Movie reviews of Bicentenial Man, Man on the Moon, The Hurricane
Bicentennial Man** The Tin Man Gets a Heart Based on a 1975 short story by science fiction writer Issac Asimov, Bicentennial Man tells the story of a robobutler named Andrew (Robin Williams), from the day “he” arrives at the home of a family destined to share him for four generations. The father (Sam Neill) is enthusiastic about the new household appliance, but mom (Wendy Crewson) and bratty older daughter (Angela Landis) aren’t so sure. Sweet-natured “Little Miss” (Hallie Kate Eisenberg) overcomes her fears to embrace Andrew as playmate and confidant. To the chagrin of Andrew’s original creator (Stephen Root) Andrew demonstrates characteristics of creativity, affection and curiosity that are not typical of a robot. Seeds of a potential human nature soon flourish through Andrew’s multigenerational relationships, from Little Miss to her granddaughter Portia (Embeth Davidtz). With the help of a mad-scientist type (Oliver Platt), Andrew takes on round after round of development and factory “upgrades” until he feels ready to be declared a human. The extent to which you enjoy Bicentennial Man will depend on how favorably (or unfavorably) disposed you are to Williams’ sentimental approach, as seen in his recent films Patch Adams and Jakob the Liar. There’s no gravity to his performance, although gravity is the only thing that keeps Director Chris Columbus’ films from floating away entirely. While entertaining, the acting is pretty much a wash and the lack of tangible conflict drains away any real dramatic tension from the film. Bicentennial Man isn’t actually two hundred years long. It just seems that way. Man on the Moon** Humor Eclipse Man on the Moon begins with a troublesome, nerdy child, who hosts a television show in front of cameras he believes are hidden in his bedroom walls. This is the story of late comedian Andy Kaufman (Jim Carrey), a man who was either ahead of his time or a supreme waste of our time. Zooming ahead to the mid-1970s as a stand-up comedian, entertainment agent George Shapiro (Danny DeVito) sees Andy’s potential for zaniness. From his trademark foreign accent, Mighty Mouse and Elvis impersonations, Andy’s fame leads to stints on Saturday Night Live and an ensemble role as likeable Latka Gravis on TV’s Taxi. Along with his writing partner, Bob Zmuda (Paul Giamatti), Andy pens a prime time special that network executives hate, calling it bizarre and utterly unfunny. Once he has the spotlight on him, Kaufman is unwilling to become creatively apathetic, instead choosing to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, life and death. Man on the Moon is a film that you either love or loathe, like Andy Kaufman or Jim Carrey for that matter. The forcefulness with which the film conveys Andy’s character is as much a function of the outstanding portrayal as it is of the script. A lifelong Kaufman fan, Carrey desperately wanted to win this role, and once he got it, he poured every ounce of his talent into it. So much so that rumors were rampant that it took Carrey several weeks to “come down” from the act. If you don’t have the slightest idea who Kaufman was, nothing in director Milos Forman’s movie will help you figure that out. And somewhere out there, Andy Kaufman must be having a good laugh. The Hurricane**** Full Force Denzel Rubin “Hurricane” Carter (Denzel Washington) was a contender for the middleweight boxing title. In 1966, he was arrested for the murder of three people at a New Jersey tavern, convicted and sentenced to three life terms. A 1976 retrial produced the same result. Years later, Lesra Martin (Vicellous Reon Shannon), a teenager living in Toronto, went to a library book sale and bought Carter’s autobiography, The Sixteenth Round. It served as the inspiration for Lesra and his foster family (Deborah Unger, John Hannah, Liev Schreiber) to contact Carter and mount a new appeal for his freedom, involving a complicated trail of spurious evidence, perjury and prejudice. Directed by Norman Jewison, this is the veteran filmmaker’s most potent and politically minded film since winning the Academy Award in 1967 for In the Heat of the Night. Jewison is at his best when making films with a social conscience, and this is his best in years. Washington’s performance is remarkable, as compelling as his work in Malcolm X. An extraordinary story by any measure, The Hurricane swirls with the kind of passion that speaks much more directly to the 1960s than to the late 1990s. It is a well-written, wonderfully acted drama about the power of the human spirit in the face of adversity. The fact that it’s a true tale adds to its appeal. The Hurricane will blow you away. <<<