January 27, 2004
A Surprisingly EFFECT-ive Thriller
THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT could not be more aptly named, as its lead casting of Ashton Kutcher appears to have caused its own ripple effect, with many in the critical community all too eager to take easy potshots at the perennial clown's stab at a dramatic role. Neither Kutcher's performance nor Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber's film as a whole would be called perfect, but both work a lot better than one would expect.
For a while, though, some, if not all, the worst fears appear to be realized. Thanks to the omnipresent advertising, the basic premise is pretty much common knowledge: Evan Treborn (Kutcher) uses his mysterious powers to travel back in time to attempt to save his ill-fated childhood love Kayleigh Miller (Amy Smart), only to find that his quick "fixes" create unforeseen and often more undesirable results. Bress and Gruber take their sweet time getting to this point as they spend a good half hour tracing Evan, Kayleigh, her brother Tommy and their friend Lenny's rather traumatic youth together and Evan's history of blackouts. When the timeline finally makes its way to the present, the film then dives quickly into the story, allowing very little time to get used to the idea of Kutcher playing a brilliant psychology student.
Ultimately, that doesn't matter, since soon after a despondent Kayleigh, whom Evan hasn't seen in many years, kills herself, he discovers that he has the unusual (and unexplained) ability to travel back in time and inhabit his younger self--a power he uses to freely rewrite history in an attempt to save Kayleigh. But as the chaos theory that lends the film its title goes, one can't change one thing, however small, without creating a domino effect through time, and Evan finds himself, his mother (Melora Walters), Kayleigh, Tommy (played as an adult by William Lee Miller) and Lenny (played as an adult by Elden Henson) not only living wildly different lives but also being completely different people.
The numerous alternate realities give the supporting cast a chance to shine. Smart is particularly impressive, given her character undergoes the most dramatic changes and handles each incarnation convincingly. While not having as much screen time and fairly minimal dialogue, Henson makes more emotional impact than lead Kutcher. This is not to say that Kutcher isn't adequate carrying a film with a straight face, for he's hardly the disaster in a dramatic context that some have made him out to be. Kutcher is simply not the most empathetic of actors, and that is a minus since Bress and Gruber use Evan's love for Kayleigh as the film's driving force. Casting of Kutcher aside, that narrative choice is disappointing, as the writing-directing duo sometimes hint at a less tidy idea--that Evan believes his motivation to be love when in fact it's more out of a selfish need to make himself feel better about things. In fact, the film often irked me as it progressed because Evan was so obliviously self-serving (after all, did he even really know the woman Kayleigh grew up to be in the original timeline?). But such hints remain just that, and the romanticized and all-too-expected notion of "true love through the time stream" wins out--at one point in the form of a heart-on-sleeve Kutcher monologue, no less.
That said, what Bress and Gruber get right outweighs their sometimes clumsy dialogue and general missteps. The extended prologue ultimately works to the film's favor as it establishes the starting point history right down to the last detail, making for a clear frame of reference once the time travelling begins. Bress and Gruber have done a decent job of making the fractured stream of events fairly airtight, as most dangling issues from the early sequences set in the past are fairly well-explained by later timeline hopping. And despite its concessions to formula, the film manages to be consistently thoughtful and occasionally surprising--which, in the traditional January movie wasteland, is no small feat.
Faster, More Furious Cinematic Junk Food
All the advertising plays up the fact that it is "from the producer of THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS," and from the initial indications in TORQUE, it appears that the movie itself falls all too closely in line with that thinking, with director Joseph Kahn going out of his way to evoke--rather, completely and shamelessly carbon copy--that high-speed hit. The movie not only opens with a familiar scene of a couple of tricked-out import cars racing down a desert road, but the scene is enhanced with those F&F-trademark swooping camera moves that fly in and out of the bowels of the automobiles with abandon. Suddenly, as if from nowhere, a motorcycle speeds from behind the two cars, ultimately, effortlessly leaving those souped-up roadsters to eat its dust.
That sequence serves as a mission statement of sorts, and I'm not talking about the on-screen declaration that closes it: "cars suck." It's not so much Kahn's declaration that TORQUE's speed machines race past those in the F&F franchise than his announcement than that this film itself will race past those, doing away with just about all pretense of a plot and placing an even greater emphasis on flashy style. Indeed, this soon comes clear as the opening race is followed by a slick opening credits sequence set against more blazing bike footage and then an out-of-nowhere fight scene. In fact, it's maybe a half-hour in and following the death of a character that anything resembling a plot becomes clear: our nominal hero (Martin Henderson), framed for murder and also wanted by authorities for a bogus drug charge, tries to clear his name with the law and the warring biker gangs who both want his blood.
With very little in the way of story or character stringing together the stunts, the movie speeds by for most of its running time in a incomprehensible blur. To say it's barely contained chaos is definitely not an inaccurate description, but it is undeniably captivating chaos, for what it's worth. Kahn's music video-trained eye for the most flamboyant of shots, David Blackburn and Howard E. Smith's hyper-caffeinated editing, and cinematographer Peter Levy's ever-moving camera make for agreeable eye candy--and, in all honesty, isn't that what films of this ilk are all about?
That said, the cinematic calories in TORQUE are empty, instantly forgettable ones, as the superficial delights of the action sequences (a girl-on-girl motorcycle race/brawl is most memorable) come with a virtual dearth of personality. The actors don't add much in that department; lead Henderson comes from the nondescript Paul Walker mold, and those who display some inkling of identity (Ice Cube, who seems to be only actor really in on the joke as one of the biker gang leaders; Monet Mazur, somehow eking out a real performance amid the insanity as Henderson's galpal) are only onscreen in small doses. TORQUE is best summed up by its final racing sequence, a hyperspeed showdown in the streets of downtown Los Angeles that is so overly CG-'ed it is no exaggeration to call it a mere step away from the race sequence in TRON. There is a certain kick to the film and its massive mayhem, but it all feels coldly programmed--quite literally so, in that final stretch.
Another Ben + Another Jen = Another Dud
Watching the typically stinky January release that is Ben Stiller/Jennifer Aniston vehicle ALONG CAME POLLY, I could not help but think that perhaps any star pairing of a "Ben" and a "Jen" is simply a cosmic recipe for cinematic trouble. But, then again, there was no such result with the current Oscar hopeful HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG, which paired a Ben (Kingsley) and a Jen (Connelly) to stunningly--and intentionally--gut-wrenching effect; not to mention the upcoming onscreen re-teaming of that most notorious Ben 'n Jen, JERSEY GIRL, is actually quite effective. So the blame for this remarkably stillborn romantic/gross-out comedy falls squarely on its writer/director, John Hamburg.
Having had a hand in the writing of MEET THE PARENTS and ZOOLANDER, one would think Hamburg would have a good handle on what works with Stiller, and based on the premise, it would appear that he crafted a snug fit. Stiller plays Reuben Pfeffer, a neurotically cautious risk assessor for an insurance company whose life is thrown for a loop when his new wife (Debra Messing) wastes no time in cheating on him with a scuba-diving instructor (Hank Azaria, sporting a French accent and looking freakishly like Kenny Loggins) during their honeymoon. But more chaos is in store when along comes Polly Prince (Aniston), a free-spirited old grade school classmate who breezes back into his life and his heart.
Thus the stage is set for all manner of humiliating gags that have become Stiller's trademark. But in the years following Stiller's own star-making showcase THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY, all the bodily function humor seems old hat--particularly when the jokes are obviously striving to be shocking. Instead of eliciting even a grossed-out gasp, let alone a chuckle, cheap gags such as Reuben's irritable bowel syndrome uneasily mixing with Polly's penchant for spicy ethnic foods or Reuben's boss (Alec Baldwin, wasted) touching Reuben's ears with soiled hands make for groans. Even Hamburg's non-scatological humor is uninspired, faux-Farrelly attempts at would-be outrageousness: broad sight (pun intended) gags with Polly's blind ferret; Reuben's ex-child star friend's (Philip Seymour Hoffman, whose pratfall of an entrance ominously foretells of the depths to which he's required to sink) desperate "comeback" bid in a community theater production of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR. That the latter elicits a sporadic semblance of a chuckle is a tribute to alchemic powers of Hoffman's prodigious talents and not the material.
What of the romance, then, in this romantic comedy? Very little. Stiller and Aniston can be appealing on their own and beguile with other actors, but here they fall short on both counts. Obviously Hamburg was shooting for something along the lines of Stiller's rapport with Cameron Diaz in MARY, but instead of striking a sweetly off-kilter note as that, Stiller and Aniston mix more like oil and water. Stiller seems all too aware of how been-there, done-that this role is and appears blasé as he goes through the motions; a similar air of disinterest characterizes Aniston's fairly charmless work as this less interesting variation of her FRIENDS character. But I can only attribute their lifelessness to merely following directions, for if the tedious and relentlessly predictable whole is any indication, Hamburg himself doesn't appear to be much invested in ALONG CAME POLLY, either.
Free Us from LIBERTY
What sad times we live in when a contemporary knockoff of ROMAN HOLIDAY stars, in the place of the immortal Audrey Hepburn... Mandy Moore. The B-list teen pop star again proves that she should stick to singing in her latest starring vehicle, CHASING LIBERTY, but she comes off even worse this time out since her leading man is not a bland so-called "hunk" o' wood (see: West, Shane; Ford, Trent) but a real actor: charismatic newcomer Matthew Goode. As Ben Calder, the undercover Secret Service agent entrusted to protect the sheltered, spoiled First Daughter (Moore) as she traipses incognito through Europe, Goode reminds, in the best way, of Hugh Grant and Rupert Everett, with a dash of everyman appeal that is uniquely his own. As Moore's Anna Foster whines her way across the continent, Goode adds welcome class and conviction to the proceedings -- even if we can never truly buy that Ben would fall for Anna. After all, one's talent can only go so far to compensate another's lack thereof, let alone a chemistry deficiency. So instead of caring a whit about Anna's quest for independence and whether or not she waltzes off into the sunset with Ben -- Goode or no Goode --I found myself more interested in the side plot of Jeremy Piven and Annabella Sciorra as partner agents who bicker their way into love. That subplot is as pro forma as the main story, but Piven and Sciorra, individually and as a pair, display wit, charm and spark; as Goode remains a patient sport to Moore's cloying would-be cutesy rebel act, I kept on wishing I were watching a film where their love story were secondary to the other--or, better yet, that Goode would star in a more sturdy showcase for his abilities.
At the Video Store
While much ink was spilled about the commercial failure of GIGLI, there was, in fact, an even more financially disastrous major studio wide release last year--MARCI X (Paramount Home Entertainment). Maybe if stars Lisa Kudrow and Damon Wayans, who respectively play a spoiled-rich-girl-turned-hip-hop-mogul and a rapper, had a widely-dissected off-screen romance, this laughless, lifeless would-be comedy wouldn't have sunk without so much as a shrug. Then again, maybe not.
Michael and Mark Polish's NORTHFORK (Paramount Home Entertainment) left many a moviegoer shrugging, but not out of indifference but outright confusion. Granted, this story of a small, Montana town on the eve of being flooded over for a damn is an unusual, unlikely blend of magical realism, absurdist humor and grave solemnity, but its skewed sensibilities cast a spell, even if the disparate elements don't quite gel upon first viewing. The home screen undoubtedly does a disservice to M. David Mullen's gorgeous cinematography, but the DVD has some worthwhile extras, among them commentary by the Polish Brothers and a photo gallery.
Despite a charismatic cast of stars led by Denzel Washington and some crackerjack suspense from director Carl Franklin, OUT OF TIME (MGM Home Entertainment) had a fairly quick run in theatres last fall--a fact I can only attribute to lackluster marketing by its studio, best exemplified by its exasperating one-sheet, which somehow managed to make Washington, Eva Mendes and Sanaa Lathan look unattractive. Wisely, a different image is being used for the cover of the home video release, but the film itself should ensure a healthy run in this market, for it is a smart, well-crafted, if formulaic thriller in which a less-than-honorable Florida police chief (Washington) finds all evidence in a murder case pointed directly toward him. The DVD includes commentary by Franklin, deleted scenes, Lathan and Dean Cain's screen tests and more.
OUT OF TIME producer Neal Moritz had better box office success in the summer with his feature version of the '70s TV series S.W.A.T. (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment)--a far inferior film, if you ask me, for Clark Johnson's routine actioner felt like an especially high-budget television pilot in structure and style, even with bonafide big screen talent such as Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell heading up the cast. Jackson is featured with co-stars LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, Brian Van Holt, Jeremy Renner and Josh Charles as well as a spliced-in Johnson on a commentary track on the DVD; other supplements include a number of making-of featurettes, deleted scenes, a gag reel and--of course--a look at the original TV series, which (whaddaya know!) is available on DVD, also from Columbia.
A far more exciting and exhilarating action film--and one that barely received a theatrical run--from last year was the Hong Kong import SO CLOSE (Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment). Afte ra reasonably entertaining but far from spectacular American effort, THE TRANSPORTER, director Cory Yuen returned to form with this fast-paced and action-packed yarn in which a pair of killer-for-hire sisters (Shu Qi and Zhao Wei) are pursued by an equally kick-ass female cop (Karen Mok). Many bullets are fired; many kicks are thrown; swords are swung; and there's even time for a surprising plot development or two. The box's art and review blurbs draw comparisons to CHARLIE'S ANGELS, but don't be fooled--these ladies would chew up Cameron and company and spit them out within seconds, without breaking a sweat.
JEEPERS CREEPERS 2 (MGM Home Entertainment) is more tolerable than its woefully laughable predecessor, but that isn't saying much. This time out the Creeper (Jonathan Breck) is at the tail end of his feeding frenzy, casting his sights on a school bus carrying a high school football team, but the acting is still horrific (though Ray Wise offers some amusement as farmer with a personal beef with the monster) and shocks are still in short supply. The DVD features commentary by Breck and returning writer-director Victor Salva; deleted scenes; storyboards; numerous behind-the-scenes featurettes; and more.
Direct-to-video sequels--they're not just for schlocky horror and animated features anymore. After expanding the modest theatrical success THE SKULLS into a franchise for the home market--the series' second straight-to-tape installment is due in a couple of months--Universal is attempting to do the same to another teen-themed hit with BRING IT ON AGAIN. If THE SKULLS II couldn't get back Leslie Bibb, let alone Joshua Jackson and Paul Walker, there was, of course, no way in hell for the makers of this cheerleading sequel to get return engagements from bonafide stars Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union and Eliza Dushku. In fact, the only vaguely recognizable face is that of Katherine Bailess, last seen tunelessly warbling a bizarrely dissonant ditty and earnestly delivering lines such as "I'm the queen of conniving!" in last year's summer spectacular FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY. Any other familiarity is similarly vague, as the cheerleading competition theme (this time, on the collegiate level) and the presence of the words "bring it on" in the title are the only connection to the previous film.
As its final Must See TV season crawls to a close (is it just me, or can the first-run episodes that have aired so far this season can barely be counted on two hands?), Warner Home Video's season set series speeds along with FRIENDS The Complete Sixth Season. This is the season that begins with Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel's (Jennifer Aniston) drunken Vegas nuptials (come to think of it, Britney Spears has gone on record as being a FRIENDS viewer--hmm...) and ends with Monica (Courteney Cox, here then-newly adorned with the additional "Arquette") popping the question to Chandler (Matthew Perry); in between, there are appearances by Bruce Willis and Reese Witherspoon--which foreshadows the desperate, SURVIVOR-fighting stunt casting that would bog down the show the following season. After shaking up the supplement formula with the season five set, Warner somewhat reverts to formula here, as the key extras (aside from the de rigueur commentary tracks by executive producers Marta Kauffman, David Crane and Kevin Bright on three of the episodes) are a trivia game and a spotlight on guest stars. However, this time out some thought was put into them. The casino-themed trivia game is more elaborate and enjoyable than in previous sets (though, as with any similar feature on any disc, it has zero repeat value), and the "Friends of FRIENDS" feature is not a mere clip collection of the season's more notable names but a ten-minute featurette with interviews with four key recurring cast members: Elliott Gould, Christina Pickles (Jack and Judy Geller, Monica and Ross's parents), Jane Sibbett (Carol, Ross's first ex-wife) and Maggie Wheeler (Janice, Chandler's shrill ex-girlfriend). As the television series and, consequently, this DVD series hits their home stretches, let's hope the producers continue to be at least a little more venturesome with the extras.
This May won't spell the end of all the FRIENDS; however, as Matt LeBlanc's Joey Tribbiani will go it alone on NBC Thursdays this fall in a spin-off series--a decision no doubt spurred on by the network's successful transplanting of FRASIER once the gang at CHEERS called it a night. Of course, whether or not JOEY will meet the level of critical and popular acclaim of its obvious model remains to be seen, but in the meantime the brains behind the (in my opinion, ill-advised) move would be wise to study FRASIER The Complete Second Season, recently released alongside CHEERS The Complete Second Season from Paramount Home Entertainment, for pointers in how to build a distinct and memorable ensemble around a long-running character from another iconic canvas. Like the FRIENDS sets, with these second collections the CHEERS and FRASIER series is establishing a formula for theirs supplements: both feature an overview documentary featurette on the season with retrospective interviews as well as a bunch of clip montages; the FRASIER set goes an extra step by offering writer and director commentary on one episode.
The season finale may have only recently aired, but that isn't keeping 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment from rushing out a complete season collection of the surprise hit THE SIMPLE LIFE; does that tacitly speak of Fox's opinion about the long-term media interest prospects of its high-society-princesses-turned-Deep-South-farm-hands, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie? That said, for a rush release, Fox has packed both sides of this single-disc collection with all seven episodes of the series, outtake footage and the amusing presentation reel used to pitch the concept of the series.
For those who come away from THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT craving a taste of Ashton Kutcher's prankster persona, there's relief at video stores in the form of PUNK'D The Complete First Season (Paramount Home Entertainment), a two-disc collection of the first eight episodes of Kutcher's popular--and, as it turned out, short-lived--hidden camera celebrity practical joke series. The set includes never-before-seen segments; deleted scenes; and Kutcher, Dax Shepard, and co-creator Jason Goldberg offer commentary on select episodes.
With a quasi-sequel (that, quite frankly, no one really wants to see--am I wrong?) set for release right around the corner, leave it to Artisan Home Entertainment to release the DIRTY DANCING Ultimate Edition, which to the studio's credit, isn't a mere recycling of its previous two-disc special edition of the perennially popular 1987 hoofer starring Patrick Swayze and a pre-rhinoplasty Jennifer Grey. New to this release is a commentary with various production personnel (to go alongside the previously-released one by writer/co-producer Eleanor Bergstein), a running text trivia factoid track and--of course--lots of pimping for the aforementioned sequel/spinoff/remake/whatever DIRTY DANCING: HAVANA NIGHTS, hitting screens in February.
Next time...
...YOU GOT SERVED, THE BIG BOUNCE, THE PERFECT SCORE and more. My home site, Mr. Brown's Movie Site, is actively being renovated as you read this, but the archives of older reviews are, as always, up and available.
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