Couch Theater – August 31, 2023

#MiddleburyCT #Movies

“About My Father” (PG-13) – Comedian and actor Sebastian Maniscalco (“The Irishman”) took on playing a movie version of himself for this comedy film loosely based on his real-life relationship with his father. Movie Sebastian plans to propose to his American girlfriend, Ellie, over the Fourth of July weekend, but Sebastian’s father, Salvo (Robert De Niro), crashes the plans to schmooze her family. Left with no other choice, Sebastian tries to smoothly mesh his Italian immigrant father in with Ellie’s posh family during the weekend, but nothing goes as planned. “Sex and the City’s” Kim Cattrall and “Succession’s” David Rasche make for a few fun faces to see among the cast of quirky characters, but De Niro’s emotional monologue during the film’s climax is the greatest takeaway of the 89-minute film. Out now. (AppleTV+)

“Choose Love” (TV-PG) – Forget choosing your own adventure; why not try out choosing your own love story? In this first-ever interactive rom-com premiering on Aug. 31, viewers watch as Cami (Laura Marano) finds herself stuck between three men – Paul, her current boyfriend; Jack, the one who got away; and Rex, a British rock star she records with. Viewers make an array of decisions for Cami over the hour-long movie, until the time arrives where they must finally decide who will be Cami’s happy ending. Avan Jogia, Jordi Webber and Scott Michael Foster co-star as the alluring trio of love interests in this interactive film, which comes five years after Netflix’s last attempt at interactive media – “Black Mirror: Bandersnatch.” (Netflix)

Jamie Lynn Spears, left, and Sean Flynn star in “Zoey 102.” (MovieStillsDB photo)

“Zoey 102” (TV-14) – In a time where reboots and remakes run rampant, I was sure that the sequel film to the Nickelodeon series “Zoey 101” led by Jamie Lynn Spears would have been a remake that rocked the world, especially because of the show’s huge original fanbase. But whether it was due to a lack of promotion or the bad press Spears received during the 2021 feud with her sister, Britney, “Zoey 102” seems like it totally went under the radar after its July 28 release. (Maybe everyone was watching “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer”?) Spears reprises her role as Zoey Brooks, who is now a struggling 32-year-old television producer. Zoey’s best friend, Quinn (Erin Sanders), asks her to be the maid of honor for her wedding with Logan (Matthew Underwood), where the Pacific Coast Academy alumni all reunite as somewhat-stable adults. Sean Flynn, Christopher Massey and Abby Wilde also reprise their roles from the series, but previous cast members like Victoria Justice and Austin Butler failed to make appearances. Out now. (Paramount+)

© 2023 King Features Synd., Inc.

Advertisement

Comments are closed.