Jim Carrey has made three good films in his life: the well-regarded "Truman Show" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" (I have never actually seen the latter, but let's work on the assumption that it's good), and the wholly underappreciated "I Love You, Phillip Morris," which serves as a plenty humorous comedy, occasionally moving drama, and fascinating character study all at once. The movie, written and directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa from a non-fiction book by Steve McVicker, follows Steven Russell (Carrey), who goes from being a straight, married policeman to a flamboyantly gay con man.
Imprisoned for his several frauds, Russell meets fellow prisoner Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), a shy, sweet man who quickly becomes Russell's boyfriend and cell mate. The rest of the film follows the pathologically dishonest Russell's ventures in and out of prison with Morris (usually) by his side as he repeatedly ruins both of their lives.
Part of the wonder of "I Love You, Phillip Morris" is that any of this actually ever happened, even if it includes some Hollywood exaggeration. But also of note are Carrey's strong performance and the bright, fast-paced direction from Ficarra and Requa, who keep us on our toes with the rapid twists and turns of Russell's adventures. There is nothing particularly impressive about "I Love You Phillip Morris," though, besides that it is a harmless, fun film that simultaneously manages to inspire some genuine emotion (a great deal of which is sympathy for the naive Phillip). Such movies are becoming rarer and rarer as film seems to be more and more divided between mindless entertainment (mainstream releases, generally) and serious, heavy-handed slogs (independent releases, generally). "Phillip Morris" splits the difference nicely, though, and provides a much welcome breath of fresh air.
Score: 3.5/4
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Take Shelter (2011)
Jeff Nichols's horrifyingly disappointing (relative to the brilliant trailer) directorial debut film "Take Shelter" centers on a probably-schizophrenic, possibly-prophetic Midwestern laborer named Curtis (Michael Shannon). From its trailer, "Take Shelter" appeared to quite possibly be the most ambitious release of 2011, but it turns out to be little more than a showcase for Shannon. As Curtis's affliction progresses (he suffers from vividly realistic apocalyptic dreams and, eventually, bedwetting and hallucinations), he comes into greater and greater conflict with his surrounding world.
Nichols's premise is the perfect set-up for a groundbreaking awards-season-type film, but his script falls short. We are never quite sure what to make of Curtis, which is almost certainly Nichols's intention; other, seemingly more concrete characters, though, also remain enigmatic thanks to a lack of character development. Nichols drops us straight into the fundamental conflict of the film (Curtis vs. himself) in the opening scene, leaving himself too little room to build effectively, and his script lurches on from there. The film moves quickly at some points, drags at others, and often makes little sense.
Shannon, nailing everything from Curtis's tics to his mood swings to his body language, gives as powerful a performance as advertised and will surely be in the Oscar discussion come February. But the film Curtis inhabits is one with room for growth; "Take Shelter," it seems, is like a fantastic script that is on its second draft of five. This remains true right through the strange and unfulfilling final scene, which leaves the audience more confused than impressed. Fans of great acting have plenty of reason to go see "Take Shelter," but those looking for achievement in filmmaking might do better to look elsewhere.
Score: 2/4
Nichols's premise is the perfect set-up for a groundbreaking awards-season-type film, but his script falls short. We are never quite sure what to make of Curtis, which is almost certainly Nichols's intention; other, seemingly more concrete characters, though, also remain enigmatic thanks to a lack of character development. Nichols drops us straight into the fundamental conflict of the film (Curtis vs. himself) in the opening scene, leaving himself too little room to build effectively, and his script lurches on from there. The film moves quickly at some points, drags at others, and often makes little sense.
Shannon, nailing everything from Curtis's tics to his mood swings to his body language, gives as powerful a performance as advertised and will surely be in the Oscar discussion come February. But the film Curtis inhabits is one with room for growth; "Take Shelter," it seems, is like a fantastic script that is on its second draft of five. This remains true right through the strange and unfulfilling final scene, which leaves the audience more confused than impressed. Fans of great acting have plenty of reason to go see "Take Shelter," but those looking for achievement in filmmaking might do better to look elsewhere.
Score: 2/4
Margin Call (2011)
Last year, the documentary "Inside Job" told the story of the 2008 financial crisis and earned the Academy Award for Best Documentary, seemingly clinching the mantle of being the defining film made about the stock market crash. Not so, it turns out. This year's "Margin Call," a dramatization of the tumultuous final days at what one must assume is Lehman Brothers made by the rookie writer-director JC Chandor, appears to be, for all intents and purposes, a more important, more accessible, more personal look at the beginning of the recession.
"Margin Call" begins with a pitch-perfect, era-appropriate scene: the "firm," as they are known simply throughout the film, is laying off a huge number of its employees. Eric Dale (Stanley Tucci), who heads the Risk Management department, is among the unlucky chosen ones. He leaves, but only after passing off his final piece of work to his young employee, Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto). Ten hours later, and Peter has discovered that the firm is precipitously close to a total collapse. Another hour, and his new boss, Will Emerson (Paul Bettany), and his boss, Sam Rogers (Kevin Spacey), are called in.
Pretty soon, their bosses, Jared Cohen and Sarah Robertson (Simon Baker and Demi Moore) have joined them, and by some remote hour of the night, the boss's boss's boss's boss (Jeremy Irons) has arrived. His executive decision is to sell all of the firm's vulnerable assets the next day, and the rest, as they say, is history.
As "Margin Call" slips away from the rapidly unfolding drama of its first hour and moves into the melodrama of its second hour, Chandor hovers dangerously close to losing control of his script. Thankfully, he has assembled a masterful cast, and the actors are able to steer the often corny material away from excessive schmaltz. And despite a number of weak scenes, Chandor's script is often powerful, an effect magnified by the likes of Irons, Spacey, and Tucci.
There are, of course, frustrating elements of the actual portrayal of the firm's collapse; principally, the economic rationale given for the firm's peril is complete gibberish. But "Margin Call" is not about the numbers, it is about the real human effects of the financial crisis, and its insight into those affected first is deep. For that insight alone, "Margin Call" is a film worth seeing for just about anyone who has lived in the United States for the past few years.
Scores: 3.5/4
As "Margin Call" slips away from the rapidly unfolding drama of its first hour and moves into the melodrama of its second hour, Chandor hovers dangerously close to losing control of his script. Thankfully, he has assembled a masterful cast, and the actors are able to steer the often corny material away from excessive schmaltz. And despite a number of weak scenes, Chandor's script is often powerful, an effect magnified by the likes of Irons, Spacey, and Tucci.
There are, of course, frustrating elements of the actual portrayal of the firm's collapse; principally, the economic rationale given for the firm's peril is complete gibberish. But "Margin Call" is not about the numbers, it is about the real human effects of the financial crisis, and its insight into those affected first is deep. For that insight alone, "Margin Call" is a film worth seeing for just about anyone who has lived in the United States for the past few years.
Scores: 3.5/4
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