#109. Only You (1994)

 

 

Marisa Tomei, Robert Downey Jr., and Bonnie Hunt in the same romantic comedy? Yes please.

 

Only You mostly isn't anything special. It's cheesy, it's kinda trope-heavy, and it's got one of those scripts where at no point does a single character behave like an actual human being. And yet, I dunno, there's a lightness to the movie that manages to turn these potential irritants into minor virtues.

 

A lot of that comes down to the casting (which, again, is fantastic), as well as the setting (even if Italy's a total cheat code in this genre), but I think it's also because the movie wisely runs on emotion instead of logic. It plays out like like a bit of a fairy tale in that sense, which allows us to put aside the cynicism and flaws, and instead get swept up in the sweet romance.

 

My sister's been recommending this one to me for years now, and I'm glad I finally got around to it. Sure, a few of the cliches are still kinda tedious, and, yeah, the premise definitely starts to run out of steam after a while, but the whole thing's so warm and light and fun that it made me smile more often than it didn't. 

 

Grade: B+

 

#58. ...And Justice for All (1979)

 

 

Prior Viewings: 1

 

We always talk about how disillusioned filmmaking became in the 1970s, but I feel like this one goes under-discussed in that conversation. It's as bleakly cynical as just about anything to come out of that bleakly cynical decade, and it does so while being an absurd black comedy. 

 

That's the great thing about ...And Justice for All, though: through its juggling act of emotions, many of which are at polar opposite extremes, you get a clear and somewhat terrifying mosaic of just how insane and ridiculous the American Legal System really is. You're laughing one moment, you want to punch the screen at the very next, and then you're back to laughing again, which feels exasperatingly true to life.

 

Honestly, everything about this movie is up my alley, even the qualities that probably don't fit (the helicopter scene is a good example; it's overlong and a little goofy for the intended tone, but it's also funny and character-driven enough that I don't care). Beyond the mix of comedy and drama, I love the combative dialogue, the crisp textures, the stand-and-cheer climax, and Pacino's powerhouse performance.

 

As his early movies go, I'd put this one right up there with The Godfather and Dog Day Afternoon. And anyone who disagrees with me is out of order.

 

Grade: A+