Aladdin (2019)

 

Aladdin - 2019

Coming up next is 2019's "Aladdin", a live-action remake of the 1992's original animated Disney classic.  In this tale, a young man living on the street makes the acquaintance of an undercover princess, a genie, and a magic carpet as he begins an adventure that will take him to "a whole new world".

The film's cast includes Mena Massoud, Will Smith, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari, Navid Negahban, Nasim Pedrad, Billy Magnussen, and Alan Tudyk.

At the beginning of our story we meet Aladdin and his monkey Abu.  In the 

marketplace, they meet an undercover Princess Jasmine, who has run away from the palace.  Aladdin teaches her how to stay "One Jump Ahead" and survive the streets of Agrabah.

We also are introduced to Jafar, the Vizier of Agrabah, who will stop at nothing to get a treasure that he wants.

After their adventure on the streets, Aladdin takes Jasmine back to his place, where she gets to see Agrabah from a different perspective than she's used to.

Jasmine introduces herself as "Dahlia", a handmaid to the princess.  She and Aladdin have a real connection, but it is interrupted when a visiting prince on his way to the palace brings Jasmine back to reality.

She's tired of putting on a show for visiting princes (like Prince Anders) who are only interested in what her kingdom can offer them.

Her real ambition is to rule Agrabah after her father as Sultan.  She is firmly put in her place by Jafar.  But Jasmine resolves that she won't be silent and won't go "speechless".

While sneaking into the palace to visit "Dahlia", Aladdin is arrested by Jafar's men.  Jafar reveals to him that "Dahlia" is in fact the princess.  If Aladdin will do a certain task for him, Jafar will reward him with riches enough to impress her.

Aladdin is tasked with retrieving a magic lamp from the Cave of Wonders, but he is given strict instructions not to touch anything else.  Unfortunately, Abu doesn't heed that warning.

Because Abu touched the forbidden treasure, they are sealed inside the cave, where they meet a magic carpet and a genie who resides inside the lamp.

The genie tells him how the lamp works with the song "Friend Like Me".  Aladdin gets three wishes, but can't wish to make anyone fall in love or bring somebody back from the dead.

Once they are out of the cave, Aladdin tells the genie that he wishes to become a prince so that he can marry Princess Jasmine, who can only wed a prince.

The genie works his magic and "Prince Ali" of Ababwa is born!  His entourage makes its way through the streets of Agrabah to much fanfare.

After failing to impress Jasmine at their first official meeting, he later makes it up to her by introducing her to "A Whole New World".  Afterwards, Jasmine makes a connection between Prince Ali and Aladdin, which he is quick to deny.

One of the most charming things about this movie is the awkward/endearing relationship between the genie and Jasmine's handmaid Dahlia.  It's so fun to watch them interact.

As the story goes, we know that Jafar gains control of the lamp and exposes Prince Ali as Aladdin.  He also takes control of Agrabah by becoming its sultan and also a sorcerer.

Jasmine is given a chance to shine and prove what kind of leader she would be should she become Sultan of Agrabah.

Aladdin tricks Jafar into becoming a genie.  Wanting the power, Jafar jumps at the opportunity, not realizing that it means being confined to a lamp, which Genie deposits safely in the Cave of Wonders.

Genie is set free by Aladdin's final wish, and he and Jasmine (who has been deemed the next sultan by her father) are able to get married.  Genie and Dahlia get together, too.

Cast rundown:

   Mena Massoud..........................Aladdin

   Will Smith.................................Genie

   Naomi Scott..............................Princess Jasmine

   Marwan Kenzari.........................Jafar

   Navid Negahban........................Sultan of Agrabah

   Nasim Pedrad............................Dahlia

   Billy Magnussen.........................Prince Anders

   Alan Tudyk................................Iago

And that's it for Aladdin.  Will Smith wanted to bring a hip-hop flavor to his role as the Genie, but he was also very respectful to the work done by the late Robin Williams.  I think he's very successful in making Genie his own.  His rendition of the character is unique enough to be instantly recognizable but appropriately different.  Just a bit of trivia for you: the name of Princess Jasmine in the original Arab tale "Aladdin and the Magic Lamp" was Badroulbadour.

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Breakfast For Two (1937)

 

Breakfast For Two - 1937

After a turkey coma, the best thing is 1937's "Breakfast For Two".  In this film, two people bond over breakfast after meeting each other for the first time the previous evening.  Love blossoms, but an untimely interruption rips them apart.  Can they find their way to love again?

The film's cast includes Barbara Stanwyck, Herbert Marshall, Glenda Farrell, Eric Blore, Donald Meek, Etienne Girardot, and Frank M. Thomas.

Spoiled playboy Jonathan Blair wakes up one morning and finds a strange woman in his house.  They are both in their evening clothes.  Apparently, they met the night before in a bar.  Jonathan needed help getting home so the young lady obliged.  However, she was prevented from leaving by Jonathan's huge Great Dane, so she spent the night.

Jonathan's valet, Butch, takes a liking to the young woman, and he tells her a little bit about the Blair family while Jonathan is changing.

The two have breakfast together and sparks fly.  They read each other's palms, and Jonathan gets his hand buttered by her after he burns it on some hot toast.  Their breakfast meeting couldn't be going any better.

Unfortunately, Jonathan's old girlfriend, actress Carol Wallace, arrives and spoils things.  Our other young lady, so far unnamed, watches the scene and collects her fur coat.

She heads out of the mansion in a hurry without even so much as telling Jonathan her name.

Meanwhile, Jonathan is very low on cash.  A representative from the family shipping company arrives with a quarterly stipend and Jonathan is ecstatic.  "Call up the butcher, the baker, and the cocktail maker!  They're about to be paid off!" he says excitedly.

However, due to Jonathan's mismanagement of the business, he is informed that the officers of the company will no longer be able to collect salaries.  Jonathan is now out of money.  The scene is humorous as we watch his dog Peewee greet the business representative.

Jonathan is able to find out who is mysterious guest was.  Her name is Valentine Ransome, and she's a wealthy Texas oil heiress.  She's told all about the Blair family and how the company has been run into the ground.  Seeing an opportunity to get Jonathan back on his feet and fall in love with her at the same time, Valentine begins to buy controlling interest in the company, hoping it will make him mad enough to dive into action.

Once he finds out that Valentine is running the Blair Shipping Company, Jonathan is furious and marches into his old office to tell her so.

He gets even angrier when he finds out that she's going to be the new tenant of his mansion.  When she visits the place, they get into a sparring match in the gymnasium, with Jonathan and Butch coming out the losers.  Eventually, due to a slip of the tongue by Butch, Jonathan realizes that Valentine is hoping to marry him and is using his company to do so.

He decides to move in with and get married to Ms. Carol Wallace, who is not exactly thrilled about having a Great Dane in the house.

After Valentine makes him a Vice President of the company, Jonathan goes to the office just long enough to tell her that he's getting married.

What follows is perhaps the most hysterical wedding scene I've ever watched.  Valentine engineers enough disturbances to have the whole thing postponed.  And the poor Justice of the Peace can't even open his mouth without some sort of noise occurring.  He gets very frustrated.  Even Peewee can't stand all the noise in the room.

All of this spurs Jonathan into action.  He thinks up a plan that will save the company.  He is watched by a proud Valentine as he presents the plan to the board, who approve wholeheartedly.

However, Jonathan still plans on getting married to Carol.  He gets continually frustrated when the Justice of the Peace pronounces his name "Joe Nathan" instead of "Jonathan" every single time.  That poor judge is worried more noises will happen, so he moves speedily through the ceremony.

Before the couple can say "I do", Butch runs in with a document that says Jonathan and Valentine were married on the night that they first met.  (It's a forgery, but it stops the wedding just the same).  Jonathan storms off to confront Valentine.

Everything turns out all right.  Jonathan and Valentine get married for real by the same Justice of the Peace, who must now compete with the noise of a train station for the ceremony, which provides a humorous component to the ceremony.

Cast rundown:

   Barbara Stanwyck.............................Valentine Ransome

   Herbert Marshall...............................Jonathan Blair

   Glenda Farrell...................................Carol Wallace

   Eric Blore.........................................Butch

   Donald Meek....................................Justice Of The Peace

   Etienne Girardot...............................Mr. Meggs

   Frank M. Thomas..............................Sam Ransome

And that's all for Breakfast For Two.  It's a very fun film from start to finish.  The chemistry between Barbara Stanwyck and Herbert Marshall is pure joy to watch.  This film features one of the first uses of air quotes and also the term "pub crawling".

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