Hacksaw Ridge’s battle scenes are impressively well-choreographed, as is its climatic high-point where pacifist protagonist Doss (Andrew Garfield) goes above and beyond the call of duty to rescue dozens of his fallen comrades. The latter scene is intense, engaging and downright inspirational with its true story basis. Unfortunately, a good chunk of
Hacksaw Ridge is plagued by worn out genre clichés and tiring subplots: such as the all too common, generic romantic subplot that I swear every average war film feels obligated to force in, regardless of how distracting it is to the main plot. These faults drag
Hacksaw Ridge down a few
ridges, yet the film’s highlights help keep it an overall enjoyable experience.
Why Him?:
The first two-thirds of
Why Him? are actually quite enjoyable. One of the film’s positive elements is its earnest sincerity between the raunchiness and black comedy. In-between jokes about Moose urine and bukkake are sweet, down-to-Earth scenes and/or comedy bits that are surprisingly sincere. Such scenes are rare to find in these types of comedies, yet work well alongside the lewdness: providing an unusual, yet, nonetheless, effective balance. Bryan Cranston is another noteworthy positive to
Why Him? The actor’s comedic timing is on point here, as is his vast array of entertaining facial expressions—each one ideally conveying the desired emotion.
A combination of well-timed jokes plus Bryan Cranston creates an unexpected amount of wit and pleasantness within Why Him?’s obscene eccentricity. Unfortunately, the film loses its touch by its last third: going overboard in a cliché-riddled, saccharine finale that both suffocates all previously built subtle charm and extinguishes the witty black humor. Had its last third kept up the first two-third’s level of genuine entertainment and wit, I would have given Why Him? a moderate recommendation—where it stands, however, Why Him? concludes as a subpar comedy with some positive elements, yet not enough to make it overall work.
