Love the Coopers Movie Review - Setting Aside Family Baggage for the Holidays

Movies

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Love The Coopers from CBS Films, a new comedy opening in theaters nationwide today, is the perfect movie to see together as a family to get into the holiday mood as it appeals to kids, parents and grandparents alike. The story revolves around all the family drama as four generations of the Cooper clan gather for their annual Christmas Eve celebration. Things aren't as wonderful as they seem: Welcome to the dysfunctional family life so many of us can relate to.

After an opening montage of holiday scenes to get the audience into the spirit of the season, the story begins to unfold as we are introduced to a patchwork of characters. Some we meet for the first time as a couple like family matriarch and patriarch Charlotte and Sam, played by Keaton and Goodman. Other colorful, seemingly random characters are introduced as individual kids and adults start popping up in the storyline. Almost all the way to closing credits, the audience is left trying to figure out who is related to whom and why they are all behaving the way they are.

Rated PG-13, the film stars big names grownups will recognize like Alan Arkin, Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Marisa Tomei and others, while the great Steve Martin narrates. Meanwhile the younger set will recognize young actors like Amanda Seyfried (Pan, Red Riding Hood), Olivia Wilde (House M.D.), Molly Gordon (The Animal Kingdom), and Timothee Chalamet (Interstellar). 

Rags Sculpture by The Magic Sleigh, MommyBlogExpert.com

Rounding out the cast is the charming and very mischievious family pet dog Rags, played by Bolt. This talented canine thespian is an Austrailian Shepherd and Saint Bernard mix born in Osaka, Japan who has been acting since he was 12 weeks old. His impressive doggy resume credits include the Volkswagen 2012 Superbowl commercial, Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3, SuperBuddies, Night at the Museum 3 (playing a tiger) and others.

Here's a sneak peak at the holiday hilarity...



As Christmas Eve day and evening unfold, a series of unexpected visitors and unlikely events will have you laughing and waiting for the next scene. Then things get really crazy, which ironically leads the Coopers to the unexpected rediscovery of family bonds and the spirit of the holiday. The lesson learned: You can't regift family. I can almost guarantee you that you won't discover who the story's real protagonist is until the end of the movie. But when you do figure it out, it will make you smile.

Love the Coopers
Directed by: Jessie Nelson

Written by: Steven Rogers

Produced by: Michael London, Jessie Nelson, Janice Williams

Cast: Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Diane Keaton, Jake Lacy, Anthony Mackie, Amanda Seyfried, June Squibb, Marisa Tomei & Olivia Wilde

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FTC Disclosure: Except where indicated otherwise, CBS Films and Love the Coopers provided all images that appear in this post. MommyBlogExpert was invited to a media screening at of this movie at The Grove in Los Angeles prior to release to facilitate this review. I also received refreshments and an assortment of movie promotional items at the screening event. However, no payment was received in connection with this post and opinions here are my own. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's home page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.

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5 College Student Smartphone Tips to Maximize Campus Life #VZWBuzz

Technology

by Jacob Elspas, Staff Blogger
MommyBlogExpert.com

This is a sponsored post

#VZWBuzz

Beyond text books, the smartphone is now the most essential tool for a college student to own. Most only see these smart devices as a way to check email, share and view Snapchats, post to Instagram, take selfies and photos of friends, and surf the web. Yet, there are so many more ways beyond the obvious that these can help you survive and thrive in college. 

Photo by Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Getting Homework Assignments
You might not have thought of this one before, but it has been a real lifesaver for me plenty of times. As a current college student, I like to schedule my classes so that they are basically back to back. That way I don’t have to wait around for my next class to start. The problem is I'm often rushing from one class to the next and I don’t usually have time to copy down the homework my professor writes on the board at the end of class. So instead, I pull out my smartphone and snap a quick photo of the whiteboard on my way out of the classroom. Then I can actually multi-task as I walk to my next class, skimming over what the night's assignment will be so I can start thinking about it. Later in the day when I'm ready to hunker down and attack my work assignments, I can simply refer to my saved photos and voila, there they are. 

Photo by Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

Navigating Around Campus 
This smartphone idea comes in handy if you go to school on a very large campus and need to get somewhere you've never been before quickly between classes. It's also good when you first start going to a new community college or university and don’t know the layout of the school very well yet and have trouble finding your way around. And if you’re like me, then you are too shy to ask someone, but also don’t want to look too conspicuous like a newbie carrying a big paper map around. Look savvy instead by just downloading a map of the campus onto your smartphone ahead of time. Then, when you do get lost just whip out your phone and use the map to find your way. No one, but you, will be all the wiser. Besides, it is much easier to have everything you need in one place on your smartphone rather than to have to worry about carrying around extra things like a campus map.

In Case of Emergencies
Hey, emergencies can and do happen to college students. Maybe your bike gets stolen or you miss the last train or bus back to school and you find yourself stranded somewhere off campus at night in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Or maybe you are involved in a car or pedestrian accident. Maybe you even get robbed, attacked, or you are in the area when a fire starts suddenly. A smartphone is the best and fastest way to call 911 and get help in a true emergency situation. Even under less dire circustances, it makes it possible for you to quickly get in touch with your parents, authority figures, or someone else who get help you assess the situation and figure out what to do next.

Photo by Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

When the Stress Just Gets to be Too Much 
Stress is a natural part of of being in college and students have many different ways of dealing with it. However, stress can also appear at some pretty random times and a smartphone is a great way to help you cope. That's why it's so great when you just need a temporary escape from the chaos around you, to be able to open up a favorite game on your phone or plug in some headphones and listen to some music to unwind. Either way, it is a great device to use to relieve some of the stress that comes with the territory of being a college student under academic pressure throughout the school year. 

Help With Your Social Life
Having a life beyond the classroom isn’t just about going to parties and talking to people in person. Nowadays, more than ever, the bigger part of making friends and making time to hang out is done via smartphone -- whether it's through phone calls, texting, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp or other high tech ways of connecting. You really need a smartphone on campus, both so you can contact people and they can contact you. If you're home sick or find out you can't make it to class at the last minute, it's an efficient way to reach out to get a friend to take notes for you. Besides, how can I get a cute girl's number if one of us doesn't have a smartphone?

Photo by Raphael Elspas, MommyBlogExpert.com

What do You Think?
This is just the tip of the iceberg of the myriad of ways for college students to think outside the box and take advantage of all that smartphones have to offer. What other innovatives ways can you think of to use a smartphone at college? I look forward to reading your comments and hearing what you think.

FTC Disclosure: MommyBlogExpert is a Verizon Wireless Lifestyle Blogger brand ambassador and receive various products and other perks as a member of the #VZWBuzz influencer team. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.