Director: 

 

Cast: Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Frank Langella

 

Given that Hollywood has used most of the original ideas available to it (Christopher Nolan, we are still holding on to you) it’s really no wonder that Grace Kelly’s story was going to make it to the big screen at one point or another. The story of a movie star who became a real-life Princess has always had a kind of magical quality but many want to know what went on behind the scenes and how the Princess ended up living out her life before her tragic death in a car crash in 1982. Just like our obsession with celebrity culture now, things were not a lot different for Grace Kelly, every move she made was documented on, not just in the press but by those watching in her new home in Monaco.

 

However, the biopic presents plenty of difficulties for Hollywood, like the Diana film specifically pointed out. Not only can people who are being depicted in some cases still be alive but certainly there are family members or relatives concerned who may not appreciate how their relatives are being depicted on the big screen. On top of that, some people, specifically like Diana, can be held in such high regard that it can taint the memory of that particular person in the public eye. Diana’s private life was just that, private and a film examination of her relationship that she had obviously attempted to keep secret really shouldn’t have had a place on a cinema screen. Grace of Monaco presents similar problems for the family involved.

 

Despite all of the fascinating aspects of Grace Kelly’s life, Grace of Monaco begins at the time when she had accepted Prince Rainier’s marriage proposal and embarked on a new life in Monaco, a culture which was far away from her American upbringing and the Hollywood life. Following an initial introduction, the film fast forwards a few years to when Grace was just beginning to get used to her life as a Princess and her public and private duty. Within minutes of showing the audience that her life has become increasingly difficult personally, Grace of Monaco introduces Hitchcock on the scene with an offer of a role and a return to her former life. However, things are not going so well for Rainier. With increased French involvement and diminishing funds, he is finding it more difficult to keep his state as an independent one.

 

For the viewer, the choice for Grace becomes clear, she must either sacrifice her life as a movie star and play the role of mother and wife or she can put herself first and return to her former existence. This is not a decision that Grace takes lightly and throughout the film she struggles with her removal from her former life and the duties that have been placed upon her in her new one. Family wins out in the end and Grace soon becomes a intricate part of the campaign for a free Monaco along with Rainier.

 

The main problem with Grace of Monaco is the film really doesn’t know what kind of film it is. Although it presents itself as a biopic, it is almost art house in the way it has been filmed for the big screen with a major amount of close-ups. It is certainly aimed towards a fashion-conscious audience, there is no denying that, its interests lie in depiction of Grace as an object of beauty with a fairly extensive wardrobe. However, it almost becomes a mystery film with Grace trying to discover who is responsible for wanting to remove her husband from the throne. We can assure you, there are more interesting segments in Grace’s life, her life as a movie star, her initial meeting with Rainier, her affairs with the leading men who loved and adored her and her untimely death, most of which are ignored by Grace of Monaco.

 

The performances are fine besides Nicole Kidman who unfortunately does not embody the legendary Grace of Monaco; her performance is too forced, too orchestrated as are some of the others that surround her. The film is almost manipulative in its approach to who the “bad guy” actually is, a quality which just makes it look like a docu-drama. The Palace have even gone so far as to release a statement to say they want nothing to do with the film and that the script was sent back many times for re-writes which never happened. This is not the Grace film they would have liked to see.

 

The one thing that Grace has going for it is the beautiful locations it films and the stunning costumes but outside of that, this really is an awful mess and will leave you feeling very confused departing the cinema.

 

 

Director: Phil Lord, Christopher Miller

 

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Ice Cube

 

When Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum's 21 Jump Street was released back in 2012, everyone branded it as just another one of those silly comedies which could have been really disappointing for both of their careers. Hill is now an Oscar nominated star and Tatum was beginning to prove that he was far more than just brawn, he definitely had the brains when it came to making some of career choices. However, 21 Jump Street was also a remake and with previous trends from Hollywood we know these kind of films rarely work but that wasn't giving these guys enough credit. 

 

21 Jump Street was one of those rarities. Made on a budge of just $42 million (we know it seems like a lot of money but not in Hollywood) the film managed to gross a whopping $204 million worldwide but it did so much more than just do well at the box office. The film produced an epic comic duo in the form of Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum, destroyed the myth about the remake being entirely rubbish and it managed to create a little bit of cult classic with endlessly quotable lines. To film a sequel and ruin the original was a big gamble, luckily that has also worked in their favour.

 

The film picks up where the original left off; Hill and Tatum have completed the task to bring down the drug dealer in high school and have been moved on to college, however not the type of college they were expecting, this is online college. Everything changes when the department realises that they must do everything exactly the same way as before (wink, wink) and send the pair off to actual college to bring down another drug dealer, a more dangerous and elusive one who is dealing in "wifi", a drug that makes students focus for about four hours and then causes them to lose their minds for the rest of the night. Unlike the previous film, the duo are finding it slightly more difficult to source the supplier and dealer.

 

While Schmidt (Hill) was popular in High School, Jenko (Tatum) discovers that his football skills have landed him in the cool crowd but this also creates some problems when the pair discover that Jenko's new football bestie in the form of Zook may just be the dealer on campus that they are looking for. Jenko's unwillingness to assume that Zook is the root of their problem brings the pair's partnership into question throwing not only the case into jeopardy but also their friendship.

 

Firstly and perhaps most importantly, 22 Jump Street is just as funny as 21 which is an excellent pay-off for the wait in the lead up to the sequel. Directed by the duo who brought you the hilarious Lego Movie, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the film is filled to the brim with hilarious sequel jokes and plenty of brilliant gags, in particular the moment when Jenko realises that Schmidt has slept with somebody he probably shouldn't have and when Schmidt decides to compose a slam poem on stage. Hill and Tatum prove yet again that they are an amazing comic pairing, their over-and-back just works brilliantly.

 

For the most part, the plot is pretty much exactly the same as the original with some obvious changes for comic effect, namely the sequel jokes we mentioned and making one half of the team more popular than the other. The love interest has also dramatically changed for effect and certainly brings some of the biggest laughs across the course of the film.

 

If there is one criticism of 22 Jump Street it would be that the plot takes over a little towards the end and drags the film out just a little bit too much. However, this is only a slight issue for what is just another brilliant comedy. Dare we say it, we hope there's another instalment.

 

Make sure you stay for the end credits, they are also entirely worth it.