This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Walter Dishman (David Denman) is a parole officer who is in life's rut. He is straight and wears sweaters like Rick Santorum and is just as boring. His character is contrasted by a gaggle of colorful characters which include the supporting minor roles.He has three parolees whose lives we follow.Darla (Gillian Jacobs) She is a pretty blond who is amoral, manipulative, and has her own jazz swagger music. She went to jail for selling her engagement ring on E-Bay. As it turns out her boyfriend stole it.Artie Satz (Edward Asner) He has a long rap sheet for armed robbery. He is a curmudgeon's curmudgeon. He doesn't need anyone. He has "survived two world wars, the Great Depression and that Coke crap they tried to pull in the eighties."Kris Styles (Kevin Hart). He is a doctor who was convicted of bilking insurance companies. He can no longer practice and is wealthy enough not to work. The kicker is that work is part of his parole so he finds himself in blue collar jobs that don't suit him. He has ex-wife emotional baggage.The film concentrates on creating memorable characters down to the Goth at the coffee shop to the over bubbly career counselor. The film is humorous and well done. This would make for a decent date night film, or even a film on family night for the older kids.Parental Guide: No f-bombs, sex, or nudity.

I first saw this film at the Virginia Film Festival. I have since bought the DVD for myself and others. I love this movie! Especially the following: 1. the animated title sequence and scene transitions 2. the interesting use of color – particularly red 3. the surprisingly good performances by comedic actors from The Office, Community, and The Big Bang Theory 4. the recurring thread of the Santa Monica Pier 5. the use and placement of the Other Lives song "Black Tables" I am old enough to remember Ed Asner from television. It was nice seeing him again on the big screen. I also thoroughly enjoyed the performances of Kevin Hart, David Denman, and Gillian Jacobs. I believe this is the first effort by writer / director Brian Jett. I truly hope it is not his last. Definitely worth watching!

Let Go (2010) shoots for delightful. Unfortunately, it only actually hits somewhere around "let's light all copies on fire and do away with 'em". Quirky for the sake of being quirks, one only needs to be clued in by the movie's poster, one that looks all too much like the cover of a circa 2007 Urban Outfitters catalog. In short, this thing is a wholly unsatisfying mess. If you crossed 'Little Miss Sunshine' with 'Juno' and rolled the combined goo in a chopped-up copy of 'Garden State', then forcefed the resulting paste to Kristen Schaal while Michael Cera and Jesse Eisenberg were chained up nearby, eyelids pinned back and forced to watch, you might have an interesting piece of cinematic art (or, if you ended up *really* lucky, marketable snuff film) that a future unmade sequel to 'Let's Go' would one day strive to be.

"I don't think anyone actually wants to become a parole officer." Walter is a parole officer who isn't happy with his job. One by one a new offender comes to him and he has to lay out the rules. During his recent sting of offenders he meets three very different personalities and does his best to try and help them all. He finds that helping them he starts to help himself. Going in I was not really looking forward to this that much. The preview made it look OK but I still thought it could be a little slow moving. This was the opposite. The humor was really funny but still a little quirky. Kevin Hart was great in this and he really stole the movie. There really isn't too much to this movie other then all four of the main people trying to straighten out their lives but this is worth seeing. This is the type of movie you can just put in and watch without really having to think about too much and every once in a while that is nice to do. Overall, a fun lighthearted comedy that is relaxing to watch. I give it a B.