VIFF 2013 Capsule Reviews: Day 3 - The Lunchbox, All the Wrong Reasons, Wolf Children, and The Right Kind of Wrong

The Right Kind of Wrong (dir. Jeremiah S. Chechik)

Editor’s Notes: The following reviews are part of our coverage of the 2013 Vancouver International Film Festival. For more information on the festival visit http://www.viff.org/ and follow VIFF on Twitter at @VIFFest

The Lunchbox (dir. Ritesh Batra)

They say the path to a man’s heart is through his stomach. The Lunchbox explores this theme in a unique fashion. Saajan (Irrfan Khan) is a reserved man working a government job on the verge of retirement. A mistake is made and he receives the wrong lunchbox. The food smells delicious and tastes even better. Leaving a clean plate is the highest compliment anyone can pay a chef. Ila (Nimrat Kaur) is a deprived housewife; she’s the woman responsible for preparing such a delicious meal. Her aunty lives above her and offers advice, lends her ingredients and like all loving aunties, gets her nose far too deep in her business. Aunty serves as comic relief and the voice of the audience rooting on her niece. Saajan and Ila have a connection despite having no visible contact. She cooks him personal, scrumptious lunches and he’s happy to finish them. The two develop an interest in each other and their methods of communication appeal to hopeless romantics like myself. Like all love stories there are forces in the way. It’s engaging to witness the two lead characters transformations and feed off of each other’s distant energy. The Lunchbox features a terrific performance from Irrfan Khan. Khan’s character arc is gradual and demands a lot of the actor. He delivers the goods in this film. The film is beautifully shot, making use of natural light, thus making it easier to sink into the film. The supporting cast brings much to the table with great comedic timing. The Lunchbox does a nice job of balancing romance, tension and comedy to give the audience a mental break. Khan’s assistant is hysterical, awkward and delivers warm emotional payoffs. The Lunchbox will appeal to anyone who has ever taken a chance on love. Sometimes love can be hurtful, other times it’s the most rewarding gamble a person can take. Will their gamble pay off? Take a date and find out in this heartwarming crowd pleaser.

All the Wrong Reasons (dir. Gia Milani)

This film has a leaky script and acting that feels like acting. Gia Milani (Screenwriter/Director) asks a lot of the audience right from the get go. The film opens with little to no exposition. Cutting exposition is a risk that hurts the film coming out of the gate. The mystery behind Kate (Karine Vanasse) has potential to intrigue the audience but it’s an exercise in frustration. Kate is a security guard for a local store like Target. Her husband James (Corey Monteith) is the store manager. All is not well at home. Kate doesn’t allow James to touch her, placing a huge barrier between them. Kate takes unnamed meds, to which she shares in common with the recently hired security guard, Simon (Kevin Zegers). The interactions between Kate and Simon nearly save this film but Simon’s storyline is underdeveloped. Simon lost his arm during an accident while fighting fires. Simon’s firefighter friends completely ignore him, something that doesn’t add up for a career that promotes trust, friendship and brotherhood. Therein lies the problem; far too much of the script feels implausible. Add to the mix an irresponsible single mother struggling to make ends meet. The single mother character could be removed from the opening of the film and her role would become more effective. Removal from the opening of the film would also reduce the overlong running time of 118 minutes. Karine Vanasse and Kevin Zegers give it their all for their performances but the script, characters and lack of editing make this a dull watch. Local crowds will be drawn in for the late Corey Monteith, it’s unfortunate his last film performance is forgettable.

Wolf Children (dir. Hosoda Mamoru)

Wolf Children is a unique take on werewolves. It turns out werewolves aren’t violent at all, they just change form under certain circumstances. A young woman named Hana falls for a young man attending her college. The young man is mysterious and it seems he does not have a home. She later finds out that he turns into a wolf (werewolf) and she is ok with this. The two develop a strong relationship and have two children, Yuki and Ame. An unseen incident occurs and Hana’s partner loses his life. Left to raise two half-human/half-wolf children, Hana struggles to find a balance. Her children turn into wolves while they experience strong emotions: happiness, frustration or anger. The remainder of the film becomes fun, playful and sobering in a twist on a standard coming of age story. The children struggle with their identities as all children do. Hana struggles with whether she should allow them to be more human or more wolf. The second and third act lulls and the audience feel every minute ticking by of this film’s 117-minute runtime. The animation and images are beautiful to watch but the film’s length hurts the film.

The Right Kind of Wrong (dir. Jeremiah S. Chechik)

This film places Ryan Kwanten in the lead as Leo Palamina, a dishwasher/struggling writer with a carefree approach at life. The film opens with stylish images of a blog called, “Why You Suck,” written by his ex-wife. The blog centers on the shortcomings of Leo and the blog takes the internet by storm. Leo doesn’t bother to read the blog because his ex-wife isn’t a “real writer.” Her blog becomes a book deal and Leo becomes a public joke. Leo eventually falls for a married woman, Colette (Sara Canning). Kwanten and Canning are beautiful people to look at on the big screen; they’re also quite charming in their roles. The premise of the film has been seen before, but the execution makes for a fun ride. Not all of the jokes hit the mark, but enough jokes stick the landing to make this a funny film. Will Sasso and Catherine O’Heara show up in supporting roles, giving the audience familiar faces to see and they do a terrific job with their time on-screen. Kwanten’s performance is hysterical, sincere and offers a lot of physical comedy. Canning has wonderful screen presence demanding the audience’s attention with her stunning beauty. If there’s anything to nitpick in this film, it’s the ending. The film toys with a few endings, stretching out the ending just a little too long. For a fun, light-hearted rom-com, The Right Kind of Wrong delivers on its promise to entertain.

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Adrian Charlie

Staff Film Critic

I'm from Victoria BC and love watching films from all corners of the world. I'm fascinated by interpreting films and connecting with other film lovers. I love sharp, clever dialogue (QT), beautifully shot films (The Thin Red Line) and a filmmaker who trusts the audience to put it all together and leave room for discussion (PTA).

Latest posts by Adrian Charlie (see all)

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