The Other Woman Rated: PG-13

Tory Says:

Need a good comedy to see with your girlfriends? Need a comedy that both you and your husband could sit through? Go see The Other Woman!!! I went with a girlfriend of mine and we laughed and laughed and laughed (we may have even shed a few tears because of how hard we laughed!) and had a fantastic time!

The plot is a pretty simple one. Carly (Cameron Diaz) is a gorgeous and successful woman who discovers that her “perfect” boyfriend is actually married. She is approached by his wife, Kate (Leslie Mann), one day and confesses to her that she didn't know he was married but that she has in fact been sleeping with Kate’s husband. After a night of sharing stories and too much alcohol, the two begin to develop a friendship. After they discover that he has been cheating on both of them with Amber (Kate Upton), the three girls become very close and begin a plot of revenge.

I was very worried when I read an article that said “The Other Woman is the new Bridesmaids” because honestly, I was one of the only women on the planet that didn't like Bridesmaids…actually if I’m being truthful, I kind of hated Bridesmaids. So I had so much trepidation about this one. I’m so glad I took the chance because I haven’t laughed like that in a long time! There were some parts where you have to just “roll with it” and realize it is just a movie. Some things just weren't believable. During the film, Carly falls for Kate’s brother, Phil. I felt that they didn't take enough time with this relationship. I would have liked to see more about them. The one thing that really bugged me was that they made Kate Upton’s character Amber “the dumb, big boobed blonde”. She isn't a stupid person but they made Amber seem stupid and juvenile. I think it would have been better if she was like the other two: hot and smart! Besides the fact that they would get to stare at three beautiful women, I think husbands would think it was funny as well. Although I did enjoy a Girls Night Out! I got so many great laughs out of this one I think I will give it an 8.5. Even thinking about it now, I’m laughing! 

Cat Says:

Let me say, first off, that I was a bit wary of this movie because of the "low humor" history of Leslie Mann and Cameron Diaz. And while there is some of that in this movie it is tamed down and fairly brief. So if you were also worried about that in this film you can relax. 

The story, as stated above, is about 3 women who find out that the first woman's husband is cheating on all of them. The role of the charismatic cheating husband is wonderfully played by Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (of Game of Thrones) and he does an incredible job of it. He is, indeed, very handsome, charming and he truly gives the performance of a single guy who is devoted to the one he is seeing. So it's no surprise that finding out he was cheating on each woman was shocking to them.

Leslie Mann plays the wife of this cheating man and she is truly sweet and wonderful. But her safe haven home is just too boring for this man who wants his cake and eat it too. In fact, the lawyer he cheats with, played by Cameron Diaz (who is FINALLY looking like she could be in her 30's even though she is now in her 40's) is still not enough for this guy. He chooses to add to his plate the young, curvy and beautiful girl, played by model Kate Upton, that both wife and girlfriend find intimidating...at first. The wife talks the girlfriend into helping her nail her cheating husband and then they pull the younger girl into the mix as well for the final sting.

This is a very fun movie for girlfriends to go see. Unfortunately there are parts that are just too far fetched because of choices they made in the script as well as in the editing. There could have been some very quick fixes placed here or there in the script that would have tied the movie together much better, tighter, than they did. The two low humor spots could have been left out of the movie and not missed. The second of these spots had a set up that was too quick to make it believable so that didn't help that issue. Characters are not quite given the fleshing out they should have and the character of Kate Upton's bimbo is just a little too young and dumb for you to truly believe that this guy would be with her. 

Two characters I would have loved to have seen more of and had more story line about were Don Johnson as Cameron Diaz's father and Taylor Kinney as Leslie Mann's brother. Johnson was absolutely great the brief time he was on screen and you will love the twist with him at the end! Kinney is set up as a love interest but then the idea isn't fleshed out in the script (one of those things that would have been VERY easy for them to do) and you are just supposed to believe the depth of the connection come the end of the film. 

Because of the issues I've mentioned I give it a 7. Go see it with a bunch of girlfriends but it's not one you will watch over and over again. 

Barbara Says:

I will admit right up front that this is a chick movie...BUT..I feel men could get a real kick out of it too.    The guy in it so deserves what he gets.  It is the getting there that is so much fun. Cameron Diaz is a lawyer who gets swept off he feet by what seems to be a great guy. Well, until she finds he has a wife.  She does this by showing up at his house after he says he cannot keep their date because a water pipe broke.  Wifey shows up at her office the next day and after some very funny times they form a loose friendship.  Then they learn there is another one he is sneaking off to see.  At first they are just leaning on one another, then comes the real anger.  That's where the good fun begins.  The revenge they extract is golden. They get help from Cameron`s father, played by Don Johnson as an aging hound with a liking for twenty something women.  But at least he is honest about it.  Just good fun to watch. No earth shaking messages or even life lessons to learn. Just a laughingly good night out with the friends. I give it a 6.5 out of 10.

Rio 2 Rated:G

Tory Says:

We went to see Rio 2 on Easter Sunday. My husband and I took our 3 year old son and our friend took her almost 5 year old son. The kids LOVED it! It has so many bright colors and wonderful music that it held their attention 99% of the time! Even we as parents liked it. I always say the mark of a good children’s movie is when they combine humor for both the kids and adults. Rio 2 did that wonderfully. If you saw the first one and liked it, you will most likely like the second one.

Blu and Jewel now have three kids and while Jewel tries to teach the children to live off the land, Blu lives like he did in America with all the human luxuries. Newlyweds Linda and Tulio are in the Amazon re-releasing a bird they nursed back to health into its natural habitat. While there, they find evidence of other birds like Jewel and Blu. So they go on TV and say they will find them and when they do, it will help get the area declared a preserve. But a greedy logger doesn’t want that to happen so he tries to stop them! Jewel begs Blu to take the kids on a “family vacation” to the Amazon to see the other birds and reluctantly Blu agrees to make her happy. While there, they discover hundreds of birds like them including Jewel’s entire family! Although Blu tries to impress Jewel’s father, he just doesn’t fit in. Meanwhile, Nigel (from the first movie) is alive and keeps trying to get his revenge on Blu!

It really was a cute movie and I love that it deals with so many issues: addiction to technology, saving the rainforest, family coming first and the importance of compromise. There are plenty of new characters and the of course, phenomenal voice talent! I will happily own this one and my son is still asking to go back and see “the dancing birdies!” Fun, heartwarming and makes you want to dance! A solid 8 out of 10 for me!

Barbara Says:

Even if you did not see the first film RIO you will enjoy this second one, RIO 2. I liked the first one quite a lot but I loved this one even more.  It was such fun for the children but it was delight for the adults too. The story is based on the Blue Macaw in Brazil having gone extinct but for one owned by a young woman in the U.S.  The first film deals with her finding a second one in Brazil and herself a boyfriend  as well.  The two Macaws have an adventure with bird trapping villains and then they form their own family. 

In this second movie they discover there are more Macaws living far into the jungle of Brazil who are being driven out of their home by a tree cutting thief and his band of cutthroats. It is everyone to the rescue which includes several different birds they met in Rio and a English bulldog.  The Macaw who lived in U.S. named Blu (played by Jesse Eisenberg), is so citified that he does not eat things birds eat and is horrified when his lady love, Jewel (played by Anne Hathaway) eats a fly that's bothering him.  He eats pancakes, eggs, etc. for breakfast.  He does not sleep outside in trees.  So going deep into the jungle where he has to do all those things that he feels are beneath him makes for some very funny lines.  When he meets the leader of the Macaws ,which turns out to be Jewel`s father, (played by Andy Garcia) he is completely undone. Father thinks he just does not measure up to what he wants for his daughter, but feels her old boyfriend Nigel does.  So the battle is on to outwit the tree thieves and prove to Jewel`s father he is the better bird. We had a lot of fun with this one.  So bring out the child in yourself, when you don`t have one to take with you, and go see this very delightful movie. I know you will have a wonderful time.  Out of 10 this one gets a 10 for just plain fun.