Secondhand Lions
Tim McCanlies’ Secondhand Lions is a deftly handled, heartwarming story that gives its audience exactly what it wants–an affirmation of a sound moral code rendered in the best Capracorn tradition.
Credit McCanlies’ fine cast for bringing this coming-of-age story set in rural
Texas, circa 1962, to life. Michael Caine and Robert Duvall are Garth and Hub
McCann, brothers who live in a rundown gothic monstrosity in the middle of nowhere.
These eccentrics have a mysterious reputation and spend a lot of time living
up to it. The locals suspect the brothers have millions of dollars stashed away
somewhere on their property and theorize how they got the cash. No one really
knows. But the McCanns’ great-nephew, Walter (Haley Joel Osment), who’s been
dumped on their doorstep by his gold-digging mother (Kyra Sedgwick), intends
to find out.
McCanlies, who also wrote the script, cuts back and forth between Garth and
Hub’s ongoing shenanigans and flashbacks of their past adventures. More important
are scenes between the three principals. A genuine bond forms between them,
of course, and young Walter seems to grow into a young man under the care of
these old hands. Osment is a fine, young actor whose talent is growing as quickly
as he is. But, as would be expected, Caine and Duvall dominate the screen. It’s
an absolute joy to watch these veteran pros in action.
(Running time 1:47, rated PG)
Grade B
Showplace, White Oaks
Matchstick Men
The best films about con artists and their scams know how to lead an audience
on a joyride of deception. Classics such as The Sting and House of
Games make the viewer their biggest patsy. And we like it that way.
Ridley Scott’s Matchstick Men tries awfully hard to hoodwink us. But
the ultimate “gotcha” is too extraordinary to warrant belief. If that weren’t
bad enough, the film’s feel-good ending plays like a reject Hallmark greeting
card. It in no way resembles the hard-edged story that precedes it.
Nicolas Cage and Sam Rockwell are Roy and Frank, matchstick men who make their
living ripping off poor dolts with simple bait-and-switch schemes. Frank longs
to break out and go for a big score, but Roy is held back by a variety of neuroses.
He suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder, is always cleaning his house,
and must open and shut his door three times before he allows anyone to enter.
His estranged 15-year old daughter Angela (Alison Lohman) whom he begins to
interact with at the urging of his new psychologist, Dr. Klein (Bruce Altman),
is the one who clears away his anxiety. Before you know it Roy is hungry for
the big catch. Frank finds the target, slimeball Chuck Frechette (Bruce McGill),
and all Roy has to do is reel him in with an elaborate money laundering bit.
But Angela gets involved and her presence threatens to blow the scam.
Rockwell is one of the best character actors of his generation. He continues
to impress with this quirky, offbeat turn. Lohman follows up her strong performance
in last year’s otherwise forgettable White Oleander. But it is Cage who
carries this project over its rough spots.
The acting, and the humorous screenplay by Nicholas and Ted Griffin, who adapted
it from Eric Garcia’s novel, are enough to recommend the movie. Yet the final
payoff just doesn’t deliver. There’s a difference between being fooled and being
taken.
(Running time 2:00, rated R)
Grade B
Parkway Pointe, Showplace
Cold Creek Manor
Cooper and Leah Tilson (Dennis Quaid and Sharon Stone) are desperate
to escape the rat race of the Big Apple so they buy a handyman’s special in
the country. Adjusting to the country, of course, proves not so easy. There’s
all those nasty snakes. And the standoffish locals get quiet whenever it’s mentioned
that the house they purchased is the Cold Creek Manor. The worst local is Dale
Massie (Stephen Dorff), a repair man who likes to beat his girlfriend (Juliette
Lewis), once owned the manor, and has a horrible secret. Now if they can just
handle him, why, country livin’ would be downright dreamy.
What’s surprising about Mike Figgis’s Cold Creek Manor is that it works
at all. Borrowing heavily from Cape Fear and Pacific Heights,
this thriller generates enough angst to keep us on the edge of our seats. Credit
Figgis and screenwriter Richard Jeffries for adopting a masterful pace, revealing
the many clues that unravel Massie’s history with perfect timing for full shock-value
effect.
Kudos must also be extended to Quaid and Stone. They both have mellowed with
age and have developed mature acting styles. Dorff’s performance is markedly
different but no less vital. Your stomach tightens when Dale appears on screen,
thanks to the actor’s menace. Yet your heart twinges when he’s reduced to tears
in the face of his domineering father.
More than anything, Creek serves is a cautionary tale. Remember that
if you’re ever shown a home that has a glass case containing steel mallets used
for killing sheep, you might want to keep looking.
(Running time 1:58, rated R)
Grade B
Showplace, White Oaks
What other critics are saying . . .
American Wedding A comic weekend wedding, complete with bachelor party.
“The grossest, least funny–and, here’s hoping, the last–installment in the American
Pie series.” (Manhola Dargis, Los Angeles Times) White Oaks
Anything Else Woody Allen’s new comedy-romance with Jason Biggs as
Allen’s stand-in. “Biggs plays the guy with the sexual hang-ups, who, with a
confident stab at the quintessential Allen screw-up, proves there’s more to
life than American Pie.” (David Stratton, Variety). . . Allen
hasn’t lost his knack for slapstick with a sting.” (Peter Traves, Rolling
Stone) Parkway Pointe
Bruce Almighty Jim Carrey is granted sovereignty over his hometown
by God. “A smart, surprisingly thought-through blockbuster, with a decent grasp
of the theological implications of its idea.” (Nev Pierce, BBCi) “A fable overwhelmed
by special effects and outsized spectacle.” (Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times)
Esquire
Cabin Fever “It’s a blast of good gory fun that just won’t quit.” (Peter
Travers, Rolling Stone) “. . . elements of suspense and true terror are
sacrificed for intended laughs (in-jokes and otherwise) that don’t always materialize.”
(Michael Rechtshaffen, Hollywood Reporter) Marty McKee’s grade: D+. White
Oaks
Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star David Spade is a former child star
who must relive his childhood. “It’s a standard joke in screwy teen comedies,
but for some reason it seems kind of fresh here.” (Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco
Chronicle) “David Spade has two-thirds of a comic idea, and the jokes occasionally
hit one of their hundred moving targets.” (Bob Campbell, Newark Star-Ledger).
Chuck Koplinski’s grade: C. Parkway Pointe
The Fighting Temptations. An unethical exec must assemble an award-winning
gospel choir to receive his aunt’s inheritance. “It’s Sister Act warmed
over.” (James Berardinelli, James Berardinelli’s Reviews) “Exuberant
musical numbers and comic characters bolster the film’s time-honored premise.”
(Sheri Linden, Hollywood Reporter) Chuck’s grade: C. Showplace
Finding Nemo Animated underwater tale. “An upbeat, sentimental
fable about a fearful father fish and a rebellious son who recklessly breaks
away from the school. . . Visual imagination and sophisticated wit raise Finding
Nemo to a level just below the peaks of Pixar’s Toy Story movies.”
(Stephen Holden, New York Times) “It’s all beautiful, all right. But
before long I began to feel beaten against the rocks of that beauty. . . . After
the first 10 minutes or so, it’s exhausting.” (Stephanie Zacharek, Salon.com)
Chuck’s grade: A. Rt. 66 Drive In
Freaky Friday Remake of 1976 comedy in which a mother and daughter
switch identities. “A funny, shrewd, no-bull family comedy.” (Lisa Schwarzbaum,
Entertainment Weekly) White Oaks
Freddy Vs. Jason Horror sequels merge. “A tediously ghastly genre pic.”
(Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer) “The action is lovingly lurid, and
the laughs keep coming.” (Bruce Westbrook, Houston Chronicle) Chuck’s
grade: C. Esquire
The Italian Job Remake of 1969 caper movie. “This is a snazzy piece
of filmmaking: fluid but wittily syncopated; stylish without appearing to expend
undue effort.” (David Edelstein, Slate) “Don’t expect much more . . . than a
pleasant workout.” (David Denby, The New Yorker) Esquire
Man on the Train A shady stranger gets off a train at a small, rural
station in France and bumps into a retired teacher he ends up befriending. “It
speaks to the quixotic desire to know what it feels like to be someone else,
someone utterly different from ourselves–the reason we talk to strangers, the
reason we go to the movies.” (Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly) “Collapses in
a heap of affirmational outbursts and metaphysical goop.” (Jessica Winter, Village
Voice) White Oaks
Once Upon a Time in Mexico Robert Rodriguez’s newest El Mariachi installment.
“Shamelessly violent and shallow.” (Michael Booth, Denver Post) “. .
. The most crowd-pleasing film in the series.” (Peter Hartlaub, San Francisco
Chronicle). Chuck’s grade: B. Parkway Pointe, Showplace
Open Range Western about cowboys fighting a greedy capitalist. “A ponderous
drag.” (A.O. Scott, New York Times) “A juicy, character-driven western
with a real plot that spins a hypnotic narrative.” (Rex Reed, New York Observer)
Chuck’s grade: B+. Showplace
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Johhny Depp
is a pirate. “The most high-flying, jaw-dropping special effect of the
summer is . . . Johnny Depp.” (Ty Burr, Boston Globe) Chuck’s grade:
B+. Parkway Pointe, Showplace
Seabiscuit The horse, its jockey, and the men who made them famous.
“A Depression underdog saga, the movie also is standout alternative programming
to an oft-deadly sequel summer.” (Mike Clark, USA Today) Chuck’s grade:
A. Parkway Pointe
S.W.A.T. Film version of the old television show. “Best suited for
audiences who don’t mind being pummeled into submission.” (Michael Wilmington,
Chicago Tribune) “Offers up the kind of pleasures that only a summer
movie can.” (Michael O’Sullivan, Washington Post) Parkway Pointe
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Arnold Schwarzenegger comes back,
again, as a android fighting another, more advanced robot. “A taut, exciting
science-fiction thriller that pumps up our adrenaline without forgetting to
engage our heads. . . . The movie also plays as a more palpable cautionary tale
about humans’ ceding control to machines than The Matrix Reloaded.” (Mark
Caro, Chicago Tribune) Chuck’s grade: B. Parkway Pointe, Showplace
Underworld Female vampire movie with a little Matrix
thrown in.”It takes
a premise that should have made for primo goth froth . . . and renders it (forgive
me) bloodless, even when the corn syrup flows by the gallon.” (Alex Pappademas,
Village Voice) Parkway Pointe, Showplace
Uptown Girls Snobby young woman takes care of cute little girl. “There’s
nothing wrong with Uptown Girls that not seeing it won’t fix.” (Stephen
Hunter, Washington Post). “[A] standard variation of the princess myth.”
(Stephen Holden, New York Times) Rt. 66 Drive In
This article appears in Sep 18-24, 2003.
