Hello My Name Is Doris

I don’t remember everything from my writing classes at University but I do remember some things and those some things are these: have a likable protagonist, subvert the audiences’ expectations yet at the same time, do give em what they’re expecting. Hello My Name is Doris nails all three. I don’t believe I have watched a more likable lead. Doris (Sally Field) is so charming. And adorable and sweet. So much so that I yearned to lunch with her all movie. What pleasant company she would be! Also, her mother passes away at the beginning of the movie, so, unless we’re stones or cacti or some other dispassionate thing, we can’t help but feel sympathy. And, when we find out she has sacrificed both education and love among other things to take care of her old lady, we feel even more sorry. So, she’s likable and she induces sympathy. Is that how you say it? Can you say it like that? Sorry. English is my second language, you see. Then this delightful little lady starts acting in ways I haven’t seen women her age act in any other movie and just when I almost give up on her and thus life in general (because I’m just that sucked in!) I’m given my happy ending. Feel good, human and quirky. A must must must see.

PS must mean yogurt in Farsi.

Did someone say CAKE?

The (2015) drama CAKE, you know, the one with Rachel, I mean, Jennifer Aniston has received a lot of criticism. But why? It’s SO brilliant. Okay, so apart from that one lump of unmixed baking soda which we shall call Anna Kendrick, there really isn’t much else spoiling (the) cake. Don’t get me wrong, I’m no Kendrick hater. In fact, I loved Pitch Perfect as much as the next person. Put simply, I don’t think her sweet personality gels with a mean character. A nasty, self-obsessed suicidal mother? Na, stick to singing songs with plastic cups, I say.

Aniston on the other hand, WOW, what an actress! She, so very accurately, portrays what it’s like to be a chronic pain sufferer; from the way she holds her physical self to the moans and groans she utters to her cold bitter demeanor. And, at the same time as being this inconsiderate sour bitch, Aniston makes us love her, empathize with her, vouch for her and see a little bit of our own tired and defeated selves in her character.

In addition to Aniston’s brilliant performance, I was impressed by the plot itself. Even after a good hour into the film, the storyline still had me engaged with unaswered questions. Why is she in pain? What is her story? What was her relationship to Nina? What’s going to happen? How will it end etc etc.

So, I will not be one a wanna-be hipster and say I hated it just because rotten tomatoes scored it a low percentage. No, I will always, I am always up for another round (slice) of CAKE.

3.8/5