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Posted December 6, 2017 by Scott Davis in Features
 
 

The Preview Reel: Just Getting Started


Welcome to this week’s “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Coco dominated the Thanksgiving holiday and then again last weekend. There are no signs that it will slow down as there is only one major release scheduled for this week, the Morgan Freeman-led comedy Just Getting Started. Disney has been enjoying a good last couple of months as they released Thor: Ragnarok, Coco, and has Star Wars: The Last Jedi coming out next week. Until then, let’s see if Just Getting Started is worth your time.

 

Just Getting Started

Just Getting Started posterWhat we are excited about: The cast is about the only thing we’re excited about with this movie. Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Rene Russo together in a comedy sounds promising. Add in the director of Tin Cup (1996) and Bull Durham (1988), Ron Shelton, and you should at least get a solidly entertaining movie.

What we are worried about: We are not the target demographic for this movie, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The trailer hits all the jokes you expect from a story like this, and worst of all, it seems like the cast is blatantly phoning it in. There was a point where it looked like Morgan Freeman was never going to appear in a bad movie, but those days seem to be long gone now. From Ben-Hur (2016) to Going in Style (2017), to the Now You See Me movies (2013/2016), it seems like Freeman is content collecting paychecks. Good for him, but seeing his name attached to a film just doesn’t have the same weight it used to.

The Buzz: Unsurprisingly, there is next to no buzz for this movie. Most of the internet is gearing up for Star Wars: The Last Jedi next week or catching up on all the potential award-winning movies. This is the kind of movie that will start slow at the box office, but will demonstrate strong legs over the holiday season. It’s good counter programming to the movies aimed at younger demographics this holiday season, but we are not sure it will be profitable in the long run. Look for an opening around the $5 million range.

Final Thoughts: It might be better to re-watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) to prepare for next weekend instead of going to see this.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.