Displaying items by tag: Jason Biggs

ANGRY ANGEL

US, 2017, 83 minutes, Colour.

Brenda Song, Andy Favreau, Ricky Mabe, Andrew Bachelor, Anastasia Phillips, Julia Pastorius, Elizabeth Bowen, Jason Biggs.

Directed by Jamie Travis.

Audiences who enjoy Christmas films, here is one with quite a difference!

Brenda Song, a very bright screen personality who has been acting since the age of seven, plays Alison Pyke, working in a diner, dissatisfied with life – and, revealed to be an Angel trying to earn points to get her to heaven.

There is a back story, she was previously Megan, growing up in love with Patrick, marrying him, then dying, and assigned a new appearance and a new life, having to earn a number of points in helping people in order to get to heaven. She has a good friend, Leonard, a bright Andrew Bachelor, who is in a similar situation and they have chats and help each other.

An amusing idea is to have Jason Biggs as himself, a former life, reincarnated as Jason Biggs who is a kind of supervisor in New York City checking the various angels and their progress, correcting, urging…

Brenda Song brings to life this kind of life, confiding in the audience, getting points, losing them, and then encountering Patrick visiting from Nebraska with his girlfriend, Jill. The rules are no contact with past life but, eventually, Pyke makes contact, trying to explain herself to Patrick, kissing him, alienating Jill. So, she has an opportunity to get a bus ticket to heaven and loses all her points.

It is Christmas, she is criticised for being self-centred, finds Jill to apologise to her, finds Patrick to explain and to letting go, meets up with Leonard and, on the bus, to heaven.

Nothing very religious here, despite all the Christmas songs and carols. Heaven is a kind of middle-class happy resort for every whim and wish. Pyke, however, is still concerned about a friend on earth and drives out of heaven to help him. She is accountable to the tribunal and Jason Biggs again and has to start all over again!

Lots of sentiment and goodwill in a different kind of Christmas story.

1. A Christmas story with a very different plot – but with many of the same messages?
2. Audiences accepting the basic premise, life after death, a new life, a new form and situation, getting points in order to go to heaven, the supervisors and staff checking progress, the eventual picture of heaven, extremely secular, heaven as an easy-going resort?
3. The basic story, Patrick and Megan, friendship, growing up, shared interests, in love, marrying? Megan’s death?
4. The fantasy story, Megan becoming Alison Pyke, a new form, Asian-American, living in New York, working as a waitress, not particularly effective, all the mistakes and faux pas? Friendship with Connie, Connie’s tolerance at work? The friendship with James Barker, cook, the relationship, the sexual encounter, the consequences? His response to her, her preoccupation with getting to heaven, the clash between them?
5. The enjoyment of having Jason Biggs as himself, referring to his career, supervising, checking on points earned? Discussions with Pyke, urging him on, criticising her, the various encounters, Christmas, offering her the possibility of getting to heaven?
6. The rules, the points for various good deeds, Pyke and her exasperation? Doing good, saving people, the various episodes? The rule of not being into contact with the past? Her memories of Patrick, love for him, the encounter with him and Jill, her intruding, the question breaking the rules, talking with Patrick, explaining herself, memories the past, his being taken aback, her kissing, Jill and her upset? Jason Biggs and the rules? Offering her the opportunity to do something big to regain the points?
7. The atmosphere, the Christmas messages, doing good for people, being selfless?
8. The character of Leonard, friendly, his good deeds, images of heaven, talks with Pyke, turning up, helping her, sharing missions?
9. Christmas, Pyke being urged to do something selfless, the would-be suicide at the subway, letting Leonard help him, the embrace to life? Her doing something kind?
10. Finding Jill, the explanation and apology, finding Patrick, urging him to love Jill, the separation?
11. The bus, with Leonard, going to heaven?
12. Her commentary about heaven, the luxury resort, every wish and a whim? Her being dissatisfied? The story of Barker? Her escaping, saving Barker’s life, his meeting the French girl?
13. Going back to the tribunal, Jason Biggs, her losing all the points – and having to go out and start again, on the plane as she was in the opening sequence, the people panicking, her surviving – and saying she could do it again?

BEST. CHRISTMAS, EVER!

US, 2023, 82 minutes, Colour.

Heather Graham, Brandy Norwood, Jason Biggs, Matt Cedeno, Wyatt Hunt, Abby Villasmil, Madison Skye Validum.

Directed by Mary Lambert.

There are so many, many Christmas shows that are released every year, especially on streaming services.

Perhaps the cast will attract an audience, veteran Heather Graham (actually 50-51 at the time of filming which stretches credibility somewhat), and the popular Jason Biggs from the American Pie films. Brandy Norwood is a popular singing artist. And the direction is by veteran Mary Lambert, almost 50 years of film and television, making a mark in the 1980s with her version of Stephen King’s Pet Sematery (and filming a sequel).

But, having a look at the comments on the IMDb, it is a litany of derogatory mocking and condemnation. But…, This is a Christmas film.

What makes it different is that for the children generation, it raises a question of whether Santa Claus is real. And, for the adult generation, there has to be a willing suspension of disbelief that the perfect family exists and that a perfect happy Christmas family story is possible. (In the film, yes, in real life, highly doubtful.)

Brandy Norwood’s Jackie sends out a magazine Christmas card every year with photos of the achievement of the family. Her friend from college days, Charlotte, Heather Graham, resents these cards. Jackie has the perfect marriage, the most precociously intelligent daughter, already a Harvard student with expertise knowledge of finance (though conducting her research as to the existence of Santa Claus). It looks as though Jackie can do everything, en aviation company at a profit, construct a hot air balloon… And her husband, Valentino, Matt Part Cedeno, seems perfect in every way.

By contrast, Charlotte has not achieved her ambitions, has a sense of disappointment, does love her husband, and her two children, one of whom is always accompanied by a cartoon -looking toy, a monkey who gives him advice. Some  of the advice the monkey gives is that the son insert Jackie’s address into the GPS – and, a surprise arrival, plenty of jealous activity on Charlotte’s part, Ron being nice, happy memories of his past dating and playing music with Jackie. And the children get on very well.

All kinds of ups and downs, but to checking on Santa, all kinds of accidents, all kinds of reconciliations, a touch of sadness with the death of Jackie and Valentino’s son, but a Christmas pageant, the hot air balloon is the star of Bethlehem, and, all things, Charlotte dressed as Santa riding in his sleigh, including the Gospel story, but a transition to popular singing with Mary and the angels swinging along to the melody.

The last screenplay by writer-director, Charles Shyer, Baby Boom, Father of the Bride.

It is all very cheerful – but, apparently too impossible and too cheerful for many of the bloggers.