Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Here's a new spy who seems to have hit a number of recent screenings. He forwarded me two reviews tonight that I wanted to lump together. We'll see how this guy develops over time. For now, The Roach Coach is open, and servin' it up all greasy...
What may you ask I have I seen now? Well, I'm glad you asked, because Tuesday night I saw the very first test screening of the new MTV comedy "Orange County" at Paramount Studios. Yes the film is another teen comedy with stars from WB shows, this time out it's the Tom Hanks off spring, Colin, in the lead roll of an aspiring writer whose transcripts get switched with a stoner and what he has to do to get into Stanford, the school of his dreams.
Sounds kind of lame, I know. In fact I almost went to a "Bubble Boy" screening in Burbank instead. The appeal of seeing wack packer Beetlejuice from the Howard Stern show, was out weighed, literally and figuratively, by the genius of Jack Black, who plays Colin Hanks' druggie brother (plus I didn't think I'd be able to make it out to Burbank in time after work).
I don't want to sound gay for Jack Black, but I love that guy! He is usually the best thing in every movie he's in -- think of his military nut in "Mars Attacks," or his rasta turn in "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer." He even made a mediocre flick like "Saving Silverman" entertaining, with the help of the also always good Steve Zahn. Mr. Black can also hold his own in movies that are actually good, as he did in "High Fidelity," although I know there are those who will debate whether that's actually a good movie. How does Jack fare with the comedy legends that populate Orange County? Not even the combined talents of Lily Tomlin, Catherine O'Hara, Chevy Chase, Harold Ramis, Ben Stiller, Kevin Kline, Garry Marshall, and John Lithgow can steal Jack Black's insane thunder. This isn't to say that this all-star supporting cast isn't impressive. It is, trust me (I want to know which executive sold his or her soul to the devil to get all these people in one movie). And you have to give Colin Hanks his due, because he actually manages to be funny as the straight man amongst all these comedy giants. Colin's high school friends, and especially his cute red headed girlfriend (none of whom I've never seen before, although I don't want much WB), also help round out the cast in a pleasantly surprising way.
Now, if this cast doesn't get you interested then its sly intelligence and warm heart should. The writing and directing (there were no credits so I don't know who's responsible) is solid, although a bit straight forward, and the soundtrack is filled with the requisite pop hits, but also a large helping of Pet Sounds area Beach Boys and more obscure Brian Wilson solo work, which earns the movie extra points in my book. Of all the test screenings I've seen since being in L.A. for the last few months this is the most solid.
This isn't to say that the movie doesn't have flaws. The largest is an inherent one, in that it's yet another High School comedy. I think I've seen enough to last me a lifetime. But getting past its setting, which I'm sure won't stop the kids, is the fact that Jack Black is simply not given enough screen time. Yes, he's only a supporting character, but he steals every scene he's in and makes me long for him when he's gone (Again, I'm not gay for him. I swear!) When will someone give him a lead role?! Moving past his Jackness, the movie really slows down after Colin and gang make it to Stanford and he meets his idol, played by Kline, who acts as a dues ex machina by neatly summing up the entire meaning of the film and making Colin's realization and life changing decision for him. I know this is aimed for a high school audience, but give them some credit, especially because up to that point the movie was smarter than your average teen comedy, Boo-Boo. The coda was also a little too perfect. Every character had a nice little happy wrap up to their particular story and was wrapped in a little bow. It's not that I wanted a sad ending or for anything bad to happen to the very likeable characters, but let's at least inch it somewhere towards reality. These are easy fixes, though, and if made it could give "Orange County" some of its teeth back.
I'm not sure I should waste my time with what is an under the radar film from a first time writer/director. "The Gentlemen's Game," which had its first test screening last night, is a thoughtful and tender coming of age film set against the backdrop of the posh country club Chase Fox, where golf prodigys and legends are cultivated as a status symbol that no money can buy. Think of it as the anti-thesis of "Caddyshack," although Doyle-Murray appears as a burned out grizzled caddie. Whereas "Caddyshack" was fun, wild, and crude, "The Gentlemen's Game" is much like the sport of golf itself, leisurely, contemplative and largely serene with small spurts of excitement.
With the typically brilliant cinematography of veteran Conrad Hall, the rather mundane world of wealthy suburbanites is transformed into one of haunting beauty. The superb acting from an incredible ensemble cast also adds to the impact of the film's understated but lasting impact. Philip Baker Hall (Magnolia), Gary Sinese (Forrest Gump) and Dylan Baker (I may have the name wrong, but if I do just remember the creepy, yet sympathetic, pedophile from the Todd Solonz flick "Happiness") all give flawless performances. Sinese turns what could have easily been a cliched ridden role, that of a golfer who retired at the peak of an incredibly promising career, into one of true subtly that avoids sappy sentimentalism. The relationship he has with an up and coming golf prodigy Timmy (played by the little blond sidekick of Jason Schartzman in "Rushmore," although his name escapes me at the moment) is a refreshing change from the typical reluctant mentor/eager student relationship seen in most movie. Sinese even makes reference to this in one of the movie's funnier scenes when he refuses to be Pat Moreta to the young golfer's Ralph Macheo. "There'll be no wax on, wax off, (I'm paraphrasing)" says Sinese at one point.
The real powerhouse acting, however, comes from Dylan Baker as the father of the golf prodigy who at first ignores his son's emerging talent just like he does the affects of his wife. The performance walks a fine line of realism which always preserves the character's cranky and cold demeanor with a growing love and eventual admiration for his son. This is perhaps one of the best treatments and most realistic treatments of a father and son relationship that I've seen on screen in years, because it avoids the typical Great Santini-ish treatment of an overbearing father or the soft as shit type of father best demonstrated by Steve Martin in "Parenthood."
Unfortunately, the movie focuses on the male relationships to the harmful exclusion of the only two females -- the mother, and a fledgling love interest of the new golf prodigy. They either need to be jettisoned, because now they seemed tacked on and represent the only two underdeveloped characters in what is a rather amazing character study, or they need to be fleshed out. The feminine perspective actually added a refreshing break, and potentially interesting perspective, from the male dominated world of country club golf, so hopefully there's footage on the cutting room floor that can help round these characters out.
The film's largest flaw, however, comes from the grab bag approach to social themes. For most of the film the story concentrates on the idea of golf, and the respectable, moneyed world it represents, as a microcosm for the rest of the world. The prodigy learns that Golf, just as in the adult world, there are a set of rules that one must oblige whether they're fair or not. That these rules of the game are only a polite mask for the potentially corrupt world of high society makes Timmy, with the help of his mentor and father, rethink his golf career.
This message gets muddied by simply too many other themes that are simply used as devices to advance the plot. There is a class struggle, which was already mined brilliantly in "Caddyshack," racism, and child sexual abuse. Now in fairness, the film uses these issues to show the rotting heart of the old guard country club elite, which is done quite effectively. However, none of the issues are really addressed beyond the fact that they exist, so when a club member delivers a spew of racial slurs near the film's climax or when it is revealed that a caddy is being molested by the club president it just feels wrong. That's because these explosive issues are only a backdrop to a relatively mundane story of a rich boy trying to decide if he'll go on to cash in and be the next Tiger Woods. The filmmakers either need to take these issues out so as not to diminish the powerfully simplicity of the main story or refocus the movie to these larger and more controversial topics by giving it the same thoughtful and in-depth treatment. This movie probably won't dare to go there, however, due to the larger harsh societal truths it seeks to avoid.
"The Gentlemen's Game," is a beautifully shot and acted character study that, if trimmed down to what the story is really about, could be a refreshing sleeper hit that will remind golfers why they love the game so much, and will remind non-golfers that lies we tell ourselves are the same that get passed down to our children and create a nearly unbreakable code of silence that can only be destroyed by confronting the ugly truths in ourselves.
Peace, Love and Chicken Grease,
The Roach Coach
