Jack Goes Boating (2009)

Jack Goes Boating marks the directorial debut of one of America's most accomplished and one of my personal favorite actors, the brilliant Philip Seymour Hoffman. The man has been a spark in such films as Spike Lee's touching 25th Hour and the Charlie Kaufman-helmed surrealist mind-bender Synecdoche, Ny. His direction here is understated, his film shambling but not entirely bleak. Jack Goes Boating is a drifting picture, but it is a winner because of its heart. It could have, given the subject matter, a relentlessly dour experience. Instead, Hoffman incorporates both the happy and the sad in mostly equal measures. A small film, but a success.

The film centers on a neurotic, rasti-loving New York limo driver with a penchant for pot and a nearly overwhelming sense of day-to-day isolation. He latches onto a couple whose marital fabric is stretching from past indiscretions, through whom he is introduced to an equally neurotic young woman named Connie who seems to have a good if oft-trampled heart.

In some ways, Jack Goes Boating feels a lot like a Cheever or a Raymond Carver short story. There is not a lot of action, the story centering mainly on character interactions. It is plodding but never dull. There are many surprises, actually, such as a weird subway scene and a dinner party climax for the ages. Despite what its detractors will no doubt claim, the film strikes a resonant tone. It seems "real", for lack of a better word. Hoffman's performance is understated but always reliable and Amy Ryan is excellent as the damaged Connie. The two leads are ultimately a conjoined foil for the other couple whose marital pains provide the film's moral center, as well as dramatic tension.

Indie enthusiasts take note, the soundtrack is also quite interesting. Though the song choices are generic, the bands represented are some of my favorites, Grizzly Bear and Fleet Foxes among them. Ultimately, this is a soft film with a lot of memorable scenes, snappy dialogue and while it may meander, that is its charm. Very poignant.

Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program Every year, there are a fair share of idiosyncratic character pieces that pop up in the indie film scene that are loaded down with critical hyperbole proclaiming them as comedic masterworks. And nine out of ten times, these films (marketed as comedies) leave mainstream audiences perplexed. "Jack Goes Boating" is a prime example of just such a film--albeit one with a pretty impressive pedigree. Directed by and starring the great Philip Seymour Hoffman with the terrific Amy Ryan providing support, let me make one thing clear before I go any further--I am EXACTLY the audience for this film. In fact, when it was in town theatrically, I was going to go but it only lasted one week in our local movie houses. So I knew what this film was, had my expectations firmly in check, and was eager to jump right in! Well, truth be told, Hoffman's work left me a little cold with its remote awkwardness.

I appreciate films that can mine comic inspiration from the world's disconnectedness. "Jack Goes Boating" assembles the requisite damaged oddballs and brings them together to achieve maximum quirkiness. I'd describe the plot, but it is really rather superfluous. In summary, Hoffman and Ryan play an unlikely pair brought together by their married, but increasingly troubled, friends (John Ortiz and Daphne Ruben-Vega). That's about it. Will the pair be able to overcome their own problems to unite as a post modern example of healthy couple-hood? Or will you care? That might be a far more astute question. On some level, the viewer must be able to connect with the characters--preferably to like them, but absolutely essentially to understand them. Here, the characters stand as constructs--bits of weirdness with no real world explanation to their social deficiencies. If you knew the central characters in your real life, you would run in the opposite direction so as not to be sucked into their unexplained and self-imposed misery.

I didn't hate the movie, per se, I was just completely removed from it. Anyone, however, judging the marketing campaign and picking this up as a robust comedy might feel a bit betrayed. I knew what to expect. Still, Ryan is glass menagerie brittle while Hoffman is monosyllabic awkwardness. Neither character is developed much beyond superficial qualities that would brand them social pariahs. Ortiz stands as the only member of the cast that possessed an iota of joy or genuine warmth--and the film progressively makes him less and less palatable. At the end, I didn't care about anyone in the film and in a program billed as "heartfelt"--this is a major stumbling block. There were moments I quite liked, but as a whole, the picture never gelled to be anything other than odd. KGHarris, 5/11.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program This film was exactly what I thought it would be, and more.

Philip Seymour Hoffman directs and stars in this quiet, quirky film about a man named Jack. Jack and Connie are set up on a blind date by their married friends, Clyde and Lucy. Clyde and Lucy seem very together and ambitious, while Jack and Connie are basically loner losers.

But from this humble, awkward first date emerges a real relationship and passion for life. Throughout the film we see very little of Jack and Connie, or Lucy and Clyde, together, but we really get to know them as individuals and couples.

The perfection Clyde and Lucy exude quickly diminishes to show the tarnished dysfunction they actually inhabit together. The denial and lack of love is painful to watch, while Jack's hopefulness and devotion are truly touching. The lesson this film taught me made it worth watching (the last line is so beautiful).

Some pretty scary and violent (more verbal than physical) moments show the depth of the actors in this film. This is definitely an offbeat film, so it may not be for you.

And the soundtrack is amazing!!

Very quirky and dark, but with enough sentimental moments to endear you, Jack Goes Boating is a good film.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program In his directorial debut, Academy Award winner Philip Seymour Hoffman also stars as the shy and simple Jack. Bob Glaudini adapted his acclaimed off-broadway play for this movie, where Hoffman reprised his role on stage.

Set in New York City, Jack drives a limo for his uncle. Jack's sole friends, Clyde and Lucy, have their own problems and ambiguities. They set up Jack on a blind date with Connie (Amy Ryan) that ignites a narrative comprised of a series of drab superfluous occurrences. The underlying theme seems to be misery and monotony. Jack and Connie are two uncommitted single individuals with their own personal and social issues, and are unconsciously yet successfully withdrawing into the urban background of anonymity. Together and in each other they discover the desire to begin a burgeoning relationship. Ironically, the friends who brought them together are battling the crisis of a failing and unsettled marriage.

So, Jack goes boating because... well, I suppose I shouldn't spoil it here. Let's just say he wants to rise above his fears and deficiencies. He overcomes his fear of water, as well as his lack of skills in the kitchen, in the very basic interest of self-improvement. Oh, and he also wants to impress his newfound love interest.

Love and friendship, lies and betrayal, achievement and collapse. "Jack Goes Boating" is casually situated in a slice of working-class New York City life. The writing and acting is brutally genuine. Hoffman demonstrates his versatile talents behind the camera and in front of it. Quixotic and exquisite, the movie is an informal tale of love that comes and goes like a snowflake in winter. Depending on your taste, you will either hate it or appreciate it.

Highly recommended.

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Customer review from the Amazon Vine Program (DVD review)

Philip Seymour Hoffman directs and plays the lead character in a screen adaptation of Bob Glaudini's play "Jack Goes Boating." There are a lot of things to like about this film, including the "ordinary guy" aspect of the character Jack. He's somebody who's struggling with many of the same things the rest of us are, such as relationship issues and getting a better job, but he works hard to maintain a "positive vibe." The story is about two couples, all four people portrayed very well by the actors who played them, especially John Ortiz as Clyde. But it's a lot of the smaller things that made me like "Jack Goes Boating," including the effective use of music, both songs and score; plus such storytelling touches as the way Jack tries to visualize the things he is learning. The central scene in the movie, the dinner party, was a bit hard to watch. Still, I acknowledge its importance and saw how it ties into the rest of the story, how it is both the outcome of what came before it and affects what comes after it.

The extras on the disc are fairly minimal, with two short featurettes and two even shorter deleted scenes.

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The Royal Tenenbaums (The Criterion Collection) (2001)

... but not in the sense that is usually used. Some people absolutly love his movies, while others really don't care much at all. It's not to say that either side is right or wrong, its just a conflict of interests. Those who don't like Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, or this film, are not in any way inferior/superior to a person like myself, but, those who are smug and almost happy to tell you how bad this movie is... shame on you.

Well, this is easily my favourite film of last year, along with Memento and Waking Life, because of it's rich use of atmosphere. This is a film about lost time, lost childhood, lost chances... really it's about losing those things which are important, and getting them back, and that is the reason that alot of the imagery is, umm.... retro. This is a running theme in all of Anderson's movies, the idea of reclaiming your past by bringing it along with you into the future. All the objects in the movie hold sentimental value to the characters (we never really learn what the particular sentiments are, which is part of the allure of the "sight gag") and gives the characters a past and, more importantly, a neural net of their opinions, beliefs, emotions etc, just by displaying their possessions.

The performances are usually critisized as being highly exageratedwell i hate to break it to you but that's really the whole point of the movie. The Tenenbaum family are eccentrics, the type of family you would latch onto like a satilite because you are attracted to their behavour, and Owen Anderson's character is a representation of the audience in that respect. If this family was what you would call "average", they wouldn't be interesting. Of course alot of movies have the set up of a normal guy in an extraordinary situation, but not every movie has to be that way.

Some of the reviewers who have given this movie a low score have cited that it "fails as black comedy". Well that's interesting since Anderson himself dosn't consider his movies comedies anyways. Sure there are funny moments, but they are by no means as exagerated as the film's characters are. The comedy is understated: there are no cheap tricks to make you laugh. One of my favourite moments in the movie is when Royal and the indian "butler" are in the game closet talking, and then it's revealed they are drinking martinisdosn't sound funny in words, but for me it's very touching and highly comical. This isn't slapstick, but humour of a more gentle kind, like in Monsiur Hulots Holliday.

The acting is superb by Hackman and Houston, and immediatly convinces the audience of their characters histories. I feel this was Hackman's finest performance since The Conversation, in a career which, i feel as well, has been utterly underappreciated. Luke Wilson, Gwenneth Paltro are both fine in their own rights, and Ben Stiller -who practicly everyone hates in this movieplays his character wonderfully: A boy who breeded mice with spots and ran a lucrative company at the age of 12, a father who is frightend of losing his children to accidents and hates his own father for reasons he can't articulateStiller personifies this beautifully. All the negative reviewers seem to have forgotten that for all their critisism, they "bought" them all as a family, as unrealisticly exagerated as they are, even though in real life they are all polar opposites. Bad acting?? These people have no idea of the subtleties involved in the performances. I also think that Bill Murray's performance as the psychologist is brilliant. Danny Glover plays his part with just the right amount of understatement, and equally fitting with the other actors. Alec Baldwin's dry narative is extra extra dry.

This movie just cries for a repeated viewing after repeated viewing, and has similarities to Joyce's Ulysses in the sense that there are treasures hidden withinseek and ye shall find.

If only you appreciate the beauty of the colours, this movie is worth the money to watch it, and i applaud Hollywood for forgetting its loyalties to the sausage industry for just a few brief moments.

Damn the academy, this is the best picture of the year.

Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tenenbaums" exists on a knife edge between comedy and sadness. There are big laughs, and then quiet moments when we're touched. Sometimes we grin at the movie's deadpan audacity. The film doesn't want us to feel just one set of emotions. It's the story of a family who at times could have been created by P.G. Wodehouse, and at other times by John Irving. And it's proof that Anderson and his writing partner, the actor Owen Wilson, have a gift of cockeyed genius.

The Tenenbaums occupy a big house in a kind of dreamy New York. It has enough rooms for each to hide and nurture a personality incompatible with the others. Royal Tenenbaum (Gene Hackman), the patriarch, left home abruptly some years before and has been living in a hotel, on credit, ever since. There was never actually a divorce. His wife Etheline (Anjelica Huston) remains at home with their three children, who were all child prodigies and have grown into adult neurotics. There's Chas (Ben Stiller), who was a financial whiz as a kid; Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow), who was adopted, and won a big prize for writing a school play, and Richie (Luke Wilson), once a tennis champion.

All three come with various partners, children and friends. The most memorable are Raleigh St. Clair (Bill Murray), a bearded intellectual who has been married to Margot for years but does not begin to know her; Eli Cash (Owen Wilson), who lived across the street, became like a member of the family, and writes best-selling Westerns that get terrible reviews; Henry Sherman (Danny Glover), who was Etheline's accountant for 10 years until they suddenly realized they were in love, and such satellites as Pagoda (Kumar Pallana), Royal's faithful servant (who once in India tried to murder Royal and then rescued him from ... himself ...) and the bellboy Dusty (Seymour Cassel), who impersonates a doctor when Royal fakes a fatal illness.

Trying to understand the way this flywheel comedy tugs at the heartstrings, I reflected that eccentricity often masks deep loneliness. All the Tenenbaums are islands entire of themselves. Consider that Margot has been a secret smoker since she was 12. Why bother? Nobody else in the family cares, and when they discover her deception they hardly notice. Her secrecy was part of her own strategy to stand outside the family, to have something that was her own.

One of the pleasures of the movie is the way it keeps us a little uncertain about how we should be reacting. It's like a guy who seems to be putting you on, and then suddenly reveals himself as sincere, so you're stranded out there with an inappropriate smirk. You can see this quality on screen in a lot of Owen Wilson's roles--in the half-kidding, half-serious way he finds out just how far he can push people.

The movie's strategy of doubling back on its own emotions works mostly through the dialogue. Consider a sort of brilliant dinner-table conversation where Royal tells the family he has cancer, they clearly don't believe him (or care), he says he wants to get to know them before he dies, the bitter Chas says he's not interested in that, and Royal pulls out all the stops by suggesting they visit their grandmother. Now watch how it works. Chas and Richie haven't seen her since they were 6. Margot says piteously that she has never met her. Royal responds not with sympathy but with a slap at her adopted status: "She wasn't your real grandmother." See how his appeal turns on a dime into a cruel put-down? Anderson's previous movies were "Bottle Rocket" (1996) and "Rushmore" (1998), both offbeat comedies, both about young people trying to outwit institutions. Anderson and the Wilson brothers met at the University of Texas, made their first film on a shoestring, have quickly developed careers, and share a special talent. (That Owen Wilson could co-write and star in this, and also star in the lugubrious "Behind Enemy Lines," is one of the year's curiosities.) Like the Farrelly brothers, but kinder and gentler, they follow a logical action to its outrageous conclusion.

Consider, for example, what happens after Royal gets bounced out of his latest hotel and moves back home. His wife doesn't want him and Chas despises him (for stealing from his safety deposit box), so Royal stealthily moves in with a hospital bed, intravenous tubes, private medical care, and Seymour Cassel shaking his head over the prognosis. When this strategy is unmasked, he announces he wants to get to know his grandkids better--wants to teach them to take chances. So he instructs Chas' kids in shoplifting, playing in traffic and throwing things at taxicabs.

"The Royal Tenenbaums" is at heart profoundly silly, and loving. That's why it made me think of Wodehouse. It stands in amazement as the Tenenbaums and their extended family unveil one strategy after another to get attention, carve out space, and find love. It doesn't mock their efforts, dysfunctional as they are, because it understands them--and sympathizes.

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I'm a Wes Anderson fan and "The Royal Tenenbaums" was my favorite movie of the year.

(just for a reference, the others were "Hedwig & the Angry Inch," "Ali," "The Man Who Wasn't There," and "Training Day," and Ken Burns "Jazz" and "The Sopranos: Season 3," both of which may have been on TV but are of a scope and caliber far beyond most multiplex efforts)

But "The Royal Tenenbaums" took me a while. It took me two viewings to fully appreciate the "Tenenbaums," and a third to convince me I loved it.

This is a rich movie, full of detail that initially moved too fast for me to absorb. It was only after I was able to watch the film without wondering where it was going and what was going to happen that I was able to sit back and fully appreciate it. There's a lot of quirkiness here, and that gives the whole thing a feeling of insincerity, but this is not an insincere film.

Many critics have pointed out that this movie is like a lot of other things; they mention Dickens, John Irving, Salinger, and Louise Fitzhugh and "The Magnificent Ambersons." And all of those comparisons are true.

But what really struck me about the film, personally, is that so much of it didn't remind me of anything else. The open credit sequence, for example, fills my heart with joy, just the way all the characters are introduced in a stylised yet somehow naturalistic way. You have to love a movie (or at least *I* have to love a movie) in which characters' introductions include their book jackets.

There's also the Gene Hackman aspect. I'm a huge Hackman fan but he works so often and in so many different directions it's sometimes hard to remember what makes him so distinctive. In this movie, it's all on display. He is truly inspired. The fact that he was ignored by the Academy means that I don't have to take anything they say seriously, ever again.

Also, the scenes set in Eli Cash's apartment gave me more laughter than any comedy I've seen since "Kingpin." And the scene, near the end, in the ambulance (set to Nico's "Fairest of Seasons") made me genuinely sadder than any recent movie I can think of.

This is not a particularly easy movie. But if work with it a little, it definitely grows on you.

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I loved this film, but I can completely understand many, many people not enjoying it. In fact, I was one of the few people, it seems, who disliked Anderson's second film, RUSHMORE (though I loved BOTTLE ROCKET, Wes Anderson's first film). The reason that so many will either love or hate this film is Anderson continually skirts the edges of cinematic convention. There is a great deal of subtlety in his work, and one will either enjoy that and analyze it, or find that it leaves them bored and disinterested.

Anderson wrote this screenplay with he usual screenwriting partner, Owen Wilson (who played Eli, the Tennenbaums across-the-street neighbor). The screenplay is filled with many wonderful and marvelous moments, and while one might complain that the whole is less than the summation of the parts, the parts are nonetheless very exquisite. The film is stuffed with marvelous moments that are almost throwaways, like a scene in which Chas (Ben Stiller) and his father Royal (Gene Hackman) escape to a closet to argue. The closet is filled with every board game one can possibly imagine, which provides a startling contrast by implying that there was a time when the family perhaps sat around together playing these precise games. Or when one of the characters attempts suicide and then leaves the hospital, a haunting, gorgeous song by Nick Drake, "Fly" is played. The song is a marvelous paean to second chances, and many of the lyrics seem to refer to specific moments in the film. But what is more poignant is the fact that Drake is one of rock's most celebrated suicides, albeit primarily to his cult following. Another detail is the fact that every cab that is seen in the entire film are "Gypsy Cabs" and are the most dilapidated, battered cabs one can imagine.

The soundtrack is exquisite, and one that even those not enjoying the movie would be tempted to buy. The selections are marvelous, whether it is Ravel's String Quartet, or the Ramones, or the Clash, or Lou Reed, or the Stones. One word of complaint, however. As a Stones fan and as one who owned vinyl versions of most of their albums, and the two Stones songs that Luke Wilson and Gwenyth Paltrow listen to in his tent are not the songs that are on the actual vinyl album. "Ruby Tuesday," for instance, is not the second cut but the third, and the song that appears first is actually a couple of cuts after "Ruby Tuesday."

The cast is absolutely first rate, though many of the actors are playing roles that are somewhat at odds with what we normally expect of them. This is especially true of the three Tennenbaum children.

So, while I expect that many people seeing this will dislike it, many others will enjoy it thoroughly. If you liked BOTTLE ROCKET or RUSHMORE, odds are you will like this one as well.

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16 pages of Amazon reviews relating to The Royal Tenenbaums ranging from hatred to awe suggests something interesting is going on with this one of a kind movie.

After seeing the movie more than a month ago, I started recounting some of the more emotional moments in the film as I sat with my wife in a shopping mall eating a souvlaki. I actually found that I was getting choked up just describing the moments and my wife looked blankly at me.

"Is this a mid-life crisis or something?"

She liked the film, but couldn't believe that it had emotionally effected me to the extent that it had.

"This has probably got something to do with your family, you know."

Possibly. But it might also have something to do with a film which on the surface seems to present an artificial and childlike story about an unusual family but underneath captured some illuminating truths about the human condition.

I obviously liked the film because I gave it 5 stars and l am looking forward to spending the rest of my life trying to figure out why.

I can understand why many people disliked it so much but I am fascinated with the concept that I have little idea why I love it.

The Royal Tenenbaums is the reason that I go to the movies. I want to be surprised and engaged in a fictional world where I am taken to a place that I have never been before. And there is no place like the Royal Tenenbaum's.

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Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (2013)

Ace Ventura, for the most part, is a perfect vehicle for Jim Carrey. I was pleased with the film the first time I saw it. I have, however, seen it on network TV, and have found out that there are many more scenes present in the TV version not shown on the DVD. These scenes not only make the film better, but also more undestandable.

If at all possible, could we see a WIDESCREEN EXTENDED CUT, Mr. Shadyac???

Thank you very much.

"Ace Ventura Pet Detective" is a vehicle that is tailor-made for the comedy genuis of Jim Carrey. In his first major comedy, Carrey absolutely carries this picture on top of his broad and very funny shoulders! Carrey will tickle your funny bone in this riotous picture.

Carrey plays "Ace" a pet detective, who gets involved in solving the missing case of a dolphin from the Miami Dolphin's training camp. Co-starring the gorgeous Courtney Cox and believe it or not, Dan Marino, the plot has so many funny moments that I cannot begin to list them all. The jokes fly at you about every second minute, so if you don't like one, just wait for the next! I guarantee you will laugh out loud several times and give your tummy muscles a good workout in doing so.

Carry is a genius in facial expressions that will tie your funny bone in knots. His physical comedy ranks with that of Lucille Ball. Carry establishes his comedic "star" in this flick.

If you want to relax and take your mind off your worries and just laugh out loud, then this is the film for you! I highly recommend it! It is easily in my top-10 comedies of all time.

Jim "Konedog" Koenig

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Jim Carrey's work in Pet Detective is just short of Brilliant. Funny thing was, he was mostly being himself. Don't let the movie premise fool you. The character of Ace Ventura is not a bumbling detective who lucks out in his cases, he is actually smart and knows what he's doing. This is what I most liked about this movie. He outwits the police at many turns, staying far ahead of them on the case of the missing mascot for the Miami Dolphins, a field goal kicking Bottlenose. In his efforts he befriends, and beds, pre-friends fame, Courtney Cox (say that ten times fast). Even stranger, they seem to have great chemistry. Sean Young plays the hard-nosed Police Lt. I couldn't tell if she was hamming up her reputation as a difficult actress or just over playing the part really well, it was obvious that she wasn't taking this movie very seriously. In any case, this movie can't be taken too seriously anyway, although it does on some levels, but it works. This film marked the first in three successful films that Carrey made with Director Tom Shadyac; `Liar Liar' and `Bruce Almighty' followed. Both movies were hits as well. I love this movie I found it hysterical. But if you don't like Carrey at all, then you probably won't like `Ace', but if you have found yourself even smiling at his goofiness and rubber-face antics, this movie should make you feel good. Although there was a sequel, and it started out ok, it is no where near the level of the first.

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The cable networks such as TBS and USA have for years been showing a version of this movie with several deleted scenes that were never in the theatre and still aren't available on DVD. At a time where every studio is re-releasing special editions of every movie under the sun, how in the world has this comedy classic not gotten the royal treatment? I suppose Warner Studios has an exclusive deal with USA and TBS so that only they can show the "special" version of this movie. That's not cool.

The deleted scenes include additional insane asylum scenes and another scene where Ace visits his friend at the heavy metal club. He winds up on stage with the band "Cannibal Corpse" and graps the mic and starts screaming into it and flailing around on stage like a fish then stage dives onto the crowd. anyone fortunate enough to have seen this deleted gem probably wet themselves because it's so funny. And it's not available on DVD!!!

This movie gets 5 stars but the DVD get's 1 star for awful. Do not go in there! I think it's the pate.

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I don't know what's up with all these people who give these bad reviews to Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. I think this is amoung the Top 3 movies EVER! The character is perfect for Jim Carrey and the film is just plain and simply funny! He throws out constant one-liners that will keep you laughing everytime you quote them (If it gets cold enough... if you've seen the movie you're laughing). The best part about this movie is that no matter how many times you've seen it the sheer fun of watching it will keep you coming back, which is what makes this the perfect movie to own! Mine's so worn I'll have to replace it soon (thank-you DVD). Now, I'll be fair, I'm a huge Carrey fan so that probably tilts the scales in his favor but even so, the actual movie IS good! Sure the plot is a bit outrageous, but it's a COMEDY! Lighten up people, it's supposed to make you laugh, not make you think, and believe me, it makes you laugh. It's also got it's fair share of stars (Jim Carrey, Courtney Cox, Tone Loc) and not to mention a certain Hall-of-Fame football player (Dan Marino). In summary, this movie's got everything from comedy to stars. It's the perfect movie to watch over and over again and you'll never get sick of it. I would have given it 6 stars, but they wouldn't let me...

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Road Trip (2000)

Definitely an OUTSTANDING COMEDY, Road Trip, brings to the screen exactly what the title implies: the story of four college students who end up driving from NY to TX in an effort to prevent a mailed videotape from reaching one of the guy's girlfriend. Along the way, they get into all sorts of trouble resulting in one of the best movies in recent years!

Breckin Meyer, Seann Willliam Scott, and the rest of the cast, have truly outdone themselves with their performances, which are exceptional to say the least. All the actors, without exceptions, give it their 100% and it really shows (the chemistry is AMAZING)! Very well written and very well presented, the movie is without a doubt guaranteed to provide more than just a few laughs. Road Trip is simple enough, but does a great job of describing people's (in this case college kids') every day lives and the problems they face. It just goes to show that simplicity is often far better than complexity, when trying to present issues of a human nature.

Strongly recommended along with Old School, the Girl Next Door and of course (!!!) the American Pie trilogy.

In short, Road Trip is a movie definitely worth watching, and actually one to seriously consider adding to your collection!

Picture this, you are leaving the safe surrounds of high school to enter the unknown realm of university, being wise you decide to visit what could be potentially be your place of study, partying and security for the next three years, so you take the campus tour to get acquainted with the grounds as well as meet some new people. Sounds perfect, right? Wrong! Your tour guide is non-other than MTV shock jock and crazy man Tom Green, who in this case is actually named Barry Manilow. What results is the telling of a tale of the most time honoured campus tradition, the ROAD TRIP. So begins the story of four guys who embark on a three-day ROAD TRIP to retrieve a video containing highly sensitive material before it lands into the wrong hands and creates total havoc. Their journey is riddled with numerous encounters of both strange people and incidents that will ultimately affect/scar them forever, even if merely on a superficial level.

Whilst the film is aimed at a predominately teenage audience, it will prove to be thoroughly enjoyable to an audience of 15 to 50years of age. However those offended by course language, sexual references and gratuitous female nudity are advised to steer clear, as the unrated dvd edition of ROAD TRIP goes that little bit further than its theatrical version.

On that note, let me give you a rundown on the dvd itself. The film is featured for the first time in its complete uncut, uncensored and unrated edition, which basically breaks down to a few scene extensions and alternative shots not contained in the theatrical release actually incorporated into the movie itself. As this is the US import, you have a choice of either a DTS 5.1 soundtrack or the standard Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack (my preference as I got a DD 5.1 set-up at home). The picture remains in its original theatrical ratio of 1.85:1, which some will consider to be quite a bonus during one particular sequence in the film (ie. the obligatory shower scene). In terms of special features, the disc contains seven deleted scenes aptly titled `Road Kills', a behind the scenes featurette hosted by Tom Green called `Ever Been On A Road Trip', a music video by the Eels `Mr E's Beautiful Blues' and two theatrical trailers, all this in addition to the standard cast & crew bios and production notes. An audio commentary by with director Todd Phillips, executive producer Ivan Reitman and comedian/star Tom Green would have been awesome but you've to be grateful for what you get and all in all its an awesome package.

Film: 8/10 Extras: 8/10 Overall: 8/10

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I expected this to be a stupid movie about four stupid guys who go for a drive, with Tom Green making appearances throughout. But fortunately I was wrong about this hilarious movie. Road Trip is about an average college guy, Josh (played by Breckin Meyer), who chases down a videotape recording of him cheating on his girlfriend (Rachel Blanchard) with the beautiful Beth (Amy Smart). This video is accidentally sent to his girlfriend, who goes to school half-way across the country, thus inspiring a road trip to retrieve the tape before his girlfriend views it. While Barry (Tom Green) stays back at the dorms to feed a live mouse to Rubin's pet snake, Josh and his three friend Kyle, Rubin, and E.L. embark on their long trip. As Josh and his hilarious friends travel across the country to save his long-distance relationship, they have many laughs and adventures, and along their journey they all realize important things about themselves which makes this movie end with a sort of reassuring, happy sigh. Some of the deleted scenes are really funny. They feature more of Barry giving his campus tour, Rubin's cool dance beats, and Josh's run-ins with cops and Barry's grandma who's "seen it all before."

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If you're into party movies, go ahead & add this one to your DVD collection. It has everything you want in a party film: an outlandish plot, funny scenes, Sean William Scott, the classic "nerd" character, some gorgeous babes, male fantasies and lots of gratuitous nudity. Of the latter, seeing Amy Smart take her shirt off is worth the price of the DVD all by itself!

Party movies are not the types of movies where it is productive to go into plot analysis. Let's just say that we have to track a group of college guys who have to make a trip cross-country to the university of Texas. Along the way, just about every zany thing that can go wrong does go wrong, and the result is a movie that is way fun.

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It was pretty damn funny!

This movie was recommended by my good friend, Bobby Asslong. In most cases his recommendations are a bunch of , but he hit it right on, with this one! I detest Tom Green. He is one of those guys, who that when he fails at something (Talk Show, most of his movies, life) I actually feel happy. And this is actually contrary to my normal personality. I normally automatically love all Canadians. Just kidding. I normally want people to succeed, and feel bad when they fail.

But Tom Green is so annoying.

Great news! He is in only about 4 or 5 scenes in this whole movie, so you should be able to get through this movie, with little to none hatred for Mr. Green.

I love all the characters in this movie, especially the main protagonist, who accidentally sends the videotape to his girlfriend at a far away college. He is very likeable, and you're pulling for him the whole time. Another thing I like this movie, is that it pulls a lot from other "gross out" teen and college flicks, but it doesn't go overboard in the gross out department.

Tom Green plays the Voice Over explainer in the movie, and he actually does a pretty good job, without appearing stupid.

I give this high reviews!

MC White said: Check it out!!!

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Bedazzled (2000)

If you are picking this great movie up on Blu, make sure you keep your DVD because the hidden easter egg from the DVD is NOT included on the Blu version. The missing scene is a deleted wish where Brendan Frasier is essentially Ozzy Osbourne. It's fantastic, so make sure you keep it.

The Blu Ray version looks great. Picture is crystal clear The only draw back is that there is no menu. Put it in and it just starts playing. You can't pick a chapter or change the audio output. Also, on the DVD version, there is a very funny deleted scene with the character Elliot as an English rock star. Not on the Blu Ray. Anchor Bay needs do a better job.

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Where do I start I love this version of the movie (vs the 1960's Version) and was waiting anxiously for a blu ray release.

I have the movie with me and am a little disappointed and heres why

-No menu whatsoever this is as barebone as a Blu ray disk can get

-I don't think it wasn't mastered very well a few scenes are really blurry and it pans in and out sometimes but most of the movie is pretty sharp (watched it in a Samsung F7100 60")

-No extra features the easter egg from the dvd is not there not even a commentary it goes from the FBI warning and straight into the movie

-No DTS HD Master audio, this might be nitpicking but MA sounds a whole lot better than DD HD Imo.

Overall i would take a Bad Blu ray release over no Blu ray release but was disappointed the movie itself is 5 stars imo but the Release itself is crap I just hope they dont pull an avatar and Re Release the Complete Disk later for $20

But for $12 its still worth to buy it to watch it in HD

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I've seen this before and had to get the blu ray. It's a funny story and I like anything that makes me laugh and smile.

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While I'm a huge fan of the original version with Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, I liked this one just as much and thought it was inventive, witty, and clever; it's probably Hurley's best role. I greatly anticipated the blu-ray release, but it turned out to be a disappointment. Yes, the film looks crisper than on DVD, as one would expect, but this is a bare-bones release. There are no extras, no commentary -not even a menu! Pop it in the player and it just starts up. This pales in comparison to the excellent DVD release, which had engaging commentary, deleted scenes, and even a music video with Elliot as a rock star (a wish wholly excised from the film). For fans of the movie, I suppose it's worth getting on blu-ray for the picture quality, but you'll want to keep your old DVD copy as well, certainly, for all the goodies this release should have included but didn't.

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Funny Girl (1968)

First off the DVD: It's a letterbox transfer of pristine new print that has been digitally restored (sometimes frame by frame) back to its original condition. Funny Girl hasn't looked this good in thirty years so if you've only seen it on VHS or TV, you're in for a visual treat. I saw the restored print on a huge screen this past fall, and believe me, this transfer does it justice. In addition they have included the pre-show and intermission music as well. The additional documentary material is nothing to write home about. But I think whoever did the DVD menu deserves kudos for styling it like the New Amsterdam theater marquee from the first shot of the movie, with highlights from the film playing in the background. Very appropriate and very clever.

Funny Girl is A.) the musical biography of comedienne-singer Fanny Brice, and B.) the Oscar-winning film debut of 26 year old Barbra Streisand. As theatrical history lesson it's pretty flawed (Arnstein was Brice's *second* husband, for example). The Streisand Brice connection is strong, however. Fanny, like Barbra, wore her Jewishness as a badge of honor in contrast to most Jewish performers of the day, who tried to blend in as much as possible. As a matter of fact, the "You Are Woman, I Am Man" seduction scene plays like a Brice "Follies" sketch.

And as a star vehicle for Striesand, it's a winner. "I'm the Greatest Star" at the beginning of the picture is an electrifying jolt of raw, pure talent. At the end of them film when she falters on the opening words of "My Man", you'll remember what it feels like to watch your beloved walk out of your life.

William Wyer seems to be aware that he's launching a new star. The way he introduces Barbra that long walk with her back to the camera in the leopard coat ending with the first teasing glimpse of her face in the mirror "Hello, gorgeous." It was a closeup that many film folk were sure would have audiences recoiling in horror. Certainly plain looking Barbra couldn't make it as a movie star. Well, it's not news anymore but it turns out that Barbra photographs beautifully. Even Barbra-hater Rex Reed had to admit at the time, "It took the combined efforts of God knows how many people to do it, but I'll be damned if they haven't made her beautiful!"

Omar Sharif plays opposite Barbra, and he holds up his end of the film nicely, no small feat when you consider that the script gives him little to do and the entire property has been tailored to Streisand's strengths. No one else registers, with the possible exception of Kay Medford as Fanny's mother. (Poor Anne Francis sued Columbia after the film was released, claiming Streisand had her cut out of the finished film. Most of you are sitting there thinking, "Anne, who?")

All in all, one of the better Sixties Broadway musical adaptations. (Note: Funny Girl was nominated for Best Picture in 1968. It lost to another Columbia Pictures musical Oliver! If you liked Funny Girl, check out Oliver! it's a better movie, even though it has no star names over the title. More 1968 Oscar trivia Barbra won for Best Actress in a tie with Kathrine Hepburn of "Lion in Winter". In Oscar balloting there can only be a tie when there are the exact same number of votes. Why do I mention this? Well, it just so happens that because of her "special stature" in the industry, Barbra Streisand was admitted as a voting member of the Academy that year with the release of just her first film. I wonder who she voted for???? If she hadn't been given special treatment, maybe Kate Hepburn's name would had been the only one announced that night!)

The ultimate showcase for an actress, Barbra Streisand's highly publicized film debut in FUNNY GIRL met every single expectation and then some. The film was the highest-grossing film of 1968, and it's very easy to see why. The film has many great qualities: It's expertly directed by three-time Academy Award winner William Wyler (the finale of the "Don't Rain On My Parade" number is just as astonishing as the chariot race in Wyler's BEN HUR), the storyline is extremely compelling, Omar Sharif is an incredibly suave and charismatic leading man, the supporting players are perfectly cast (particularly Kay Medford, Lee Allen, and Walter Pidgeon), and the song score (primarily by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill) is first-rate.

However, virtually everything that FUNNY GIRL has working for it would be worthless without Barbra Streisand's absolutely phenomenal performance. I honestly cannot think of enough good descriptive adjectives to do justice to her amazing performance in this film. She handles drama, comedy, music numbers, and tearjerking sentiment with equal aplomb, and she does it all better than any actress before or since. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences had no choice but to honor her with the Oscar for Best Actress (in an extremely rare tie with academy favorite Katherine Hepburn; only the second tie in Oscar history to date), it is a performance that is nothing less than perfect.

About the DVD: Columbia-Tristar has done an excellent job in bringing FUNNY GIRL to DVD. The restoration of the original source elements may have taken nearly three years to complete, but it was time well spent the picture quality is gorgeous! Sure, there are a few nicks on the print, but the color, sharpness, and virtually everything else is nearly flawless. Quite possibly one of the best vintage transfers yet. The sound is also excellent, and while there are no new features included (only vintage featurettes I expect we'll see a special edition re-issue in the future) the menu design is fantastic.

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Wow. One usually becomes a Streisand fan after seeing this movie. I certainly did. Streisand's movie debut begs the question: "Is a nose with deviation such a crime against the nation?" (sung by Fanny Brice's mother in the film). Barbra is Fanny is Barbra. When Streisand as Fanny tells Omar Shariff as Nick that he made her feel "beautiful", who can not love this woman?

The new DVD includes a restored version of the film and an incredibly clear soundtrack. Unless you saw the limited theatrical release this summer, then you have probably never seen FUNNY GIRL in its widescreen presentation. For years I had watched a faded pan-and-scan VHS version. Barbra's hilarious business of straightening her dress in the "You Are Woman" scene is completely cut out in pan-and-scan! Director William Wyler shot the film with a lot of widescreen compositions that the pan-and-scan versions always butchered. Thank you, Columbia, for this restored, widescreen DVD!

I remember watching THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT and seeing highlight clips from famous musicals. They showed "Don't Rain On My Parade" from FUNNY GIRL ...Barbra on the tug boat holding that note ("Paa-aa-raaaaaad-de") as the camera revealed the Statue of Liberty. I was thrilled. The DVD contains a theatrical short that shows behind the scenes footage of how they shot the entire "Parade" number -really incredible footage!

The movie's second act, a bit slow, gives Streisand the chance to show her acting chops!

"My Man" at the movie's end features a "live" Streisand vocal as she cries on stage then triumphantly finishes. That scene won Barbra the Oscar. It is truly incredible.

I am disappointed that the DVD did not include more of the scenes I've always heard about but never seen. The AFI tribute (on ABC earlier this year) remains the only place you can see scenes from the Swan Ballet number that were cut. Also, I wish there was a Streisand commentary. Can you imagine the reflections about making this film that she could share?

People who see FUNNY GIRL are the luckiest people in the world.

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We has the good fortune to see the newly restored version of FUNNY GIRL on the big screen last month. There were 6 of us in our group (3 men & 3 women) and we all loved every minute of it. The colors in the new print are fabulous, the soundtrack is enhanced, & Barbra is even better than you expect her to be. So here's my question: why was there so little hype for the theatrical re-release of this wonderful film?!?!?

I sent this question to the Internet Movie Database & I was told that FUNNY GIRL was "not a groundbreaking movie or even an important one."

Well, now, let's just look @ this a little closer. Watching it again for the first time in 30 years, one thing that amazed me was how deliberately Wyler had framed Streisand's famous nose. In many scenes, her face is shown in profile against a dark background, so that "the bump" is very pronounced. This actually occurs when she's singing PEOPLE, her big "romantic number."

We are used to hearing that De Niro & Pacino changed the standard of on-screen beauty & made "ethnic" stars acceptable, but it should now be clear that the bulldozer that broke this barrier was Streisand. There she is, surrounded by gorgeous chorus girls, but no one can have any question about who "the star" is.

One final comment: FUNNY GIRL was originally released in 1968, in other words about 5 years before the first publication of MS Magazine & the dawn of the Women's Movement. But here's this woman asserting herself & taking control. Framing her on that tugboat, & sending her plowing right in front of the Statue of Liberty is the most aggressive declaration of reaching out for the American Dream that I know of -in what other country could a woman even dream of such a thing?

With all due respect, I suggest folks take another look @ this film before thinking they can consign it to the dustbin of history. I can't wait to add the DVD to my permanent collection!!!

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Hello, gorgeous. Funny Girl is the ultimate Streisand film. Barbra's Oscar winning film debut as the Ziegfeld star Fannie Brice has never been in better form. After a frame-by-frame image restoration and digitally remastered audio, this popular musical packs all the glitter of its 1968 premiere.

Ray Stark, son-in-law to the legendary Brice, first began working on a screen biography of his famous mother-in-law in 1948, but Brice herself rejected several scripts. Nearly a decade later, he commissioned a new screenplay from Isobel Lennart. When studios didn't bite, Lennart adapted her script for Broadway, with Jule Styne and Bob Merrill getting the nod to write the songs. Stark tapped a young Barbra Streisand, already a Broadway sensation in "I can get it for you wholesale" to play the Brice. The rest is entertainment history.

This DVD presentation is spectacular in quality, but its "Special Features" pale in comparison to those of "The Way We Were." The documentaries "Barbra in Movieland" and "This is Streisand" are almost camp in their approach and scope, and I long for a present-day interview (better yet, audio commentary) with la Streisand that would have put the making of this film in better context. I'm hoping her future films, especially her directorial efforts, include a director commentary and background footage. (Barbra, can you hear me?)

That said, Funny Girl is still the centerpiece any Streisand fan's collection. A must have.

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Lymelife (2008)

I am still shocked that some reviewer wrote "laugh out loud funny" after seeing this film. Granted, there are moments where you might smile. But more than anything, this film is sad; depicting the genuine heartache that is wrought when a family falls apart.

Baldwin and Nixon both excellent actors are good, but not brilliant. I expected better. The acting performance of Emma Roberts is terrible that her aunt is Julia Roberts no doubt explains her being granted this role. Timothy Hutton, however, as the lyme-diseased, depressed husband who witnesses his wife's infidelity deserves the highest accolades. His performance in this film is flawless, portraying a man suffering from a disease that has rendered him incapable of functioning as the man he once was. I found his performance riveting and heartbreaking. Kieran Culkin is the next Sean Penn that is a given. His underscored performance as a love-struck, confused teen was excellent. And his brother Rory Culkin was also excellent. Hutton and the kids stole this film. I don't want to go over the plot but I do recommend this film. It is well-done, and well-acted....but it's not "laugh out loud funny" at all. Whenever children suffer, there is little to laugh at.

I admit that I picked this for viewing because of Alec Baldwin. The guy may have had his shares of troubles but he is quite a charismatic actor (well, in some movies more than others). Set in Long Island, N.Y., the time period is the mid-70s, and it also has two Culkin brothers in it. Rory Culkin portrays a 15-year-old, Scott Bartlett whose parents,real estate developer Mickey (Alec Baldwin in a wolfish and arrogant role) and passive mother, Brenda (Jill Hennessy) reflect the trappings of a successful life, but are not altogether happy in their marriage. Scott is however more concerned with the girl next door, attractive Adrianna (Emma Roberts of Nancy Drew) who sort of teases him, but has other romantic inclinations. Adrianna' mom, Melissa (Cynthia Nixon)works for Mickey, and portrays a long-suffering wife who has to deal with her Lyme-disease addled husband, Tommy (Timothy Hutton). Oh, and there's Scott's brother Jimmy (Kieran Culkin), who's on leave from the army.

The drama of the two families unfolds slowly, portraying the gradual unraveling of two marriages, whilst also delving into the sexual awakening of an adolescent boy who is tormented by his attraction to Adrianna, and also concerned about his parents' marriage. Rory Culkin does a credible job of playing the angsty teen, and grows on the viewer, eliciting one's empathy for the growing pains he goes through, without being overly melodramatic or sentimental. There's a good balance between the dark and light in this drama, and the ensemble cast does a great job in maintaining this balance, especially Alec Baldwin who plays true to type here.

The story is far from fresh or original,as there have been so many other movies made about dysfunctional families, and adolescence (one of my favorites is "The Squid and the Whale") yet it strikes a chord, and this is largely due to the heartfelt performance by Rory Culkin. Another well-made coming-of-age movie is The Education of Charlie Banks.

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3.4 stars

Ok, so it's a true story. The script is fair enough, direction too. The acting is uniformly decent, with Baldwin as usual stealing the show. The lead is likeable enough. So why didn't I enjoy this film?

Good question. Probably because it's just a little too realistic, meaning there's a lack of redemption, or whatever it is that makes art art and life not so art. I just found it all too bleak, in a very bland sort of way. Yes, the suburbs are full of deception and disappointment and dismay and d-everything. But that doesn't mean I want to watch them played out on screen...unless something really special and revealing occurs. And here, it doesn't.

Well done, but I'd recommend you watch American Beauty or Ordinary People or Kramer vs. Kramer or any of the many other superior suburban drams. Sadly, this one never gets there, despite good work all around.

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I expected a funny comedy, the DVD cover art says, 'Violently Funny,' 'Laugh Out Loud Funny, entertaining and moving,' 'Wonderful,' and 'Tender.' The film inside isn't exactly any of these things. It is a coming of age film set in 1979 with the backdrop of some incredibly dysfunctional adults. No, I'm sorry; I laughed a little at the beginning, but then was just left sad after the half way point passed.

The film starts off quirky and interesting. I love film that tries new things, sets up a different style, hides things from the viewer, and uses unusual music. All there in a wonderful mix during the first 30 minutes. At first I couldn't place the setting year (later in the film I discovered it is 1979, shown in a very pointed manner), so that was a bit unsettling. Two different families are shown and their relationship is unveiled slowly and wonderfully. There are a number of jokes that are genuinely funny. At about midpoint the film starts to devolve into lies, cheating, foul language, standard melodrama editing and filming, and the characters just become less and less believable and lose my connection with them (save the two lead characters, best friends Adrianna and Scott).

Sadly as this film lost my interest, I started to notice horribly sloppy editing and continuity. Normally these things just pass by, I enjoy a film, I'm engrossed in the story, and continuity, unless grossly bad, just slips past. Not here, the story line got so bogged down that I started noticing all these problems. I noticed way too many cuts where somebody would have their hand up to their mouth and an immediate reverse cut with their hand down; cigarettes that change length immediately; or facial expressions that change too quickly during a cut.

The cast. Rory Culkin (yes he has a famous brother) as Scott was good, as a more or less clueless teenager. Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew) as Adrianna was radiant, and did a wonderful job just snotty enough to her best friend Scott, and then just exactly nice enough. Alec Baldwin as Scott's father, was a pig, pretty much as he always plays he was a mix of Schwetty from SNL and his 30 Rock character. Jill Hennessy (Law and Order, and Crossing Jordan) as Scott's mother was decent. She was a little bit crazy, a little bit caring mother. Cynthia Nixon Adrianna's mother (Sex and the City) was sometimes amazing, sometimes just awful her New York accent slipped in and out a lot. Timothy Hutton as Adrianna's father was just so dirty looked like he never washed his hair the whole time. Bottom line, its more or less an all star cast. There wasn't a lot of chemistry between these characters, except Scott and Adrianna.

The film was too long by a good 30 minutes. The first 30 minutes were excellent. The last 15 were very well done. There was 45 minutes where the film kind of lost its way.

The film is rated R. There are sensuous moments with no nudity; a fair amount of strong language; and s small amount of violence. This film might be acceptable for slightly younger viewers. The themes are somewhat mature.

The DVD includes a fairly long list of bonus features. The alternate ending is just plain awful. I've never seen a DVD where the alternate is 19 minutes, where 18 minutes was exactly the same as the original film. There is 20 seconds that is new or different. The voice over with the director and a few others is just plain annoying. Clearly the director loved the script written version that is the alternate. Frankly, this is a huge waste of time, the released ending is exactly the right ending. There are a series of deleted scenes. Again, I had a hard time seeing what is different, other than extensions of what was included in the released film.

I was disappointed by this film. There are much better coming of age films. Adventureland, Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Almost Famous come to mind. My expectations were maybe set too high, this is a coming of age film with a depressing back story.

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I can finally see why the critics and audiences on Rottentomatoes.com alike gave this film 58% and 50% respectively for Lymelife. Like American Beauty, Lymelife is about the difficulties and growing pains of growing up in the suburbs. The problems is, too much of this film seems to have been carbon copied from American Beauty.

There is nothing wrong with filmmakers getting inspiration from another previously successful movie, especially one that has won so many accolades and acclaim as American Beauty. But Lymelife was trying too hard to derive the hell of suburban lifestyle, the growing pains of teenage youth, and difficulties of a marriage falling apart--all of it was taken directly from American Beauty. Even the ending was derived from American Beauty! Couldn't Derick Martini come up with a better ending?

A few acting performances do stand out to keep this movie from getting too predictable and lame. Rory Culkin as Scott Barlett, a teenager who is going through the usual growing pains of being a teenager, put on a solid performance. Timothy Hutton was good as Charlie Bragg, a man who has lyme disease, and had the unfortunate luck of witnessing his wife have an adulterous affair with her boss. And Adam Scarimbolo played the role of Scott's bully very well. But it is not enough to save Lymelife.

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Dave (2012)

This movie is one of those gems that quietly grows on you -each viewing creating anticipation and appreciation for its wit and style. The casting is superb. Kevin Kline doesn't know how to give a bad performance. Frank Langella's brilliant characterization of the ambitious, power-hungry 'man behind the throne' is perfect, and a wonderful contrast to his long-ago role as the cad/seducer in Diary of a Mad Housewife.

This is definitely a movie to buy because it needs to be seen many times. The innumerable funny pearls in this movie alone are worth the price of the DVD. For Minnesotans, one of the slyest gags was Dave's gig early in the moview, imitating the President at the grand opening of Durenberger Motors in his home town. The movie was released around the time that David Durenberger (Minnesota's senior senator) was embroiled in an ethics scandal. A personal favorite moment was the scene where Dave (with the help of his accountant buddy played by Charles Grodin) pares the federal budget to save a homeless shelter for children -the cabinet members bemusedly participating just like a family sitting around the kitchen table wrestling with its own budget. Priceless.

How do you solve a potentially explosive scandal, solve all the world's problems, and get rid of the greed and corruption in the White House? Well, you make an affable liberal actor take the President's place of course!

Kevin Kline plays Dave, an affable temp agency owner who on his off-time likes to do small event impersonations of the President. As for his luck, he strikes an uncanny resemblance, a la the Prince and the Pauper, and is found by the Secret Service to be an ideal candidate for a decoy body while the President is off doing... confidential things.

However, when the real President has a stroke, his advisors don't want to set off a national emergency... especially with a liberal vice-president around to think about. Thus they move Dave in a la The Hudsucker Proxy as the new President... but of course, Dave has a warm heart and an inspiration to try his hardest at everything he does, so... he goes at his job with the energy, charisma, and skill that everyone wants from the most powerful man in the world, even warming the angry scowl off of Susan Sarandon's face!

Of course like most cathartic entertainment like this, it's not so much about the actual presenting of ideas on how to solve all the problems (some hints on where to start are made), but more a vehicle for opening up the minds of the audience to the possibility of TRYING to make the world a better place. You can't get answers from it, but dreams, so dream hard. Don't worry, Ving Rhames will grow to like you.

The true entertainment from this comes from Kline. His acting is wonderfully physical and involved, and bleeds a sincerity to the common man, the salt of the Earth, that keeps the audience cheering for him the entire way.

--PolarisDiB

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Though this film was directed by Ivan Reitman, it's the screenwriter's picture all the way. Gary Ross has made his reputation spinning stories of innocents caught up in the world of the not-so-innocent--or vice versa. With Big, starring Tom Hanks, it was a 12-year old magically transformed into a 30 year old man, contending with the world of grownups. In his latest film, Pleasantville, it's two hip, decidedly uninnocent teenagers zoomed into the innocent world of a typical 50s TV show.

In this, his middle film, it's the owner of a copy shop, Dave, called on to impersonate the president--a high strung cad who's just suffered a heart attack. Dave is a heck of a lot more innocent than most guys his age. Divorced, he busies himself with his work and sports, always hoping to meet the right woman.

What's groovy about this film is that it's a hip, comic American remake of the great Akira Kurosawa's Kagemusha. In that film--a powerful drama with no comedy at all--a grievously ill warlord tells his vassals to find a man who resembles him as closely as possible so the warlord can instruct the other man in the ways of ruling a region; if his subjects see him alive and healthy, they'll be reassured and spies from enemy regions will know he's still a force to be reckoned with.

The vassals find a commoner whose resemblance to the warlord is so striking, there's no one else who could do the job. He's told exactly what to do, how to stand, sit, and do all the other stuff a warlord should. The same happens in Dave--he learns what to do from the evil Frank Langella, the White House press secretary. As Dave, Kevin Kline strikes the perfect balance of innocence and determination to right the wrongs so clearly in evidence. And Sigourney Weaver does a more than credible job as the first lady who's charmed by this knowledgeable innocent.

Also here are Ben Kingsley as the just as innocent Vice President (contrast this with his absolutely astounding performance in the recent Sexy Beast as a nasty rotten gangster!) and Ving Rhames, always reliable, as the secret service man who's on Dave's side all the way.

Ross is one smart cookie. Taking Kagemusha and updating it to 90s America, mixing it with big dollops of comedy and a poignant love story, was a great idea. This film really works. Take a look at Ross' other films; they're just as great.

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"Dave" was a pleasant enough movie the first time I saw it, in 1993, with the good guys winning, and with superb acting performances by Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Frank Langella, Ben Kingsley, and particularly Ving Rhames and Kevin Dunn in supporting roles. In a very small role, Charles Grodin does his best work that I've seen him do, and has one of the outstanding lines: "Who DOES these books?" Langella is quite believable as the astute, scheming politico who has never been bested; Dunn develops his character's moral conscience as we watch him on screen; and Rhames balances perfectly his character's initial distrust of the faux-president with his growing admiration of--and loyalty to--the kind of integrity so many of us wish we could find in "the leader of the free world."

When I decided to see it a second time, I viewed it as a movie or literary critic would, and found that it held together structurally, it developed organically, and it balanced some pretty heavy duty themes with good humor and almost-perfect timing. We have nearly worn out the original VHS tape that we bought, watching it whenever we want a "feel-good" movie, especially after seeing or reading about too much national and international news. Each time I watch it, I see more complexity to the character development and to the plot intricacies (which at first seem to be pretty straight-forward but, upon reflection, are not quite so simple).

"Dave" grows on its audience, appealing initially because it does represent what so many Americans would really like our government to be like; but it invites repeated viewing because of its texture, its acting, and so many of its memorable lines. How often, for example, can you imagine laughing at, "I once caught a fish THIIIIIISSSS big!" In the context of this movie, however, it is funny repeatedly while contributing seriously to character development. And how touching is the simple statement near the end of the movie, "I woulda taken a bullet for you," spoken quietly though in turbulent surroundings.

Even the ending, sappy though it may seem to be, holds open a subtle promise for the future when it is viewed in the light of the early political career of the movie's Vice President. "Dave" has risen steadily to become one of my five or six favorite movies, with "8 1/2," "Inherit the Wind," "Rear Window," "Tootsie," and "Blazing Saddles." I heartily recommend it: for a good time, call "Dave." Really.

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Hollywood has long bashed politicians in its films. Usually, these greasy-palmed lechs are seen as no more than variations of Willy Stark from ALL THE KING'S MEN. But there have been a few notable exceptions: MR. DEEDS GOES TO TOWN, MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON, THE AMERICAN PRESIDENT, and now director Ivan Reitman presents Kevin Kline as the sainted president-imposter of DAVE. The plot is nonsense, of course. Kline is a businessman who bears a stunning resemblance to the real president who unexpectedly suffers a stroke. Frank Langella, who also bears an equally stunning resemblance in both looks and attitude to former Nixon henchman Bob Haldeman, recruits Kline to stand in for the president. Kline's imposture is so convincing that everyone, including the president's wife (Sigourney Weaver), is fooled. Langella sees Kline only as a buffoon, easily manipulated until he is ready to annoint himself as the new president.

The joy of DAVE is watching an updated version of the fish out of water routine. Kline is genuinely funny as he struggles to master the protocol needed to run the free world. What gives DAVE a touching resonance is the subtle transformation of Kline as the admitted fish out of water to a good-hearted human being who slowly realizes that the power of the presidency can do far more for America than merely enrich the one who sits in the Oval Office. Even the burgeoning romance between Kline as the fake president and Weaver who thinks him the real thing is touching. Director Reitman diluted the focus of interest with a deluge of cameos of famous politicians and Hollywood stars, all of whom do little more than add one moment of cheap laughs in a movie that tries hard for serious laughs about serious issues that range from who we are to who we might be. It is the totality of questions about the need to establish our moral center in our rightful identity that makes DAVE such a refreshing breath of air after the thundering blasphemies of that self-appointed crude politico Willy Stark.

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