The Film: The Resurrection Of Gavin Stone

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone -

WWE should stick to producing professional wrestling as its wacky storylines and over the top characters don’t lend themselves quite as well to the world of motion pictures. The Resurrection of Gavin Stone, which was released by WWE Studios (yes, it exists) in January of 2017 follows Brett Dalton as the titular character, a former child star who must pretend to be a devoted Christian in order to play the role of Jesus in a play funded by a megachurch. The main draw of the movie was not its script nor its leading man, but was instead WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels, who plays the role of Doug, an ex-con with a heart of cold (a favorite trope of WWE Studios).

Unsurprisingly, The Resurrection of Gavin Stone
died a death it could not come back from. Critics were quick to slam it for its inability to craft a believable redemption story, branding the film a failure both as a faith-based romp and a mainstream comedy.

Baywatch -

So, Shawn Michaels didn’t exactly see his acting career take off with the release of The Resurrection of Gavin Stone. His fellow former WWE Champion Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, however, has been enjoying an incredibly successful career in the motion picture industry for over a decade.

Johnson is today one of the highest earning actors in Hollywood and a surefire box office draw. Unfortunately, even the charisma of The Rock couldn’t save the film adaptation of Baywatch from becoming one of the worst received films of 2017 so far. Baywatch has been criticized for flat, uncomfortable jokes and an over-reliance on nostalgia. Of course, nostalgia has become a major part of Hollywood movies, but Baywatch did not pull it off nearly as well as 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The Bye Bye Man -

The Bye Bye Man, as you can probably guess from its absurd and almost childish name, was mercilessly mocked by critics and the general public upon its release. The movie, a total assault on the horror genre, follows a group of college students as they battle The Bye Bye Man, a mysterious entity who gets inside the heads of his victims and causes them to commit horrific acts. While the premise certainly has a degree of promise, it’s difficult to pull off, as those who worked on the film quickly learned. Upon its release, The Bye Bye Man was slammed by critics for what they perceived as clumsy directing and cinematography. The movie’s writers have been accused of stealing ideas from more successful films, which they then executed horrendously.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul -

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul is the fourth installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid film series and had its work cut out for it the moment it was announced. Fans of the franchise were outraged to learn that the main characters of the series had been recast, which led to the widespread sharing of the hashtag “#NotMyRodrick” upon the release of the movie’s first trailer.

Despite the initial negative reaction, the film’s producers were hopeful audiences would enjoy the offering.
Unfortunately for them, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul proved a resounding failure, with even the usually easily-pleased children it was directed towards being unsatisfied with it. Critics panned the movie for its juvenile humor, writing it off as significantly more abrasive and far less charming than its
predecessors.

Snatched -

The past year or so has been hard on Amy Schumer.
Not too long ago, the comic was a favorite of critics and branded as a hero to all women who have ever dreamed of rising up against society’s oppressive patriarchal regime. However, accusations of plagiarism derailed the comic’s momentum and her most recent stand up offering The Leather Special was one even her fans were forced to admit was thoroughly bereft of laughs.

Adding to Schumer’s recent woes is the failure of her feature-length film Snatched, a farcical comedy in which she stars alongside Goldie Hawn. In the movie, Schumer and Hawn embark on an exotic getaway after the former is unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend. While vacationing in South America, the pair are kidnapped and held for ransom. The result should be a series of at least somewhat amusing gags as Hawn and Schumer’s characters attempt to escape their captors, but viewers are instead forced to sit through a collection of worn-out, uninspired jokes listlessly churned out by the Schumer joke writing machine.

Sandy Wexler
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Adam Sandler isn't exactly known for producing the most high-brow comedies in the world, but Sandy Wexler is a let-down even for him. In the past, moviegoers could trust Sandler to deliver at least a couple of easy laughs throughout his admittedly threadbare films, but this recently released Netflix exclusive is void of even a chuckle. Viewers have been left cringing by Sandler’s silly voice and cheap gags, which are included in almost every one of his pictures, but are turned up to 100 in Sandy Wexler.

Most expected Sandy Wexler to be a critical failure the moment the first trailer was released by Netflix, and, sure enough, it was. Critics have universally panned the movie for its squandering of countless big name celebrities and physical gags which were as poorly executed as their spoken counterparts. If Sandy Wexler is remembered at all beyond 2017, it will not be as a classic comedy of the Netflix era, but rather as Broadway Danny Rose for people who need to be spoon fed their jokes.