The Mule movie review

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 56 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B

IN A NUTSHELL: Clint Eastwood. So, there’s THAT. If you’re already a fan, you’ll enjoy watching him act and direct in this film. As if he weren’t enough, the movie also has the talented Laurence Fishburne, Michael Pena, Andy Garcia, and Dianne Wiest. Throw in Bradley Cooper and I’m always happy. The surprise is Alison Eastwood, who is the daughter of Clint Eastwood. Sounds like a good start, right?

Although not a true story or biopic, the movie is inspired by an 80-year-old man, Leo Sharp, who was a drug mule for the Sinaloa drug cartel. What’s especially impressive is that Clint Eastwood could easily retire and relax, but he loves telling stories and pumped out 2 films in 2018! The other one was The 15:17 To Paris

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Some profanity in English and Spanish, including F-bombs.
Some Spanish, but the words are less important than the cultural picture they paint. There are subtitles when it matters.
There is a discussion about “negro” vs. “black.”
Some racial slurs about Mexicans.
Topless prostitutes.
Drug cartels and bad guys.

THEMES:

The importance of family
Work vs. family
Recognition and praise. Everyone wants to be somebody.
You can’t buy time.
Regret
Consequences

THINGS I LIKED:

After a lifetime of working for a company, Earl gets a crystal vase. Worth it? Not according to Millennials who like reinventing themselves and working on their own terms, moving from company to company for the new experiences. Back in the day, employees were expected to stay with one company for 40 years or so. Loyalty was rewarded with a gold watch or some other meaningless gesture for a lifetime of service. I think the Millennials have it right. Of course, my rant has nothing to do with the quality of the movie. It’s just what’s on my mind after I watched the film and have been thinking about where we all choose to spend our time in this life. Clint Eastwood has a reflective story with an important message for us.
The talented Bradley Cooper plays Special Agent Bates. As if Bradley Cooper weren’t awesome enough, my maiden name is Bates.
The target audience seems to be older people who already love Clint Eastwood. There are some age jokes that serve as a wink to the audience.
Some humor.
Simple storytelling without a lot of fanfare. You could say it’s a slow burn with a hard truth.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Women are really hard on men. We want it both ways: we want our husbands to work hard and provide for our families, but we also want them to be home with our families. It’s hard on everyone. Again, just my thoughts after watching the movie.
Some over-acting and under-acting. Clint Eastwood seems to be a “one-take” kind of director.
There’s a lot of exposition where you’re told what happened and what’s currently happening.
I loved the conversations and scenes with Clint Eastwood and Bradley Cooper and would have loved to see more. This is their second movie collaboration since American Sniper
Some of the storylines and characters disappear.
It’s a heavy-hitting cast that doesn’t have that much to do.
I get it…they’re bad guys. I just can’t stand all the profanity.

FUNNY LINES:
* “Thanks, Pops!” – Biker girl

“You’re welcome, Dykes!” – Earl

“Hey, you look like Jimmy Stewart, by the way!” – Cop to Earl

INTERESTING LINES:

“I’ve never been a plan B type of guy.” – Earl (Clint Eastwood)
“I figured it would be more important to be somebody out there than the darn failure I was here in my own home.” – Earl (but he didn’t use the word “darn.”)
“You didn’t have to get rich for us to want you around.” – Mary (Diane Wiest)

OTHER MOVIES LIKE THIS YOU MIGHT ENJOY:

Gran Torino