The month of June goes out with something for nearly everyone.
Let’s bitch it out…
June has certainly been a month of hits and misses – for every monster smash hit (Wonder Woman!), we’ve had a monster miss (The Mummy – woof). Thankfully things look a bit sunnier as we close out the month with a film for nearly every demograph: kids and families can laugh with Gru and the Minions in Despicable Me 3, action fans get a legitimate original with Baby Driver and comedy fans can lap up the R-rated antics of Poehler and Farrell in The House. Let the fireworks begin!
June 30, 2017
Despicable Me 3 (Wide)
- Cast: Voices of Steve Carrell (Evan Almighty 2), Kristen Wiig (Masterminds)
- Official Synopsis: Gru (Carrell) meets his long-lost charming, cheerful, and more successful twin brother Dru who wants to team up with him for one last criminal heist.
- Good for fans of: Silly nefarious plans, precocious children, bananas
- Is it worth your time? Reviews are decent, so if you’ve seen the two previous entries (and have kids with an insatiable thirst for all things Minions) you’re probably already sold on the film. By entry number three you’re either on board or you’ve determined that this isn’t your cup of tea. Judge accordingly.
- Gross: $90 million opening / Final Gross: $250 million
Baby Driver (Wide)
- Cast: Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars), Jamie Foxx (Ray), Jon Hamm (The Town)
- Official Synopsis: After being coerced into working for a crime boss (Kevin Spacey), a young getaway driver (Elgort) finds himself taking part in a heist doomed to fail.
- Good for fans of: cars, heists, music, car heists set to music
- Is it worth your time? Absolutely. Critics are falling over themselves to praise the film, which has a 98% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes (take that The Mummy). Edgar Wright is a great visual director and Baby Driver feels like a breath of fresh air in a summer loaded with franchise pics (many of them unasked for). Plus: the film actually looks fun. Don’t expect big things from a bit of a silly, simplistic plot; instead strap yourself in for the soundtrack and action sequences, which are the movie equivalent of an adrenaline injection.
- Gross: $20 million opening / Final Gross: $70 million
The House (Wide)
- Cast: Amy Poehler (Sisters), Will Farrell (Zoolander)
- Official Synopsis: A dad (Farrell) convinces his friends to start an illegal casino in his basement after he and his wife (Poehler) spend their daughter’s college fund.
- Good for fans of: empty nests, wacky parental antics, drunken debauchery
- Is it worth your time? It’s almost surprising that it has taken this long to pair up Poehler and Farrell, isn’t it? If you’re hard up for an semi-raunchy adult comedy, this is your best bet (especially post-Baywatch). Reviews suggest that The House isn’t destined to go down as an all-time great comedy; it’s more akin to a serviceable entry for folks looking for cheap laughs.
- Gross: $14 million opening / Final Gross: $40 million
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That’s it for the long weekend. July kicks off with the first of two new Marvel films for the year: Spiderman: Homecoming, which is generating mostly positive buzz despite being the third incarnation of this franchise since 2002.
Stay away from the fireworks and we’ll see you next week!