Film
Alexander Payne's follow up to About Schmidt depicts a week-long road trip taken by a former soap actor Jack (Church) and his morose best friend Miles (Giamatti) through California's wine country, in order to give the former a proper send-off before his wedding.
The duo form a classic odd couple: Miles all bitter self-consciousness and unwanted insight (when asked if he has children he replies "Nah, I'd just fuck 'em up..."), and Jack the shameless insincere charmer ("This is delicious, absolutely delicious ... is it chicken?")
Giamatti brings his disgruntled, malcontent screen persona perfectly to the role of struggling writer Miles Raymond, his character's self-loathing coming across as perfectly genuine. He also portrays the instability of depression perfectly, spending most of the film appearing aloof and pre-occupied (although never uninteresting), but also convincingly communicating excitement whenever roused from his Prozac-induced stupor (watch his eyes light up during a date with Madsen's enchanting waitress Maya). Church gets the biggest laughs and plays his one-dimensional role to consistently crowd-pleasing effect.
Everyone who remembers the hysterical fight scene in About Schmidt will be aware of Payne's extraordinary eye for physical indignity, and this time round we are treated to several extended sequences of entertaining farce, interspersed with a seemingly endless array of superior sight gags (watch Miles write a birthday card to his mother while standing up in a parking lot, or delicately sipping a glass of wine while reading Barely Legal).
It's a testament to Payne's directorial control that he manages to include so much self-consciously wacky comedy without ever compromising the film's drama. Most tragi-comedies seek to keep the humour as low-key and subtle as possible in order to preserve a suitably pensive atmosphere in which the more serious themes can be explored - relying, for example, on dry witticisms and black one-liners. Payne, however, is unafraid to send up proceedings, and if anything the film's overt silliness only enhances the moments in which its genuinely emotional core is explored. Overall, though, it is the film's restraint that makes it so effective - fractured relationships and past traumas are glimpsed through photographs or alluded to in conversation, enriching the work with poignant backstory.
Whilst never being brought to the fore, Payne deliberately avoids any of the emotionally devastating dramatic manipulation of his previous work, and instead settles for a perfectly crafted experience that's relentlessly involving, amusing, and quietly affecting.
Dustin Hoffman and Robert De Niro are responsible for some of the great performances of contemporary cinema; Barbra Streisand has one of the greatest noses in contemporary cinema and Ben Stiller can certainly make with the funny. But despite boasting a cast of such esteemed pedigree, the question that troubled this reviewer as the cinema lights dimmed was whether Meet the Fockers would live up to the high standards of its predecessor, Meet the Parents.
Following on from where the first film left off, Gaylord Greg Focker (Stiller) introduces his easy-going sex therapist mother (Streisand) and house-husband father (Hoffman) to his fiancée's uptight ex-CIA father (De Niro), with inevitable results and a plot that you can probably guess already. The two worlds collide with predictable, cringe-worthy disaster ensuing.
In common with its much-hyped predecessor, Meet the Fockers is a comedy-hybrid: its not quite in the gross-out American Pie camp, but then it's not entirely sanitised either. There are enough swearing children and foreskin-related gags to offend the elderly, but perhaps not enough to satisfy the more infantile at heart.
That said, the film does a lot with its running theme of embarrassing parents, enjoying some nice one liners and more than a few agonisingly comic set pieces. It's not that it won't make you laugh, it's just that with its cast and hype, one is left with the impression that it misses the opportunity to be truly outstanding. In particular, De Niro's paranoid and bullying parent is difficult to sympathise with when it's his turn to squirm and probably only really works when he's torturing other people. But while it might be a little formulaic and has some room for improvement, Meet the Fockers is totally watchable and fun. A third instalment seems likely, if only for the punning potential of the title.
As this is basically a repeat of Meet the Parents, if you didn't like that my advice would be to avoid this film as if it were oncoming traffic. If you liked the original - or haven't seen it yet - then you'll probably enjoy this a lot.
The original Assault on Precinct 13 was made in 1976 by John Carpenter. While some of Carpenter's films can now seem dated, they still contain sparks of originality alongside a sense of attention paid by a man totally involved with the creation of his films. Sadly, this remake directed by Jean-Francois Richet fails to be anything other than a generic action thriller.
Assault on Precinct 13 sees a group of cops and criminals under siege by corrupt policemen, in a soon-to-be-closed police station. It's New Year's Eve, there's a storm outside and the only way to stave off the attackers is to arm the criminals inside. Amongst this motley crew is Ethan Hawke playing a washed-up cop and Laurence Fishburne as Marion Bishop, a crime lord wanted dead by the cops outside.
Watching the film generates a suspicion that Richet had a checklist of action staples to fill in. Double crosses: check. Mistrust between the defending cops and criminals: check. A wary alliance between Hawke and Fishburne: check. The list goes on. If effectively done this could have produced an entertaining film. However, the dialogue drags the film down, and while the action is enjoyable the siege lacks the urgency needed to paper over the flimsy characters.
A minor appearance from Ja Rule as a criminal named 'Smiley' is particularly grating, as Smiley insists on referring to himself in the third person. One exception to a boring cast is Fishburne. With his imposing physical appearance and measured delivery, he exudes a quiet menace - making him one of the stronger elements.
Assault on Precinct 13 is one remake audiences could have done without. Without any true individual features it will undoubtedly fade away into a long line of passable action entertainment.
3rd Feb 2005