Paul McGuigan’s Wicker Park is the sort of film that doesn’t really
entertain as much as frustrate its audience. A remake of the 1996 French film
L’Appartement, this movie aspires to be a tale of obsessive love in the
tradition of Vertigo. However, Wicker Park occupies a cinematic
level many rungs below Hitchcock’s masterpiece, and its lead, fading heartthrob
Josh Hartnett, is no James Stewart.
Set in the trendy Chicago neighborhood of the title, the story focuses on
Matthew (Hartnett), an up-and-coming executive who, while visiting in the Windy
City, thinks he catches a glimpse of his old flame Lisa (Diane Kruger). Two
years earlier, she had left him without explanation for Europe. Though Matthew
has tried to move on and is even engaged to the rather demanding Rebecca (Jessica
Paré), he just can’t get Lisa out of his mind, and begins to search for her.
Along the way, he bumps into his old buddy Luke (Mathew Lillard) and succeeds
in locating a different Lisa (Rose Byrne).
Things get complicated, and it’s not just the plot. McGuigan empties his bag
of tricks, with flashbacks, freeze frames, jagged editing, and other visual
effects designed to reflect the state of Matthew’s muddled mind. Suffice it
to say that they only compound the film’s confusion.
Hartnett continues to prove that blandness pays in Hollywood, Kruger isn’t
really allowed to make enough of an impression to help us understand Matthew’s
obsession, and McGuigan misses an opportunity to develop the characters played
by Byrne and Lillard. All in all, Wicker Park proves to be a rather tedious
film that feels much longer than its nearly two hour running time.
What other critics are saying. . .
Anaconda: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid [PG-13] An expedition searches
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Drive In
The Bourne Supremacy [PG-13] The second of the planned trilogy based
on Robert Ludlum’s novels about a CIA agent (Matt Damon) with a secret identity.
ShowPlace West
Cellular [PG-13] A young man (Chris Evans) gets a call from a woman
(Kim Basinger) who claims she was kidnapped, fears she’ll be killed, and doesn’t
know where she is. And his battery may die! ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
A Cinderella Story [PG] Routinely mistreated by her stepmother, Sam
Martin (Hilary Duff) looks forward to meeting her Internet beau at a Halloween
dance. White Oaks
Collateral [R] Tom Cruise is a hired killer who uses a cab to get from
one hit to another; Jamie Foxx is the cab driver who slowly begins to realize
what is going on. ShowPlace West
Cookout [PG-13] Todd Anderson (Quran Pender) signs a $30 million deal
with the New Jersey Nets, and in an attempt to keep himself grounded, he throws
a barbecue with comedic consequences. ShowPlace West
Exorcist: The Beginning [R] The original movie hinted at a backstory,
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Garden State [R] Zach Braff, star of the TV sitcom Scrubs, makes
his directorial debut and stars in this romantic comedy about a young man who
returns home for his mother’s funeral and experiences many life changes. Parkway
Pointe
Hero [PG-13] Zhang Yimou’s award-winning and Oscar-nominated period
epic stars Jet Li as an assassin who seeks revenge against the emperor who murdered
his family. ShowPlace West
Little Black Book [PG-13]Woman sneaks into her commitment-phobic
boyfriend’s electronic organizer to get names of his old girlfriends. She interviews
them to find out why his past relationships didn’t work — and to find out if
he’s worth her trust. Route 66 Drive In
The Manchurian Candidate [R] Director Jonathan Demme remakes and updates
the classic 1960s political thriller about a soldier (Denzel Washington) who
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brainwashed to be used later as a pawn. Parkway Pointe
Napoleon Dynamite [PG] The title character is an odd Idaho teenager
whose great loves are dancing and the ways of the ninja. Parkway Pointe
The Notebook [PG-13]Two young lovers from different backgrounds
are separated when the U.S. enters World War II. Seven years later, she is engaged
to a soldier when she discovers the whereabouts of her first true love. Parkway
Pointe
Open Water [R] Two scuba divers are stranded in shark-infested waters
by their tour boat.ShowPlace West
Paparazzi [PG-13] A celebrity decides to make an annoying photographer
pay for almost causing a tragedy. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement [G] Princess Mia (Anne Hathaway)
is primed for an arranged marriage to a English suitor. Parkway Pointe, ShowPlace
East, Route 66 Drive In
Resident Evil: Apocalypse [R] Alice (Milla Jovovich) must escape from
a city of the dead before the killer Nemesis gets her. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace
East
Suspect Zero [R] A mysterious serial killer hunts other serial killers.
Parkway Pointe
The Terminal [PG-13] Tom Hanks stars in this Steven Spielberg romantic
comedy as an Eastern European immigrant who is confined to an American airport
after his country is ravaged by war. White Oaks
Vanity Fair [PG-13] Reese Witherspoon plays Becky Sharp in Mira Nair’s
lush adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel. Parkway Pointe
The Village [PG-13] A period tale about a tiny village in 1897 Pennsylvania
that is surrounded by a forest hiding a group of mythical beasts. ShowPlace
West
Without a Paddle [PG-13] Three friends go canoeing in Washington state,
hoping to find the money stolen by D.B. Cooper, who parachuted over the area
in 1971. ShowPlace West, ShowPlace East
This article appears in Sep 9-15, 2004.
