Hey folks, Harry here frankly this lukewarm review actually has me quite eager to see the film. Claiming it's for over 40 year olds only - makes me more interested, cuz I don't know about you - but I'm pretty tired of films made just for the 12-20 age group. Watch out for spoilers - here ya go...
Hi Harry,
Long time reader, first time contributor (potentially!).
Last night I was (semi) fortunate enough to attend a test-screening in of The Moguls, starring Jeff Bridges, at a lovely London cinema. We were informed that security guards would be watching us with night vision goggles throughout the performance, to prevent piracy. They could've just put a pot of gold at the front of the theatre and I'm sure the pirates would've flocked to it. Plus the mention of porn made me want to rummage in my pants normally so it left me a bit exposed.
Anyway... Andy (Jeff Bridges) feels that he is an inadequate father because he lacks the funds to compete with his son's super rich step-father. His son doesn't care, but Andy won't listen and decides to make a hardcore porn film to raise some bucks. He recruits his lame friends, all played nicely by a variety of familiar faces; Barney (Tim Blake Nelson) is Andy's best buddy/Producer, Some Idiot (Joe Pantoliano) is a wannabe writer/director, Moose (Ted Danson) is a closet (blatant) homosexual/? and Otis (William Fichtner) desperately wants to get laid.
The film is amusing, not laugh out loud hilarious, just amusing. I was surprised that the second Act managed to hold my attention as well as it did, with the gang's ridiculous attempts to cast sluts and to actually film the jazz flick. I enjoyed the performances, particularly William Fitchner's. But...
...like Jude Law, it tries very hard, but struggles to find it's place in the world. One particularly enjoyable scene (notice the use of middle-of-the-road terms here) features the gang determining what scenes to include in their film. They decide on big black man on small young white girl, girl-on-girl, anal and one chick chowing down on three men. It's crude, it's funny, they mention double anal, but after this first time writer/director Michael Traeger spends the rest of the film trying to come up with alternative phrases for vagina, which is fair enough since it's the rudest of all the words. But it feels childish and ultimately pointless. It's the kind of film I wouldn't want to see with my Nan, but I know she'd enjoy it if she watched it on her own. It's also heavily reliant on narration, which I see as a sign of weakness, and references to the actual audience (i.e ME) by Andy, constantly rip you out of the film that you're desperately trying to enjoy.
Thankfully the cast save it from death. Bridges is basically The Dude making a porno, which can't be bad and Joe Pantiliano is a likable cretin. The majority of the audience laughed hardest (and it wasn't that hard) at Ted Danson's gay man in denial turn, but William Fitchner was the stand out star of the film, playing it straight and at least making me and my friend laugh a lot. Unfortunately I wanted a little more, or at least a blowjob, for his character, which never came. So niether did he. And it has a nice little ending.
It's fine. But it should go straight to DVD. At a focus group meeting afterwards they made it clear that the test was to determine the films marketability rather than it's content and I think they're gonna have a tough job. If you liked Calendar Girls you'll love it, but if you're under forty then you'll just smile at most. It brought me up a little and then I left the cinema feeling flacid. If only the night vision goggles hadn't have been on.
Love your work (really)
Le Git
