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The Advertiser
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Advertiser
Guy Ritchie's fun and brainless crime caper may well have legs
Fountain of Youth (M, 126 minutes) 3 stars The recent and final chapter of the Indian Jones films, The Dial of Destiny, was the close of a 40-plus-year film journey, and as nature abhors a vacuum, Guy Ritchie's Fountain of Youth comes along from Apple TV+ hoping to fill that vacuum. Ritchie is a talent, to be sure, but while he used to come up with refreshing original material, his recent fare consists of what is referred to as IP films. That is, films that exploit existing intellectual property, like the 2019 live-action Disney remake of Aladdin, his 2015 reboot of the 60s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or even recently adapting his own movie The Gentlemen for a streaming series. They're inventively directed but don't give you anything you don't expect, and that is Fountain of Youth, a film desperately hoping to become a film franchise and exploitable IP. Ritchie, Apple TV and the cast of big names give it everything they've got trying to make that happen. Luke Purdue (John Krasinski) is a professional adventurer and as the film opens he is being chased through the Bangkok markets by a cadre of villains trying to recover a painting he has stolen from them - and so perhaps Luke is actually the villain. Among those in pursuit is Esme (Eiza Gonzalez), seemingly pursuing Luke separate to the other bad guys, and almost successful at getting the painting back. Eventually escaping, John visits his sister Charlotte (Natalie Portman) at her work at one of London's major art galleries, where he brazenly steals yet another painting and runs off with Charlotte on his heels. Charlotte is furious with her brother, as well you might be when you'll likely lose your career thanks to his light fingers, but it seems the Purdue siblings grew up the children of an adventurer thief, like the filmic children of Nicholas Cage's National Treasure hero or Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft. Luke has assembled his late father's old team of assistants, spending the money of billionaire Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson) on the hunt for the mythical fountain of youth. Carver claims to have a terminal illness and is prepared to spend whatever is necessary, and so the team has bought and robbed a collection of priceless art that have clues to the location of the mythic fountain. As her career has been now tanked, Charlotte may as well come along for the ride. Guy Ritchie's film is certainly fun, there is certainly big big money being spent on filming in exotic locations and some of the action set-pieces are very well executed. He goes for practical stunt work over CGI where he can, and the action has a believability to it, with Krasinski not trying to be Jason Statham with a PhD, and limping away painfully from each fight scene. But James Vanderbilt's screenplay is fairly paint-by-numbers, and if you've seen any of the National Treasure films you could confidently predict most of the plot and dialogue. There's even Stanley Tucci as the head of a secret organisation that exists to protect the location of the fountain of youth, though he's only on screen for about as long as you can say 'Hey, isn't this eerily similar to the plot of The Mummy?' Frankly the only thing about he film with a ring of authenticity to it is the snarky dialogue between the two siblings, and Krasinski and Portman play well together. In fact, if this is just the first in an ongoing franchise, perhaps the filmmakers' biggest mistake was just calling it Fountain of Youth and not "Luke Purdue and the Fountain of Youth" or "Charlotte Purdue and the Fountain of Youth", as either character could take the Indiana Jones mantle. Fun and a bit brainless, Ritchie's film is worth the price of the AppleTV+ free trial. Fountain of Youth (M, 126 minutes) 3 stars The recent and final chapter of the Indian Jones films, The Dial of Destiny, was the close of a 40-plus-year film journey, and as nature abhors a vacuum, Guy Ritchie's Fountain of Youth comes along from Apple TV+ hoping to fill that vacuum. Ritchie is a talent, to be sure, but while he used to come up with refreshing original material, his recent fare consists of what is referred to as IP films. That is, films that exploit existing intellectual property, like the 2019 live-action Disney remake of Aladdin, his 2015 reboot of the 60s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or even recently adapting his own movie The Gentlemen for a streaming series. They're inventively directed but don't give you anything you don't expect, and that is Fountain of Youth, a film desperately hoping to become a film franchise and exploitable IP. Ritchie, Apple TV and the cast of big names give it everything they've got trying to make that happen. Luke Purdue (John Krasinski) is a professional adventurer and as the film opens he is being chased through the Bangkok markets by a cadre of villains trying to recover a painting he has stolen from them - and so perhaps Luke is actually the villain. Among those in pursuit is Esme (Eiza Gonzalez), seemingly pursuing Luke separate to the other bad guys, and almost successful at getting the painting back. Eventually escaping, John visits his sister Charlotte (Natalie Portman) at her work at one of London's major art galleries, where he brazenly steals yet another painting and runs off with Charlotte on his heels. Charlotte is furious with her brother, as well you might be when you'll likely lose your career thanks to his light fingers, but it seems the Purdue siblings grew up the children of an adventurer thief, like the filmic children of Nicholas Cage's National Treasure hero or Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft. Luke has assembled his late father's old team of assistants, spending the money of billionaire Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson) on the hunt for the mythical fountain of youth. Carver claims to have a terminal illness and is prepared to spend whatever is necessary, and so the team has bought and robbed a collection of priceless art that have clues to the location of the mythic fountain. As her career has been now tanked, Charlotte may as well come along for the ride. Guy Ritchie's film is certainly fun, there is certainly big big money being spent on filming in exotic locations and some of the action set-pieces are very well executed. He goes for practical stunt work over CGI where he can, and the action has a believability to it, with Krasinski not trying to be Jason Statham with a PhD, and limping away painfully from each fight scene. But James Vanderbilt's screenplay is fairly paint-by-numbers, and if you've seen any of the National Treasure films you could confidently predict most of the plot and dialogue. There's even Stanley Tucci as the head of a secret organisation that exists to protect the location of the fountain of youth, though he's only on screen for about as long as you can say 'Hey, isn't this eerily similar to the plot of The Mummy?' Frankly the only thing about he film with a ring of authenticity to it is the snarky dialogue between the two siblings, and Krasinski and Portman play well together. In fact, if this is just the first in an ongoing franchise, perhaps the filmmakers' biggest mistake was just calling it Fountain of Youth and not "Luke Purdue and the Fountain of Youth" or "Charlotte Purdue and the Fountain of Youth", as either character could take the Indiana Jones mantle. Fun and a bit brainless, Ritchie's film is worth the price of the AppleTV+ free trial. Fountain of Youth (M, 126 minutes) 3 stars The recent and final chapter of the Indian Jones films, The Dial of Destiny, was the close of a 40-plus-year film journey, and as nature abhors a vacuum, Guy Ritchie's Fountain of Youth comes along from Apple TV+ hoping to fill that vacuum. Ritchie is a talent, to be sure, but while he used to come up with refreshing original material, his recent fare consists of what is referred to as IP films. That is, films that exploit existing intellectual property, like the 2019 live-action Disney remake of Aladdin, his 2015 reboot of the 60s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or even recently adapting his own movie The Gentlemen for a streaming series. They're inventively directed but don't give you anything you don't expect, and that is Fountain of Youth, a film desperately hoping to become a film franchise and exploitable IP. Ritchie, Apple TV and the cast of big names give it everything they've got trying to make that happen. Luke Purdue (John Krasinski) is a professional adventurer and as the film opens he is being chased through the Bangkok markets by a cadre of villains trying to recover a painting he has stolen from them - and so perhaps Luke is actually the villain. Among those in pursuit is Esme (Eiza Gonzalez), seemingly pursuing Luke separate to the other bad guys, and almost successful at getting the painting back. Eventually escaping, John visits his sister Charlotte (Natalie Portman) at her work at one of London's major art galleries, where he brazenly steals yet another painting and runs off with Charlotte on his heels. Charlotte is furious with her brother, as well you might be when you'll likely lose your career thanks to his light fingers, but it seems the Purdue siblings grew up the children of an adventurer thief, like the filmic children of Nicholas Cage's National Treasure hero or Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft. Luke has assembled his late father's old team of assistants, spending the money of billionaire Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson) on the hunt for the mythical fountain of youth. Carver claims to have a terminal illness and is prepared to spend whatever is necessary, and so the team has bought and robbed a collection of priceless art that have clues to the location of the mythic fountain. As her career has been now tanked, Charlotte may as well come along for the ride. Guy Ritchie's film is certainly fun, there is certainly big big money being spent on filming in exotic locations and some of the action set-pieces are very well executed. He goes for practical stunt work over CGI where he can, and the action has a believability to it, with Krasinski not trying to be Jason Statham with a PhD, and limping away painfully from each fight scene. But James Vanderbilt's screenplay is fairly paint-by-numbers, and if you've seen any of the National Treasure films you could confidently predict most of the plot and dialogue. There's even Stanley Tucci as the head of a secret organisation that exists to protect the location of the fountain of youth, though he's only on screen for about as long as you can say 'Hey, isn't this eerily similar to the plot of The Mummy?' Frankly the only thing about he film with a ring of authenticity to it is the snarky dialogue between the two siblings, and Krasinski and Portman play well together. In fact, if this is just the first in an ongoing franchise, perhaps the filmmakers' biggest mistake was just calling it Fountain of Youth and not "Luke Purdue and the Fountain of Youth" or "Charlotte Purdue and the Fountain of Youth", as either character could take the Indiana Jones mantle. Fun and a bit brainless, Ritchie's film is worth the price of the AppleTV+ free trial. Fountain of Youth (M, 126 minutes) 3 stars The recent and final chapter of the Indian Jones films, The Dial of Destiny, was the close of a 40-plus-year film journey, and as nature abhors a vacuum, Guy Ritchie's Fountain of Youth comes along from Apple TV+ hoping to fill that vacuum. Ritchie is a talent, to be sure, but while he used to come up with refreshing original material, his recent fare consists of what is referred to as IP films. That is, films that exploit existing intellectual property, like the 2019 live-action Disney remake of Aladdin, his 2015 reboot of the 60s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. or even recently adapting his own movie The Gentlemen for a streaming series. They're inventively directed but don't give you anything you don't expect, and that is Fountain of Youth, a film desperately hoping to become a film franchise and exploitable IP. Ritchie, Apple TV and the cast of big names give it everything they've got trying to make that happen. Luke Purdue (John Krasinski) is a professional adventurer and as the film opens he is being chased through the Bangkok markets by a cadre of villains trying to recover a painting he has stolen from them - and so perhaps Luke is actually the villain. Among those in pursuit is Esme (Eiza Gonzalez), seemingly pursuing Luke separate to the other bad guys, and almost successful at getting the painting back. Eventually escaping, John visits his sister Charlotte (Natalie Portman) at her work at one of London's major art galleries, where he brazenly steals yet another painting and runs off with Charlotte on his heels. Charlotte is furious with her brother, as well you might be when you'll likely lose your career thanks to his light fingers, but it seems the Purdue siblings grew up the children of an adventurer thief, like the filmic children of Nicholas Cage's National Treasure hero or Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft. Luke has assembled his late father's old team of assistants, spending the money of billionaire Owen Carver (Domhnall Gleeson) on the hunt for the mythical fountain of youth. Carver claims to have a terminal illness and is prepared to spend whatever is necessary, and so the team has bought and robbed a collection of priceless art that have clues to the location of the mythic fountain. As her career has been now tanked, Charlotte may as well come along for the ride. Guy Ritchie's film is certainly fun, there is certainly big big money being spent on filming in exotic locations and some of the action set-pieces are very well executed. He goes for practical stunt work over CGI where he can, and the action has a believability to it, with Krasinski not trying to be Jason Statham with a PhD, and limping away painfully from each fight scene. But James Vanderbilt's screenplay is fairly paint-by-numbers, and if you've seen any of the National Treasure films you could confidently predict most of the plot and dialogue. There's even Stanley Tucci as the head of a secret organisation that exists to protect the location of the fountain of youth, though he's only on screen for about as long as you can say 'Hey, isn't this eerily similar to the plot of The Mummy?' Frankly the only thing about he film with a ring of authenticity to it is the snarky dialogue between the two siblings, and Krasinski and Portman play well together. In fact, if this is just the first in an ongoing franchise, perhaps the filmmakers' biggest mistake was just calling it Fountain of Youth and not "Luke Purdue and the Fountain of Youth" or "Charlotte Purdue and the Fountain of Youth", as either character could take the Indiana Jones mantle. Fun and a bit brainless, Ritchie's film is worth the price of the AppleTV+ free trial.
Chicago Tribune
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
Jay North, TV's mischievous Dennis the Menace, dies at 73
LAKE BUTLER, Fla. — Jay North, who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on TV's 'Dennis the Menace' for four seasons starting in 1959, has died. He was 73. North died Sunday at his home in Lake Butler, Florida, and had colon cancer, said Laurie Jacobson, a longtime friend, and Bonnie Vent, who was his booking agent. 'He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart,'' Jacobson wrote in a tribute on Facebook. North was 6 when he was cast as the smiling troublemaker in the CBS sitcom adaptation of Hank Ketcham's popular comic strip that took place in an idyllic American suburb. Often wearing a striped shirt and overalls, Dennis' mischievous antics frequently frustrated his retired next-door neighbor George Wilson, played by Joseph Kearns. After Kearns died, Gale Gordon played Wilson's brother. Dennis' patient parents were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry. The show ran on Sunday nights until it was canceled in 1963. After that it was a fixture for decades in syndication. Later, North appeared on TV in shows including 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,' 'The Lucy Show,' 'My Three Sons,' 'Lassie' and 'The Simpsons,' and in movies like 'Maya' (1966), 'The Teacher' (1974) and 'Dickie Robert: Former Child Star' (2003). North is survived by his third wife, Cindy, and three stepdaughters.
The Independent
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Jay North, TV's original Dennis the Menace, dies aged 73
Jay North, a former child actor who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on Dennis the Menace, has died. He was 73. North died at his home in Lake Butler, Florida, on Sunday after battling colon cancer, according to his booking agent Bonnie Vent and longtime friend Laurie Jacobson. 'Our dear friend Jay North has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home,' Jacobson wrote in a tribute on Facebook after speaking to his Dennis the Menace co-star Jeannie Russell. 'As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after…but he did not let it define his life. 'He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart.' And we loved him with all of ours. 'A life-long friend of Jon's, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last, he is at peace.' North was 6 when he was cast as the smiling troublemaker in the CBS sitcom adaptation of Hank Ketcham's popular comic strip that took place in an idyllic American suburb. He starred in four seasons from 1959. Often wearing a striped shirt and overalls, Dennis' mischievous antics frequently frustrated his retired next-door neighbor George Wilson, played by Joseph Kearns. Dennis' patient parents were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry. The show ran on Sunday nights until it was canceled in 1963. After that, it was a fixture for decades in syndication. Later, North appeared on TV in shows including The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Lucy Show, My Three Sons, Lassie and The Simpsons, and in movies like Maya (1966), The Teacher (1974) and Dickie Robert: Former Child Star (2003). North is survived by his third wife, Cindy, and three stepdaughters.
CNN
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Jay North, TV's mischievous Dennis the Menace, dies at 73
Jay North, who starred as the towheaded mischief maker on TV's 'Dennis the Menace' for four seasons starting in 1959, has died. He was 73. North died Sunday at his home in Lake Butler, Florida, after battling colon cancer, said Laurie Jacobson, a longtime friend, and Bonnie Vent, who was his booking agent. 'He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart,'' Jacobson wrote in a tribute on Facebook. North was 6 when he was cast as the smiling troublemaker in the CBS sitcom adaptation of Hank Ketcham's popular comic strip that took place in an idyllic American suburb. Often wearing a striped shirt and overalls, Dennis' mischievous antics frequently frustrated his retired next-door neighbor George Wilson, played by Joseph Kearns. Dennis' patient parents were played by Herbert Anderson and Gloria Henry. The show ran on Sunday nights until it was canceled in 1963. After that it was a fixture for decades in syndication. Later, North appeared on TV in shows including 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,' 'The Lucy Show,' 'My Three Sons,' 'Lassie' and 'The Simpsons,' and in movies such as 'Maya' (1966), 'The Teacher' (1974) and 'Dickie Robert: Former Child Star' (2003). North is survived by his third wife, Cindy, and three stepdaughters.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jay North, Star of Original ‘Dennis the Menace' TV Show, Dies at 73
Jay North, who played Dennis Mitchell in the original 1959 'Dennis the Menace' TV series, died Sunday after a battle with cancer, his long-time friend Laurie Jacobson confirmed in a social media post. He was 73. 'Our dear friend JAY NORTH has been fighting cancer for a number of years and this morning at noon EST, Jay passed peacefully at home,' Jacobson wrote. 'As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after…but he did not let it define his life. He had a heart as big as a mountain, loved his friends deeply. He called us frequently and ended every conversation with 'I love you with all my heart.' And we loved him with all of ours. A life-long friend of Jon's, a brother to Jeanne and a dear friend to me, we will miss him terribly. He is out of pain now. His suffering is over. At last he is at peace.' 'Dennis the Menace,' based on Hank Ketcham's comic strip of the same name, ran for 146 episodes across four seasons. The show followed North's Dennis 'the menace' Mitchell, a young troublemaker who terrorizes his aging neighbor Mr. Geroge Wilson (Joseph Kearns) through a never-ending series of mischievous deeds. Other cast members include Herbert Anderson, Gloria Henry, Billy Booth, Sylvia Field and Gale Gordon. After the series ended in 1963, North went on to appear in several one-off roles on TV shows like 'The Man from U.N.C.L.E.,' 'The Lucy Show,' 'My Three Sons' and 'Jericho.' He also did voice work for series like 'Arabian Knights,' 'Here Comes the Grumps,' 'The Banana Splits Adventure Hour' and 'The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show.' His last starring role was in the 1974 erotic thriller 'The Teacher.' North, a Hollywood native, was born Aug. 3, 1951, and was a fan of television from a young age. He started his career acting in commercials and appearing in small roles on variety shows like 'The Eddie Fisher Show' and 'The Milton Berle Show.' By the time he was six years old, he had landed the starring role in 'Dennis the Menace.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
