6A - Friday, October 17, 2014
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flA - Friday, October17, 2014 The Michigan Daily - michigandailycom *
'Pull my finger!'
WARNER B
'Judge' cliched bul
touchingly sweet
Robert Downey Jr. The father-son relationship end with the two storming
between Joseph "The Judge" in opposite directions,a
squeaks by with Palmer (Robert Duvall, "The loving displays that range fr
Godfather") and his son Hank timid to full-blown, the act
great performances is the powerhouse of the film. lends richness and realism
Years of separation have driven the ever-evolving relationsh
By VANESSA WONG a wedge between the two. Interspersed in t
For The Daily The death of Hank's mother heavy emotional drama
brings him back to his small lighthearted moments. Han
David Dobkin's ("Wedding hometown, where he feels younger brother Dale (Jere
Crashers") "The Judge" depicts slighted by his father's overly Strong, "Zero Dark Thirt
the situation many University reserved welcome. When the delivers adorably deadl
students Judge gets accused of murder, humor that offers comic re
experienced Hank struggles to reconcile from the otherwise ter
over the his ideas of what it means to mood at home. There are ot
weekend: a be a lawyer with his father's. various subplots, including
child returning Raveand He works to clear his father's romantic storyline betwi
home. But if for name, and in the process Hank and an old flame,t
us home means Quaityl6 of doing so, rebuilds their whole divorce thing going
quality food and WarnerBros. relationship. in the backdrop and Han
finally getting Duvall and Downey's affectionate relations
good shower water pressure individual performances with his young daugh
again, it's the exact opposite for are nuanced and expressive, Viewers will appreciatet
Hank Palmer (Robert Downey but their chemistry together star-studded secondary ca
Jr, "Iron Man"), who despises really shines. one of the including Vincent D'Onof
home so much he has stopped most powerful scenes is ("Law and Order") and V
visiting. when the Judge, feeling the Farmiga ("Up in the Ai
The film opens with a scene weakness of old age, feebly Though sweet, the subplots
so recognizable it could have crawls to the toilet to vomit. trite, slightly underdevelol
been plucked directly from Hank approaches him with and, at times, unnecessa
another film. Slick city shots, a caution, confusion and disgust, dragging the movie out
well-dressed, cocky lawyer in a especially when the once- longer than it needs to be.
shiny glass office building, all stately Judge proceeds to have Despite its downfalls, "T
that jazz. Pile on some serious diarrhea all over the floor. Judge" delivers a power
daddy issues, hatred for the Hank eventually lets go of his story about reconnecti
old farm hometown and even reservations to help clean up While the scenarios may
an impending divorce with a afterhisfather,and,whileinthe overused, the incredible del
trophy wife, and it seems like shower, the two suddenly burst of the acting certainly is
the rest will write itself. Yet into laughter when they realize And if not, there's alw
somehow, despite its cliches, how ridiculous the situation is. Robert Downey Jr. in a suit
"The Judge" is oddly moving. From shouting matches that hold your attention.
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By KAREN HUA Unlike Daniela, her husband
For The Daily Felix (Carlos Ponce, "Couples
Retreat") harbors a passionate
s past weekend, ABC resentment against Cristela
ered its new sitcom and constantly begrudges her
ela," a show among a attempt to gain independence
of other from them. Alberto, Felix's
etitors this ultra-forward, lethargic cousin,
n seeking nstela unabashedly flirts with Cristela,
viden the who turns the harsh shoulder of
diversity ABC unrequited love.
primetime Fridays at8:30pm The pilot centers on Cristela's
nce. pursuit of an internship at a
oved prestigious firm. After what
dienne Cristela Alonzo she believes to be a terrible
F: The Musical"), who is interview in which she is
n for her straightforward, mistaken for a janitor instead
d stand-up, stands as the of a professional, she resigns
ont of the show. herself to taking a job offer from
e pilot catches Cristela in her sister. Much to her surprise,
ixth year of law-school, her hard work is noticed by
- even as a woman in her her unapologetically racist
wenties or early thirties boss (Sam McMurray, "Raising
still lives at home with Arizona"), and she finally lands
xtended family and abides the internship.
eir traditional Mexican- Cristela's family does not
ican values. Her loving support her working for free,
er (Terri Hoyos, "Crimes but when she first proves how
assion") is a Mexican her legal power can promote
grant whose aspirations others into being more just
'istela and Daniela to clean individuals, her family warms
s for a living are usurped up to her pursuit of a legal
eir grander goals beyond degree. Even for the non-
ollar success. Latino, non-minority viewer,
stela has aspecialfondness the obligation to family and
er sister (Maria Canals- the discouragement of familial
ra, "Wizards of Waverly pushback is an understanding
"), but she disapproves shared by all.
aniela's "modern" views Much like Alonzo herself,
mininity, which include Cristela exudes an infectious
takingly coercing her charisma. However, the
ter into cheerleading. subplots are weakened by
two-dimensional secondary
characters whose mundane,
overused problems have been
seen all too much in sitcoms
over the years.
411-+1115 The show is reminiscent of
a dIdhPhYb LNa. "George Lopez," a family sitcom
that also fronted a well-known
comedian about twelve years
ago, when debunking racial
1 micro-aggressions may have
been slightly more "ground-
breaking."
The cultural message Cristela
tries to send about Mexican-
American empowerment
often feels, as Cristela puts it,
"regressive, b-e regressive - r-e-
g-r-e-s-s-i-v-e!" With jokes that
only poke fun amongthemselves
as Latin@s, the content seems
to only perpetuate stereotypes
they aim to dismiss. Besides
Cristela reaching her dream
internship, there are not many
moments of empowerment for
females, nor for Latinos.
With misogynistic men who
"challenge" Cristela with lines
such as "women should cheer for
men," and amother whose every
joke begins with "in my village,"
the boundaries between classic
humor and old jokes becomes
blurred.
The entire premise for the
show seems to rely on one-liner's
rather than situational humor.
Cristela responds to every insult
she receives with a joke, then
proceeds to artificially laugh
at her own wit. Though it is
nice to see this human side of
the comedienne, it is difficult
to believe typical families have
dialogue this rehearsed. While
Cristela is naturally witty and
charming on screen, it seems
improbable that she alone can
uphold an entire show where
the material feels forced and the
jokes diluted.
As her sister complains,
"This isn't funny!" Cristela only
replies with, "It would be if you
just laughed!" Unfortunately,
from the basis of the premiere,
the show seems to mirror suit
- we often find it difficult to
laugh. Cristela has already
proven herself a talented writer
and comedienne, but now she
must translate her abilities to
the small screen.
'ust petting my epillow'
Cristela' crashes
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