Directed by: Michel Gondry
Starring: Dave Chapelle, Erykah Badu, Mos Def, Fred Hampton Jr, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Dead Prez, Jill Scott, Kanye West
Rated: R for language.
Parental Notes: There's plenty of foul language and both racial and sexual humor, but visually the film is fairly innocuous. Parents who don't mind their kids watching “Chapelle's Show” or listening to rap music probably won't mind their kids seeing this film.
In 2004, Dave Chapelle (“Chapelle's Show”) threw a huge block paraty in Brooklyn. He handed out golden tickets good for a round-trip bus ride and a hotel to people from his hometown in Ohio and roamed New York with a megaphone to invite anyone who could hear him to come. For entertainment he set up the concert he'd always wanted to see, both rap artists like Dead Prez and soul artists like Erykah Badu. Legendary group the Fugees took the opportunity to stage their reunion and appear together as a group for the first time in over seven years. Chapelle wisely got director Michel Gondry, whose semi-surreal mindbender “The Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”came out that year, to document the event on film.
Chapelle has plenty of charisma, and he uses it all here to convince unlikely people to come to the party, including an old lady he meets on the street and a college marching band. His energy convinces even those who aren't sure they'll like the music to come. He seems utterly tireless, whether he's promoting the band, finding the resources the event needs, or performing on stage as the host of the concert. It's a pleasure to watch him at work, having a great time sharing his excitement and humor with such a huge crowd.
The film is well-edited; rather than telling the story chronologically, Gondry interweaves scenes from all stages so that musical interludes, interviews with attendees, Chapelle's stand-up routines, behind-the-scenes footage from the concert, and Chapelle's preparations are all mixed together. There isn't enough of a story for us to get confused, and it's fun to see this mix of character portraits and music.
Another benefit of this interweaving of elements is that if the viewer doesn't care much for one aspect of the film, there isn't a long enough stretch of it to make the film unbearable. If, say, you don't care much for rap music, but do like Chapelle's comedy, the film will probably still work because the rap is in small doses. Of course, if you actively despise any aspect of the film you may well have trouble enjoying the rest of it because the balance is so even.
There isn't much soul-searching here. This isn't the sort of documentary that wrenches your heartstrings or challenges your preconceived notions. It's basically just a concert film, with a bit more behind-the-scenes footage that you might expect. Chapelle's reasons for throwing the party are never explored, although it seems obvious that at the time his show was incredibly popular and he had just been signed to a huge deal to keep it on the air. Shortly after, he apparently had a breakdown of some sort and his show is now on indefinite hiatus, but there is nothing to hint at that in the film. Gondry wasn't going for irony when he filmed it, he was just showing Chapelle doing what he does best: entertaining people and having a great time doing it.
Those who are jonesing for a hit of Chapelle comedy may find this not quite satisfying -- it's a concert film, but Chapelle isn't the headliner. Fans of his show will have to wait for it to come back from hiatus for that. But it just might be enough to tide them over a little longer. Those who aren't fans of Chapelle but do enjoy the subculture he's celebrating will probably enjoy the film.
Written and Directed by: Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer
Starring: Alyson Hannigan, Adam Campbell, Sophie Monk, Eddie Griffin, Tony Cox, Fred Willard, Jennifer Coolidge
Rated: PG-13 for continuous crude and sexual humor, including language.
Parental Notes: This is a very crude film, and while it's rated PG-13 some parents may not be comforatble with their children seeing it.
“Date Movie,” brought to us by two of the six guys who wrote “Scary Movie,” is a send-up of every date movie cliché its creators could think of and work into the film, with a few non-date-movie references thrown in for good measure. It has liberal amounts of gross-out humor, characters who are less characters than they are coatracks to hang jokes upon, and is as over-the-top and cheesy as one mght expect. Really, if you've seen either of the “Scary Movie” installments, you can pretty much guess what you're in for.
What little plot there is revolves around Julia Jones (Alyson Hannigan, “American Pie”), who works as a waitress at her family's restaurant and longs for a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. She finds him in Grant Fonkyerdoter (Adam Campbell), a very handsome, very British guy who falls for her instantly even though she's incredibly overweight. Of course, there are plenty of things in the way of their Happily Ever After. The most challening are Grant's supermodel ex Andy (Sophie Monk, “The Mystery of Natalie Wood”), who wants him back, and Julia's father Frank (Eddie Griffin, “Deuce Bigalow”) who wants her to marry someone from her own Black-Indian-Japanese-Jewish cultural background. With the help of Hitch (Tony Cox, “Bad Santa”) she sets out to get him anyway.
The movie's humor comes from a long series of throwaway jokes which are chiefly funny because we can see them coming. This isn't the laughter of amazement or surprise but of recognition. There are references to date movies from “Say Anything” to “The Wedding Planner” as well as to “Kill Bill,” “Lord of the Rings,” and various music videos. Some of the jokes are drawn out a little too long, such as Grant's family's cat, who is clever enough to use a toilet but has a case of irritable bowel syndrome to rival Ben Stiller's in “Along Came Polly.” This is lowbrow humor at its lowest, and if you don't find a cat humping a corpse to be funny, you probably won't enjoy most of the shtick in the film.
Fortunately, the main actors have the one vitally important characteristic in a film like this: a willingness to throw themselves completely into roles which require utterly humiliating themselves. Hannigan wears a huge fat suit for the first third of the film and cavorts around while the camera captures every cellulite-mimicing jiggle. Campbell has to do everything from faking an orgasm more violently than Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally” to being pelted with food while holding a boom box over his head. Even so, both of them are completely into their roles and sincere. There isn't a trace of fear or embarassment in either performance, and that in itself is impressive. Hannigan has the advantage of having three “American Pie” films under her belt, but Campbell is a comparative newcomer, his only previous credit being the short-lived TV series “Commando Nanny.”
“Date Movie” is not very original by its very nature, and it's full of toilet humor and uneven pacing. It's less a film than a collection of comedy sketches strung together and containing the same central characters. If you are only looking for something to kill an hour and a half (it clocks in at only 85 minutes) and enjoyed the genre, you will probably enjoy it. Those looking for any actual romance, plot, or intelligent humor will be better served elsewhere.
Directed by: Richard Loncraine
Starring: Harrison Ford, Virginia Madsen, Paul Bettany, Jimmy Bennett, Carly Schroeder
Rated: PG-13 for some intense sequences of violence.
Parental Notes: The violence in the film is sporadic but sufficiently graphic to be too intense for most youngsters. The children-in-peril situation and the home invasion scenes may also be too intense for young children. Mature preteens and teenagers will probably be fine.
One of the disadvantages to being a movie reviewer is that one sees so many movies each year. When a movie like “Firewall” comes along, it's hard to really get into it when you've seen the same sort of film many times before. It's an oft-used structure: the bad guys hold the good guy's family hostage and force him to do something very difficult; the good guy finds a way to outsmart the bad guys and put everything right. 2005's “Red Eye” was one of these, but the genre goes back to films like “Escape from New York” and beyond.
“Firewall” follows the attempts of Jack Stanfield (Harrison Ford, “Hollywood Homicide”) to outwit Bill Cox (Paul Bettany, “Wimbledon”). Bill is holding Jack's family hostage -- his wife Beth (Virginia Madsen, “Sideways”) and kids Andy (Jimmy Bennett, “The Amityville Horror”) and Sarah (Carly Schroeder, “We All Fall Down”). Bill wants to steal a great deal of money from the bank where Jack works as the head of network security, and he needs Jack's help to do it. Jack is primarily concerned with his family's safety, and cooperates at first, but when it becomes clear that just doing what Bill wants may not get all of them out of his clutches safely, Jack turns all his attention to outwitting Bill and rescuing his family.
It's not a new story, but it's well-executed. Like most movies out of Hollywood these days, the production values are spectacular and the rest of the film is competent but not original. The acting is workmanlike without being cliched. Harrison Ford delivers a solid performance as a man pushed beyond his limits and Paul Bettany gets to lay the bad guy for once and seems to relish it. Virginia Madsen makes Beth brave and intelligent within the limitations of the script, and even the kids do a decent job.
The script is fairly clever, and the stunts are good. Director Richard Loncraine (“Wimbledon”, “Richard III”) relies a little too heavily on jiggly hand-held camera closeups, but he has brought his experience in both high drama and comedy to the film. There are plenty of small, clever attemts made by Jack and his family to get out of their predicament, which is a pleasant change from takes on the plot in which the hero is helpless for most of the film.
Unfortunately, the film suffers from a number of plot holes and lapses in logic. Although it's not really necessary for a thriller to be completely plausible, when it's already not very original it can be frustrating to a viewer who has seen this sort of thing too many times already. “Firewall” is a film that should only be seen if you're in the mood to be entertained and don't mind having to suspend your disbelief a great deal. Folks who have seen a lot of films of this sort or who are looking for more intellectual stimulation will probably be better served elsewhere.
Written and Directed by: Roger Donaldson
Starring: Anthony Hopkins, Annie Whittle, Diane Ladd, Chris Williams.
Rated: PG-13 for brief language, drug use and a sexual reference.
Parental Notes: This film ought to be fine for preteens and older. There are a handful of sexual references - Burt was an attractive old fellow, after all - but nothing graphic is shown. The drug references and language are likewise mild. There are some scary sequences involving motorcycle racing, so it may be too intense for younger children.
Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) was a dedicated, passionate man. He gave up everything in pursuit of his dream: to make his 1920 Indian motorcycle the fastest of its kind. Born in Invercargill, New Zealand, near the turn of the century, Munro is a folk hero known to his countrymen and to speed enthusiasts, but few others. "The World's Fastest Indian," a film about his life, may change that.
As the film begins, the old New Zealander is living off his pension, sleeping in a glorified shed on a cot next to his motorcycle. He's always dreamed of taking it out to the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah for Speed Week, when speed demons test their vehicles in a dry lakebed, but the trip is impossibly far. Then he has a heart attack and realizes if he doesn't do it soon, he might never do it at all.
Getting to Bonneville winds up being quite an odyssey. First Burt has to raise enough money to get there by boat. Then he has to make it from Los Angeles, where his ship lands, to Bonneville. He meets many people and gets into and out of various sorts of trouble until he finally makes it to Bonneville - only to be told that he should have registered weeks ago. Still, he's armed with the two things that got him out there to begin with: his charm and ability to make friends.
It's a matter of history that Burt made it to Bonneville and set the land speed record on his old bike, in defiance of everyone's expectations. Under its shiny red siding, the bike looks like a junk heap, with antiquated brakes, no safety equipment, and everything from an old hinge to a brandy cork holding it together. Even so, Burt takes the contraption he affectionately calls "the old girl" and together they shoot across the desert at over two hundred miles per hour. We know Burt will make it - he's a hero, and this is no tragic tale of failed and broken dreams.
It's not the suspense of whether or not Burt will live his dream that draws us into the film, it's Burt himself. The crazy old codger is impossibly sweet, modest, and determined, and so charming that it's nigh impossible not to like him. We know he will find a way to run his motorcycle and break that record, one way or another. Police officers who pull him over, officials who tell him he can't pass safety inspection, and all the other disbelievers will be won over, just as we were.
Hopkins is in top form here, and it's easy to forget while watching him that he's played frightening, intelligent, cold-hearted men in the past. He inhabits Burt Munro so completely that he doesn't even seem to be acting. Burt is a bit deaf, a bit muddled at times, and Hopkins brings both the characters old-man mannerisms and his passion to life on the screen. He has a fine supporting cast, which helps, but this is Hopkins' film.
"The World's Fastest Indian" is a appealing film. It may not be a groundbreaking tale, but it is a solid entry in the classic genre of a man accomplishing his goal against all odds. Hopkins' performance is delightful, and his Burt has so much charm that the movie as a whole is as hard to dislike as the old man himself.