Rawson Marshall Thurber

News, Reviews & Features
  • Skyscraper

    Movie Review | Matt Looker | 12th July 2018

    Almost all films starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (or ‘Dwock’, as I will now call him, for ease) play on the fact that he is an impossibly-shaped human with overinflated balloon arms that are at constant risk of bursting and jettisoning his screeching cannonball head around the room. Not to mention that he acts like a small child that has somehow Freaky-Fridayed with his favourite He-Man figure and doesn’t know how long he has left to make the most of it. As such, Dwock always plays larger-than-life characters in larger-than-life films. Skyscraper, however, sees a return to relatively more serious action. It’s still an overblown, ludicrous mess, but it’s genuinely refreshing to see a film like this played with such sincerity. Such ridiculous, idiotic sincerity.

  • We're The Millers

    Movie Review | Ali | 24th August 2013

    Nine years ago, Rawson Marshall Thurber directed Dodgeball but left the film's funniest scene as alternate ending on the DVD. Mid-way through the final match, one of Ben Stiller's team hits his opposite number with the ball and the game ends – it's incredibly anti-climactic. Vince Vaughn's team looks devastated. Then the credits roll. There's no punchline, they just lost, and now the movie's over. That, in itself, is hilarious. You can understand why the studio didn't want Thurber to use the ending, because it sacrifices the story and the character arcs for a bold gag. Fast-forward to 2013, and don't be surprised if you see a similarly abrupt alternate ending on the We're The Millers DVD; it's a movie with a solid comedic concept at its core but one that is ultimately forced to go through the necessary motions until it rolls to a stop.

  • Dodgeball

    Movie Review | Ali | 12th September 2004

    "I find it's best not to have a goal - aim low, and that way you're never disappointed." It happens to be gym owner Peter LaFleur's life philosophy, but it's also a maxim that serves Dodgeball fairly well - after all, a film that's essentially about throwing balls at people could hardly fail to deliver what it promises. Aiming low is exactly what Dodgeball does best - in fact, it aims for around crotch height, targeting the easiest gut laugh each and every time.