RON’S GONE WRONG is a Delight

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to 4K Ultra HD, Bluray, DVD and Digital from directors Sarah Smith, Jean-Philippe Vine and Octavio E. Rodriguez along with 20^th Century Home Entertainment comes the technological friendship even when RON’S GONE WRONG.

Barney (Jack Dylan Grazer) is a young man who is finding middle school a big challenging. All the friends he had in elementary school seem to have gone on with their lives because of technology. Each of them has technology friends called B-Bots who get to know everything about their young users and allow them a wider scope of social media. Created by CEO Marc Weidell (Justice Smith), there is an algorithm in every B-Bot to make them buddies with humans.

Everyone has one, except for Barney who hopes he will get one for his birthday. Dad Graham (Ed Helms) who sells novelties online and Grandma Donka (Olivia Colman) try to give Barney a party hoping he will invite his school friends. When they realize that is not going to happen and what Barney really wanted for his day – Dad and grandma kick into gear – well, sort of.

Speeding across town to the Bubble store where the B-Bots are sold, it is a little side deal that has Barney waking up to a new friend. Thinking this is the best thing ever, it takes only a bit of time before its clear that something is wrong with this particular B-Bot. Taking him back and knowing what will happen, Barney decides he will teach everything his B-Bot, now named Ron (Zak Galifianakis) will need to know.

An amazing friendship begins between Barney and Ron, but it does not stop childhood friend Rich (Ricardo Hurtado) gets into it with Ron. Now a social media fire storm. CEO Marc wonders what is happening and while he is not looking, maniacal Andrew (Rob Delaney) tries to take his company and goes looking for Ron and Barney. Trying to get away, Barney runs into Savannah (Kylie Cantrall) making her promise not to tell that he is running with his B-Bot friend.

The chase is on, and old friends decide its time to reacquaint themselves with Barney and the very interesting and very loveable Ron. Coming together, Barney, Ron, Savannah, Marc, Rich, Dad, Grandma and Ava (Ava Morse) take on the Bubble to find Ron. There comes a moment when Barney must make a decision about what friendship really means to him.

Grazer who voices Barney is delightful and gives so much understanding to situations that he knows can not be easily fixed. He misses his friends, mother and a father who is trying to do what is best for his family. Once he meets Ron, he has someone to teach and care for – even if Ron is very different from the other B-Bots. Grazer lends his voice to a friendship that is endearing and that means everything.

Galifianakis voicing Ron is so sweet, naïve, full of wonder, hilarious and it is worth every smile watching him learn all that is learnable in Barney’s world. Giving everyone who watches a journey through Ron’s world, and it is Galifianakis who shows us what friendship means to this little B-Bot.

Helms as Graham is a Dad who is trying to provide for his family and forgets that sometime providing means missing things. Ron does not make his feelings clear and when Dad figures it out, he starts to question how to make it better for his boy. Colman as Donka is a grandma who loves her family, loves the history of her family and taking care of both Graham and Barney. She is also amazing at fixing the weirdest things in such a way that it always works out, but that’s what grandma’s do right?

Smith as Weidell just wanted to create a friend for kids but when he sees that someone is taking advantage of it, he sides with Barney and Ron. It is amazing that Weidell does not see dollar signs but instead sees the power of friendship. Delaney as Andrew wants everything Weidell has, including the CEO position and the potential to make billions.

Cantrall as Savannah was once best friends with Barney but with the introduction of B-Bots, she has become a social media butterfly. She sees what Barney goes through but it to busy with her own life to care about a friendship, until she experiences the other side with Barney. Hurtado as Rich is also a social media kid influencer who records everything, that is everything but the bullying he does to Graham. The saddest part is he was also once Barney’s best friend.

Other cast include Marcus Scribner as Alex, Cullen McCarthy as Noah, Thomas Barbusca as Jayden, Liam Payne as Bob, Ruby Wax as Ms. Hartley and Flula Borg as Sarah.

Twentieth Century Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment continues to bring quality programming to kids and kids at heart. Home of the most beloved animated features including SNOW WHITE, PINOCCHIO and SLEEPING BEAUTY to name a few is what keeps families coming back for more. To see what is currently available to add to your own family library please visit. www.movies.disney.com for their At Home titles!

Bonus Features include A Boy and His B*Bot: When Jack Met Zach – Zach Galifianakis and Jack Dylan Grazer, the voices behind Ron and Barney, sit down to chat about a fun assortment of topics. From social media to skateboarding, the two actors from two very different generations tell us all about when Jack met Zach. Making Ron Right – Join cast and crew behind the scenes as they reveal the skill, dedication and friendship it took to bring this film to life. From writing the script to the voice-over booth, Locksmith’s artisans’ detail how they made Ron right. “Sunshine” Music Video – Song from the motion picture Ron’s Gone Wrong, performed by Liam Payne.

RON’S GONE WRONG is a delightful film that comes out at a time where that is so wonderful. The film introduces us to friendship based on technology and to remind us of how cool it is to put it aside occasionally and get out into the real world. Barney wants a B-Bot so badly but quickly learns the responsibility.

It is not just the responsibility of a B-Bot but in teaching Ron what friendship means, how it is interpreted by an innocent and what the word ‘literally’ means. Because, literally, Ron takes Barney at his word and there are consequences to the 6 ft. of friendship rule. That being said, there are so many lessons here for kids and my granddaughter’s eye lit up every time the characters talked about things she was learning herself.

Now THAT, is something simply wonderful for us all.

In the end – it is time to get your bot on!

TAG Reminds Us You’re Never Too Old to Play

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this week from director Jeff Tomsic and New Line Cinema is a game that takes childhood into adulthood just by a simple TAG.

Hoagie (Ed Helms), Chili (Jake Johnson), Callahan (Jon Hamm), Sable (Hannibal Buress) and Jerry (Jeremy Renner) have been friends since childhood. Following them into adulthood is a game they look forward to for a whole month – tag!

Well, May has rolled around and it’s on beginning with Hoagie recruiting the guys with a new plan aimed at the one man who hasn’t been tagged in thirty years. Jerry is a pro at the game and plays with precision and, well, ingenuity really. This time Hoagie convinces the guys that the best place to finally make it happen is at Jerry’s wedding.

Following the group is Rebecca (Annabelle Wallis), a reporter who started one story but found this to be much more interesting. Also, Hoagie’s wife Anna (Isla Fisher), a very intense and hands on supporter of her husband’s dream of getting Jerry.

Heading home for the wedding, the boys meet Jerry’s bride Susan (Leslie Bibb) who knows about the game and begs them all too please hold off and let her have her dream day. Signing a pact to be off limits to certain events, it doesn’t stop them from trying.

Jerry brings in the big guns when Cheryl (Rashida Jones) manages to keep Chili and Callahan emotionally busy, Sable just goes with the flow and Hoagie continues to plot. Mayhem and friendship go hand in hand with these boys in the longest running game of tag ever.

Helms as Hoagie is dedicated to one goal – getting Jerry. Putting himself in crazy situations to make that happen is something Helms is used to doing because he does it so damn well. Johnson as Chili may have started out with a few goals but finds himself pretty much back to life’s square one. As much as he fights getting into the game, it doesn’t take much to become all in.

Hamm as Callahan wants to go for the gold where Jerry is concerned and looks good in a suit while doing it. Buress as Sable is easy going and the quiet under-comic relief. His sassy comes in smaller waves but it hilarious just the same.

Renner as Jerry is the obvious ninja in the group having perfects his moves and ability to remain untouched after 30 years. Looking sharp and having all the right connections, Renner’s character is sharp and prepared for anything.

Fisher as Anna can be hostile, explosive and charming all in 2.5 seconds and I loved it. Supporting her man she wants in the game so badly but a rule created in the initial tag agreement doesn’t include girls. That’s not going to stop her from trying! Bibb as Susan smiles her way into the group wanting a beautiful wedding without boyish tricks. Jones as Cheryl is a diversion sent in by Jerry with a history that plays to his advantage.

Other cast include Brian Dennehy as Chili’s father, Nora Dunn as Linda, Sebastian Maniscalco as Pastor, and Steve Berg as Lou.

TAG is based on an article written in The Wall Street Journal about a group of men from Spokane, Washington who played the game of tag one month a year for 23 years.

TAG is just that, a romp of a film that proves boys can still be boys in the most epic way possible. Personally I think it’s fantastic that this band of mischief (great name guys if you want to start a rock group!) continue to find the most creative ways of keeping the game alive. The film is also about a rock solid friendship that has just found a way to stay connected.

Isn’t that what we are all trying to do in this world of disillusion and disconnect? These men who really continue to do this are defying the odds in that childhood friendships are just memories for most of us. The game of tag for these tag-artists is based around the one thing we seem to forget as we get older – mashing memories, fun and a genuine effort to stay connected through a simple game.

TAG is fun, funny, charming and doesn’t ask a lot of its audience. It’s more of a ‘sit back – we got this’ kind of movie and I’m more than okay with that. The laughs are there and a bucket of popcorn is icing on the cake. The ending is a tad hokey but then again who said it stops there?

In the end – based on a true story and we’re not kidding!

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS The First Epic Movie Saves the Day on Bluray

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to Bluray from director David Soren and 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment is a tale of two friends and their new pal CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS.

Best buddies George (Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch) are in the fourth grade at Jerome Horwitz Elementary School and are total cut ups. They are known for their pranks and they are mainly aimed at what the two consider mean teachers. Of course principal Benjamin Krupp (Ed Helms) doesn’t find the two quite as funny.

The two also have managed to create a superhero called Captain Underpants who basically wears only a cap and – well – his underpants while fighting crime. Using their treehouse as their home office for Treehouse Comix Inc., the boys sell their stories to their friends.

When a prank goes wrong and they are ratted out, George and Harold end up in Principal Krupp’s office. Thinking that separating the boys into different classrooms will stop their antics, the boys discover that using a Hypno Ring from a cereal box has transformed Krupp into their Captain Underpants.

Figuring out that water and snapping fingers brings him back and forth, the boys also realize that they need to put their superhero into Krupps’ principal role before anyone finds out. When a scientist named Professor P. (Nick Kroll) arrives and Krupp aka Captain Underpants hires him to teach, George and Harold see something weird going on.

The boys begin to make changes around the school with the help of the “principal” but it is Professor Pee-Pee Diarrheastein Poopypants, Esq. that’s up to no good. Wanting to take over the town, it is up to George, Harold and Captain Underpants to puts things right again. When that’s done the boys must decide if their new superhero must stay or go.

In the meantime it’s Tra-la-LAAAAAA!

Hart and Middleditch are such an amazing pair playing George and Harold. They vocally play off of each other and it is absolutely seamless. I love the way they speak to one another and as an adult I giggle like a kid. That’s what makes this film so cool – you certainly don’t have to be a kid to enjoy the fun.

Helms as Captain Underpants is hilarious and every time he says ‘tra-la-laaaaa’ I join in. That gets stuck in your head but in a great way as if you think ‘where can I use this phrase’ and trust me, I’ve thought of a lot of situations where that fantastic tune can be used.

Kroll as Professor P. has serious issues yet even being vertically challenged and a head of hair curlier than Shirley Temple, he gives funny line delivery.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment brings award-winning global product and new entertainment to DVD, Bluray, and Digital HD. There amazing collection offers fans an opportunity to expand their own home libraries with the best films. To discover what other titles they have please visit www.fox.com.

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS The First Epic Movie contains 30+ minutes of Bluray & DVD Special Features such as The Really Cool Adventures of Captain Underpants Motion Comic, The Captain Underpants Guide to Being a Hero, The Professor Poopypants (Totally Original and Supercool) Guide to Being a Villain, Missing Underpants: Deleted Scenes, Captain Underpants Lyric Video by “Weird Al” Yankovic, “A Friend Like You: Lyric Video by Andy Grammer, Kevin Hart and Ed Helms Surprise Fans and so much more!

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS is so much fun and a family film meant for everyone. The animation is epic, brilliant and vivid. There is something about this form of animation that just captures every part of the Captain Underpants story in such a way that fans will watch the story again and again. Remember, this is the Captains FIRST Epic Movie.

Prepare to take flight with a superhero like no other and his sidekicks who are hilarious. George and Harold are two young boys who are rambunctious, silly, creative and very, very smart. They are also two young boys who have a friendship that is strong and not about to be broken by any ole principal!

In the end – fifty percent hero and 100% cotton!