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Comedy?
Thriller?
Nicole Kidman, mail-order
bride.
By Lois
Wadsworth
BIRTHDAY GIRL: Directed and co-written
by Jez Butterworth. Co-written by Tom Butterworth. Produced by Stephen Butterworth
and Diana Phillips. Cinematography, Oliver Stapleton. Production design, Hugo Lyczyc-Wyhowski.
Editor, Christopher Tellefsen. Costumes, Phoebe de Gaye. Composer, Stephen Warbeck.
Starring Nicole Kidman and Ben Chaplin, with Mathieu Kassovitz and Vincent Cassel.
Miramax, 2002. R. 93 minutes.
 |
|
John (Ben Chaplin) and Nadia (Nicole
Kidman) trudge through the English Countryside.
. |
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Nicole Kidman continues to select roles that confuse efforts to categorize
her as a star who plays the same persona over and again. Think of Tom Hanks, who
always plays the decent guy no matter what the situation. But in her best films,
Kidman has played an ambitious bimbo-killer (To Die For, 1995); an independent
woman turned into an art object by a bad marriage (Portrait of a Lady, 1993);
a young wife and mother with a rich fantasy life (Eyes Wide Shut, 2001); a
French cabaret performer and courtesan who falls in love (Moulin Rouge, 2001);
and a depressed, single parent of two children with special needs (The Others,
2001).
True to her reluctance to be typed, Kidman here plays a Russian
mail-order bride, Nadia, whose past accompanies her to England and her new husband,
John (Ben Chaplin). When John first realizes Nadia speaks no English, he tries to
give her back to the website, From Russia With Love, where he found her. But after
Nadia locates a partiality for bondage among his magazines, their sex life becomes
steamy, and John puts their language problem in perspective.
Nadia's "cousins" Alexi (Vincent Cassel, Brotherhood
of the Wolf) and Yuri (Mathier Kassovitz, Amelie) turn up for her birthday
party, and John slowly becomes disenchanted. Of course, it's too late by then, both
for John's ideals and for the movie, which now fractures into a series of predictable
subplots these pseudo-noir efforts require: the robbery, the flight from authorities,
the road trip, a reunion of sorts, and the final accounting.
These not too original complications do not lead back to the film's
original premise that love (or lust) overcomes all barriers, but they give John a
chance to get in touch with his anger and find a different path. Nadia's challenge
is to discover what she really wants. By the end, it's not clear what the future
holds, but it doesn't include going back to John's former life as a bank clerk in
dreary St. Albans, a residential community outside London.
Kidman's implacable self assurance and classy professionalism are
truly her own. Chaplin is a solid presence throughout. Vincent Cassel and Mathieu
Kassovitz make the most of their fairly shallow roles as international con artists.
Kidman's performance is distanced, her warmth spilling over for only a few moments
at Nadia's birthday party. In that time she shows Nadia's genuine vulnerability,
which makes her more likable
The brothers Butterworth who directed, wrote and produced the film
are not in the same class as other filmmakers Kidman's worked with Gus Van Sant,
Jane Campion, Stanley Kubrick, Baz Luhrmann, Alejandro Amenábar but they're
ambitious and hard-working, and the film is promising. Now playing at Cinemark.
Back to top
Mother
Nature's Son
Sean Penn delivers the
goods.
By Lois
Wadsworth
I AM SAM: Directed by Jessie Nelson.
Written by Nelson and Kristine Johnson. Produced by Nelson, Richard Solomon, Marshall
Herskovitz and Edward Zwick. Executive producers, Claire Rudnick Polstein, Michael
De Luca and David Scott Rubin. Cinematography, Elliot Davis. Production design, Aaron
Osborne. Editor, Richard Chew. Music, John Powell. Starring Sean Penn, Dakota Fanning
and Michele Pfeiffer, with Dianne Wiest, Richard Schiff, Loretta Devine, Doug Hutchison
and Laura Dern. New Line Cinema, 2001. PG-13. 130 minutes.
 |
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| Sam (Sean Penn) and Lucy (Dakota
Fanning) are briefly reunited. |
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I was prepared for the worst and surprised by the best. I Am Sam
is relentlessly maudlin, but terrific performances save it. Director, co-writer,
co-producer Jessie Nelson is not a very accomplished filmmaker. She directed Corrina,
Corrina (1994), wrote The Story of Us (1995), and co-wrote Stepmom
(1998). Her scripts are aimed at a feel-good sentimentality that passes for emotion,
from which I Am Sam is not excluded. The film's muddled editing cuts away
from the edgy issues, leaving the script's one-sided character development and clichés
intact.
But in every instance, realistic performances by Sean Penn as Sam
Dawson, a mentally challenged coffee shop employee, and Dakota Fanning as Lucy Diamond
Dawson, his 7-year-old daughter, flesh out the limitations of script and director.
Michele Pfeiffer also turns in a heartfelt, credible performance, but she has played
brittle, harried career women such as Sam's unlikely attorney, Rita Harrison, too
often to break new ground here. Laura Dern, who plays a suburban foster mom named
Randy, brings emotional maturity to her role. At first Randy is dead set against
Sam raising Lucy, but as she comes to love the child, she sees better what is right
for her. Like Sam, the most nuanced of Randy's changes register silently on
her face.
Penn is the master here, however. Sam's limited abilities do not
make him childish, although that's what the officials who wish to remove Lucy from
his care really mean when they allude to his "mental state." Sam is a man
with a child's reasoning, but he is not a child. He holds down a job, gets around
on public transportation and lives on his own.
Sam's gift is his feelings and his insight into others' feelings.
He expresses the pain of not being able to do what others effortlessly achieve through
his eyes. His hand gestures and facial tics are not formulaic but appropriate to
the moment. While the filmmaker goes overboard with Sam's obsession with the Beatles,
his non sequiturs about John and Yoko or the White Album follow their own metaphoric
arc. In Sam's eyes we don't see the fierce intelligence we associate with Penn's
mature work, but it is at work all the time.
Critics have not been kind to the movie, calling it "a shamelessly
uplifting melodrama" (The New York Times) and "a series of contrived,
maudlin manipulations" (Boston Phoenix). The Village Voice notes
in a damning aside, "As a filmmaker, Nelson isn't above a hand-twitch close-up."
Despite all the flak it's taken, the film still holds credibility
with me for Penn's attempt to show us the world as a mentally challenged man experiences
it in a fight to raise his own child. It's a performance as gifted as Daniel Day
Lewis' stellar turn in Jim Sheridan's unsentimental masterpiece, My Left Foot
(1989). Unfortunately, in I Am Sam, because the material fails to rise to
the high level Sheridan set, Penn's work may be overlooked. Now playing at Cinemark,
I Am Sam is a flawed work that features a profound performance. Catch it for
yourself.
Back to Top
OPENING
OR RETURNING:
Films open the Friday following date of EW publication unless
otherwise noted.
Big Fat Liar: Frankie Muniz ("Malcolm in the Middle")
tries to prove sleazy Hollywood producer (Paul Giamatti) turned his class paper into
a hit movie. Directed by Shawn Levy. PG. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Collateral Damage: Held back from October opening, Andrew
Davis's film about a firefighter who loses his wife and son in a L.A. terrorist attack
opens this week. Arnold Schwarzenegger goes to Columbia to find responsible parties.
With Elias Koteas, Francesca Neri, John Leguizamo and John Turturro. R. Cinemark.
Cinema World.
Fufu the Worldweary (Japan, 1998): Directed by Yuri Obitani.
NR. At 8 pm on 2/8 in 180 PLC, UO campus. $2 student/$3 general.
Imposter: In a future world engineer/inventor Gary
Sinise is suspected of being an alien clone. Madeleine Stowe is his girlfriend. Directed
by Gary Fleder. PG-13. Movies 12.
Kikujiro (Japan, 2000): The fanciful story of an unlikely
relationship between Kikujiro (Takeshi Kitano), a middle-aged slacker and pseudo
wise-guy, and a lonely 9-year-old boy, Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi), on a road trip.
Kitano directs. Recommended. PG-13. At 7 pm on 2/12 in 122 Pacific Hall, UO. Free.
La Belle Epoque (Spain, 1992): Fernando Trueba's classic
romantic comedy about a weary soldier in 1931 who stumbles into a household of beautiful
women, including Penelope Cruz. At 6:30 on 2/8 in International Resource Center,
EMU, UO campus. Free.
Little Vera (USSR, 1988): Big hit in post-glasnost Russia,
Vassili Pitchul's tale of a young woman who loves the West, especially its rock music,
also brought one of the brightest pictures of Soviet life to the U.S. Not rated.
At 6:30 on 2/13 in 115 Pacific Hall, UO. Free.
Monster's Ball: Marc Forster's highly acclaimed, powerful
drama about a prison guard (Billy Bob Thornton) who falls in love with the widow
(Halle Berry) of a recently executed Death Row convict. Filmed on location at infamous
Louisiana penitentiary in Angola, picture also stars Heath Ledger and Peter Boyle.
R. Cinemark.
Rollerball: John McTiernan directs this action thriller
starring Chris Klein, LL Cool J and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos as players that Rollerball
creator (Jean Reno) puts in danger on the court. PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark.
Zabriskie Point: Michelangelo Antonioni's 1970 surreal saga
in the American desert stars Harrison Ford among others. Sam Shepard was one of the
writers. R. At 7 pm on 2/14 in 180 PLC, UO. Free.
CONTINUING
Amelie: Jean Pierre Jeunet's popular hit film about a shy young
French pixie who meddles in the lives of her co-workers, family and neighbors instead
of looking at her own need for love. Too sugary sometimes, this little fairy tale
has just enough gravity to stay grounded. Fabulous. R. Bijou. Online archives.
Beautiful Mind, A: Inspired by the true story of a mathematical
genius whose great discovery came early in his career, Ron Howard's film stars Russell
Crowe, Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly. Crowe plays the man who battled his demons
for many years yet fulfilled his promise late in life. Stunning work by Crowe and
Connelly. Highly recommended. PG-13. Cinemark. See review.
Behind Enemy Lines: John Moore directs this military drama,
which has Gene Hackman as a naval officer and Owen Wilson as the hot dog pilot who
sees where the bodies are buried in a war-ravaged country. He's shot down, and some
soldiers are after him. PG-13. Movies 12.
Birthday Girl: In Jez Butterworth's dark comedy, Nicole
Kidman continues taking risks in this role as a Russian mail-order bride for a hapless
small-town bank clerk played by Ben Chaplain. She stirs things up when she invites
her cousin and his pal to visit on her birthday. R. Cinemark. See review.
Black Hawk Down: Ridley Scott directs this true story based
on the mission-gone-wrong of American special forces in Somalia, 1993. Stars Josh
Hartnett, Ewan McGregor, Ron Eldard and Sam Shepard. AFI award for best picture,
2001. R. Cinemark. Cinema World. See review.
Black Knight: Martin Lawrence stars in Gil Junger's comedy
about a theme park called Medieval World with a portal that opens into England of
the 1300s. You know who crawls through and has to live by his wits. PG-13. Movies
12.
Brotherhood of the Wolf: French film by Christophe Gans
suffers from a plethora of visual and verbal clichés. Gans borrows freely
from pop culture sources such as the martial arts; bodice-ripper romance; monster
movies; the supernatural; and religious and political conspiracy thrillers to explore
every angle of this legend of a giant she-wolf who wantonly kills beautiful maidens.
R. Cinemark. See
review.
Count of Monte Cristo, The: Alexandre Duma's classic tale
of wrongful imprisonment and revenge stars Jim Caviezel, Dagmara Dominczyk, Guy Pearce
and Richard Harris. Scenes in prison are the film's best; much of the rest is overblown.
PG-13. Cinema World. Cinemark. See review.
Domestic Disturbance: John Travolta ex-wife's new husband
is a con man, and Travolta's 11-year old son watched him murder someone. With Vince
Vaughn. PG-13. Movies 12.
Gosford Park: Robert Altman's comedy of manners set upstairs
and downstairs in a 1932 English country house features fine performances by an all-star
ensemble cast that includes Kristen Scott Thomas, Jeremy Northam, Helen Mirren, Kelly
Macdonald, Alan Bates, Emily Watson, Michael Gambon and Maggie Smith. Splendid look
at class warfare, with a nasty, satiric edge. AFI Awards best director to Altman.
Highest recommendations. R. Bijou. See review.
How High: Rap superstars Redman and Method Man find some
really good smoke that helps them ace their college entrance exams. Yeah, right.
R. Movies 12.
I Am Sam: Sean Penn plays a mentally-challenged single parent
raising his daughter. Michelle Pfeiffer plays an attorney who takes his case when
the girl is put in foster care by social services. Extraordinary performance by Penn.
PG-13. Cinemark. See review.
In the Bedroom: One of the best of 2001, this intimate domestic
drama stars Sissy Spacek, Tom Wilkinson and Marisa Tomei. First-time director Todd
Field adapted the film from an Andre Dubus' story. The New York Times wrote:
"it is an astonishingly rich, detailed and grimly moving piece of work."
AFI Awards best actor to Spacek. Highest recommendations. R. Cinemark. See review.
joesomebody: John Pasquin directs Tim Allen as a divorced
father whose workplace humiliation in front of his daughter pushes him to change
his life. Also stars Kelly Lynch, Jim Belushi, Julie Bowen, and Greg Germann. PG.
Movies 12.
K-PAX: Ian Softley (Wings of the Dove) directs Jeff
Bridges, who plays a psychiatrist, and Kevin Spacey's the patient who says he's from
another planet. The good doctor notices changes for the better in the other mental
ward patients. PG-13. Movies 12.
Kung Pow: Steve Oedekerk acquired a 1976 Hong Kong Karate
film, placed himself digitally into it, redubbed the other characters and shot new
scenes. Here it is. PG-13. Cinemark.
Life as a House: Irwin Winkler's tearjerker about an architect
(Kevin Kline) who learns he's dying. He asks his rebellious teenage son (Hayden Christensen)
and his estranged wife (Kristin Scott Thomas) to help him build a new house. R. Movies
12.
Lord of the Rings, The: The Fellowship of the Ring: The
first book in J. R. R. Tolkien's literary trilogy, directed by Peter Jackson and
shot entirely in New Zealand stars Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett, Liv
Tyler, Sean Astin, Christopher Lee. Highest recommendations. PG-13. Cinemark. Cinema
World. See
review.
Mothman Prophecies: Richard Gere, Debra Messing, Laura Linney,
Will Patton and Alan Bates star in this tale of the supernatural based on events
chronicled in John A. Keel's book. PG-13. Cinemark.
Orange Country: Colin Hanks and Jack Black star in Jake
Kasdan's teen comedy about a transcript mix-up. PG-13. Cinemark.
Out Cold: Guys on snowboards. Comedy adventure flick stars
Jason London and a lot of other people you won't know. Snowboard champions perform
daring stunts. PG-13. Movies 12.
Riding in Cars with Boys: Drew Barrymore stars in Penny
Marshall's film about a woman who wants to be a writer but ends up with a baby at
15 and a junkie husband. Based on a true story. With Steve Zahn and Brittany Murphy.
PG-13. Movies 12.
Royal Tennenbaums, The: Directed by Wes Anderson (Rushmore),
this critically acclaimed film looks at a family of geniuses that's undergone two
decades of failure, betrayal and disaster. Gene Hackman is the family patriarch,
Royal; Angelica Huston plays his wife, Etheline. Ben Stiller, Luke Wilson and Gwyneth
Paltrow are their grown children. Also with Danny Glover, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.
AFI Awards best actor Hackman. Highest recommendations. R. Cinemark. See review.
Serendipity: Destiny has them meet by chance in a department
story, and fate parts them right away. Now it's 10 years later, and John Cusack and
Kate Beckinsale try to find each other again. Directed by Peter Chelsom (Town
& Country). PG-13. Movies 12.
Shallow Hal: Jack Black plays a neurotic womanizer who gets
hypnotized into seeing women's inner beauty for the Farrelly brothers. But he sees
right through Gwyneth Paltrow's fat suit. Word is the Farrellys are uncharacteristically
good humored. Hmmm. PG-13. Movies 12.
Slackers: Teen comedy stars Devon Sawa, Jason Seagal and
Jason Schwartzman and is directed by Dewey Nicks. R. Cinemark.
Snow Dogs: Brian Levant directs Cuba Gooding Jr. in this
Disney tale of a man who goes to Alaska to claim his inheritance -- a team of sled
dogs with their own minds. With James Coburn, M. Emmet Walsh and Graham Greene. PG.
Cinema World. Cinemark.
Spy Game: Robert Redford is a CIA officer who mentors Brad
Pitt in this spy thriller directed by Tony Scott (Enemy of the State). Also
stars Catherine McCormack. R. Movies 12.
Walk to Remember, A: Shane West and Mandy Moore star in
this adaptation of a best-seller. Directed by Adam Shankman. PG. Cinemark.Cinema
World.
MOVIE
THEATERS
Use the links provided below for specific show times.
Bijou
Art Cinemas
Bijou Theater 686-2458 | 492 E. 13th
Regal
Cinemas
Cinema World 342-6536 | Valley River
Center
Springfield Quad 726-9073 |
Cinemark
Theaters
Movies 12 741-1231 | Gateway
Mall
Movies before 12:30 are Sat. Sun. only. $1.50 all shows all days.
Cinemark 17 741-1231 | Gateway Mall
NEW RELEASES
ON VIDEO:
Releases subject to change. Available the Tuesday following date of
EW publication, sometimes sooner:
Dead in the Water: Thriller set on yacht off Brazilian coast stars Dominque Swain.
R.
Hearts in Atlantis: Anthony Hopkins and Hope Davis star
in Scott Hicks' late-1950s adventure drama. Written by William Goldman, based on
Stephen King's novel. PG-13.
Legend of the Red Dragon: Jet Li stars in tale of a master
and his son on a vengeance quest in ancient China. R.
Love Come Down: Deborah Cox and Larenz Tate in a romantic
drama. R.
Order, The: Jean-Claude Van Damme stars, with Charleton
Huston, in this action thriller. R.
Prime Gig: Straight to video thriller stars Vince Vaughn,
Julia Ormand and Ed Harris. R.
Triangle: Vacation in Bermuda turns to nightmare as ship
lost 50 years earlier in the Bermuda Triangle turns up. NR.
Next week: Close-Up, Don't Say a Word, Hardball, Little
Shots of Happiness, O and Sudden Manhattan.
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