Soothing Streaming Movies: Father of the Bride, The Valet, Cha Cha Real Smooth

If it's too hot to leave your house, never fear. You can stay on the couch this weekend and keep yourself entertained with a number of delightful movies that have popped up on streaming services. Today's selection is a trio of lighthearted comedies, all of which feature romance and have happy endings, but maybe not quite the happily ever after you expected.

Father of the Bride: Written by Matt Lopez and directed by Gaz Alazraki, this is a charming update of the classic film starring Elizabeth Taylor and Spencer Tracy that was then charmingly updated in 1991 with Kimberly Williams and Steve Martin as the Bride and Father, respectively. In this version, the Bride is Adria Arjona, a young Latina who met her fiance in New York and brings him home to meet her parents in Miami after a whirlwind engagement. Her parents are played by the incredible duo of Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan, so you know that things can't go wrong from there.

We all know how this story goes as far as the Bride is concerned. There is a lot of drama around wedding preparations, and in this film, there's a whole subplot with her younger sister (played by Isabela Merced) who is a bit aimless and hasn't quite figured out her passion in life, but this wedding will give her a chance to showcase her burgeoning fashion design skills. There will be trouble with the in-laws and a lot of posturing from the Father about how he has to pay for everything, a stance that he will promptly regret. But what makes this update unique is that it is a story about immigrants and first-generation Latinos navigating America and combining their different cultures and heritages and dealing with the age-old problem of how to please your family while still staying true to yourself. And while all this is going on with the Bride, the Father has his own problems, because his wife has asked for a divorce. So really, you're getting two love stories for the price of one and it's a delightful summer treat.

The Valet: Directed by Richard Wong and based on the 2006 French movie by Francis Veber, this is a classic romcom setup - Samara Weaving plays Olivia Allan, a famous Hollywood actress who gets caught in a paparazzi photo with her married lover, Vincent (played by Max Greenfield, in an excellent bit of casting). However, another man randomly appears in that photo, so Vincent hits upon the brilliant idea of paying that man to pretend he's the one that Olivia is dating and Vincent was just the innocent bystander. That man is Antonio (Eugenio Derbez), an unassuming valet who is definitely not used to dealing with rich people and celebrities except when he has to park their cars. 

What follows is an incredibly sweet story where Olivia and Antonio become unlikely friends and help each other understand that they deserve much more than their current circumstances dictate. They both have unhappy love lives that will need to be addressed, but this movie makes their relationship blissfully platonic and supportive. And hilarious. Antonio's family is composed of an entertaining cast of characters, and a lot of the movie is just in Spanish because hey, that reflects the realities of being a Mexican family in Los Angeles. The sub-plot with his mother (played by the wonderful Carmen Salinas) is pure gold and that is the true love story of this film. It's a wonderful look at a part of LA and the people of LA that we don't ordinarily get to see in film, and you'll have a big smile on your face the whole time you're watching it.

Cha Cha Real Smooth: This is a gentle and kind movie that has a lot of heart and some very funny moments, but is mostly about two people who are ships that pass in the night. Written and directed by Cooper Raiff, he also stars as Andrew, as 22-year-old who has just graduated from college and is now living with his mother and her husband (played by the great duo of Leslie Mann and Brad Garrett) as he figures out what to do next in his life. He stumbles into a job as a party starter, getting people onto the dance floor at various bar mitzvahs and  ensuring that everyone has a good time. Which is how he meets Domino (Dakota Johnson) and her autistic teenage daughter, Lola (Vanessa Burghardt). Andrew has a way with Lola that Domino comes to appreciate and they quickly form a bond. But Domino is engaged. And Connor is only 22. So what happens now?

This film is sweet and its characters feel believable and lived-in. Everyone is just trying to figure out how to do the right thing, and they stumblingly get there. Along the way it is also funny and sad (the phrase "That's a period?!" uttered in absolute horror by Andrew made me burst out laughing in a scene that actually is quite dramatic) and by the end, you will feel a little bit wistful but very happy that this is how you chose to spend your day. Isn't that what summer is all about? 

Get Your Binge On: The Bear and The Summer I Turned Pretty

Last month I binged two very different shows over the course of two days. Do you want something gritty, darkly funny, and intense? Or do you want something frothy and cute that still manages to tug at your heartstrings? 

The Bear: The first season is only eight episodes long, most of those only half an hour, and it is an absolute triumph. Created by Christopher Storer, who also wrote and directed a number of episodes, this is the story of Carmen "Carmy" Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) a man who has returned to Chicago after his brother died by suicide and left Carmy his restaurant. Carmy is one of the best chefs in the world and left behind a prestigious job at a fine dining restaurant to work at this struggling beef sandwich shop and he is thrown into the deep end dealing with a recalcitrant staff who are used to doing things their own way and are deeply suspicious of this young upstart and his fancy ideas of instituting a French brigade system to whip them into shape. The man doesn't even want to make spaghetti with tomatoes from a can, what is this anarchy?!

What follows is an incisive look at the business of running a restaurant. Financial ruin faces Carmy at every turn, and his passion for food often has to take a backseat to the need to run a solvent business. His staff of misfits eventually start to warm to him, but for every step he takes forward, there's always the drama of a surprise health inspection, a power outage, or personal trauma to take him two steps back. As the series progresses, we get to spend more time with the other characters, particularly the new recruit, Sydney (Ayo Edibiri), who was trained at the Culinary Institute of America and shares Carmy's vision, but is still extremely young and has to earn the respect of the older, more seasoned employees who see her as an interloper. Will she succeed? You had better watch to find out!

The main reason I am recommending this show, however, is Episode 7. Even if you don't binge the whole thing, I am tempted to tell the whole world to at least watch this one episode. It is only twenty minutes long, but during those twenty minutes you will have an absolute panic attack. It is a searing masterclass in how to script and edit a tight episode of television that tells a chaotic, frantic, tale of the absolute worst day at this restaurant. It follows every single character and gives them a chance to have their own personal moment of hell and keeps you riveted to the screen from the first shot to the last. It is a shot of pure adrenalin and that was the moment I knew this show was destined to be a classic.

The Summer I Turned Pretty: Look, I get it. The title makes me cringe too. My boss overheard his daughter's teenage friend describe the show as "cringey but you'll really enjoy it if you watch it alone." Which might be the most incisive review ever. An adaptation of a Jenny Han YA book series (she's the author responsible for the charming To All The Boys I've Loved Before trilogy), this show tells the story of Isabel "Belly" Conklin (Lola Tung), a high school sophomore who arrives at Cousins Beach with her mother, Laurel (Jackie Chung), and brother, Steven (Sean Kaufman), to spend their annual summer vacation at the home of her mother's best friend, Susannah (Rachel Blanchard), and her two sons, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).

What follows is an angsty tale of teen romance as Belly navigates the fact that this is the summer she has boobs and doesn't have braces and is suddenly an object of male interest. Which sounds gross, but I promise is handled with a bit more finesse than that. I didn't care about Belly and her romantic shenanigans that much, but I did enjoy the focus on her female friendships and the tensions between the new girls she meets when preparing for a debutante ball versus her old friend back home who is starting to feel left out. But the best part of the show, to me, was the mothers. Susannah and Laurel have a friendship that reminded me a lot of my best friends from college that I still love to this day. These two have an INTENSE summer, and I won't spoil anything, but the last episode wrecked me for reasons that had absolutely nothing to do with the teenagers and was all about the adults.

So give this fluffy show a chance. It has surprising heart and depth and even tries to tackle issues like racism and classism, albeit always with a light touch. It also boasts a great soundtrack and some gorgeous summer beach vibes in a house I would like to move into immediately. I'm quite looking forward to future installments and there's enough of a cliffhanger that I'm genuinely considering just getting the trilogy from the library to find out what ultimately happens to these characters. Surely there's no higher praise I can give a show? 

June Movie Round-Up: Jurassic World Dominion, Lightyear, Elvis

Another summer month has gone by and a slew of blockbusters catering to various audiences have arrived in theaters. Whether you need some dinosaurs, space adventures, or a musical biopic, there's something for everyone.

Jurassic World Dominion: Go in with low expectations and you will be rewarded. This is a popcorn action flick with lots of dinosaurs running around and humans being hapless. As long as you know that, you will be fine. There are long action sequences that are quite thrilling and fun to watch as humans desperately try to escape the ever-growing number of dinosaurs they have unleashed onto the world. And as the conceit is that dinosaurs are now roaming freely through our planet, you aren't confined to watching folks screaming in a well-curated jungle. There are some urban set pieces to keep things visually stunning.

The actors are all trying their best (well apart from Chris Pratt, who literally just maintains one expression through the entirety of this film), and they are selling this script as hard as they can. But come on. This is supposed to be a movie about dinosaurs but instead it is a rambly, incoherent mess of multiple plots, including human cloning for some godforsaken reason, and half the time you are yelling at the screen, "Let's get back to the dinosaurs!" The best bits are when Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum are reunited and we get the original trio facing up to the disasters of the new century after all the drama they dealt with back in the 90s. And of course, Bryce Dallas Howard is as endearing as ever. But yeah, don't expect this movie to make sense or deserve an award for anything beyond excellent stunt work. It is pretty, but dumb. Oh wait no, just pretty dumb. 

Lightyear: This isn't a top-tier Pixar movie, but it's certainly funny and charming and will keep you wholly entertained for two hours. The opening credits are a little confusing, because they say that in 1995 a boy named Andy got a Buzz Lightyear toy - that toy was based on this movie. So I guess this is the movie that spawned the Buzz Lightyear action figure that Andy got in Toy Story? Anyway, that's the only connection to Toy Story - the rest of this film is just about Buzz himself, a Space Ranger who is stranded on an alien planet and determined to rescue the entire spaceship of people who crashed alongside him and his colleague, Captain Hawthorne. The kicker is that every time Buzz goes on a test flight to see if he can achieve the hyper speed necessary for everyone to leave this planet, he causes a weird space-time issue that results in him only aging a few minutes during the flight, but several years passing on the planet below him. So in classic Pixar fashion, there is a slightly sad story for us all to learn about the passage of time, and how to value your life.

The voice acting is great - Chris Evans is wonderful as the somewhat blustery but confident Buzz, and Keke Palmer, Taika Waititi, and Dale Soules are vastly entertaining as a ragtag bunch of rookies who help Buzz on his mission. There's a lot here about having to rely on help from others, no man is an island, etc. But also, there's a very funny robot cat and lots of jokes and sight gags to keep you giggling. So buckle in and get ready for lift off.

Elvis: Coco Chanel famously said, "Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take one thing off." Well, I wish Baz Luhrmann, director and co-writer of Elvis, had looked at this film during the edit and taken some flourishes off. It might have allowed a less chaotic cinematic experience.

Austin Butler is the best thing about this film. His portrayal of Elvis Presley is uncanny, never veering into caricature, and despite this film being way too long at 2 hours and 40 minutes, at no point did I ever find my enthusiasm wane for his performance. He is a powerhouse and destined for great things. In distinct contrast to his co-star, one Mr. Tom Hanks, who is playing Elvis's corrupt manager, Colonel Tom Parker. This man was a bizarre carnival charlatan who took advantage of Elvis and his family and was blamed for everything that went wrong with Presley's life. I don't know what Hanks is doing with this performance and his weird accent (Parker was an odd character, to be sure, so I am sympathetic that Hanks probably didn't have much to go on) but it certainly feels like he's in a completely different movie than Butler.

The movie acknowledges the many Black influences on Elvis's music and style, but ultimately this causes a cacophony of sounds that never quite mesh together. I found myself wishing for a scene where I could just watch Elvis sing a song all the way through without any other cinematic flourishes, but unfortunately, the soundtrack invariably would throw in two or three overlapping pieces of music and cause an auditory riot. The movie is a jumble and is trying to do too much, which ultimately means it does too little. I'm never a fan of birth-to-death biopics, so perhaps something that just looked at a week in Elvis's life would have proven more fruitful. But if you're a fan of the man, the myth, the legend, there's still a lot for you to enjoy here. It's a loving ode to an American icon that ultimately, like Elvis, starts out strong and then becomes a bit of a bloated mess. 

This Is Going to Hurt: The Perils of Medicine

This Is Going to Hurt is a seven-episode BBC series (airing on AMC+ in the US) that is a fictional adaptation of the memoir by Adam Kay, who also created and wrote all seven episodes of this show. Ben Whishaw plays Adam, an OBGYN doctor in an underfunded and chaotic NHS hospital where he is forced to work long hours with little support or guidance while making life or death decisions every day.

Adam's colleagues include: Shruti (Ambika Mod), a junior doctor who is overwhelmed and needs some care and attention but only ever seems to get sarcasm and criticism from Adam; Tracy (Michele Austin), the hospital's extremely competent head midwife who has her opinions on how these junior doctors are getting on with their work; and Non-Reassuring Trace (Josie Walker), the other head midwife who seems competent but unfortunately thinks every patient is about to die at any given minute. There are also the consultants, Mr. Lockhart and Ms. Houghton (Alex Jennings and Ashley McGuire), who Adam would love to learn from, but he rarely gets to see them as he is expected to hold down the fort and only call for them in an emergency. Needless to say, this chaotic state of affairs leads to some very dire situations. We also see the toll that this work has on Adam's personal life. He has a wonderful boyfriend, Harry (Rory Fleck Byrne), who seems gloriously tolerant of Adam's demanding life and the fact that he will flake out on plans at any given moment, but there's only so much that poor man can take before he snaps. Harriet Walter plays Adam's mother, an extremely judgy upper-class lady who makes his life rather difficult, while Tom Durant-Pritchard and Alice Orr-Ewing are lovely as Adam's friends Greg and Emma who will go through quite the journey with Adam over the course of this series.

This show is technically not a comedy. But it's British, which means that even though it is dealing with heinously dark subject matter, everything is punctuated by sarcastic quips and jokes that will make a horrified giggle burst through your lips. I have already ordered Adam Kay's memoir from the library because I need to know if the tone of this book is as darkly comic as this show, but the writing is a thing of beauty. The dialogue is always a battle, with characters seeking reassurance from each other and never quite getting what they want, and everyone being slightly disappointing until push comes to shove and it's all hands on deck. The stakes are impossibly high at every turn - obstetrics and gynecology is an unusual specialty where you are responsible for two patients at once, and we see how the consequences of Adam failing to treat a pregnant mother appropriately can have ramifications for her baby. Every scene of this show is stressful and chaotic, so I'm warning you right now that you might need to dole it out to yourself in installments, instead of binging it in a fever dream like I did.

My personal favorite character, of course, is Shruti, the young Indian doctor who is the first in her family to go into Medicine and find herself completely questioning her life decisions. I empathized so much with this woman's struggles - she was quite literally me as a medical student. Her story arc on this show is poignant and incredible - she starts out as such a mouse and is treated so abominably, but she gradually comes into her own. And then our paths diverge. No spoilers, but Shruti's fate on this show is exactly what I envisioned when I was working in hospitals. Which is why I left medicine. In fact, this is not a show for anyone to watch if they are still in the medical profession. After all, it's written by a man who left Medicine and is very focused on highlighting the struggle and daily pressure that health care workers are under every day to care for their patients. It captures the absolute apathy they start to feel towards their patients - you may enter this profession to make a difference, but you cannot get too invested because it will grind you down. But one episode also offers up a cautionary tale of public versus private hospitals - even if healthcare is free in the UK, there are disparities in the way wealthy people choose to cut the line and "go private," and this series offers a searing rebuke of that whole system. 

This is Going to Hurt is a brilliant portrayal of all the reasons I couldn't be a doctor. All I can hope is that the politicians and hospital administrators watch this show and think about how they can do a better job to support the people who do choose to remain in the medical profession. We must ensure they don't have to endure quite such a hellscape every time they walk into work. 

Good Luck to You, Leo Grande: Sexy & Sweet

All I knew about Good Luck to You, Leo Grande was that it starred Emma Thompson as a woman who hires a sex worker after she has spent her entire life never having an orgasm. Also, I knew that at some point in the movie she gets completely naked. And frankly, that's all you should know before you watch this movie too. Within the first five minutes, I had a big smile on my face and knew I was going to love this movie, and by the time I finished it, I was in tears and convinced it was one of the best movies I had seen in my life. So, stop reading this blog post and come back when you've watched the movie, OK?

Alright you're back? Let's begin. This movie is so incredibly charming and sweet and sad and earnest and funny. Emma Thompson is staggeringly wonderful as Nancy Stokes (is that her real name...), a retired Religious Education schoolteacher who was widowed after 31 years of marriage that consisted of extremely boring sex. She has never had an orgasm and in a sudden wild moment, decides to book a sex worker named Leo Grande (definitely not his real name...) for a quick night of passion. Daryl McCormack is devastating as Leo, a kind and confident sex worker who knows that he is good at what he does, possesses a charming swagger that is calculated to put his clients at ease, but is also grappling with some personal issues that will come to the fore as he continues his association with Nancy.

The script by Katy Brand is a complex and intricate wonder, teasing out the insecurities and vulnerabilities that both of these characters have developed over their lifetimes. In Nancy's case, there's a lifetime of societal repression - this is a woman who has been held down by the patriarchy her entire life, and she isn't just going to come out of her shell in her first encounter with Leo. But boy, it is a delight to watch her transform from a horrified prude to a sex-positive evangelist for Leo's good work. And when Leo first struts into the room and soothes Nancy with his dulcet Irish tones, it's hard to imagine that this is a man who carries any baggage. But of course, Nancy needles him mercilessly and strips away those defenses. He is such a funny and engaging man, but when his walls come down and he lays his life bare, this movie really starts firing on all cylinders.

Director Sophie Hyde has coaxed out incredible performances from her two stars and gives this script enough time to breathe and develop and bloom into a gorgeous tale of friendship and self-love. The whole point of this movie is to be a judgment-free zone even though it starts out with Nancy being extremely critical of her decision to hire Leo and of Leo himself. But Leo's philosophy of never judging his clients eventually rubs off on her, and ultimately, this is a story about how wonderful the world would be if we all just stopped criticizing ourselves and each other and simply asked for what we needed. 

I was so happy for Nancy and Leo by the end of this film, but I was also devastated at the thought of how many Nancys exist in the world who will continue to languish in unfulfilling lives of quiet desperation, never being able to ask for what they deserve and never having a Leo Grande in their lives who looks out for their best interests. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande should be required viewing in every Sex Ed class - perhaps if we teach kids now that this is what open and honest communication looks like, they will grow into adults who promote a far more equitable society than the one we have today.

Pirates vs Preachers: The Righteous Gemstones and Our Flag Means Death

I finally made my way through two seasons of The Righteous Gemstones and a season of Our Flag Means Death. Get that HBO subscription because you are in for a treat.

The Righteous Gemstones: Oh where to begin? This is a show about a family that runs a megachurch, led by the patriarch, Eli Gemstone (John Goodman), with the eldest son Jesse (Danny McBride, who also created the show) waiting in the wings to take over alongside his driven wife, Amber (Cassidy Freeman). Jesse is  constantly squabbling with his siblings, including the ambitious Judy (Edi Patterson), who never gets to take the stage because she’s just a lowly woman, and Kelvin (Adam DeVine) who is a buff youth minister who hasn't quite come to terms with his sexuality.

The show is joke dense and utterly bonkers. In both seasons, major scandals are brewing and there are long story arcs involving mysteries and murders and all manner of shenanigans that have to be addressed so the Gemstones can maintain their reputation. For a show about a religious family, it contains some of the filthiest jokes ever, reams of scatological dialogue that would be heralded as absolute poetry if they weren’t so utterly profane. And this show is also single-handedly redressing HBO’s penchant for female nudity by giving us more male full frontal nudity than your eyes can handle. Seriously, scrotums seem to pop into frame for no earthly reason at an alarming rate.

This is a devastatingly funny and well-plotted show. The characters are intriguing and all unique weirdos in their own special way, and each season thwarts and/or builds on their ambitions in ludicrous fashion. Don’t expect any realism, but go into this for an over-the-top comedy that will make you laugh out loud and groan with horror when someone gets poked in the eye with a penis. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Our Flag Means Death: This is a great show, but perhaps one to dole out to yourself as a weekly treat rather than binge in one sitting. Set in the early 18th century, we follow the crew of the Revenge, a pirate ship captained by Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), an English gentleman who decided to abandon his wife and kids and take up a life of piracy because that seemed more exciting than gentle living (in writing this blog post, I have just discovered this is based on a real-life gentleman pirate named Stede Bonnet. Mind blown.) He doesn’t really know what he’s doing, of course, but that’s where the show excels, portraying a man who earnestly lectures his crew on self-care and improving themselves with literature instead of giving into the toxic masculinity of the pirate life. 

As the show progresses, the famed Captain Blackbeard (Taika Waititi) arrives, and though he initially meant to plunder the ship and kill all the crew, he unexpectedly finds himself beguiled by Steve and a friendship blossoms between the two. Well, I say friendship, but this is an exceedingly queer show where the crew have no qualms about hooking up with each other, and Leslie Jones has a cameo as a polyandrous mercenary on one of the islands, so that relationship eventually does blossom in other ways.

This show boasts an epic costume and production design budget - I have never wanted to live on a pirate ship more than when I first saw Stede’s remarkable library built into his private quarters. The actors are all swashbuckling about and having a grand ol’ time and there is a lot of fun to be had with the conceit of pirates who are less into bloody pillaging and more into fine silks. So give it a try. Your mileage may vary, but it’s well worth taking a quick cruise around the islands with this crew.

Chip 'n Dale & Fire Island: Sweet 'n Sassy

If you’re looking for a fun movie to watch this week, have I got two insanely good recommendations for you. Whether you’re looking for a PG-rated family-friendly flick or a decidedly R-rated hilarious and romantic gay retelling of Pride & Prejudice, you are about to be so entertained.

Fire Island: There was so much hype for this movie and thank God, it was all worthwhile. Directed by Andrew Ahn and written by Joel Kim Booster (who also stars as Noah, i.e. the Elizabeth Bennet character), this is a brilliant story about a bunch of gay men who are on their annual week-long pilgrimage to Fire Island. Bowen Yang co-stars as Howie (i.e. Jane), a man who yearns for romance, while his best friend Noah is trying to urge him to be more pragmatic and just focus on getting some action. Of course, they then meet the men (James Scully and Conrad Ricamora) who will be the Bingley and Darcy to eventually sweep them off their feet. But there will be some obstacles along the way.

This movie is such a joy in the way that it takes the world’s greatest straight love story and turns it into a stunning gay romcom. No matter what your sexuality, you will relate to these characters on a completely human level - I initially declared that I was Max (Torian Miller), who only wanted to read a book instead of partying on the island, until I realized that he was Mary, the impossibly dull sister; I quickly reneged to being Noah instead, because don’t we all want to be Elizabeth? As a connoisseur of all things P&P, I naturally spent this whole movie reveling in the wonderful script and update to these characters. In 2022, the querulous character of Mrs. Bennet is now being played by Margaret Cho as a jaded lesbian who serves as mother hen to a bunch of young gay men. Huzzah!

This movie has many laugh-out-loud lines, but it also packs a hefty emotional punch. It has a lot to say about toxic gay culture and how Asian men in particular can feel invisible or ugly because everyone is fixated on worshipping fit white dudes. It has a lot to say about chosen family and the importance of listening and supporting your friends even if they don’t want the same things as you. And ultimately, it is such a swoony and perfect love story, where you get to see some gay men get their happily ever after. The setting is perfect, the sunsets over the beach are resplendent, and this movie is an utter joy. Jane Austen would be proud.

Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers: When I went to Disneyland at the age of 7, the first autographs I got in my little notebook were from Chip and Dale. Since then, I had not thought about these characters until my boyfriend mentioned last week that this movie was out on Disney+. I went in with zero expectations, having seen no trailers or anything. And boy, at the end, I had giggled my little heart out and had a great time.

John Mulaney and Andy Samberg voice Chip and Dale respectively, and that voice casting is perfection. The action picks up in our present day, where their glory days of starring in the Rescue Rangers TV show are behind them and now Chip works as an insurance salesman, while Dale keeps going to fan conventions and is desperately trying to eke out some sort of solo career in Hollywood. He has gotten "CGI surgery," so one of the funniest aspects of this movie right off the bat is that Chip still looks like an old school animated cartoon character while Dale is now updated for the 21st century. This kind of meta commentary persists throughout the film which is a wonderful blend of animated characters and human actors, and is absolutely brimming with jokes and sight gags in every frame.

Written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand and directed by Akiva Shaffer, it’s very apparent that this is a movie made by a bunch of fans who are deep into Chip 'n Dale lore with plenty of Disney Easter Eggs scattered throughout. It’s so funny and well-observed about what it feels like to be washed up in Hollywood, but it is also clever about animation and comebacks, whilst still featuring a mystery storyline that is perfectly in keeping with the original tone of the Rescue Rangers show. This movie is fun from start to finish and offers up just enough nostalgia wrapped up in 2022 social commentary. This is a movie for the original fans like me who are all grown up now but I’m sure kids could still enjoy it today and give Chip 'n Dale a brand new audience. Which is exactly what these characters would want to happen.