Of all the writers working in Hollywood today, very few are probably as excentric or as madly creative as Max Landis. He is the son of legendary director John Landis, late of The Blues Brothers, An American Werewolf in London, and Michael Jackson's Thriller music video. Meanwhile, Max Landis has written a few memorable and entertaining films such as American Ultra and Chronicle. While I would not go so far as to proclaim Max Landis a "perfect" writer, I do find myself enjoying most of his work. He seems to have a comfortable, if insane, attitude towards screenwriting that, while highly unconventional, still yields satisfying results. Today's reader's request, Mr. Right, is no exception as it has become one of the very few movies about a hitman that I enjoy. Which, I assure you, is no easy task.
Usually, I wouldn't say I like hitman movies. Aside from them being the most cliche and overdone thing in cheap action schlock flicks or student films, they are rarely worthy of my sympathy. I mean, they murder anyone for the right price, how can anyone sympathize with them? Suppose you want me to enjoy a movie about a hitman. In that case, there are two ways to go about it: the hitman must be too evil, causing the story to focus on a more relatable protagonist, ala Leon, a.k.a The Professional, or must possess a robust moral code wherein he/she only kills those who genuinely deserve it, ala The Hitman's Bodyguard. Mr. Right falls right into the latter with a bit of quirkiness for good measure.
The story follows a young woman named Martha (Anna Kendrick), a combination of a manic pixie dream girl and Pinkie Pie. She meets a wonderful man named Francis (Sam Rockwell). The two of them hit it off as they both seem to share a similar brand of "legal insanity." However, things take a terrible turn when Martha discovers that the man of her dreams is a hitman. While Francis does not deny it, he genuinely wanted to protect her from it. Also, his M.O. is that he only kills those who try to hire him, as he believes that hiring someone to kill another person is plain wrong (define irony). Will their relationship survive the bullets as they fly, or will they take a nasty hit?
The thing that always sells me on any script by Max Landis is his characters. He knows how to write people in an over-the-top yet grounded way. Although, he does tend to lean into the awkward geek type of hero, which I can understand and even relate to in some ways. Max Landis knows how to create strange yet relatable characters that make for an engaging movie experience. Well, most of the time.
The chemistry between Martha and Francis is what sells the movie. The two of them are utterly adorable together. Anna Kendrick and Sam Rockwell have always been best at awkward unusual geekish kinds of characters, so they succeed in selling the hell out of the script. Even when it occasionally gets a little annoying (and it can from time to time), it never drove me to the edge.
While this was still a fun flick, it is in no way perfect. Though the action scenes are well constructed, they can get a little repetitive after a while. The script doesn't go into as much character depth as I might have preferred (though what is there is indeed still adequate). Plus, while the violence is understandable, I can't help but feel like it could have done a little more with less. Although, that could just be me.
Mr. Right has just the right amount of charm for a decent quirky distraction. While I would not call it my favorite of the movies written by Max Landis, it is rated high on my mental list. If you need a bit of goofy fun with some decent action thrown in for good measure, give this one a look.
Ladies & gentlemen, I am TheNorm, thank you all for reading.
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