Steve Carell – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

ROOSTER – Review by Abby Perkins (Mentorship Program Critic)

March 10, 2026March 15, 2026 Guest Post abby perkins, Ali Greer, AWFJ/UNCSA MENTORSHIP PROGRAM, Charly Clive, Danielle Deadwyler, Dylan Shepard, hbo max, limited series, Rooster, Steve Carell

Parents are supposed to help their children through all of life’s struggles, especially the struggles they’ve been through themselves. However, what do you do when your child faces their biggest obstacle but you have no advice for them, since you aren’t close to getting over the same obstacle you’ve faced yourself? Rooster follows beach-read author Greg Russo (Steve Carrell), who is spending time at his alma mater after Katie, his daughter and a professor at the college, is left by her grad-student-banging husband. The HBO series’ pilot, shows a father and daughter, riddled with their own insecurities and personal issues, realizing that they are both hot messes. Rooster reminds us that everyone is living life for the first time.

Reviews

MOUNTAINHEAD – Review by Susan Granger

June 16, 2025June 23, 2025 Susan Granger hbo max, Jason Schwartzman, Jesse Armstrong, Mountainhead, Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell

It was inevitable that Succession writer/director Jesse Armstrong would have more to say about how power corrupts – which is why he made Mountainhead – a satire in which four nihilistic Silicon Valley tech titans meet to decide the fate of the world. This summit takes place at the palatial glass-and-steel vacation home belonging to Hugo Van Yalk (Jason Schwartzman), nicknamed ‘Soupy’ – a.k.a. ‘Soup Kitchen’ – because he’s a lowly, insecure millionaire hosting three billionaires.

Reviews

DESPICABLE ME 4 – Review by Kat Hughes

July 13, 2024January 13, 2026 Kat Hughes Chris Renaud, Dana Gaier, Despicable Me 4, kristen wiig, Madison Polan, minions, Miranda Cosgrove, Patrick Delage, Steve Carell, will ferrell

It has been seven years since the lastDespicable Me movie. In that time the popularity of the banana loving henchmen has continued to grow, but this latest entry pushes them back into the shadows to focus once more on Gru (Steve Carell) and his family. Despite the passage of time, Gru, Lucy (Kristen Wiig), Agnes (Madison Polan), Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), and Edith (Dana Gaier), have not aged. As with any popular animation, directors Chris Renaud and Patrick Delage have opted to freeze the characters in time. This move makes it easier for the audience to return and reform connections, but the two do shake things up slightly with the addition of a new family member – Gru Jr. The introduction of the baby freshens the family setting and creates ample opportunity for new gags.

Reviews

DESPICABLE ME 4 – Review by Valerie Kafrin

July 2, 2024July 5, 2024 Valerie Kalfrin Chris Renaud, Despicable Me 4, Illumination Entertainment, kristen wiig, Patrick Delage, Sofia Vergara, Steve Carell, will ferrell

Giving the villain in Despicable Me 4 a cockroach fixation is an apt metaphor for the plot, which scatters all over the place like those buggers when the lights click on.

News

WEEK IN WOMEN: NBC Special Celebrates Carol Burnett’s Birthday – Brandy McDonnell reports

April 18, 2023April 22, 2023 Brandy McDonnell Aileen Quinn, amy poehler, Bill Hader, Bob Mackie, carol burnett, cher, Ellen Degeneres, JULIE ANDREWS, kristen wiig, Laura Dern, lily tomlin, marisa tomei, nbc, peacock, Sofia Vergara, Steve Carell, Susan Lucci, tracee ellis ross, twiw, week in women

Paying tribute to a beloved national icon for her birthday, NBC will celebrate Carol Burnett’s illustrious career with Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love. The two-hour special will air at 8 p.m. ET/PT April 26 and will stream next day on Peacock. Filmed at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, the star-studded special will feature an A-list lineup of musical performances and special guests, who will come together to share their love for one of the most cherished comediennes in television history.

Reviews

THE PATIENT – Review by Susan Granger

October 31, 2022November 6, 2022 Susan Granger Domhnall Gleeson, hulu, Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields, Steve Carell, The Patient

At the start of this claustrophobic, bizarrely unpredictable series, recently widowed psychotherapist Alan Strauss (Steve Carell) is kidnapped by Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson), a victim of traumatic childhood-abuse who has become a serial killer. Alan is kept prisoner in the dingy basement of an isolated house in the woods.

General Archives Movie of the Week Reviews Women on Film

BATTLE OF THE SEXES — Review by Susan Wloszczyna

September 15, 2017September 17, 2017 Susan Wloszczyna 0 Comments battle of the sexes, emma stone, jonathan drayton, Steve Carell, vlerie faris

General Archives Movie of the Week Reviews Women on Film

AWFJ Movie of the Week, September 28-October 4: FREEHELD

September 28, 2015October 5, 2015 Nikki Baughan 0 Comments drama, ellen page, Freeheld, jennifer merin, julianne moore, Michael Shannon, nell minow, Pam Grady, Peter Sollett, Ron Nyswaner, Sandra Kraisirideja, Steve Carell

Opening October 2, AWFJ’s Movie of the Week is Freeheld, starring Julianne Moore as a terminally ill police officer fighting to ensure that her pension goes to her partner (Ellen Page). Read on…