Genre: Drama/Fantasy
Director: Kim Yong-hwa
Cast: Cha Tae-hyun, Kim Dong-wook, Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Kim Hyang-gi
RunTime: 2 hrs 19 mins
Rating: PG13 (Some Violence)
Released By: Golden Village Pictures 
Official Website:

Opening Day: 11 January 2018

Synopsis:  Having died unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by 3 afterlife guardians. Only when he passes 7 trials over 49 days and proves he was innocent in human life, he's able to reincarnate, and his 3 afterlife guardians are by his side to defend him in trial.

Movie Review:

This movie will make you want to be a better person. And entertain you while it’s at it.

Most religious tenets include one of judgment in the afterlife. Along with the Gods brings a noble firefighter Kim Ja-hong (Cha Tae-hyun) into Korean purgatory, having died on duty while saving a girl. For having led an exemplary life, he is considered a paragon, and so draws the attention of three guardian spirits who accompany him through his trials.

In Korean Buddhist folklore, it is believed that a soul will have to undergo 7 trials to ascertain their contribution to the sins, and be punished accordingly if deemed guilty. Deceit, filial piety, violence, betrayal, indolence, murder and injustice - the Mirror of Karma shows the transgressions to the respective Gods and Goddesses, who then deal their verdict. For those who pass all 7 within 49 days, they are granted the boon of visiting their loved ones in a dream by Afterlife King Yeomra (Lee Jung-jae), before reincarnating into their next life.

As you might suspect, not many get through. But surely our brave lifesaver Ja-hong stands a chance?

Along with the Gods illustrates the epic mythology with impressive CGI, and combines it with some action-hero sequences not unlike those from the factories of DC and Marvel. Directed by Kim Yong-hwa, the film sees a few chase sequences lost to frantic editing and blurry movement (a la Michael Bay), but has enough merit coming from it’s easy-to-follow plot, stylistic settings and heartstring tugging moments to make it a worthy movie to watch.

Fantasy backdrops are commercial gold, especially when wrought articulately. With the expansive scale and Korean saga influence, the journey through hell is a visual treat. Confronting the wrathful God of Murder ( Jung Hae-kyun) at a volcano, persuading the sentimental but judgemental Goddess of Indolence ( Kim Hae-sook ) at the edge of a waterfall, reasoning with the flippant Goddess of Deceit in a forest of blades, the metaphors become a little less cheesy when it comes with stunning aesthetics.

Supporting all of this visual wizardry are the compelling stories that unfold at a brisk pace. Ja-hong’s journey begins fairly smooth, but a vengeful spirit soon appears to wreck his journey, much to the guardians’ dismay. You see, they also have something going for them. If they manage to send 49 souls through all 7 trials, they themselves get to reincarnate.

On top of all of this, the guardians also question Ja-hong’s integrity as a paragon, as more secrets surface and complicate their later trials.

As the leader spirit, Gangrim, Ha Jung-woo bonds the entire show as he orchestrates the events to a fair and desirable outcome. Ha’s dexterous acting saves Ju Ji-hoon’s own performance, whose erratic compulsions as a junior guardian spirit, Haewonmak, makes us more confused than amused. The baby of the trio, Duk-chun, is almost anime (maybe because the story’s source was a web-toon by Joo Ho-min). But actress Kim Hyang-gi has a charismatic innocence that surprises, and is a moving force on her own as the talented junior spirit.

Compelling performances also comes from Ja-hong’s brother Soo-hong, as he ties up loose ends on earth. And the mute mother at the centre of the storm is achingly portrayed by Ye Soo-jung. As Ja-hong’s journey unspools, his mother’s character gets fleshed out, and even recalling it right now, my throat tightens.

The good news for fans is that Along with the Gods has a sequel. And as you watch, the proceedings justify the decision, as points of interest emerge from supporting characters, which should fully play out in the later sequence. And because this is slated for release in the summer fo 2018, you won’t have to wait too long.

A modern fable with mythic roots, the accessible and relatable storyline is paired with an enjoyable performance from the talented cast, and together with the fantastic setting, makes this film only guilty of great entertainment.

Movie Rating:

(Daebak! As people start off the year setting resolutions, this visual treat of a film reminds us of our moral values with entertaining sequences and acting)

Review by Morgan Awyong

Genre: Action/Thriller
Director: Chang Zheng
Cast: Duan Yi Hong, Yu Nan, Wang Jing Chun, Cheng Tai Shen
Runtime: 1 hr 47 mins
Rating: M18 (Sexual Scene and Violence)
Released By: Shaw Organisation
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 January 2018

Synopsis: Zhao Xu Dong is a blaster technician in the mining town of Hongliang. When a mine explosion occurs underground and kills four workers, Zhao is left the sole survivor. Doubtful that the explosion was a mere accident, Zhao investigates further. However, miner Wang San Bai and mine owner Li Yi are murdered. As the body count increases, Zhao becomes the prime suspect, and he must use his skills as a blaster to clear his name.

Movie Review:

Not often in Chinese cinema do you see a noir, but ‘Explosion’ surprises not only because of its novelty but also for its quality. Taut, atmospheric and genuinely involving, Chang Zheng’s sophomore directorial effort spotlights the unsavoury side of the mining business in China as it spins a tale of a working-class individual who goes on the run in order to clear his name.

The script by Chang and his co-writer Li Meng cuts straight to the chase – by the time the opening credits end with the film’s title, lead character Zhao Xu Dong (Duan Yi Hong) is already reeling from a blast gone wrong that leaves four of his fellow workmen dead. Given how he was the one responsible for setting off the supposedly controlled explosion in the mine, Xu Dong is held accountable by his gangster-boss Li Yi, who would rather throw hush money at him and the families of the deceased than report it to the authorities.

Given his previous criminal record, Xu Dong decides against the latter too, but his puzzlement at how the accident happened sends him poking around the scene for clues. Not only does his curiosity cause him to become the police’s prime suspect for a subsequent murder, he gets into the crosshairs of a conspiracy masterminded by the debonair Cheng Fei (Cheng Taishen) and finds himself relentlessly pursued by Fei’s ruthless henchman (Yu Ailei). To raise the stakes, Xu Dong isn’t just running from the authorities and the bad guys, he also has to protect his pregnant girlfriend (Yu Nan), whom Fei has no qualms holding as collateral in exchange for his complicity.

Unlike its Hollywood equivalents, Xu Dong never becomes a one-man vigilante, given how that would be antithetical in the Mainland China context as well as run afoul of Government censors. Instead, Xu Dong remains through and through a reluctant non-conformer whose own wayward interpretation of his circumstances has led him to pursue his own course of justice, but at an unmistakable cost to himself as well as his loved ones. That subtle but clear message is not lost even on a non-Chinese audience, who will have to contend with Xu Dong’s occasionally frustrating restraint, especially when it comes to dealing with those responsible for his current predicament.

Notwithstanding, there are more than enough morally questionable acts in Xu Dong’s repertoire to render him an anti-hero. In order to distract the local chief Xu Feng (Wang Jingchun) and the other officers on his tail, Xu Dong sets off a small explosive in an indoor market that sends the crowd within into a panicked frenzy. To defend himself against Fei’s assassin, Xu Dong assembles a makeshift firearm which proves astoundingly lethal. And last but not least, as leverage over Fei, Xu Dong has no qualms kidnapping the former’s comatose son. Oh yes, Xu Dong isn’t entirely immune to taking matters into his own hands, although those looking for the type of revenge-fuelled mayhem typically associated with Westerns will probably be disappointed at the lengths that our lead character here is willing (or rather not willing) to go.

That doesn’t mean Xu Dong or the movie for that matter is any less realistic. Thanks to Duan’s compellingly down-to-earth performance, Xu Dong’s struggle to regain normalcy in his life never hits a false note; ditto for Yu Nan, who compliments Duan’s worn-down act with a similarly sober delivery, conveying both fear and defiance in equal measure. On his part, Cheng’s choice of locations reveals a strong grasp of mise-en-scene, particularly the grimy industrial town and the yellow desert surrounding it where much of the cat-and-mouse action is set. It’s as different from the modern-day China that we often see as it gets, and is almost a character in and of itself.

But like we said at the start, ‘Explosion’ isn’t outstanding simply because it reveals a less gleaming side of China and deals with unglamorous subjects like industrial cover-ups. Oh no, it’s a fine noir that stands on its own merit, boasting a grounded character that doesn’t settle into typical cinematic heroics. By grounding his movie in social realism too, Chang keeps the stakes real and intense, so you feel Xu Dong’s desperation, helplessness and resolve. It’s too easy to call this thriller explosive, and while the finale does pack enough of a blast, its genuine thrills lie in the raw tension it establishes from start to finish. 

Movie Rating:

(Not only is it notable for being a rare noir from Chinese cinema, 'Explosion' stands out also for being a fine genre piece that keeps its stakes and its hero real)

Review by Gabriel Chong

Genre: Horror/Thriller
Director: Joko Anwar
Cast: Tara Basro, Bront Palarae, Ayu Laksmi, Dimas Aditya, Endy Arfian, Nasar Anuz, Muhammad Adhiyat
Runtime: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: PG13 (Horror and disturbing scene)
Released By: mm2 Entertainment and Cathay-Keris Films 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 January 2018

Synopsis: Rini (Tara Basro) lives in an old house on the outskirts of Jakarta with her grandmother Rahma Saidah ( Elly D. Luthan ), mother, Mawarni Suwono (Ayu Laksmi), father (Bront Palarae), and three younger brothers, Tony (Endy Arfian), Bondi (Nasar Annuz), and Ian (Muhammad Adhiyat). When the mother Mawarni dies of a strange illness, Rini’s father goes to a different town for work leaving Rini in charge. Terror begins when the mother’s spirit returns to the old house to haunt her former family. But this is only the beginning of the horror as the family’s dark history unravels. Rini later learns that her family was involved in an unholy pact in the past which threatens her family’s safety. Rini and her brothers have to uncover mysteries from the past if they want to stay alive.

Movie Review:

The 70s and 80s is having a great run in entertainment these days. From Stranger Things and Dark, to Ouija and It , the period serves itself well in the horror genre, most notably because there’s no mobile phones to the rescue.

Satan’s Slave is a remake of Sisworo Gautama Putra’s 1980 film of the same name, Pengabdi Setan. Director Joko Anwar has chosen to keep to that period and it works - mostly.

Rini (Tara Basro) is primary caretaker in a an old house on the outskirts of Jakarta. She manages her three younger charges, Tony (Endy Arfian), Bondi (Nasar Annuz), and Ian (Muhammad Adhiyat), along with her ailing mother Mawarni (Ayu Laksmi) and elderly grandmother Rahma (Elly D. Luthan). Her father (Bront Palarae) meanwhile tries to find ways to take care of the family’s finances that are being depleted by his wife’s mysterious illness.

After Mawarni’s sudden passing, Rini’s father goes off to town to salvage the family’s situation. But it seems Mawarni might not yet be done, and returns to haunt her family, leading her children to uncover a dark past and shocking revelations.

Anwar has kept his CG to a minimal, with respect to the authenticity of that period, and it’s an admirable one. I personally went in thinking that it would have a gritty effect, adding realism to the proceedings. Sadly, it comes across more as amateur mistakes.

I’m all for old-school tactics. Fishing line pulling objects, camera play to perform appearances, exaggerated makeup, all these can be good campy fun. But somehow in Satan’s Slaves , it looked out-of-place and more of a mistake, probably because the rest of the art direction and styling is so polished.

And even with the skillful design, it’s all a little... deliberate. In fact, that word keeps popping up in my mind throughout the screening, as Anwar stacks plot device after plot device in such a contrived manner, that even the most clueless viewer will be able to guess what’s going to happen.

There’s the gothic picture hanging at the corridor. The dank well. The summoning bell. Adding to that, there’s an obvious familiarity to the elements. The View-Master? The Forest. The picture and cloth sequence? Conjuring. The open-mouth twisted face look? Ju-On. It’s no sin to draw influences from other horror flicks, but when they are incongruent to the main story, they end up sticking out as copycats.

Beyond the actual scares, the lack of logic is a real pain. In one scene, when Bondi plays with the View-Master and sees something he shouldn’t, he drops it. After warily picking it up and looking through it again, there’s no reaction or indication of that same slide.

In another, where Hendra (Dimas Aditya) returns dead from an assignment, Rini picks up a fallen envelope, only to keep it, unread. Given that she sent him on the errand, this is a little hard to swallow. She then conveniently decides to wake up one night and head over to the bag where she kept it, to read it and discover the truth. Erm, awkward.

These obstacles stand in the way of Satan’s Slaves fulfilling its potential. It has reached over 4 million admissions in the home country and won several awards in local festivals, but when placed on an international stage, it has to be acknowledged as a worthy effort, but not exactly scary or riveting material.

A lot was lost when Anwar diluted the original film’s premise - that of a family opening themselves to evil when they turn away from God - and this makes 2018’s Satan’s Slaves a ghost of the former.

(Stylish and decent-enough acting cannot compensate for the deliberate manner in which all the scares are built up. Anwar’s effort bears international influence, but should have adhered to the more traditional for more impact)

Review by Morgan Awyong

TRAILER WATCH - DEATH WISH Posted on 04 Jan 2018 Thanks to director Eli Roth and action star Bruce Willis, cinema's iconic bullet-happy vigilante is back in the remake of the 1974 genre classic. Willis stars as Dr Paul Kersey, a surgeon who seeks vengeance after his wife and daughter are attacked in their suburban home. Advised by a cop to have faith, Willis’ Dr. Kersey snaps back, “How’d faith work out for them?” ... more

WHAT MOVIES DID YOU GOOGLE FOR IN 2017? Posted on 31 Dec 2017 You have heard a lot about a movie that is showing in Singaporecinemas. You want to find out more about the male lead and who he is dating now. You want to check whether the female lead has endorsed any fashion labels recently. Or you may simply want to check which theatre is screening it, and how much it costs to watch it on a weekend. What do you do? Turn to Google, of course. Can you ... more

Genre: Crime/Comedy
Director: Martin McDonagh
Cast: Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell, Abbie Cornish, Lucas Hedges, Zeljko Ivanek, Caleb Landry Jones, Clarke Peters, Samara Weaving, John Hawkes, Peter Dinklage
Runtime: 1 hr 57 mins
Rating: NC-16 (Coarse Language And Some Violence))
Released By: 20th Century Fox 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 18 January 2018

Synopsis: THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI is a darkly comedic drama from Academy Award(r) winner Martin McDonagh (IN BRUGES). After months have passed without a culprit in her daughter's murder case, Mildred Hayes (Academy Award(r) winner Frances McDormand) makes a bold move, commissioning three signs leading into her town with a controversial message directed at William Willoughby (Academy Award(r) nominee Woody Harrelson), the town's revered chief of police. When his second-in-command Officer Dixon (Sam Rockwell), an immature mother's boy with a penchant for violence, gets involved, the battle between Mildred and Ebbing's law enforcement is only exacerbate.

Movie Review:

“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

That’s quite a mouthful for a movie title, if you ask us. With the award season well underway, presenters would have gotten used to reading it out loud by now. After making its premiere at the 74^th Venice International Film Festival, the black comedy has gone on to win countless accolades. Most recently, it took home four awards at the 75^th Golden Globe Awards, and we think the winning streak is not about to stop.

Past experiences have proven that there are truly good films, and there are those which are merely overhyped by the media. How does this crime movie written, produced, and directed by Martin McDonagh fare? Very well, fortunately.

Inspired to write the story after seeing billboards about an unsolved crime while traveling on the road, McDonagh’s screenplay puts an angry mother in the spotlight. The grieving woman lost her daughter to unsolved murder, and she decides to rents three billboards to call attention to the lack of progress in the investigation.

The three billboards read: "RAPED WHILE DYING", "AND STILL NO ARRESTS?", and "HOW COME, CHIEF WILLOUGHBY?" Without a doubt, this catches the attention of the local community to different extent.

With this interesting setup, the story goes on to explore different characters. What makes this a heartrending watch is the fact that these personalities resonate with the frustrated, weary and fatigued side of human nature.  

Frances McDormand (Hail, Caesar!) plays the female protagonist with gusto. Her portrayal is poignantly spot on and we are expecting her to take home more Best Actress prizes for the remaining award events. The fan favourite is the underrated Sam Rockwell (Moon). After delivering outstanding performances in supporting roles in Iron Man 2 (2010) and The Way, Way Back (2013), it is about time he gets recognised for his heartfelt portrayal of an angry policeman with personal issues to resolve. Woody Harrelson (War for the Planet of the Apes) is also wonderful in his role as a sheriff suffering from pancreatic cancer.

Elsewhere, John Hawkes (Everest), Peter Dinklage (The Angry Birds Movie), Abbie Cornish (RoboCop) and Caleb Landry Jones (Get Out) take on supporting roles and each actor brings an affectionately layered performance to the character.

McDonagh, who was born in London and son to Irish parents, has a strong background in theatre production. This explains why his film screenplay develops magnificently with complexities and in depth exploration of the human psyche. The 47 year old filmmaker is no stranger to the Academy – he was a nominee for Best Original Screenplay at the 81^st Academy Awards for In Bruges (2008). Another notable film from McDonagh was the wacky Seven Psychopaths (2012) which Rockwell, Harrelson and Cornish co starred in. This is one filmmaker to look out for, thanks to his talent to tell a good story without resorting to gimmicks. There are no saints or villains in the movie, only human beings with dreams and regrets – like you and me.

This 115 minute film is a refreshing watch (when was the last time you caught a movie not based on a franchise, comic or true story?), and more importantly, it reminds us that at the end of the day, we are as good as the people who live their lives around us. 

Movie Rating:

(First class performances and a profoundly moving story make this film a must watch)

Review by John Li

Genre: Drama
Director: Yojiro Takita
Cast: Kazunari Ninomiya, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Go Ayano, Yoshi Oida, Daigo Nishihata, Aoi Miyazaki, Yutaka Takenouchi, Wakato Kanematsu, Togo Igawa
Runtime: 2 hrs 6 mins
Rating: PG
Released By: Encore Films
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 25 January 2018

Synopsis: Possessing the “Qilin Tongue”, Mitsuru Sasaki (Kazunari Ninomiya) has the unique ability to recreate any flavours he has tasted before from memory. After leaving the orphanage, Mitsuru sets up a fine dining restaurant with childhood friend Ken Yanagisawa (Go Ayano), but his business fails due to his extreme, perfectionist methods. To pay off his debts, he starts accepting offers to cook “last meals” for people at exorbitant prices. One day, he receives an offer and is flown to Beijing to meet Qingming Yang (Yoshi Oida), a renowned figure in the Chinese culinary world. Yang asks him to search for the missing the “Great Japanese Imperial Feast” recipe. Though sceptical, Mitsuru eventually agrees to the job after a lucrative offer, and begins to trace the footsteps of Naotaro Yamagata (Hidetoshi Nishijima), the Japanese Imperial Chef who created the recipe and who had disappeared along with it. As he meets one person after another who knew Naotaro, he arrives at an unexpected truth about both the chef and his recipe. Where is the recipe now? What was the secret that Naotaro had risked his life to hide in the recipe?

Movie Review:

The Last Recipe is adapted from a Japanese novel of the same name. The movie is about a chef, Mitsuru Sasaki (Kazunari Ninomiya), and his journey of fulfilling one of his requesters’ last meal. It is said that Mitsuru possesses the ‘Qilin Tongue’, which allows him to recreate the taste of dishes from memory (when he tastes them). However, in order to recover the taste of the “Great Japanese Imperial Feast”, he has to embark on a search to trace the recipe and uncover what brought the generations together…

In all honesty, the narrative of the movie was not the most exciting. An unidentified stranger commissions Mitsuru for a job with a high payout, then leads him to several people to piece the story together himself, etc. The great revelation is then something which is not just about the recipe, but stories which bind the people across generations around the “Great Japanese Imperial Feast”, and uncovering the true meaning of the last recipe. Nonetheless, the story was unveiled with a touch of humour, and was heartwarmingly delivered, to say the least.

This movie is directed YojiroTakita, who directedthe Oscar-winning film, Departures (2008). If you were to watch the movie with that kind of expectations, you’re probably going to get disappointed. However, YojiroTakita stays true to his style in this movie – he makes no haste to story tell, and the emotions from the characters are accentuated by the camera work. For instance, the close-ups of Mitsuru towards the end of the movie has both top-down and bottom-up angles which brought out the differentexpressions of the character to life.

Further, there was attention paid to the intricacies of cooking – from the prepping of the ingredients to the different cooking methods. The efforts that go behind the dishes were charmingly captured.To help appreciate the little things from the movie, here’s a small trivia to share. Ninomiya (who plays Mitsuru) is left-handed and doesn’t cook. Yet, the team has helped him hone the craftso much that his right hand appears to be his master hand. The moves were really smooth and natural!

The cast of the movie is certainly a star studded one. Mitsuru is played by KazunariNinomiya, who won the Best Actor at the 39^th Japan Academy with Haha to Kuraseba (2016). WhileNinomiya is notably a member of popular idol group, Arashi, the Japan Academy Prize is not simply a popularity award won by public votes. It was selected by a 4000-member movie association of movie affiliated professionals. In the past, he has also nabbed a role in Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima (2006), a testament to his acting skills.The other key character, the Japanese Imperial chef, is helmed by veteran actor Hidetoshi Nishijima. Bothof themhave breathed life into their respective characters and anchor the movie well.

An aspect that was lacking was the details in the set and filming locations. The story talks about 1930s and modern China and Japan, but you could easily tell that some were simply just taken in the studio. Also, casting non-Chinese actors to take on Chinese speaking roles feels rather out of place. In fact, Hidetoshi Nishijima spoke better Mandarin than the supposedly Chinese helper. In terms of soundtrack, there nothing impressive like the Joe Hisaishi’s score in Departures to look forward to.

Even so, overall the movie was well executed. For a narrative that doesn’t have that straight-up appeal, the production value of the movie and the cast has made this worthwhile to watch. The little details, coupled with a touch of humour make this human story a heartwarming watch. 

Movie Rating:

(You may see it as #foodporn, but beyond that, it’s a charming, heartwarming tale which binds generations together)

Review by Tho Shu Ling

NETFLIX CONFIRMS 'BRIGHT' SEQUEL WITH WILL SMITH AND WRITER-DIRECTOR DAVID AYER Posted on 04 Jan 2018 As divisive as it may have been with critics (and we think the critics are indeed wrong on this one),Bright was the most-viewed Netflix film ever for its first week, in every one of the 190-plus countries it services. Nielsen reported that 11 million watched in the U.S. over the first three days. So today Netflix has confirmed on social media that it will in fact make a sequel, with lead st ... more

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Genre: Comedy
Director: Lawrence Sher
Cast: Owen Wilson, Ed Helms, J.K. Simmons, Terry Bradshaw, Ving Rhames, Harry Shearer, June Squibb, Christopher Walken, Glenn Close
Runtime: 1 hr 53 mins
Rating: NC16 (Coarse Language & Sexual References)
Released By: Warner Bros 
Official Website: 

Opening Day: 4 January 2018

Synopsis: Owen Wilson and Ed Helms are Kyle and Peter Reynolds, brothers whose eccentric mother raised them to believe their father had died when they were young. When they discover this to be a lie, they set out together to find their real father, and end up learning more about their mother than they probably ever wanted to know.

Movie Review:

Has it really been close to a decade since ‘The Hangover’? Oh yes, it’s been that long, and R-rated comedies haven’t exactly had an easy time at the box office especially in recent months. Part of the reason is audience fatigue, but equally responsible are drivel like ‘Father Figures’, which tries to replicate the formula of raunchy and sweet but ends up being neither funny or affecting.

The premise is simple: a pair of fraternal twins discover on the day of their mother’s wedding that their father, whom they were previously led to believe had died of colon cancer, is really still alive, hence triggering a cross-country road trip codenamed ‘Operation Who’s-Your-Daddy’ to try and find dear old dad. As formula would have it, these brothers Kyle and Peter aren’t exactly on the best of terms – Owen Wilson’s Kyle is a laid back beach bum living off royalties from a BBQ sauce bottle whose label bears his likeness; Ed Helms’s Peter is an uptight proctologist who is struggling to get over his divorce and has a teenage son that hates him. In truth, Wilson and Helms are simply playing into their types, but that isn’t at all why this comedy leaves much to be desired.

As is true for most examples of its genre, this one is structured as a series of comic set-pieces that may or may not add up neatly into a coherent whole; nevertheless, these narrative bumps would be quite easily overlooked if the gags themselves were worth the journey. Alas despite an impressive shelf of supporting talent including J.K. Simmons, Ving Rhames, Katt Williams, Katie Aselton and Christopher Walken, their respective sequences are not nearly as witty as they could and should be.

Except for Simmons’ unhinged act as a trigger-happy ‘repo man’, the rest of the encounters with the potential daddy candidates played by Rhames, Walken and Terry Bradshaw (yes, that Terry Bradshaw) lack verve. A midway sequence with Williams as a ‘black’ hitchhiker who doesn’t end up being a serial killer Peter originally feared falls flat; ditto a later one that has Aselton play a woman drinking alone at a bar who has an instant one-night chemistry with Peter and conveniently ends his three-year sex drought. And what to make of a scene that has Kyle and a young child urinate on each other’s legs in a rest stop bathroom?

Amidst the unfunny, dull and just plain stupid jokes, veteran cinematographer Lawrence Sher (who makes his directorial debut here) tries to cobble a movie that’s meant to be gross-out and uplifting at the same time. Not only does he fail to succeed on either count, the film’s denouement – which was the subject of reshoots and apparently the reason why this movie is only seeing the light of day after two years – makes the earlier two hours feel like an elaborate audience prank that’ll leave you feeling frustrated and even infuriated.

Really, ‘Father Figures’ makes it no wonder that audiences regard each new R-rated comedy with outright scepticism. Like we said, much of the blame falls to screenwriter Justin Malen, whose other genre effort ‘Office Christmas Party’ was just as, if not worse. Still, the fact that so much Hollywood talent is wasted in a movie like this reflects just as badly on the cast, who should have known better than to lend their star wattage to such terrible material. Go elsewhere for the laughs, go elsewhere for the sentiment, and in fact, just avoid this altogether and spend some genuine time with your dad, your mom and your family. You’ll thank us for it. . 

Movie Rating:

(Lame, unfunny, dull, weird and just dumb, this latest blend of smutty and sweet is the reason R-rated comedies have fast fallen out of favour)

Review by Gabriel Chong