BY MICHAEL GOODPASTER
I am a big fan of basketball and a big fan of comedy film. Sometimes these two concepts meet up and sometimes it’s actually enjoyable. The Hot Flashes is one of those times. The movie stars Brook Shields, Daryl Hannah, Wanda Sykes, Virginia Madsen, Camryn Manheim, Eric Roberts, and Mark Povinelli. So obviously, it’s a strong ass cast. It’s made up of “older” actresses for a reason. The movie centers around a former glorious high school girls’ basketball team who have found themselves middle-aged and unappreciated. To raise money for breast cancer prevention, the women rally together to play the current, much younger, girls’ team. The women all seem to be stuck in a rut in life and the change of pace seems to suit them all well. The characters are pretty much your run of the mill types for a movie like this. We have the strong lead, Shields, who is using the whole thing to avoid her real life problems. Wanda Sykes is the minority who is doing great things. She’s not only a woman, but a black woman, which in Texas still isn’t all that great of a place in life. She’s running for office and the public eye is on her. Virginia Madsen and Camryn Manheim are the bad ass baddies of the crew, but not really. Both seem nice, but just stern in their ways. On top of this casting is Daryl Hannah, who plays a crazy hippy woman who is in denial about her sexuality. Her performance was really interesting and fun. She reminded me a lot of Val Kilmer in his weirder roles. That’s not a bad thing at all. Then there’s Eric Roberts. He’s Brooke Shield’s asshole husband, who… as you guessed it, is an asshole. The movie plays out how you’d expect any sports movie to go. Win or lose, you know people are going to embrace and learn from their experience at the end. But it’s a comedy… so I know you’re asking, “is it funny”? It is! It’s an R-Rated comedy. It’s not as brass as a “Bridesmaids”, but it’s a good vulgariffic movie. It’s not over the top too much and keeps things grounded in reality. The truth is that this movie came and went really fast. I was never bored, I was engaged the entire time, and at the end I felt satisfied with my viewing choice of the night. If you’re a fan of anyone involved, women’s basketball, or just a nice light R-rated comedy then this is for you. It’s like a Lifetime movie for women who aren’t afraid of men. Watch this when you get a chance, it’ll be worth it. B-
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