Forgettable 'Shaft' and a charming 'Late Night'
It never surprises anyone when Samuel L. Jackson appears in a movie. He stays busy, even if that means popping in for a few scenes of the latest Marvel Cinematic Universe entry.
Being 70-years-old, however, limits Jackson’s frequency of leading roles, making the latest incarnation of “Shaft” a notable moment. If only the movie was memorable for any other reason.
Jackson played the ultra-cool private detective back in 2000 in a movie also named “Shaft” (just don’t try to understand the timeline). Directed by the late John Singleton, the 2000-entry stripped back some of the ladies man nonsense from the original run for a mostly serious crime drama, and it had a terrific supporting cast to boot (Christian Bale, Toni Collette, Jeffrey Wright and, um, Busta Rhymes).
The new “Shaft” tries to be a comedy, specifically one about old school ideas (Jackson) vs. millennial culture (encapsulated by the character of John Shaft Jr., played by Jesse T. Usher). Despite some spirited barking from Jackson, the jokes never rise above sitcom-level mediocre.
Director Tim Story (“Ride Along,” “Think Like a Man”) barely tries to enliven the film’s occasional shootouts. The noodle-thin story focuses on straight-laced FBI analyst Shaft Jr. leaning on his dad’s street-level expertise to solve the murder of a childhood friend. Regina Hall and original Shaft Richard Roundtree do their best in minor supporting roles.
Jackson screaming at people with swear words continues to be one of cinema’s greatest joys, but it’s tough to anchor an entire movie around that without a decent script. If you’re renting “Shaft” out of a Redbox three months from now, you could do much worse, but nothing about it shouts “Big Screen.”
Fans of “The Office” and “The Mindy Project” will see writer/star Mindy Kaling’s fingerprints all over “Late Night,” a sharp and mostly pleasant comedy about a fading late night talk show host (Emma Thompson) and the new writer (Kaling) hired to inject the show with a fresh perspective.
Much like Kaling’s other work, “Late Night” isn’t set-piece focused or overly broad with its comedic swings. Her characters are quick-but-unshowy, and often the funniest moments come from off-hand remarks and more subtle reactions (think about “The Office” when it wasn’t Michael Scott or Dwight Schrute outbursts).
“Late Night” explores some interesting concepts in its alternate-universe, pulling mostly from what we know about former hosts like David Letterman and Jay Leno but also runs it through a female perspective that largely doesn’t exist in the real-world landscape (excluding the brilliant Samantha Bee, of course). “Late Night” doesn’t quite reach the more revelatory heights of the recent Charlize Theron-Seth Rogen comedy “Long Shot,” but it doesn’t get as disgustingly goofy in its climax either.
Not surprisingly, Emma Thompson is the real reason to see “Late Night,” as she gives a compassionate and layered performance even when the movie skimps on specific character details. Kaling is a nice counterpoint in the movie (she’s playing the character she typically plays but there’s a reason she’s built a career on it).
“Late Night,” also much like “Long Shot,” feels like a relic from a time when adult-skewing comedies were much more prevalent in movie theaters. I don’t mean that as a criticism, as there should be space reserved at the multiplex for non-franchise offerings.
Too bad audiences keep ignoring them completely in favor of junk like “Men in Black International.” Wait, that bombed too? Well, who knows what’s going on then. Apparently people only see things owned by Disney now.
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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com