Wait Wait, Paula Poundstone was in town

11/6/15 Paula Poundstone, The Sheldon Theater, Red Wing, MN

Paula Poundstone's mind goes a million miles a minute, she is quick on her feet. A friend and I traveled down to lovely Red Wing, Minnesota, to see Paula at the historic Sheldon Theater. As an aside, it's a nice little theater and any town would be lucky to have it; it needs a little loving, and it looks like there is a restoration project underway. Having traveled around to see different acts in different locations, I really have come to appreciate the importance of small, community theaters, whether they are of vintage design like the Sheldon or newer like the Hopkins Theater for the Arts. My friend and I were in the balcony in center seats, which is the perfect place as far as I'm concerned. Paula has a routine, jokes or stories that she tells regularly, referencing her three kids, sometimes her multitude of cats or her rant against too much computer/screen time, especially for kids. In between the regularly scheduled material, she is off and interacting with the audience members. If you sit in the front few rows, you REALLY have to be prepared to be part of the act. She started off with asking how many of the audience were native Minnesotans, and unfortunately, the gentleman in the front row was not from here, meaning he MOVED to Minnesota intentionally. He was from Atlanta, where he used to sell pool supplies; one of the reasons he gave for moving was the lack of Swedes in Atlanta. Paula just went to town. Even when she is just asking for clarification, it's never that easy. At some point during the evening, she met eyes with a woman in the front row who was very eager to contribute, and boy howdy, did she ever. She gave Paula the best bit she's had in a long time. The woman just recently retired from watching cheese being made and making sure it was okay to sell. I am not kidding. Paula just about fell over. The woman worked there for 28 years, and hated it. This distressed Paula no end. Then about 30 minutes later Paula asked another woman in the same row what SHE did, and she SOLD cheese. I wish the performance would have been recorded, because it was priceless, you really can't make that up. Apparently, they are sisters, and the one had NO idea that her sister was so miserable, and Paula read her the riot act. They were all great sports. Another woman (in the same row) was getting something out of her purse, and Paula asked her what she was doing. "Getting my birth control pill." For real. We laughed so hard we cried and my sides hurt. If you can catch Paula and her very bright suits, I strongly recommend it. If laughter is the best medicine, I won't get sick at all this winter.

We go from hilarious and intelligent to:
11/7/15 Unfinished Business, not yet nominated, 2015

I thought this Vince Vaughn movie would be funny, maybe not pee your pants funny, but a few good belly laughs. Sadly, the funny bits were in the trailers. Happily, I borrowed the movie from the library, so it was free AND I could give it back. I wanted to tape a warning on the case, but then thought, why should I suffer alone. Vince Vaughn plays Dan, a sales rep who sees his take get reduced by his manager. This leads Dan to quit and start his own company, and takes him on an impromptu adventure to Berlin (let's not start to question how one of his team received a passport on such short notice, or how they were able to afford international airfares on the same short notice). It seems like the movie couldn't really decide if it wanted to be a somewhat sentimental family comedy surrounded by adult problems, kind of like Couples Retreat which I do think is funny or if it wanted to be a more adult-oriented comedy with sexual references and scenes with a dash of family to make it 'heart-warming'. I'm not sure it matters. What was a little disturbing was how funny the cast thought the movie was; this was seen in the "Extras", and how they made it have a 'deeper' meaning than it did. Tom Wilkinson played Timothy, the finance guy on Dan's team. I love Tom Wilkinson and I have forever, from Prime Suspect (yes, he was in that with Helen Mirren) to The Full Monty (yes, he was in that too) to his over the edge character in Michael Clayton, but he cannot save this movie. And please don't get me wrong, I like Vince Vaughn; with the right set up (writing, directing and cast) he is hilarious and he always brings a human touch, but I just did not care at all about this movie. Maybe I am not the target demographic, and that's entirely possible, and in that case, I don't aspire to be either. So, the other good news is that if, in some bizarre instance of Oscar voting, this gets nominated for anything, I have already seen it.