Hey folks, Harry Here. Here's a review from the collector of spores, molds and fungis... good ol Egon Spengler. And for this review... I owe him a Nestle Crunch bar... No no... He's earned it. Well, this is a film I'm not to psyched to see, but hey... I'll probably end up going to at least see the landscapes... I love Africa. So, without much further ado, I'll let Spengler get on talking about this twinkie... enjoy...
Hi Harry, it's Egon Spengler again with a review of the new Kim Basinger flick I DREAMED OF AFRICA, directed by the long-lost Hugh Hudson (CHARIOTS OF FIRE and GREYSTOKE).
As you might have guessed from the title, this is a bit of a rip-off of OUT OF AFRICA, a very similar tale of a white woman toughing it out in the African wilds, facing natives, wild animals, irresponsible guys and unexpected tragedies. I should point out that this film, like OUT OF AFRICA, has the virtue of being based on a true story (or so I gathered at the test screening, maybe that's just PR smoke).
Basinger plays Kuki, a single mom living in Italy (it wasn't clear whether she was supposed to be Italian and just wasn't attempting to do an accent, or an American who'd been living in Italy for many years). She gets into a horrific car accident with some friends and while recuperating, falls in love with Vincent Perez, the boyfriend of one of the women killed in the wreck.
The two of them fall in love and marry, and then decide to start life over again by purchasing a ranch in Africa and using it as a base for a hunting guide business. Kuki's happy there, pulling the ranch together, while her husband learns how to be a big-game hunter from the locals and her young son discovers a fascination for the local snakes.
Of course, I've warned you that this flick is very similar to OUT OF AFRICA, so you should be able to guess that various tragedies ensue, sparked by run-ins with poachers and the kid's growing obsession with his snakes. The film encompasses many yearsbut by the end, Kuki's had to plant most of her loved ones in the backyard.
There are some serious problems with this movie, which can definitely be classified as a "chick flick." I'll spell 'em out, but I should say up front that despite its flaws, I DREAMED OF AFRICA really worked on me (I must confess to liking chick flicks sometimes). It also seemed to work pretty well on most of the women in the test audience, though not so much on the guys…pretty predictable.
The film's flaws are mostly in its cliché-ridden screenplay, and not in Hudson's visually beautiful direction. The guy just can't help himself, even the early sequences in Italy are well-photographed, when they get to Africa, forget about it, National Geographic eat your heart out.
But there are several glaring, almost laughable moments in the film…every time a funeral is held for one of the main characters, Basinger shows up looking FABULOUS. It's really just bizarre, it's like that moment from WAYNE'S WORLD where Wayne has to get serious for a moment and the words "OSCAR CLIP" start flashing at the bottom of the screen. The writer tops it all off with Kuki stoically reading poetry as tears run down her cheeks, sprinkling the grave with flowers, it's just waaaay overboard. In reality, this woman would be sagging , unable to speak, in shock. Especially since the deaths are always tragic, unexpected ones...it's not like grampa dying slowly of old age with plenty of time to plan a big sendoff. Maybe it seems like I'm dwelling too much on these scenes but there are more than one of them and they knock you right out of the film. I'm enjoying the momentum this rather predictable and cliched but also surprisingly enjoyable film has built up…and then kapow, I am rolling my eyes and snickering.
As I'm doing it though, I hear sniffling behind me, so this is working for somebody out there.
There's also the fact that those deaths are telegraphed, not just hinted at, earlier in the film. In fact, one sequence sets up the death of a main character with an exciting poacher kidnapping which is really well-done, the whole sequence just tight and gripping, but then the guy lives…and dies later in a completely different way, off camera. Which I guess is supposed to be a big shock but we've already been set up for this person to die, so…you feel manipulated, and not in a good way. And, (SPOILER WARNING) for how many years can Basinger's son play with poisonous snakes before one finally bites him? It's almost a relief when one finally sinks his fangs into the kid. One for the snakes and all.
And yet, his death scene is extremely well directed, it should be Basinger's real Oscar clip, as the kid croaks on the kitchen floor, that felt like such a real and horrible choice, instead of having him die nobly in the African bush, he gets glassy-eyed and spits up on himself on his mom's kitchen floor. It worked.
That's the sort of mixed bag this movie is, one scene you saw coming a mile away, done in such an over the top way that you're digging your nails into your armrest to keep from laughing out loud, the next scene so well-directed and acted it's just heartbreaking. It's what you get when you've got a lot of talent assembled but the script just isn't there yet. An OK flick that OUT OF AFRICA fans will probably appreciate as a somewhat less skillful remake, but a welcome return for Hudson, who's made only like 2 movies since the underrated REVOLUTION.
The film's only other major problem: A super-choppy first act in which the exposition is really murky. Like I mentioned before, it's not clear exactly who/what Kuki isand why she lives alone with a little boy in quite a big house. Did she marry a rich guy who died? We're never told, but this film was a rough cut and first act problems could be fixed by the time it's released. If they are, the film will definitely be improved by a better understanding of Basinger's character.
Egon Spengler
