Random Review: ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE will make you snort coffee through your nose

For far too long, romantic comedies were in a rut. They found leading men like Hugh Grant or Matthew McConaughey and ran those actors into the ground, with movie after movie after movie, and Matthew always leaning against his blonde co-star.

Hollywood Law requires that Matthew McConaughey leans on his female co-star, in this case, that woman from SEX IN THE CITY who I do not enjoy watching in anything.
Hollywood Law requires that Matthew McConaughey leans on his female co-star, in this case, Kate Hudson.
Hollywood Law requires that Matthew McConaughey leans on his female co-star, in this case, Kate Hudson.

So now we have a Netflix original, ALWAYS BE MY MAYBE, that remembers the hardest thing in a romantic comedy isn’t the acting or kissing. It’s the comedy.

Because comedy is incredibly, impossibly hard.

This movie will make you laugh–and cry–because the writing is great and the leads are true comedians. Ali Wong is perfect as the female lead, and you might remember Randall Park for small, memorable roles in giant hits like ANT MAN AND THE WASP and AQUAMAN, and possibly other superhero movies that start with A. 

Check out the trailer, then we’ll chat.

OK, so from that, you expect a little cameo from superstar Keanu Reeves, right?

No. One of the biggest surprises was how much he was in this film, and how committed he was to playing himself as an entitled villain. Seriously. Check out the dinner scene, and a later fight scene at Keanu’s insanely huge hotel room:

What’s great about this movie is there are constant surprises like those two scenes, bringing you on a tour of all the important human emotions.

VERDICT

This is one of the rare movies where I won’t spoil it by digging into the story structure and how it works. 

Because you should fire up Netflix and see it. 

Seven movie clichés that must be NUKED FROM ORBIT

Now that going to the movies more than once a year involves taking out a second mortgage to buy $9 popcorn and $7 Diet Coke and $11 tickets, you must pick your flicks wisely.

I’ve already skewered my favorite genre with Top 10 Thriller Clichés.

Then I went after the Top 10 Action Mystery Clichés — but it goes deeper than that.

Peoples of Hollywood, please stop spending the gross domestic product of Paraguay to make movies with these seven stupid clichés.

7) Romantic comedies starring Matthew McConaughey

We get it: he’s cute, and his Texas drawl is charming.

HOWEVER: He is not required, by federal law, to be in every romantic comedy on the planet.

6) Macho action heroes walking away from explosions really, really slow

Wussy little bad guys are thrown through the air by explosions.

Explosions only make macho action heroes slow down and stroll.

5) Romantic comedies where the man is a bumbling, lovable loser while the woman is a hot neurotic mess

The man is a 40-year-old virgin (Steve Carrell), a chauvinist pig (Russell Crowe) or a nerdy writer type (Woody Allen).

The woman is a beautiful mess (Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson or, God help us, Sarah Jessica Parker) who is far more educated, cultured and successful than the man.

So, she naturally hates this loser at first, then she slowly molds this wreck of a man into a real human being worthy of dating and / or marrying.

Please.

4) False alarms in Every Horror Movie Known to Man

Enough with the cat / boyfriend / little brother nonsense, and the scary music is just cheating.

3) Romantic comedies starring Kate Hudson

Though I have to say this: it’s better than Sarah Jessica Parker.

2) Movie villains who carefully explain their plot instead of KILLING THE HERO ALREADY

Why does every movie villain feel the need to talk to the hero?

Look, the villain always has hordes of minions who are completely motivated to listen to his stupid monologues. He can give speeches that make Fidel Castro look like the king of brevity.

A villain’s minions are the best listeners ever. They must not only nod and smile, but be entranced by his every syllable. The villain is their employer and visionary leader, and there’s a good chance that not listening with your entire body and soul will get you thrown into the tank full of sharks with lasers.

Chatting with the hero makes no sense.

Here’s one villain who gets it right.

1) Romantic comedies starring Matthew McConaughey AND Kate Hudson

And you thought I was making that up.