SYNOPSIS: Based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name, “The Unbreakable Boy,” a new family drama now playing on theatres, is the true story of how Austin LeRette, a boy born with autism and Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, transforms his parent’s world. “I wish I could enjoy anything as much as my son enjoys everything.”
CAST: Zachary Levi, Meghann Fahy, Jacob Laval, Drew Powell, Patricia Heaton. Directed by Jon Gunn.
REVIEW: At one point in “An Unbreakable Boy” Austin’s younger brother Logan (Gavin Warren) accuses a schoolmate of being “a cliché,” but he could be talking about any of the movie’s characters.
Given Austin’s various conditions the story is somewhat unique, but the situations surrounding the character are not. It feels like a series of platitudes cobbled together to garner maximum emotional impact as it winds its way to a feel good, happy ending.
Father Scott (Zachary Levi) is an alcoholic, drinking away his career while opening up a schism within the family. Mother Teresa (Meghann Fahy) is frustrated, prone to tears and lashing out. Both characters exist as a reaction to the boy’s diseases, and how they shape the family’s dynamic, rather than being about the boy himself.
It is the much more common story about a man and his moral failings as a husband and a father—“This is not what I thought it would be like,” Scott says. “I feel like I’m failing every day. And the harder I try the worse I do. I can’t seem to figure him out.”—than it is the story of Austin triumphs.
It’s also an example of how tough it is to convincingly play drunk on camera. It’s not about lurching about and slurred speech, it’s about doing your best to not appear drunk. Scott’s alcoholism, like so many other things in the film, is heightened for cinematic effect, which blunts the power of it.
“An Unbreakable Boy” presents as a look at a child with unique needs but is more about the effect Austin has on the family than Austin itself. What could have been an interesting study of Austin’s world is, instead, a typical family drama content with skimming the surface.
SYNOPSIS: In “The Monkey,” a new horror comedy based on Stephen King’s 1980 short story of the same name, a vintage toy monkey brings murder and mayhem into the lives of twin brothers Hal and Bill, both played by Theo James.
CAST: Theo James, Tatiana Maslany, Elijah Wood, Christian Convery, Colin O’Brien, Rohan Campbell, and Sarah Levy. Directed by Osgood Perkins.
REVIEW: An inanimate object horror film about the randomness of life and death, “The Monkey” feels like an old-fashioned Stephen King movie. It’s a little rough-and-tumble, meanspirited and it delivers a series of practical splatter gags in great big gory blasts.
There’s even a callback to one of King’s favorite psychopaths.
It’s the story of an organ grinder monkey toy—Wait! Don’t call it a toy! It’s evil incarnate! “It’s basically the devil,” says Hal.—who, with grinning rictus of terror, bangs on a drum like he’s Charlie Watts. As he taps away people die in increasingly terrible ways. From fishhook trauma and aneurisms to immolation and canon fire, the monkey is indiscriminate in choosing his victims or how they will perish. Think “Final Destination,” minus the monkey, and you’ll get the idea.
Try as they might, the twins can’t stop the monkey from dancing to his own drum. “We know it couldn’t be destroyed,” says Hal, “but we hoped it could be controlled.”
As the body count rises, they soon realize that won’t be possible.
Director Osgood Perkins channels his inner Sam “Evil Dead” Raimi, combining old school splatter with very dark humor. It makes for a giddy goodtime, especially as the kills get more and more slapsticky and outlandish.
“The Monkey” does feel stretched from its short story origins to feature film, but Perkins keeps the energy up and the storytelling efficient enough to warrant its 97-minute runtime.
SYNOPSIS: “Morningside,” a new indie feature starring two-time Juno Award winner Fefe Dobson and now playing in theatres, is a multi-pronged story of seven characters as they navigate life, and creeping gentrification, in the tight-knit Toronto suburb of Scarborough.
CAST: Fefe Dobson, Oluniké Adeliyi, Alex Mallari Jr., Lovell Adams-Gray, Kiana Madeira, Joanne Jansen. Directed by Ron Dias.
REVIEW: A fractured portrait of a place and a place in time, “Morningside” does a good job of weaving together disparate stories to form a narrative whole. The structure is complex, but the content is down-to-earth, essaying themes of resilience, hope, gentrification and tragedy. It’s a broad canvas, but captivating characters keep the piecemeal story cohesive and compelling.
From a young man with dreams of opening a resort and a security guard who wants to become a police officer to an influencer with an eye on a career in music and the threat of gun violence, the film touches on a wide array of topics and characters until they dovetail in a dramatic finale.
Director and co-writer Ron Dias and writer Joanne Jansen end on a bittersweet note with an effective coda that says a great deal about gun violence without ever actually mentioning gun violence. It’s one of the film’s most effective scenes (NO SPOILERS HERE) because it juxtaposes the promise of what might have been with the grim reality of what is.
“Morningside” captures the spirit of its Scarborough, Ontario neighborhood—locals will recognize many landmarks—but it isn’t just about a vibrant geographical location, it’s about the people who make the neighborhood, for better and for worse.
I join NewsTalk 1010’s “The Deb Hutton Show” to talk about my favorite moments from the “50 Years of SNL” special. I’ll give you a hint: “This devil wears nada.”
I join CHUM-FM morning show hosts Marilyn Denis and David Corey to look at the marquee categories and boldly choose winners for the 97th Academy Awards!
I join “The Vassy Kapelos Show” guest host Scott Reid to talk about last night’s “Saturday Night Live” 5oth Anniversary Special and ponder if the show is still relevant half a century later.
On the Saturday February 15, 2025 edition of The Richard Crouse Show we’ll meet Holly Brickley, her debut novel “Deep Cuts” is earning rave reviews. “Booklist” called it a “dazzling debut,” “Publisher’s Weekly” called it “a banger” and author Claire Dederer, national bestselling author of “Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma,” said, “I wish I’d written that,” which is pretty much the highest praise one writer can pay another.
Brickley’s novel focuses on the relationship between music fans and Berkeley college students Percy Marks and Joe Morrow from their first meeting at a bar nearby. Joe — an aspiring songwriter — asks Percy for feedback on a song he worked on, which begins a passionate, multi-year musical partnership that skyrockets Joe into indie-rock stardom.
Then, we’ll get to know author Haley Mlotek. Her work has appeared in everything from the New York Times Magazine and The New Yorker to Harper’s Bazaar and The Nation. Today we’ll talk about her latest work, “No Fault,” an intimate and candid account of one of the most romantic and revolutionary relationships: divorce.
Each week on the nationally syndicated Richard Crouse Show, Canada’s most recognized movie critic brings together some of the most interesting and opinionated people from the movies, television and music to put a fresh spin on news from the world of lifestyle and pop-culture. Tune into this show to hear in-depth interviews with actors and directors, to find out what’s going on behind the scenes of your favourite shows and movies and get a new take on current trends. Recent guests include Chris Pratt, Elvis Costello, Baz Luhrmann, Martin Freeman, David Cronenberg, Mayim Bialik, The Kids in the Hall and many more!
All iHeartRadio Canada stations are available across Canada via live stream on iHeartRadio.caand the iHeartRadio Canada app. iHeartRadio Canada stations are also connected through Alexa, Siri, and Google Home smart speakers.
I join the nation radio show “Free for All Friday” host Amanda Galbraith to talk about the most romantic movies of all time and whether or not “Shrek” should be on that list.
Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to do a high five! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the romantic entanglements of “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,” the adorable “Paddington in Peru” and the new MCU offering “Captain America: Brave New World.”
SYNOPSIS: Based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name, “The Unbreakable Boy,” a new family drama now playing on theatres, is the true story of how Austin LeRette, a boy born with autism and Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or brittle bone disease, transforms his parent’s world. “I wish I could enjoy anything as much as my son enjoys everything.”
