Young Adult

My Rating: 3 1/2 stars

So, I had completely forgot about this movie until I was flipping through Netflix the other day trying to find something to watch.  I looked it up on IMDB, and realized that it was directed by Jason Reitman, the director of Juno and Up In The Air.  I also found out it was written by Diablo Cody, which made me equally as interested.  So I watched the movie and thought it was very well done, obviously because of the writing, but the casting for this movie also made me feel like these characters were made for these actors.  This underrated film did some success in the acting department though, especially with Patton Oswalt's role.  Here is how I might have done it a little differently though.

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The first character to cast would be Mavis Gary.  Mavis is a successful young adult author for a popular series that has gained her some success and minor fame.  The best way to describe Mavis would actually be through a line in the movie..."psychotic prom queen bitch."  At least, that's who she was in high school, but it has carried on into her adult years, but now she has problems with being an alcoholic and is very insecure about who she is.  She plans to go back home to rekindle the flame with her old high school boyfriend, who is now married and has a newborn daughter.  The role of Mavis is played by Charlize Theron, who does a fantastic job.  I have chosen to go with Elizabeth Banks.  Banks has gained much popularity recently, but has also proven to be an actress to watch out for especially in movies such as Our Idiot Brother and People Like Us. 

  

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Next to cast would be for the role of Matt Freehauf, who is someone that Mavis went to high school with as well.  He was described as a nerd in high school, but was also a victim of a hate crime which left him crippled in one leg.  Freehauf is still optimistic about his future, but is still haunted by his past.  While him and Mavis were not friends in high school, they form a bond when she returns, and he advises Mavis not to try and take back her ex-boyfriend.  The role is played by Patton Oswalt, and I believe that he should have gotten much more recognition for this role, because he was absolutely great.  For my cast I have decided to go with Charlie Day.  I have watched Day in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for a long time, and he would definitely be able to lock down this darkly comedic character. 

    

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The last character to cast would be for the role of Buddy Slade.  Buddy plays the guy next door type of character that probably was the popular jock back in high school, but now holds a respectable middle class job and is more of an average joe type of guy.  He is married and just had a baby as well.  He is a little oblivious to the fact of how much Mavis is trying to get back with him, and remains aloof up until the very end.  You can tell that he feels bad for Mavis, so he is nice to her and hangs out with her, which is a bad idea in the end.  The role of Buddy is played by one of my personal favorites, Patrick Wilson.  I have chosen to go with Josh Lucas.  Lucas would be able to play the hometown/new dad/still young at heart type of character that is portrayed.  

 

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I know that this one is a little shorter than my others, but this cast was really driven mainly by these three characters.  It was a good watch if you are into dark comedies, and I recommend checking it out.  Hope you enjoyed by picks for Young Adult.

Friends With Kids

My Rating: 3 Stars

Alright so I watched this movie a while ago actually, but I was pretty distracted when I watched it.  I saw it on NetFlix and decided to check it out again.  I will say that the writing for this movie was very good, and it was an interesting plot.  I felt as if some of it might have been a little over the top, but I myself don't have friends with kids in real life, so what do I know?  However, I will have to say, this movie was one of the best casting jobs I have seen in a while.  This is a very underrated film, but it is definitely worth watching solely based on the characters and the actors who play them.  This movie was particularly difficult for me to recast, because I am a huge fan of Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, and Adam Scott mostly, but all the actors in general. However, I still managed to find a cast that I feel like would be equally as interesting.
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The first character to cast would be Julie, who is the friend in their group who doesn't have a kid, isn't married, and lives a much different lifestyle.  She is charming, funny, cute, and is  more of a free spirit.  The role of Julie is played by Jennifer Westfeldt, who is also the writer and director of this movie.  While Westfeldt did well in this role, I have decided to go with Christina Applegate.  Applegate has dabbled in comedy, but would also be able to pull of this almost mid-life crisis type of character.

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The next character is Jason, who plays the other friend in the group who isn't married, nor does he have kids.  He is a bachelor, who can't seem to keep a relationship going for very long, and still is very young at heart.  He is younger than Julie, which is mentioned many times in the script, but he, much like Julie, also wants to have a kid.  So of course, they end up having a kid together, but are still "just friends."  The role is played by Adam Scott, and I have decided to go with Jake Johnson.  He is a pretty new actor to the scene but plays a great comedic role in New Girl, and I feel he would go well with Applegate.

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The next character to cast would be Leslie, who is already married, and has two kids.  She is a character who you can tell is very dragged down by having kids, and is constantly angry, but also loves her husband and children.  She is also a very good friend of Julie, but does not have as much time for her after having her two kids.  The role is played by Maya Rudolph, and I have chosen to go with Rashida Jones.  After seeing her in Celeste and Jesse Forever, I knew she would be perfect for this role.

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Next would be to cast Leslie's husband, Alex, who is kind of goofy, jokes around a lot and lightens the mood as well.  He is also run down by the stress of children, but Alex and Leslie definitely have the best relationship out of anyone in the movie as well.  The role is played by Chris O'Dowd, and I have chosen to go with Jason Segel.  Segel is obviously very well known, but he is perfect to play the goofy character and would be a great match with Rashida Jones as well.

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We have one more couple to cast, and the first in that couple would be Missy.  Missy is definitely not happy in her marriage but neither is her husband.  They talk about how happy they used to be, but their characters were just basing that off of the amount of sex they had, and not based on how they raise their child.  She is definitely not mother of the year, but she is still a good friend to all of them.  The role is played by Kristen Wiig, and I have chosen to go with Mary-Louise Parker.  Parker is fantastic in Weeds, and would play the bi-polar comedic character well.

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One of the last main characters to cast would be for the husband  of Missy, Ben.  Ben is also very unhappy in his relationship, and is definitely more of the asshole friend of the entire group.  You can tell that much like his wife, he is not parent of  year, but you can tell how much he cares for his friends.  The role is played by Jon Hamm, and I have chosen to go with Dylan McDermott.  I believe he can play this arrogant role well, and him and Mary-Louise Parker would do well together playing the dying relationship couple.
 
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The last two minor characters are Mary Jane and Kurt.  Mary Jane is the more long term girlfriend of Jason.  She is played by Megan Fox. I have chosen to go with Meagan Good.

And Kurt is the last character, and he plays the boyfriend of Julie in the midst of all the chaos.  He is played by Edward Burns.  I have chosen Eric Dane.
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Thanks for reading my post.  I certainly recommend checking out this movie.  The dialogue  and actors are great, and I hope you find my picks to be just as great!

August: Osage County

My Rating: 3 stars

So, I was very excited to rent this movie, because I have actually seen August: Osage County live on stage, and I thought it was incredible.  Ever since I saw it, I knew that a movie would soon be made out of it and of course my mind went to who would be cast for the roles. I thought the movie was well done compared to the play, but some parts were lost in translation.  However the movie went on to get two Oscar nominations; one for best actress for Meryl Streep, and one for Julia Roberts for best supporting actress.  This was obviously a well cast film, but as always here is my version of how I might have cast this movie. Stick with me, because there are a lot of characters!

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The first character that I would change would be the main character Violet Weston.  Violet is the pill popping, emotional matriarch that is mostly the source of all of the families' problems. Violet is played by Meryl Streep, and I have decided to go with Jessica Lange.  I'm a big fan of Lange in American Horror Story, and she has definitely proven that she can played a truly deranged woman.

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Next would be for her oldest daughter, who eventually takes the situation they are in into her own hands.  This character deals with a lot, including her current divorce, her unappreciative daughter, her father's death, and of course her drug addicted mother.  The role is played by Julia Roberts.  I have decided to go with Toni Collette.  I have always been a huge fan of Collette, and she was the first person I thought of to play this role, and proves it after seeing her perform in movies like Little Miss Sunshine.

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The next character would be for the middle sister, Ivy Weston.  Ivy is quiet and reserved, but also has a family secret that she is not too keen on telling.  She is timid, and never really stands up to  her family members.  Ivy is played by Julianne Nicholson.  I have decided to go with Judy Greer.  I believe Greer would be able to play the character based on her roles in movies such as The Descendants.


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The last Weston daughter to cast would be Karen Weston.  Karen is not all too smart, likes more of the finer things in life, and is very naive.  She is kind of bullied by her mother, because they definitely do not live the same lifestyle.  Karen is played by Juliette Lewis.  I have decided to go with Rachel McAdams.  I chose her mainly because I haven't seen  her act in a while, and I'm a big fan, but also after seeing her in Midnight in Paris.


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The next character to cast would be for the role of Mattie Fae, who plays a typical cool Aunt-like character, who is comical and lightens the mood.  Well, at least sometimes she does.  Mattie Fae also has a dark family secret...who doesn't really in this movie?  Mattie Fae is played by the wonderful Margo Martindale.  I have decided to go with Kathy Bates.  Obviously Bates is a very well known actress, but I also like the duo between her and Lange in American Horror Story, and believe they could play good sisters.


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You are probably starting to wonder if there are any males in this cast, so that leads me to my next character and that is Bill Fordham, who is Barbara Weston's husband.  Bill knows what he is getting into with staying at the Weston house, but tries to keep a low cover, due to the fact that he recently cheated on Barb with one of his students.  Bill is played by Ewan Mcgregor.  I'm a fan of Mcgregor, but not so much in this movie.  I have decided to go with Michael Shannon.  Shannon is one of my all time favorite actors, and I would love to see him and Collette work as an estranged husband and wife.


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Next I would cast Jean Fordham, who is Barbara and Bill's 14-year old daughter.  Jean likes to smoke pot, almost always sides with her dad, and is very defiant.  The role of Jean is played by Abigail Breslin, who is obviously a great choice for the role.  I, however, have decided to go with Hailee Steinfeld.  Steinfeld is already an academy award nominated actress, and is around  the perfect age to play this angsty teen.


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One of my favorite characters in this film is next and that is for Charlie Aiken, who is the husband of Mattie Fae.  Charlie is comical and witty, and always knows how to make the mood a little brighter.  Charlie is played by Chris Cooper.  I have decided to go with Tommy Lee Jones.  I feel as if Jones is ideal for this role, and I believe him and Bates would really play a dynamic duo.


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Little Charles Aiken is the next character to cast, who is the son of Mattie Fae and Charlie Aiken; well, kind of.  He is naive, definitely not the sharpest tool in the shed, but is very kind-hearted and means well.  Little Charles is played by Benedict Cumberbatch, however I have gone with Chris Pratt.  After watching Pratt in Parks and Recreation, I feel as if he can pull away from his comedic roots and play in a more serious role.


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The next character to cast would be for Steve, who plays Karen's sleazy business fiance.  Steve is definitely out of his element when we goes to the Weston house, and really doesn't know what he is getting into.  He also is a tad creepy, after he tries to make a move on the 14-year-old Jean.  Steve is played by Dermot Mulroney.  I have chosen to go with Jon Hamm.  I know I pick him often, but I really would like to see him in something other than MadMen.


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And we have made it.  Last but certainly not least would be for Beverly Weston, the suicidal Patriarch who is the reason for all of the family drama in the first place.  He is not a huge character in the story but still important.  Beverly is played by Sam Shepard, and I have decided to go with William Hurt.



I hope you enjoyed my choices for August: Osage County.  I had a great time picking and choosing roles for this film, mainly because many of these actors are who I chose when I originally saw this on stage.
Thanks for reading!