and star) is an award winning comedy writer of film, television, and theatre who, like so many, had chosen to give up much to achieve his success and is now dealing with the cost of that choice.
Emma Payge (Tiffany Hadish performing her part perfectly) is a funny, kind musician who ends up on a lunch date with Charlie as an act of revenge. (The reasons behind this are actually funnier than you might think.)
As always, I will refrain from giving away too much information on the film itself, but this I will say. Here Today is a beautiful, funny film with a ton of heart. Throughout this film, you will laugh out loud and then cry softly as you watch the genuine feeling come from the rock solid performances from the film’s two leads.
Here Today deals with some very real issues that are faced by our friends, neighbors, and loved ones every day, and does so with genuine feeling and style. Funny, touching, and sad all at once – just like life can actually be at times.
Here Today gets five out of five stars from me, and I predict we will hear about it again during the next Academy Awards, if there is one, although after the ratings for the last one, that is not guaranteed. I mean did you see that train-wreck? Good grief.