movie review

Messy but pulpy Birds of Prey pecks away at comic book misogyny

Clearly, Birds of Prey is attempting to kill myriad birds with one stone.

The movie — which can also be titled Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) — aspires to conquer much in one outing. First off, it’s a stand-alone vehicle for Harley Quinn (played here by Margot Robbie), whom we last saw going bonkers in Suicide Squad.

Here, the Arkham Asylum psychologist-turned-sociopathic moll is out on her own after the Joker, her main squeeze, literally kicks her to the curb. (Don’t even bother looking for Squad co-star Jared Leto to do his glam-punk version of Joker in this one. His manic mug doesn’t even appear in the flashback scenes from Squad.)

The movie also serves as an origin story for the titular crew of DC Comics superwomen who fight crime in Gotham City when Batman seems to be detained. Sadly, founding member Batgirl is nowhere to be found, but we do get Black Canary (Jurnee Smollett-Bell), seen here as a torch singer with a voice that can apparently obliterate throngs of weapon-wielding men, and Huntress (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), a socially awkward assassin who returns to Gotham to take out the men who killed her entire family.

Prey doesn’t even try to stick to the DC canon. Director Cathy Yan and screenwriter Christina Hodson have basically taken several female characters — whether they’ve actually collaborated in the DC universe or not — and just placed them together in the same movie.

Also along for this ferociously feminine ride is embittered detective Renee Montoya (Rosie Perez) and foster kid/professional pickpocket Cassandra Cain (Ella Jay Basco). All these women eventually become the target of club owner/sadistic crime lord Roman Sionis (Ewan McGregor, camping it up all to hell), aka Black Mask, forcing them at the end to team up and become a ragtag girl-gang once he sics more bad guys on them.

Naysaying men on Twitter who’ve been predicting Prey’s failure at the box office will likely take issue with how males are portrayed in it. In this version of Gotham, the male population is made up of predators, misogynists, women-hating killers, and men who’ll sell a woman out with no qualms. (The only decent guy is the greasy-spoon cook who serves Quinn a delicious-looking egg sandwich at the beginning.)

To wit: It’s almost like Yan, Hodson, and Robbie decided to use Prey to troll all the dudebros and fanboys who constantly bellyache about women squeezing themselves into their pitifully male, Comic-Con universe. They not-so-subtly give them the business by having Quinn and company go to town on any creepy, pervy dude with which they come in contact.

It’s a shame the movie is too much of a messy pile-on. It’s obvious that the filmmakers threw a lot in here on the off-chance that this kind of cinematic girl-power may never happen again. Prey ends up having an off-kilter rhythm, often teetering between being entertainingly chaotic and tonally clumsy. However, out of all the DC Extended Universe movies, this one looks the most comic book-y, with its deliriously over-the-top action sequences and gloriously pulpy milieu.

And it’s all anchored by Robbie’s foul-mouthed, fourth-wall-breaking anti-heroine.

Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey.

Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey

Photo by Claudette Barius; courtesy of DC Comics

Margot Robbie in Birds of Prey.

Movie Review

The Invite delivers smart, sexy laughs with an all-star cast

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite

Photo courtesy of A24

Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.

Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film - which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century - has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.

Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.

What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples - the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis - turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.

Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.

Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.

But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.

In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.

While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights - and occasional bawdiness - make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.

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The Invite is now playing in theaters.

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