SNATCHED (Rated R)

The appreciation of comedy is a very subjective matter.  Comedian Amy Schumer, who tilts to blue material on cable programs and in stand-up routines, has her fans and detractors. 

Maybe I’m just old-fashioned, but I remember when comics could be funny without resorting excessively to rude, vulgar and profane matter.  It’s a lost art form, and Schumer has not found it in “Snatched” or elsewhere.

Following her first major film of “Trainwreck” two years ago, Schumer may not have written the script for “Snatched” but at least teaming up with Goldie Hawn was a good idea on paper if not completely upon execution.

Schumer’s Emily Middleton starts off funny enough as a retail clerk completely unsuited for customer relations. Unable to hold down a job, Emily gets even more bad news from her boyfriend Michael (Randall Park).

Having planned an exotic vacation to Ecuador, Emily gets dumped by Michael on the eve of their getaway and is left holding the bag on two non-refundable tickets and the dilemma of finding a replacement.

Enter Goldie Hawn as Linda, Emily’s overly protective mother who lives in suburbia with a bunch of cats and her man-child son Jeffrey (Ike Barinholtz), an agoraphobic who lives his life online with video games and chat rooms.

Hoping to rekindle her mother’s once adventurous spirit chronicled in family scrapbooks, Emily asks Linda to accompany her on the trip with the entreaty to “help me put fun in non-refundable.”

Once at the resort in Ecuador, Linda never wants to leave her poolside reading material, while Emily makes a connection with handsome, mysterious James (Tom Bateman) at the hotel bar.

Charmed into going on a countryside road trip with James, Linda and Emily end up in a trap orchestrated by the treacherous Morgado (Oscar Jaenada) and his criminal gang to be held hostage for ransom. 

Back in the States, Jeffrey starts harassing State Department clerk Morgan (Bashir Salahuddin), an apathetic bureaucrat who is less than sympathetic to the plight of Americans in harm’s way.

Actually, some of the film’s best comedic scenes involve Jeffrey bothering the ineffectual, indifferent Morgan into doing more than just shuffling papers.  

The best thing going for “Snatched,” which grabs the low rung of comedy, is that it is mercifully short at 90 minutes.  Here’s hoping that Goldie Hawn, who has been on film hiatus for 15 years, comes back with something better.

‘Becoming Bond’ on Hulu

In the pantheon of James Bond films dating back to the 1962 release of “Dr. No”, which starred the then-unknown Sean Connery, the name of George Lazenby has all too often been the answer to a James Bond trivia question.

Now along comes a fascinating documentary on Hulu with the intriguing title of “Becoming Bond” to provide not just the response but a worthy memoir of the man who stepped in the role of 007 after Sean Connery took leave of the popular series.

Now recognized as one of the better Bond films, “On Her Majesty’s Secret Service” offered a chance of a lifetime to a former used car salesman and male model from Australia who bluffed his way into the limelight.

“Becoming Bond” is more than just a revealing look at the filming of the sixth James Bond film.  The majority of director Josh Greenbaum’s sympathetic portrayal of the actor who became an enigma for turning down a multi-picture deal for more Bond films focuses on Lazenby’s early life.

Known for being a facile raconteur with an incredible memory, Lazenby is turned loose to narrate details of his upbringing in Australia, recounting everything from bouts with childhood illness to fanciful tales of sexual escapades.

Most of the documentary is a dramatic re-enactment that follows actor Josh Lawson filling in as the young Lazenby who charms his way through life, from selling used cars to romancing the beautiful daughter of an aristocratic family.

There is a touching sense of vulnerability to the cocky young Lazenby as he woos the very attractive and vivacious Belinda (Kassandra Clementi), following her to England before eventually losing her as the result of a dalliance on a photo-shoot in France.

The most fun part of this reverential documentary is when Lazenby uses guile and pure chutzpah in fibbing about non-existent film roles to convince hardened Bond producer Harry Saltzman (Jeff Garlin, hilariously gruff) that he’s the right man for the job.  

For the hard-core fans of Agent 007, “Becoming Bond” is a real treat for the peek behind the curtain into the rise and fall of the man who could have been a James Bond for the generation of fans that came after Sean Connery.

As an added bonus, former Bond girl Jane Seymour (“Live and Let Die”) appears as casting agent Maggie Abbott, pushing and guiding the young Lazenby to his greatest ever cinematic achievement.

Even now in old age, George Lazenby still has the charisma and the skills of a riveting storyteller to turn his personal journey of “Becoming Bond” into a story that could appeal even to a wider audience than Bond fans.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.