The end of the year finds awards-hungry film studios wrapping up and stuffing into theaters some some of their best goodies for audiences to unwrap over the holiday break.
For the most part, you’ll be thrilled with what you’ll be given, particularly “The Iron Claw,” “American Fiction,” “The Color Purple” and “All of Us Strangers.”
Here’s our roundup.
“The Iron Claw”: Four brothers (Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson and Stanley Simons) deep in the heart of Texas sacrifice their dreams, careers and even their lives for their domineering manager/coach/father (Holt McCallany) who aims to create a wrestling dynasty.
Director/screenwriter Sean Durkin treats this portrait of the real-life Von Erich family — a dominant force in sport in the late ‘70s and ‘80s — as if it were an American and Shakespearean tragedy. It makes for a potent combination, a knockout in every way.
As he’s done with all the works that bear his imprint — “Martha Marcy May Marlene,” “The Nest” and the Amazon Prime series “Dead Ringers” — Durkin thrusts an exemplary cast into a distinctive environment that he renders perfectly, from the brothers’ wild, unkempt hair, to the tighty-whities they wander around the house in and even to the Rush/Blue Oyster Cult-fueled soundtrack. Durkin centers the story on the most earnest, innocent and steadfast brother, Kevin (a never-been-better Efron). He and his siblings — Olympics-bound track star Kerry (Allen White), laid-back joker David (Dickinson) and the more artistic-minded Mike (Simons) — get sucked into their dad’s obsession to win no matter the cost to his sons’ bodies or souls. The performances and the settings are so authentic it’s like watching a documentary filmed during that era. But it’s Efron’s sensitive performance and his transformation into an intimidating physical presence that you can’t help but gawk at in astonishment, all while it breaks you apart. Like Charles Melton in “May December,” Efron’s performance ranks as one of the best of the year, and deserves to earn him a major seat at the awards table in a film that also ranks as one of the best of 2023. Details: 4 stars out of 4; opens Dec. 22 in area theaters.
“The Color Purple”: What could have come out as contrived, even clunky — the amalgamation of Alice Walker’s classic 1983 novel, Steven Spielberg’s lauded 1985 movie and the Broadway musical version of both — turns into a rousing show-stopper of a movie musical that doesn’t top the emotional heights reached in the novel or the original film, but offers more than enough spirited performances and sassy dance and song numbers that you won’t mind. The film is powered by a trio of impassioned performances: From Colman Domingo, as the cruel and abusive Mister; Fantasia Barrino, who flings herself full force into Celie, the part made famous by Whoopi Goldberg (who has a great cameo); and Danielle Brooks, who plays nobody’s-fool Sofia, the forceful part that earned Oprah Winfrey (a producer of this version) an Oscar nomination. Director Blitz Bazawule’s craftsmanship as a musician serves him exceptionally well and draws out the emotion in the musical numbers — in particular “What About Love” (performed by Barrino and Taraji P. Henson as the flamboyant Shug Avery) and the belt-it-out-to-the-heavens survivor song “I’m Here,” performed by Barrino. Those songs need to soar and move the audience, and they do all that and more thanks to the performers and Bazawule. What also helps is Oakland-born Marcus Gardley’s effective and affecting screenplay, which stitches together old elements and creates something new, vibrant and — above all else — entertaining. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters Dec. 25.
“Ferrari”: Michael Mann outfits this biopic with visual sheen, per his norm, but there’s just not enough under the hood of his latest to keep you interested. “Ferrari” narrows its focus on one aspect of the life of Italian car designer Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) — when his and his wife’s (Penelope Cruz) company faced a dire financial crisis and decided to funnel their hopes for a turnaround into entering the 1,000-mile Mille Miglia road race. The filmmakers’ decision is a bold one — and a mistake. “Ferrari” never gains traction, leaving us with a running-on-empty portrait of an enigma who looks sullen a lot. Doesn’t help matters that the Italian accents are erratic and out of control (the one from Shailene Woodley, playing Ferrari’s mistress, is baffling). The film remains stuck in a somber mode — understandable, given the Ferraris are mourning the loss of their son. There is one hellish crash scene that’s directed to the hilt but most of this film spends too much time idling. Details: 2 stars; in theaters Dec. 22
“American Fiction”: There’s an art to balancing pointed social commentary with family pathos and humor. In his first feature, director/screenwriter Cord Jefferson balances these elements with the skill and precision of an Olympic gymnast and delivers a modern masterpiece. Jeffrey Wright summons his thespian skills to portray irascible literary author/professor Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, who is forced to be more involved with his family as his mother (Leslie Uggams) is suffering from Alzheimer’s and his hard-partying brother (Sterling K. Brown), who just came out, is around more. Then there’s his potential love connection with a well-adjusted neighbor (Erika Alexander) near the family’s beach house outside of Boston. Monk also wrangles with and grouses about a woke publishing industry and the public’s appetite for gritty “urban” stories from Black writers. When he jokingly authors a stereotype-drenched “Black” book to make a point, it becomes a runaway it. Naturally. Jefferson’s hilarious and poignant comedy/drama — based on Percival Everett’s novel “Erasure” — mixes the family chaos with sharp-edged observations about being Black in modern America and how everyone’s bumbling along trying to do what we think is right (when it might, in fact, be wrong). “American Fiction” doesn’t chastise us for our deficiencies when it comes to family, love and racial issues, but it does point out — in a manner that is comforting and discomforting at the same time — that we have a ways to go before figuring all of this stuff out. Details: 4 stars; in theaters Dec. 22.
“All of Us Strangers”: Filmmaker Andrew Haigh takes what could have been a cringe-inducing, even laughable idea — a lonely London writer (Andrew Scott) starts hanging out with the ghost of his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell) — and turns it into a heart-wrenching queer tearjerker that touches on universal themes. Haigh loosely adapts Taichi Yamada’s novel “Strangers” and creates an emotional story of the relationship of two isolated gay men (the other being Paul Mescal) in an apartment building. “All of Us Strangers” is set in Christmastime and brings to the holiday table the spirits of the past and present, some of which are friendly and caring and others distant and ostracizing. Details: 3½ stars; in theaters Dec. 25.
“The Boys in the Boat”: George Clooney’s adaptation of Daniel James Brown’s bestseller about the against-all-odds University of Washington rowing team and its appearance at the 1936 Olympics is sturdy and leak-proof and sticks to the old-school playbook for making sports dramas. It’s a classy if not overly innovative production that will particularly hold appeal to Bay Area rowers, since it depicts a showdown between the Cal Bears and the Washington crew. The cast is steady if a little unremarkable. Callum Turner makes a fine fit to play Joe Rantz, a resourceful athlete who lived alone and in poverty at an early age. Turner’s physicality suits the role well as does Joel Edgerton’s approachable intensity as Coach Al Ulbrickson. But it is Jack Mulhern as laconic rower Don Hume who adds needed snap to the proceedings. Details: 2½ stars; opens Dec. 25 in area theaters.
“MENUS-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros”: It takes a rare documentarian to turn a four-hour cinema vérité culinary experience into one that’s as appetizing and satisfying as the Michelin-starred meals it observes getting created from farm to crafted table. But at age 93, Frederick Wiseman achieves that as he follows the French Troisgros family as members go to farmers’ market, talk to sommeliers, ranchers and customers, and set a high bar for their employees both in the kitchen and on the floor, even gathering to discuss customers’ dietary restrictions while creating something miraculous in the kitchen. This is the movie for the ultimate foodie as Wiseman watches father Michel in 2022 prepare to hand over his three-Michelin-star restaurant to his son César. It requires patience and a resolve to not exit the theater in a fit of pure hunger. If you can show that restraint then you’re in for a revealing film worth savoring for years to come. Details: 3½ stars; opens Dec. 22 at the Roxie in San Francisco.
“Percy Jackson and the Olympians”: Sick of superheroes? Here’s a satisfying alternative: a batch of ego-driven Greek gods and their enterprising demi-god children who want to help humankind out. Author Rick Riordan’s best-selling page-turners get the full Disney+ treatment in this exciting series — filled with cameos (including Lin-Manuel Miranda) — in which Percy (Walker Scobell) discovers who his absentee dad really is while trying to save his mom. Two theatrical films (both of which received poor reviews and failed to gain the blessing of Riordan) preceded this impressive eight-episode spectacle, which wields a Riordan-approved (he executive produced) Midas touch that’ll appeal to kids and Bullfinch-loving adults. Details: 3 stars; two episodes released Dec. 20, with one episode following each week.
Find of the week
“Northern Shade”: Christopher Rucinski’s debut feature proves — yet again — that a blockbuster budget isn’t essential when making an intense, character-driven thriller. Shot mostly in Connecticut, “Shade” taps a raw national nerve here about a veteran Justin (an impressive Jessie Gavin) suffering from PTSD but returning to Afghanistan to search for his missing brother Charlie. Rucinski is equally at home as a screenwriter as he is a director, and the of-the-minute “Northern Shade” — with a cast that consists, in a large part, of veterans — shows this first-time filmmaker is already walking on a firm foundation. Details: 3 stars; available for free on Tubi and available to rent elsewhere.
Contact Randy Myers at [email protected].
