Category: Comedies

Classic Films · Comedies

40 Pounds of Trouble

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: 40 Pounds of Trouble, 1962

If you’re a Disney Adult who geeks out over the history of the parks, then you’ll definitely want to check out this week’s pick 40 Pounds of Trouble (Disc). With location shooting in both Lake Tahoe and Disneyland, it’s like someone said, “Let’s pick Liz Locke’s two favorite vacation spots and film a movie there!”

 Marking the directorial debut of Norman Jewison, this was the first movie granted permission to film in the park by Walt Disney. Unfortunately, The Enchanted Tiki Room was still a year out from opening, but we still get to see some of the greatest hits like the Storybook Land Canal Boats, the sadly defunct Skyway gondola, and a thrilling ride down the Matterhorn (or as I call it, the Tailbone Destroyer). The plot is thin but sweet, with a Tahoe casino manager (Tony Curtis) thrust into sudden fatherhood after a gambler abandons his little girl at the hotel. When the girl’s dad is found dead in a car crash, Tony knows there’s only one thing to do: give her the most magical day of her life at Disneyland before her world gets destroyed. If there’s one thing everyone knows about Disneyland, it’s this: in the park, the real world and all its problems cease to exist.

Because this is such a fun, frothy comedy, it seems appropriate to enjoy a frothy cocktail with it. This one invokes the color and “snow capped peaks” of The Matterhorn, minus the spinal injuries. While watching 40 Pounds of Trouble, I recommend drinking this Matterhorn Fizz.

Matterhorn Fizz

1 Egg White

1 ¼ oz Empress Gin

½ oz Grand Marnier

½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice

¼ oz Orgeat

2 Dashes Angostura Bitters

Soda Water

Combine the egg white, gin, Grand Marnier, lemon juice, orgeat, and bitters in a shaker and shake without ice for 30 seconds. Add a mix of crushed and cubed ice, and shake again for another minute. Strain into a highball glass. Wait about 10 seconds, then top with soda water.

*If necessary, add a few drops of Butterfly Pea extract to achieve the right color.

Although I’ve talked a lot about the Disneyland scenes, the shots of Lake Tahoe are fantastic too. It totally takes me back to swimming in Sand Harbor, one of the prettiest spots in the US (in my opinion). If you need a little respite from the real world this week, take a vacation with Tony’s blue eyes, Suzanne’s vintage dresses, and a charming romp through Fantasyland. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

Paper Moon

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: Paper Moon, 1973

If your summer plans include a road trip on a budget, then I’ve got just the movie for you. Paper Moon (Disc/Download) travels a long, hilarious path through the small towns of the American Midwest, fueled by hot dogs, whiskey, and get-rich-quick schemes. Forget baseball; grifting may as well be the national pastime of the good ole’ US-of-A.

Starring real-life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal, Paper Moon is yet another Peter Bogdanovich classic that wouldn’t be nearly as special without the input of his ex-wife Polly Platt. Thanks to her, we have the precocious, stunningly good Tatum in the role of newly orphaned Addie, and it’s because of her performance the movie succeeds as well as it does. The way this little girl spars with her off-screen (and maybe onscreen??) dad is electric, and it’s a shame only Tatum won the Academy Award for this because Ryan turned in some amazing work too. If you like road movies set in 1930s rural America, such as O’ Brother Where Art Thou?, Sullivan’s Travels, and It Happened One Night, you’ll find a lot to love about Paper Moon. It’s a portrait of Americana, of people doing whatever they had to do to survive, yet not losing their heart along the way. In fact, I’d go as far as to say that Addie and Moses Pray (that name!!!) find their hearts, and it’s the big payoff neither of them expected.

Tatum O’Neal’s record of being the youngest competitive Oscar winner in history still stands, and if you haven’t seen pictures of this little girl in a mini tuxedo, I urge you to look it up. It’s even more remarkable that she was only eight years old when the movie began filming, especially considering she’d never acted before. She smokes cigarettes and spars with prostitutes like she’d been doing it her whole life (maybe she had… I still need to read her memoir). Anyway, let’s toast young Tatum with this Prohibition-era cocktail, the Ward 8.

Ward 8

2 oz Rye Whiskey

1/2 oz fresh-squeezed Orange Juice

1/2 oz fresh-squeezed Lemon Juice

2 tsp Grenadine

Maraschino cherries (garnish)

Shake whiskey, orange juice, lemon juice, and grenadine in a shaker with ice until chilled. Strain into a coupe or Nick & Nora glass. Garnish with cherries.

The production design, locations, and costumes of the film are all stunning, but of course they were with Polly Platt in charge. The movie is timeless because she made it so, placing it in a very specific era and place that would never show its age. To watch Paper Moon is to feel like you’re watching a movie made in the 1930s, when the scripts were sparkling, the stars were dazzling, and the road of cinema seemed to stretch on forever. Cheers!

Action/Adventure/Heist · Comedies

The Fall Guy

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Image credit: The Fall Guy, 2024

I didn’t post a “Best of 2024” list in December because in general, movies are terrible now. However, if I had made a list, The Fall Guy (Disc/Download) would have been included. In a barren wasteland of sequels, franchises, and edgy (read: depressing/scary/boring) indies, this movie stands out for its delightful script, star power, and rarest of all, its romantic plot line.

David Leitch is a director I’ve had my eye on since Bullet Train, and his winning streak of comedic action films continues with this tale of a washed-up stuntman trying to revive his career and his love life. Ryan Gosling is a natural fit for the sarcastic adrenaline seeker, while Emily Blunt is perfect as his former flame/current director who hides her vulnerability behind a tough, capable exterior. It’s only when she’s alone with Gosling that she lets the weight of her responsibilities fall for just a moment, and who better to catch her than the guy who’s made a career out of absorbing blows? Their banter is great, and while the film’s central plot about a stunt double trying to rescue his narcissistic leading man from a group of “very bad people” is a little far-fetched, it leads to some great action sequences featuring flaming boats, a mid-air helicopter grab, and the expert skills of Jean Claude, the French-speaking attack dog.

They say every great character or story has to have a goal, and in this case, that goal is drinking spicy margaritas on a beach somewhere, and maybe making some bad decisions. While watching The Fall Guy, I recommend drinking this Spicy Margarita.

Spicy Margarita

1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt (for rimming)

2 oz Blanco Tequila

1 oz Cointreau

1 oz Lime Juice

3-4 slices Jalapeño Pepper (plus extra for garnish)

Run a lime wedge around the edge of a glass, and dip it in the salt. Fill with ice, and set aside. Fill a separate shaker with ice, and add the tequila, Cointreau, lime juice, and jalapeño pepper slices. Shake to chill, then pour through a fine mesh strainer into prepared glass. Garnish with more jalapeño slices.

If the only way to get romantic movies out of Hollywood is to fill them with extreme stunts and explosions, then I suppose I’ll have to accept it. But pretty please, also fill them with great actors like Gosling and Blunt, hilarious banter, and some really tasty cocktails. Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

A New Leaf

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: A New Leaf, 1971

After a recent read of Carrie Courogen’s Miss May Does Not Exist: The Life and Work of Elaine May, Hollywood’s Hidden Genius, I’ve been working my way through all the creative breadcrumbs Miss May left throughout her time in Hollywood. Some, we’ll probably never know about until after her death. But others, like this week’s film A New Leaf (Disc/Download) are a smorgasbord of dark humor and wit, meant to be watched again and again.   

Written and directed by Elaine (her first time in the director’s chair), she also stars as botanist Henrietta Lowell, the target of broke playboy Henry (Walter Matthau) who is in search of a wealthy wife—a wife he also plans to kill, once her money becomes his. May’s Henrietta is sweet, trusting, and most importantly to Henry, the sole heiress to an immense fortune. If you like the movie Arthur, you’ll probably enjoy Matthau’s performance as a shameless snob who can’t imagine a world in which he can no longer afford lunch at Lutèce or custom-tailored suits. Yet there’s a heart under that elitist nonsense, one he doesn’t discover until he finds someone who’s even less capable of navigating the real world than he is. Henrietta has more money than she’ll ever need, but no desire or knowledge of how to manage it. And in that respect, they’re a perfect match. What one lacks, the other provides. All Henrietta needs to do is stay alive long enough for Henry to realize she’s the heart and purpose he’s been missing all these years.

Henrietta’s lack of life skills extends to the cocktail arena as well. When her suitor offers her a drink, she requests something called a Malaga Cooler, which is Mogen David kosher wine, lime juice, and soda. If you forget the recipe, it’s right there on the bottle! I’ve never had kosher wine before (it’s extra-sweet reputation precedes it), but I’m willing to give this a go. While watching A New Leaf, I recommend drinking a Malaga Cooler.

Malaga Cooler

2 oz Morgen David Wine

1 oz Lime Juice

1 oz Topo Chico sparkling water

Blackberry + Mint (garnish)

Combine wine and lime juice in a shaker with ice. Shake, and strain into a coupe glass. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with a blackberry and sprig of fresh mint.

I’m serving this up, the way they do in the movie, however if I were to make this again, I’d probably serve it over ice with a higher ratio of sparkling water. If Elaine has taught me anything, it’s that films and cocktails are never really finished. There’s always more tweaking to be done, at least until the studio sues for control, forcing you to go on the lam with the film canisters… but that’s a story for another time.  Cheers!

Comedies

About a Boy

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: About a Boy, 2002

Look who’s comin’ round the bend… it’s Hugh Grant and Nicholas Hoult in this week’s pick About a Boy (Disc/Download)! I’m shocked I haven’t covered this on Cinema Sips yet because A) it’s a Christmas movie (kind of) and B) it’s one of my all-time favorites. College-aged Liz saw this multiple times in the theater, watched the DVD on repeat, and fantasized about someday possessing enough time and disposable income that I could spend all day watching game shows, eating in nice restaurants, and having my hair carefully disheveled. Two out of three ain’t bad, I suppose. Who needs game shows anyway?

Based on the Nick Hornby novel, About a Boy pairs Grant as the single, unapologetically selfish Will, with young Hoult in the role of Marcus: a sensitive boy with a depressed hippie for a mother. The two meet through a mutual acquaintance, and soon Marcus is coming over to Will’s house after school to watch television. TV eventually turns into life advice, then friendship, and before you know it, Will’s snagged an invite to what is one of the most realistic and hilarious blended family Christmas gatherings I’ve ever seen. Marcus’s mom (a brilliant Toni Collette) gives her son a crappy tambourine for their Roberta Flack sing-a-longs, while Will gets him a Mystikal CD and portable player. As it turns out, Will is the only one who pays attention to Marcus’s needs and desires because all the other adults are too busy dealing with their own dysfunction. Interesting that it took the person who’d been stranded on his own lonely island to show up with a life raft.

Because Will’s life is basically a vacation from real adulthood, he commits to living like he’s on a sun-drenched tropical isle. He separates his daily activities into small units of time, seeks out simple indulgences, and carefully curates who is allowed to fly in for a visit. I too adopted the Island Living ethos during the pandemic, so I know for a fact that movies and tiki cocktails are a perfect match for this lifestyle.  While watching About a Boy, I recommend drinking an Island Living Swizzle.

Island Living Swizzle

1 oz Light Rum

1 oz Overproof Rum

½ oz Amaretto

1 oz Pomegranate Juice

¾ oz Lime Juice

¼ oz Cinnamon Syrup

Splash of soda water

Dried Citrus Wheel

Dusting of nutmeg

Combine rums, Amaretto, cinnamon syrup, pomegranate and lime juices in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill and combine, then strain into a glass filled with fresh crushed iced. Top with soda water and stir gently. Garnish with dried citrus and dusting of nutmeg.

Not only does About a Boy contain my favorite Hugh Grant performance, but it’s also wild to see current heartthrob Nicholas Hoult as a small pre-teen with crooked bangs and an ugly rainbow jumper. If you need a holiday movie and cocktail that are the perfect blend of acid and sweet, join me on this island and give About a Boy a watch. Cheers, and warmest wishes for a jolly holiday from Cinema Sips!

Comedies

The Daytrippers

LizLocke1 Comment
Image credit: The Daytrippers, 1996

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of being woken up at your parents’ house the day after a major holiday to the sound of a vacuum cleaner or a dishwasher being unloaded at 7am, then you’ll understand the comedic brilliance of this week’s pick The Daytrippers (Disc/Download).

Greg Mottola’s directorial debut is a fun, frenetic tale of family drama at Thanksgiving, made at the height of the independent film craze of the 1990s (back when $50,000 got you… a great movie, apparently!). Eliza (Hope Davis) suspects her husband (Stanley Tucci) is cheating on her, so she and her entire family hop in the station wagon and drive to Manhattan in an attempt to catch him in a lie. Other people may spend their Black Fridays at the mall, but the Malones prefer to be crammed into a car with no heat, listening to Eliza’s sister’s boyfriend (Liev Schrieber) describe the plot of his novel. For anyone who has stood by while an author desperately attempts to summarize their own work, you know this special torture. Parker Posey is fantastic as flaky sister Jo, but it’s Anne Meara who steals every scene with her smothering yet hilarious presence. Don’t go into the light, Rita!!!

If you’re going on a wild goose chase through the city with your zany family in tow, you’ll need a beverage that seamlessly makes the transition from breakfast to cocktail hour. Maybe you need to start imbibing as soon as the vacuum cleaner plays its reveille- no judgment here! While watching The Daytrippers, I recommend drinking this Rise and Shine cocktail.

Rise and Shine

1 ½ oz Bourbon

½ oz Kahlua

¼ oz Maple Syrup

1 oz Cold Brew

2 Dashes Chocolate Bitters

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a martini glass.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving movies is another Parker Posey classic, The House of Yes, which features an even more dysfunctional family than the one in The Daytrippers. Really, the Malones look pretty normal compared to the Pascals, though Parker is an equally weird, funny ingenue in both. Why not settle in and make it a double feature? Maybe you can even convince your mom to turn off the coffee grinder and join you. Cheers!

Children's · Comedies

The Ugly Dachshund

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: The Ugly Dachshund, 1966

Childless Cat Ladies, meet Childless Dog Lady. Defying cinematic norms of the 1960s, as well as conservative politicians of today, the Disney live-action classic The Ugly Dachshund (Disc/Download) bravely exposes the reality that not all families look alike, and motherhood comes in a lot of different forms. It’s a story that was just as contemporary then as it is now, and I’m thrilled to be watching it again with a cocktail!

Starring Dean Jones and Suzanne Pleshette as the happily married, child-free owners of purebred show dogs, The Ugly Dachshund has essentially become my blueprint for adulthood. Sure, the movie is a fun romp about an adopted Great Dane who grows up with a litter of tiny dachshunds, but from my viewpoint, it’s also about female agency. Pleshette’s Fran doesn’t need to have kids in order to create a home. She’s allowed to marry a handsome artist and spend her days pursuing her passions, taking photos of her dogs, and setting out drinks and snacks on handmade pottery. As someone who spends most of her days doing exactly this, I can confirm—it’s a wonderful life. I’ve never for one second felt that I’m missing out on something. Also, as a firm “adopt don’t shop” girl, I appreciate that while the movie talks about champion dogs and purebred lines, it also makes space for a pup in desperate need of a family. I think Brutus the Great Dane lucked out when he landed a spot with two loving parents and a bunch of mischievous dachshund sisters, and they lucked out when they got the sweetest, most protective big brother.

It wouldn’t be a classic Disney movie without scene-stealer Charles Ruggles, who you might also remember from The Parent Trap. This wonderful character actor had a huge career spanning from the silent era all the way up to the 1960s. The Ugly Dachshund was one of his last films, and I love that he goes out on a high note as kindhearted veterinarian Doc Pruitt. If you want to drink like Ruggles, then I suggest following his own recipe for an Old-Time Martini, which has just been reprinted in Jenny Hammerton’s 1933 Celebrity Cocktail Book, featuring a collection of recipes from a cocktail contest at the Del Mar Hotel. The book is available for purchase on Etsy, but as a special treat to Cinema Sips readers, I’m sharing the Charles Ruggles Old-Time Martini recipe here.

Old-Time Martini

1 dash Angostura Bitters

2 dashes Maraschino Liqueur

1 pony (1 oz) Old Tom Gin

1 wine glass (2 oz) Dry Vermouth

Two small lumps of ice

¼ lemon (wedge)

Shake and strain into a large cocktail glass into which has been placed one-fourth slice of lemon, and serve.

This book would be a great addition to any home bar, and I know I’ll be using it to mix up some drinks for my favorite classic films. In the case of The Ugly Dachshund, it’s pretty fabulous to sit down after a long day, make myself a strong cocktail, cuddle up with my dog, and watch a fun, lighthearted movie where females make the difference.  Cheers!

Classic Films · Comedies

Being There

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image Credit: Being There, 1979

My annual summer road trip has officially commenced, this time taking me to one of the most famous homes in America, and filming site of an essential movie within our cinematic history: A Biltmore Christmas.

Just kidding!

Although I love that delightful Hallmark Christmas flick, the real claim to fame for Vanderbilt’s opulent American castle is the 1979 Hal Ashby classic Being There (Disc/Download). I can only hope Shirley MacLaine’s infamous bearskin rug is part of the standard tour.

In this social and political satire, Peter Sellers plays a simple-minded gardener named Chance, who through a series of miscommunications and accidents, is brought to the home of a wealthy political operative. Believing Chance-the-Gardener to be “Chauncey Gardiner”, wise businessman and philosopher fallen on hard times, the Rands (Melvyn Douglas and Shirley MacLaine) adopt Chauncey into their rarefied world. Soon, this former gardener is spouting nonsense on television, having tête-à-têtes with the President, and fostering diplomacy with the Soviet Ambassador. His name is even batted around for the nomination in the next presidential election! At our present moment where America’s political future is on the shakiest of ground, Being There makes the viewer wonder: did Democracy ever exist in the first place? Or have powerful people always been throwing darts into the void, hoping to hit a malleable, naïve pawn whom the public would, if not love, at least not hate? And is that the best we can hope for, even now?

Because Chance’s true love is his garden, it seems appropriate to make a something from my own garden this week. About the only thing I’m capable of growing in the summer is a pot of basil, which lends itself to a flavorful cocktail syrup. While watching Being There, I recommend drinking this Honey Bee-ing There Basil Martini.

Honey Bee-ing There Basil Martini

1 ½ oz London Dry Gin

1 oz Honey-Basil simple syrup

¾ oz Lemon Juice

2 dashes Orange Bitters

2 oz Sparkling wine

Fresh Basil Leaf, Honeycomb (Garnish)

To make simple syrup, combine ¼ cup honey with ¼ cup water, adding 4-5 basil leaves. Simmer on the stove until honey is dissolved. Turn off heat. Allow basil leaves to steep as the syrup cools, then strain out the leaves. Next, in a shaker filled with ice, combine gin, prepared syrup, lemon juice, and bitters. Shake until chilled, then strain into a coupe glass. Top with sparkling wine, and garnish with a fresh basil leaf and honeycomb.

Most people remember the final shot of Being There, where Peter Sellers seems to walk on water with that familiar Biltmore symbol of American excess silhouetted off in the distance. Maybe a man pure of heart and free of ambition is what the country needed at that time, and maybe that’s what it still needs. Or maybe we just need someone capable of tending the garden. Cheers!

Comedies

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image Credit: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, 1994

If you’re in need of a desert holiday, you could sweat it out in Palm Springs, or you could do what I did this week and watch The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Disc/Download) with a bottle of Stoli and your most outrageous outfit. I may not have a flip-flop dress, but the vodka is always in stock.

This Australian ode to friendship and being unapologetically outrageous is basically one big party in the outback. Hugo Weaving and Guy Pearce are fantastic as Tick and Felicia, two drag queens on their way to a casino performance, but it’s Terence Stamp as their trans friend Bernadette who really steals the show. Bernadette has all the best lines, and I am very much into her Coastal Grandma aesthetic (which she rocked before such a term even existed). This film would deservedly win the Oscar for Best Costume, and truly, it takes a flamboyant wardrobe to even attempt to steal the spotlight from one of my all-time top cinematic heartthrobs, Guy Pearce. Somehow, the wig made out of bendy purple and turquoise plastic tubes frames his famous cheekbones perfectly.

As these friends are traveling through the desert in a broken-down pink bus, they naturally find themselves in need of a cocktail in the evenings. There’s usually an open bottle of Stolichnaya vodka, so let’s join in this party with a delightfully pink variation on the vodka tonic. While watching The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, I recommend drinking a Stoli & Grapefruit Tonic.

Stoli & Grapefruit Tonic

2 oz Stolichnaya vodka

5 oz Fentimans Pink Grapefruit Tonic Water

Juice from one lime wedge

Grapefruit wedge, twist of lime (garnish)

Fill a highball glass with ice, then add the vodka. Squeeze one lime wedge over the glass, and top with tonic water. Stir gently to combine, and garnish with a grapefruit wedge and twist of lime.

A road movie always makes me want a simple cocktail because when you’re on the go, you can’t always bring a lot of ingredients. Especially when you need to leave room for the giant stiletto set piece and approximately seventy-five different wigs! Let’s raise a toast to these ABBA-loving, wise-cracking, vodka swilling superstars, who for thirty years have been making our lives a little more colorful, and a little more fabulous. Cheers!

Comedies · Uncategorized

Private Benjamin

LizLockeLeave a comment
Image credit: Private Benjamin, 1980

Sometimes I go into a movie with no advance knowledge of the plot, but many expectations based on the star, the title, the screenwriter, etc. I thought I knew what kind of viewing experience I was in for with Private Benjamin (Disc/Download), but this one shocked me again and again.

Because it’s Goldie Hawn, and because the premise involves a beautiful, wealthy lady entering the Army, I expected a fish-out-of-water comedy. Something akin to Troop Beverly Hills where a spoiled woman is forced to rough it, discovering an inner strength she didn’t know she possessed. She would probably be helped by some wonderful gal pals and find love by the end of it. You can understand my assumptions, based on the fact that both movies include Craig T. Nelson, main characters who know the difference between khaki and mushroom, and massive 1980s hair. But it turns out that halfway through Private Benjamin, Judy Benjamin takes a left turn after being sexually harassed in the elite paratrooper unit, landing herself a sweet administrative gig in Europe where she meets a dreamy French gynecologist. He’s suspected of being a communist, so she must choose between the Army and her new man. Because of her upbringing, she chooses the man. But then, the man turns out to be garbage, and she manages to choose herself in the nick of time. Phew- this movie is so bonkers, I need a DRINK.

I recently discovered the classic Army & Navy cocktail, and while I’m sure there are any number of military-themed films to enjoy this with, my pick goes to the one featuring Goldie Hawn scrubbing the latrine with an electric toothbrush. It’s a classic for a reason. While watching Private Benjamin, I recommend drinking this Army & Navy cocktail.

Army & Navy

2 oz London Dry Gin

1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice

¾ oz Orgeat

1 dash Angostura Bitters

Grapefruit Twist

Combine gin, lemon juice, orgeat, and bitters in a shaker with ice. Shake to chill, then strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with a grapefruit twist.

Because the script was co-written by Nancy Meyers, I shouldn’t be surprised that Judy has a penchant for interior décor and looks right at home in a French Chateau. But I also shouldn’t be surprised that this character triumphs over the lackluster men in her life, finding companionship and family in the most unexpected of places. Like the Army & Navy cocktail, you can’t judge Private Benjamin by its title, or its ingredients. It is a uniquely wonderful concoction, sure to put you in a good mood. Cheers!