RRs Short take : Snatched - Not a Mother's Day gift - 1 star

Short Take 

The phrase comes from the film industry that means a short bit of recording or “something that only takes a short time."

RR's Short Take review: A short review of a film with potential discussion points

RR's Short Take: 1 star

        

To clarify something that may be obvious, but I am not a woman. I am married with three daughters and a well-trained son, which does give me some insight on the life of women. Yet, even with this wonderful life of being surrounded by these smart and talented ladies, I cannot begin to understand the unfortunate wave of gross-out, course language laden, female-centric comedies. Bridesmaids, Bad Moms and the latest addition, Snatched perplex me like no other genre. What is the appeal of these films and why do people enjoy the comedic stylings of Amy Schumer? 

Summary: In her latest journey into cinemas, Ms Schumer manages to epitomise the world of the narcissistic millennial. Which does not differ from he other roles, except this one takes her into the South American jungle. As the self-absorbed Emily, who was planning on going on an Ecuadorian holiday with her boyfriend. Then a few days before the trip he decides to break up with his smartphone obsessed girlfriend. In a desperate attempt to find someone to go with her on this non-refundable vacation, she convinces her reclusive mother to go along. While Linda (Goldie Hawn) would prefer to stay home with her cats and home-bound son, she is coerced to travel with her daughter to the beaches of Ecuador. Shortly after their arrival in the beautiful resort, Emily is seduced by the adventurous James (Tom Bateman), who convinces these two naive American women to go on a jungle tour with him. It is in the villages of the remote countryside that the women realise that they are out of their element and have been set up to be kidnapped. What sounds like the development of a dramatic action film, becomes a unfortunate adventure in poorly executed comedy. 

Short-take: The beginning of the film has some promise as Schumer and Hawn apply their comedic talents to the mother-daughter relationship. The gags on Facebook and the poolside interchange are a bit cliched, but they do provide some of the rare funny moments. After these rare glimmers of humour, all things travel down into a pit of despair. Being reminiscent of the many of the poorly executed comedies of the '80s, the storyline becomes so convoluted and unbelievable that every attempt at humour falls flat on the jungle floor. 

It is perplexing that the talented director Jonathan Levine, the director behind well-crafted films like 50/50 and Warm Bodies would not only direct, but co-write this disastrous adventure. He not only wastes Goldie Hawn's comedic talents, but squanders the skills of Wanda Sykes, Joan Cusack, and Christopher Meloni in throw away roles that border on the offensive. Between the excessive language, ridiculous narrative and wasted directorial and acting talents there are little redeeming elements to enjoy in this film. 

Caution for Mother's Day: Do not be pulled in by the marketing and think that this is a good option for Mother's Day. Instead give your mum a real gift and truly celebrate your relationship by sparing her from this dreadful experience.

Snatched is rated MA15+ (R-US) for for crude sexual content, brief nudity, and language throughout and is for immature adult audiences only

REEL DIALOGUE: What are some of the bigger questions to consider from this film? 

1. How should we treat our mother's?
(Proverbs 6:20, 31:25-30, Ephesians 6:2)

2. What does the Bible say about daughters?
(Psalm 144:12, Proverbs 31:30, 2 Corinthians 6:18)

Trailer for film

Written by Russell Matthews based on a five star rating system @ Russelling Reviews #russellingrevs #snatched #amyshumer #goldiehawn