Wow! Such a good movie.

Some things I liked some I did not.

Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Paradise is one of those movies that tries to talk about religion and us trying to find ourselves back. I think Juliane Hough did a pretty good job even Russell Brad was pretty good. Holly Hunter (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice & The Incredibles) also has a small role as her mother and Octavia Spencer. It's not a perfect movie it's pretty small in run time and pretty slow but that doesn't mean it's a 4.9 kind of a movie it hit some of the right buttons and it had 1 or 3 laughs and i enjoyed for what it was besides there are worse movies out there for sure like Cake with Jennifer Aniston. I give Paradise a 7 out of 10 it was pretty good.

Review: Although the jokes were quite silly, the concept was sweet and the gullible Lamb Mannerhelm really did have a life changing experience in Las Vegas. The storyline follows Lamb Mannerhelms journey into exploring the world after suffering severe burns in an airplane crash. With loads of money at her disposal after the airline pays her out a lump sum, she heads to Las Vegas after denouncing God in church in front of her family and Christian congregation. Whilst in Las Vegas, she becomes friends with William (Russell Brand) who is a bartender in a seedy club. She also becomes friends with Loray whose a singer in the same club and she decides to show her the real Las Vegas. When William finishes his shift, he joins them on there crazy journey and Lamb gets introduced to many different aspects of the world. Its a sweat storyline which is based around people who have to live with a disability and find it hard to go out into the world. With the help of William and Loray, Lamb soon realises that she can do some good for people who also have there own insecurities and money problems, like the prostitute that she meets in the toilet. I would have liked to have seen what the prostitute done with the money but the director chose to cut that element out of the movie. Anyway, I liked the chemistry between Lamb, William and Loray and the progression of her journey was quite enjoyable. I must admit, I was expecting this movie to be really crap but it actually wasn't that bad. Russell Brand was quite toned down compared to a lot of his other performances and he showed a lot of sympathy to Lamb's disability which was a great touch to the storyline. Although the movie didn't get the big budget treatment and it didn't go down well with critics, it still has a very sweet concept which was enjoyable in places. Round-Up: Although Julianne Hough, 27, isn't a household name, she has starred in some big movies like Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, Burlesque, Footloose (the remake), Rock of Ages and Safe Haven. There wasn't that much more that she could have done with the role in this movie so I can honestly say that she put in a good performance but I can't really remember her in any of the other movies. She hasn't really got that much in the pipeline in terms of major releases and as this movie didn't do well at the box office, she still has a way to climb before she hits the big time. This is the first movie directed by Diablo Cody, which is why it didn't get a massive distribution budget but she did write Ricki and the Flash which is an upcoming movie with Meryl Streep and Kevin Kline, the award winning Juno, the funny Young Adult and the weird Jennifer's Body. Most of the movies that she has directed have definitely touched audiences heart, from an emotional point of view but she hasn't been able to hit the same height as she did in 2007 with Juno. Personally, I think that she done a great job with this movie but it's a shame that it will go under the radar because of its poor ratings.I recommend this movie to people who are into their emotional comedy/dramas about a young girl who gets injured in a plane crash and leaves her small town to experience the world. 4/10

I wasn't expecting much from this movie, but I was pleasantly surprised. Not only did it hit home for a friend who was in a similar disfiguring accident, but the characterizations were refreshing and inspired. Bravo to all the main actors, you took me on your journey and I was not disappointed. My only criticism is I would have like to see a bit more of what became of the characters after the events of the movie, or at least Lamb. It shows her tacking up postcards, of her on a plane, her words that she wanted to help people...but was left vague..I would like more details. My friend thinks she blew all her money helping "Amber", I think she had plenty left. An exact dollar amount was never mentioned. "millions" I believe was as close as they came. I think she still had plenty more with which to travel the world. Overall though, I definitely recommend.

'PARADISE': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)Screenwriter Diablo Cody makes her directorial debut with this comedy-drama about a religious young woman who leaves home for the first time to find herself, after losing her faith in a plane crash. Cody also wrote the film which stars Julianne Hough, Russell Brand, Octavia Spencer, Holly Hunter and Nick Offerman. The movie, like all of the films Diablo Cody writes, of course centers on a strong female character that's facing some kind of a life crisis and also struggles with morality verses immoral behavior. It definitely delivers what Cody is known for (and good at) in the way of story, character development and dialogue but it's lacking in the way it delivers those things in cinematic form. In other words Cody's directing is amateurish but it is her first attempt at it.Hough plays 21-year-old Lamb Mannerhelm. Lamb shocks her extremely religious and conservative parents (Hunter and Offerman) when she renounces God in front of her church and leaves town (for the first time) to head to Vegas. She recently survived a plane crash, in which she burned a large percentage of her body, so now she's given up her faith and wants to experience the normal life she thinks she's been missing out on. When she arrives in Vegas she's treated like an outcast by almost everyone she meets (due to the conservative way she's dressed, her attitude and her plane crash scars) but befriends a bartender named William (Brand) and a lounge singer named Loray (Spencer). They take a liking to Lamb because of her uniqueness and positive spirit and help her on her adventure. The movie was originally called 'LAMB OF GOD', which would have made a much better title (I think).Diablo Cody is one of my favorite film writers; I love her stories, characters and overall writing style (I also really like her style as a person). Her films seem to often have really positive messages also (as well as really strong and likable heroines). This film definitely has a good message about family and friends as well as faith and religion. It also tells a great story about being yourself and not caring what people think about you. Like I said it's only real problem is Cody's inexperience in directing; it's a little clunky at times and doesn't seem to know how to end. The performances are all great in it though and one of my other big film heroes (besides Cody) is Russell Brand. He's recently became a big political hero of mine and I like all of his film characters. He's hilarious and he also plays really lovable and well intentioned misfits as well (he lights up this film every time he appears on screen). I'm not sure how much of his brilliant dialogue is due to his amazing improvisation skills or Cody's genius writing but they make a great team and almost make up for the lack of skill in Cody's directing. It's definitely a worthwhile filmgoing experience, if you're a fan of Cody or Brand or are just looking for a positive and uplifting film!Watch our movie review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSU_hwOQSWQ