Wonderful Finale for a great series. I cried. A lot. A LOT.
The perfect ending. :)
What can you say about the farewell of a show that has meant so much to so many people?It is the kind of event that you can only judge to some extent because at a certain point the "love letter to the fans" that Craig Daniels wrote draws you in emotionally and you end up loving it. I guess I deserve to give this show the best tribute I can. Let me start here, I am a big fan, and all my life I have been bullied and never had very many friends. The last few years have been especially tough for me and I have struggled with very intense things that have led to some very serious actions, to say the least. I have grown up with these characters as part of my life and throughout my life they have served as friends when I had no other ones. The last few years these characters have been there for me and seeing them grow has helped me grow. A show that means so much to me had to finish perfectly or it all would be ruined. I sat down already teary eyed knowing that they would be gone from my life in an hour. The episode delivered great laughs, but it delivered a lot more. The episode delivered very intimate moments that were much needed. Plot lines that begun throughout the show came to a good conclusion and old stars returned with perfect timing. It was a sweet, beautiful, amazing, perfect love letter from the amazing cast to all of it's fans. I must admit that I was in tears seeing how much the characters had grown since we first visited this little town of Scranton Pennsylvania. The story line of the friendship between Dwight and Jim is particularly heart- warming. Every character ended up just where they should have and the final shot was perfection. "Sometimes goodbyes are a *****" but this perfect love letter softened the blow. The show will be missed, but it did end perfectly.
This episode received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations for the 65th Primetime Emmy Awards. Greg Daniels was nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Ben Patrick, John W. Cook, and Rob Carr were nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation. David Rogers and Claire Scanlon won for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series, marking the fifth win for The Office at the Emmys overall and the series' first win since 2009.Rogers and Scanlon also won an ACE Eddie award for Best Edited Half-Hour Series for Television.
*Old fashioned murder mystery on a ship.*
A nice easy breezy murder mystery. Full of fun. Don't count on anything serious or deep here just sit back with your popcorn and a soda and enjoy the movie. Nothing offencive here. Just an adult murder mystery romp. We don't get many like these anymore. Ignore the people who like to criticize everything because they think they are actual critics. Chemistry between Aniston and Sadler is awesome. I hope they make more movies together. Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler are the best!
My Score: 7/10.
^^*Trivias*^^
+This movie set a new Netflix record. In the first 3 days 30,869,863 accounts watched the film. 13,374,914 North American accounts & and an additional 17,494,949 accounts watching worldwide.
+The movie seems to be an Agatha Christi-esque style murder mystery thriller. At the end of the movie, we see the characters of Audrey and Nick on a train named "The Orient Express". This is a direct homage to Agatha Christie's famous "Murder on the Orient Express" (1935) novel.
+Adam Sandler's real life wife, Jackie Sandler, makes a cameo appearance as the flight attendant on the plane.
+When Audrey goes to the first-class section of the plane, a passenger is watching a clip of Game Over, Man! (2018), another film directed by Kyle Newacheck.
+In the movie Nick mentions a guy named Eric Lamonsoff. Kevin James played a character named Eric Lamonsoff in Grownups and Grownups 2, also starring Adam Sandler. Most of Sandler's films reference that last name, in a nod to his old friend.
+Andrea Bendewald who plays a customer in the salon Jennifer Aniston is working at in the start of the movie. Andrea is Jennifer's best friend. She was maid of honour at her wedding to Brad Pitt. She also guest starred in Jennifer's sitcom "Friends"
+Adam Sandler's and Jennifer Aniston's second film together. The first was Just Go with It (2011).
+In 2013, a report surfaced from a German financier that Colin Firth, Adam Sandler and Emily Blunt would be joining Charlize Theron in the movie, which turned out to be false. Coincidentally, Sandler did become attached to the project in 2018, though Theron had already left.
+When Nick and Audrey arrive at Malaga Airport (Spain), the airport shown is actually Milan Malpensa Airport (Italy), not Malaga Airport.
+This is the third film featuring Luke Evans and Gemma Arterton together following Clash of the Titans (2010) and Tamara Drewe (2010).
+Charlize Theron was once attached.
+The shield shown by Nick on the plane and in the store is a patrolmen's shield yet he was referred to as a Sergeant.
+Luke Evans and Victor Turpin, who both appeared in "Murder Mystery", are a couple in real life.
+During the interrogation, the character yells 187. That is a California code for murder, not world or US code.
+John Madden was once attached to direct the movie. Anne Fletcher was attached to direct the movie later.
+The Rolls-Royce that Cavendish owns is a Phantom Drophead Coupe, License plate number EQU 617. Recent models (2016) approaches $533,000 new. It gets 14 MPG, has a 412 cubic inch, 453 horsepower V-12 engine, and weighs in at 5,780 pounds. (16.8l/100km, 6.8l V12, 2.6t)
+Game-Over Man (another netflix movie) is playing on the airplane when Jennifer Aniston's character is wandering around the plan.
Spoilers
+Body count: 6
+At the end of the movie when Nick and Audrey are on the train, the camera pans out and we see the name of the train is Orient Express. This is in reference to another famous murder mystery movie, Murder on the Orient Express.
Jim Halpert: [to Pam] I'm in love with you.
Trivias
+In this episode, Michael says he's donating his money to Comic Relief, even though it no longer exists. This was an homage to the original British series, where an entire episode (#2.5) was devoted to raising money for Comic Relief.
+In "Casino Night" Creed is shown stealing from a vending machine. He holds up a candy bar. This a bar made by Gertrude Hawk Chocolates, a company founded in Scranton.
+Creed mentions the excellent pea soup at the soup kitchen. He would be referring to the St. Francis of Assisi Soup Kitchen at 500 Penn Ave. in Scranton (right across the street from the Penn Paper building shown in the opening credits of the show). The soup kitchen is for the homeless.
+In his beginning monologue to the camera, Michael states that he considers himself to be an accomplished "philanderer." This word is often applied to men who engage in sexual relationships with multiple women simultaneously. The word he should have used is "philanthropist," which is more aligned with people who support charities.
+Michael's line, "Jan Levinson, I presume", is a reference to Journalist Henry Morton Stanley's reported first words to adventurer Dr. David Livingstone, "Dr. Livingstone, I Presume", when the former found the latter in Africa.
+After Michael makes his speech to get casino night started, he says "let's get it started--- black eyed crows". He is referencing to the song by the Black Eyed PEAS "Let's Get It Started" but has the group name wrong. This was a deliberate but subtle joke.
+In this scene where Michael and all the others are playing poker, Michael goes all in on the first hand and Toby calls his bet but Michael folds his cards berfore there is a flop. It is never shown what Michael's losing had was.
Spoilers
In "Casino Night" Dwight tells Pam & Jim his tux belonged to his grandfather & that he was buried in it. He again wears it in the beginning of the episode "The Farm", when announcing the death of his Aunt Shirley. However, according to Schrute tradition, they shoot their dead before burial to make sure they are "completely dead". If his grandfather had been buried in this tux, there should've been bullet holes.
*You get to exhale now, Simon*
I finally watched this and it was perfect, this is beautiful, and very necessary!
My favorite scene was by far Jennifer Garner's speech, that if you watched the movie, you probably know what i'm talking about.
There's probably just a few little things I didn't like, especially some of the classic topics and stereotypes that this genre of film usually has, but still, it's amazing.
We need more films like this. Fun, heartwarming, and just fantastic all around!!
Also, a reminder if this wasn't enough: Be yourself. Be happy. You deserve it. (At 31, I still have not had the luck to find my true love, it's sad but it's true.)
My Score: 8/10.
*Trivias*
_ +Just as the film went into production, Nick Robinson's younger brother came out as gay.
+This was the first film produced by a major Hollywood studio to feature a gay teenage protagonist.
+Keiynan Lonsdale was inspired to publicly come out through his involvement in this film.
+Jennifer Garner's "exhale" speech wasn't originally included in the film: there was just one 'parent scene', and a scene with the dad. When Jennifer became interested in the role of Emily, she asked director Greg Berlanti for a scene that has her connect with Simon, so they built it again and wrote what would become essentially the message of the movie.
+Director Greg Berlanti revealed in an interview that there were clips of the "friend group" (Simon, Leah, Abby, and Nick) that were filmed without the actors' knowledge. In order to capture the authenticity of a group of friends beyond the confines of acting, the director would sometimes tell the actors to "cut" but have the cameras keep rolling. Many of these unscripted interactions of friends just being friends (including the dancing in the car scene) made the final cut.
+Kristen Bell, Neil Patrick Harris, Matt Bomer, Tyler Oakley, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, screenwriter Martin Gero, Benj Pasek, Andrew Rannells, Joey Graceffa, Scott Hoying and Superfruit's Mitch Grassi were so moved by the film that they bought out theaters in their hometowns so it would reach as many people as possible. Jennifer Garner, Greg Berlanti and Berlanti's husband Robbie Rogers were so proud of being part of the film that they also did the same thing.
+The production code for the film was "Blue," which is the pseudonym of the person Simon E-mails.
+In Simon's bedroom, there is a copy of Becky Albertalli's (the author of "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda") second novel, "The Upside of Unrequited" on his bookshelf. "The Upside of Unrequieted" also takes place in the "Simon-verse" and revolves around Abby's cousins.
+Although the movie is titled "Love, Simon," it was actually an adaptation of the book "Simon vs. The Homosapiens Agenda." The movie originally had the same name as the book, but it was too long to say, hence the name change.
+The words "hour to hour note to note" can be seen written on Simon's wall, which is a nod to the E-mail ("[email protected]") Simon used in the book to talk to Blue. It was changed in the film to "[email protected]."
+In Simon's bedroom there is an Elliott Smith poster which is a nod to Simon's favorite musician from the book, which he shares with Blue and later connects him with Blue.
+Colton Haynes had a small role in a deleted scene as man who approaches Simon at a gay bar, mistaking him for someone else he knows, and ends up asking Simon to dance.
+Love, Simon (2018) marks the second time major studio 20th Century Fox has made a film that showcases a sympathetic portrayal of a leading homosexual character coming to terms with his orientation and ending on a happy note. The first was Making Love (1982) in 1982.
+Singer Shawn Mendes was invited to audition for the role of Simon but was allegedly unable to do so, as he did not have enough time.
+In the international trailer voice-over, Blue refers to Simon as Simon, not Jacques.
+On the DVD commentary, Greg Berlanti, Isaac Aptaker, and Isaac Klausner discuss the fact that it was surprisingly difficult to settle on the musical that Simon and some of his friends are rehearsing during much of the movie. In the source novel, the musical was Oliver!, but the producers couldn't get the rights to that. For a while, their solution was to have the screenwriters work on an original musical adaptation of the classic teen romance movie Say Anything. Some of that musical was actually written before they decided instead to go with Cabaret, which the rightsholders said was allowed as long as they didn't show the Sally Bowles character in a top hat (which would have suggested that the high school was performing the movie or revival versions of the show instead of the original 1960s stage musical). Berlanti, Aptaker, and Klausner also appreciated the resonances between Cabaret and Love, Simon--both contain closeted gay male characters coming to terms with their sexuality.
+Originally Blake Neely, the general composer for director Greg Berlanti's TV shows, was attached to score the film.
+Simon's coming out dream sequence is to Whitney Houston's "Dance With Somebody." His movie mom, Jennifer Garner, gets ready for a night out on the town to the same song in the movie "13 Going on 30."
+On Simon's bedroom door, there's a poster for the 2007 of Montreal album, "Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?"; an album about a transgender rock star. of Montreal are known for their flamboyant stage personas and frontman, Kevin Barnes, has always been misconstrued as bisexual, but that band are advocates for LGBTQ+ rights.
+It was confirmed by Becky Albertalli (author of "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda") that Alice Spier (Simon's older sister) is not present in the film.
+It was confirmed by Becky Albertalli (author of "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda") that Simon only wears glasses in flashbacks, compared to the book where he always wears glasses.
+Temple Hill Entertainment, who produced the movie, is known for adapting other young adult novels such as The Fault in Our Stars (2014) and The Maze Runner (2014).
+In the closing scene to the movie, when Simon and his friends drive off through the neighborhood, they drive by the house that was used in Life As We Know it. Life As We Know it also starred Josh Duhamel who plays Simon's dad.
+Katherine Langford and Miles Heizer previously starred together in the Netflix Original series 13 Reasons Why (2017).
+Director Greg Berlanti previously worked with Keiynan Lonsdale on The Flash (2014).
+Simon has a theatre program for "Hamilton" displayed in his bedroom next to the window.
+Love, Simon premiered at the Mardi Gras Film Festival on February 27, 2018.
+Nick Robinson and Talitha Eliana Bateman previously worked together in the young adult film The 5th Wave (2016).
+This was the second project where director Greg Berlanti and Josh Duhamel worked together. They previously worked on Life as We Know It (2010).
+In the movie, Simon has a reaccuring dream about Daniel Radcliffe, who starred as Harry Potter in the "Harry Potter" franchise. On his wall, Simon has a Hufflepuff crest. Hufflepuff was one of the four houses in "Harry Potter."
+Though the name of the high school that the main characters attend, Creekwood High, comes from the source novel, it is also reminiscent of director Greg Berlanti's first job on television: as a writer for the teen drama Dawson's Creek. Like this movie, that show also broke ground in its depiction of gay teen romance.
+Logan Miller and Jennifer Garner previously appeared together in the movie Ghost of Girlfriends Past (2009).
+It is based on the novel Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli.
+Joshua Mikel and Logan Miller appeared on The Walking Dead (2010) together.
+Spier, Simons surname is dutch for muscle
+One of the stickers on Simon's bedroom wall is a picture of a banana. This is the cover art to the first Velvet Underground album, created by Andy Warhol (who was also that band's manager and producer when that album came out in 1967). Warhol was gay, making this an appropriate sticker for Simon's room.
+There are several little moments through the film which hint that Simon's best friend Leah (Katherine Langford) may have some undisclosed feelings for Abby (Alexandra Shipp). This is further explored in "Leah on the Offbeat", the sequel to the original book, although it isn't known if that story will be adapted into a movie.
+At one point in the film, Martin makes a joke to Abby that you would call a Black and a Jewish person "Blewish" (or, Blue-ish). This is essentially revealed to be Blue's identity in the end - he is indeed black and Jewish.
+The last cast member to be announced was Blue. Book fans spent months waiting to discover the actor who would be playing Simon's E-mail buddy. Throughout the whole of filming, no pictures were released of the actor.
+Foreshadowing: At the start of the film Nick talks about a dream he had where he had to choose between red and blue. Abby responds that he is a cross between Cristiano Ronaldo and Sigmund Freud. Of the two people Nick asks out in the film, Leah is at this point wearing blue, and Abby is wearing red. At the Halloween party, the two people who go on to ask Abby out are Nick, who is dressed as Ronaldo, and Martin, who is dressed as Freud.
+In the original book "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda," Bram reveals the inspiration for his username, Blugreen118, comes from his full name - Abraham Louis Greenfeld - and birthday (January 18th).
+Actors playing Simon and Blue have both played a character named 'Olly.' Nick Robinson as Olly in 'Everything, Everything' and Keiynan Lonsdale as Olly in 'Dance Academy'
^^Cameo^^
Robbie Rogers: Director Greg Berlanti's real life husband briefly appears as the soccer coach. _
*Meryl Streep Italian Style*
Meryl Streep is absolutely astonishing. I forgot it was her ten seconds into the film. That opening breakfast scene where all of her story is written in her magnificent face. As an Italian I know there is no acting involved here. She IS Italian. She reminded me of Anna Magnani in "Bellissima" there is not a single false note. Clint Eastwood, clearly, dedicates the film to her and the results are pure magic. The film is based on an unreadable book- at least I couldn't get through it, in spite of the brevity of the volume - the film however, is bound to become a classic thanks to the powerful chemistry of the stars. If you love film,like I do, I recommend you to see it once and let yourself be taken away by the truths in Meryl's eyes then go again and take note. Look at every one of her moments, from how she closes the refrigerator door to her laughter. Look at her reaction when she discovers that Clint stopped at Bari, her home town, just because he thought the place was pretty. Look at her hands, her walk and then go back to her eyes. It's a treat of the first order. Clint, in front as well as behind the camera,does a miraculous job. I passionately recommend it, no matter how young you are.
I 100% suggest the bridges of Madison county! It's an incredible experience watching it.
My Score: 8/10.
