Three mini-reviews: A Mistake, Lee, and My Old Ass

Catching up on some movies I've seen while also not burning out entirely

I have fallen woefully behind on reviewing films I have watched, so I’m going to take this moment to write some shorter pieces on a few movies I have watched recently. Also, don’t forget to check out the films that I have reviewed over on Movies We Texted About and my first review of The Franchise over at Loud and Clear Reviews (which means it’s my first review to show up on Rotten Tomatoes!). 

A Mistake (dir. Christine Jeffs)

Elizabeth Banks in A Mistake. Courtesy of Quiver Distribution.

I missed this movie back during Tribeca but finally had a chance to screen it ahead of its limited release earlier this month. The film follows Dr. Elizabeth Taylor (Elizabeth Banks) following a surgery gone wrong and the eventual death of the patient. The movie highlights some legitimate issues facing workers in the medical community and how some bureaucratic decisions can lead to more problematic consequences for medical professionals on the ground. 

Unfortunately, the story gets muddled in a fair bit of melodrama that doesn’t really serve the plot. There are several unnecessary and upsetting scenes that undercut the serious issue that the film is ostensibly about. Elizabeth Banks is a phenomenal actor who inexplicably takes on a New Zealand accent for this one that is absolutely baffling - it’s not bad, exactly, but it’s not great, and I can’t see any reason for it to be a part of the film. Still, her performance lifts this meandering script in a way that makes this film worth streaming when it’s available. 

Lee (dir. Ellen Kuras)

Kate Winslet as Lee Miller in LEE. Courtesy of Roadside Attractions

Lee is a biopic about fashion model turned World War II correspondent Lee Miller (Kate Winslet). It is another stark reminder that war and genocide can happen when we turn our heads and just focus on what’s more pleasant to us. Lee Miller’s work was intended to bring the horrors of the holocaust to those who were looking for escape in the latest copy of Vogue. Because while escape isn’t automatically a bad thing in doses, it can numb us to the atrocities happening elsewere.

We see both her relationship with her husband, Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård), and her colleague David Scherman (Andy Samberg) and the way those relationships influence her decisions about her work. These three primary performances are all beautiful, particularly Samberg, who delivers more than I ever would have expected. 

That said, this movie makes some choices that don’t quite allow it to sing as strongly as it could. There is a twist at the end that honestly hurt the impact of the movie and would have been way more powerful if we had known it from the start. But overall, this is a lovely movie about a woman who absolutely deserves to have her story told. (This would make a fantastic double feature with Civil War.)

My Old Ass (dir. Megan Park)

Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza in My Old Ass. Photo MARNI GROSSMAN © AMAZON CONTENT SERVICES LLC

Part rom-com, part reflection on aging, part family drama, part examination of grief, this film has a little bit of everything, but never in a way that feels cheap or exploitative. Instead, My Old Ass is a sweet movie that will absolutely make your cold, dead heart feel again.

When Elliott (Maisy Stella) takes mushrooms, she finds herself in a conversation with an older version of herself (Aubrey Plaza). They have some instructive conversations about appreciating what Elliott has right then, and her older self tells her to avoid anyone named Chad (Percy Hynes White). Elliott tries to avoid Chad, but the two of them connect, and instead of avoiding Chad, Elliott finds herself falling in love. 

If you’ve ever thought about what you might tell a younger version of yourself, this movie answers that question in a unique and beautiful manner. There is nothing particularly ground-breaking in this movie, but the way that it handles some well-trod material is charming and frames it in a way that makes it feel fresh.

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Thanks for humoring me with these quick reviews! 

Also, watch for a couple of interviews coming in the next weeks: 

Vera Drew: writer, director, and star of The People’s Joker

Callie Carpinteri: writer and director of the short The Dirty Towel

Mary Dauterman: writer and director of Booger

As always, thanks for reading! Let me know what you’re watching these days and what you’re looking forward to as we’re about to enter awards season!