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Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 February 2003

I’ll acknowledge there are a large majority who are claiming The Hours as one of the year’s best.  The Golden Globe win for best drama and actress win for Nicole Kidman enough proof.  Yet I can only look at a film from my own background and experiences and to me, the film was a tedious drama that cannot express the messages it aims to.

Nicole Kidman is Virigina Woolf, a writer living near London who suffers from depression.  It’s 1923 and her loving husband is trying valiantly, with the help of doctors, to cure his wife’s illness.  She has twice tried to take her life without success.  Virigina is now writing a novel called Mrs. Dalloway and has arranged a tea-party with her sister, Vanessa (Richardson) at 4pm.

Julianne Moore is Laura Brown, a mother who does not love her husband (Reilly) nor 9 year-old-son.  It’s 1951 and crumpled with the realisation she is a homosexual, she struggles to maintain the facade that is her marriage.  In this repressed era, she cannot bear the torment any longer.  It is her husband’s birthday and after baking him a cake for their small family party, she drives to a hotel.  There she reads a novel, Mrs. Dalloway, before deciding to take her own life.

Meryl Streep is Clarissa Vaughan, a wealthy woman living in a same-sex relationship with her girlfriend, Sally (Janney).  It’s 2001 and Clarissa pays a morning visit to the man she was once married, Richard Brown (Harris), who nicknamed her Mrs. Dalloway.  Richard was a very successful poet but contracted AIDS and now suffers as he lives out his final months.  In the afternoon, Brown is to be honoured with a special award so the emotional Clarissa is preparing a post-celebration party where all his close friends will be invited.

Three women in three different time frames with the film showing a single pivotal day in their lives.  Each with a common link to the fictional character of Mrs. Dalloway.  Each with a link to a homosexual relationship.  Each having to deal with a different cause to suicide.  As expected, this beautifully woven was adapted from a novel.  Written by Michael Cunningham only two years ago, The Hours, has been adapted for the screen by David Hare and it is here where I believe the film suffers material flaws.

Whilst I believe critics who acclaim the novel as a work of art, I didn’t feel the same about the cinematic adaptation.  Apart from the three leading ladies, the numerous supporting cast members were unexplored and for many, unexplained.  They seemed to drift in and out with little purpose.  If I’d read the novel, I’m sure I would have understood and adored this production but not having done so, I was left well and truly out in the cold.  I was confused as to where these characters fitted into the picture and instead of appreciating the message, I was battling to keep up.

The acting itself is of high quality with Meryl Streep gaining the most screen time and easily delivering the best performance.  Julianne Moore intentionally bland demeanour is over exaggerated and Nicole Kidman’s small role is gather more attention than it should thanks to a prosthetic nose.  Director Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) creatively intertwines the stories but is let down by the screenplay’s inability to make it’s point.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 February 2003

When adapting a biography onto the big screen, it’s easy to over-elaborate and turn an ordinary story into something (unbelievably) extraordinary.  Catch Me If You Can doesn’t fall victim to this Hollywood trick because, well, the story really is extraordinary.

Between the age of 16 and 21, Frank W. Abagnale Jr (played in the film by DiCaprio) lived a rather incredible fantasy.  Back in the technology-lacking 1960s, banks were ripe to be taken advantage of and Frank did just that.  He tried to cash fraudulent cheques but bank staff saw right through him – he was just a kid after all.  Not easily deterred, Frank learned that appearances can be everything.  Through a cunning con, he got his hands on a pilot’s uniform and from here on in, the banks didn’t blink an eyelid.  As if a pilot would ever cash dodgy cheques?

Continuing his pilot charade, Frank learned he could get free air travel.  Soon he was flying all over the country cashing cheques and by the time the banks learned of their error, he was long gone.  This wasn’t the only scam Frank ingeniously came up with.  He posed as a lecturer at a university for a summer semester, a doctor in a children’s hospital for almost a year, and even a lawyer for a short period after passing the bar exam.

Frank’s light-hearted adventures weren’t quite as funny down at the FBI.  Led by Carl Hanratty, a huge search had begun to identify and arrest Frank Abagnale Jr and it would eventually extend overseas.  In all, Abagnale cashed $2.5m worth of fraudulent cheques in a total of 26 different countries.  A remarkable con for a 21-year-old.

The film marks the return of the real Leonardo DiCaprio to the big screen.  As the defining actor of his generation, it’s awesome to see Leo in a role requiring his full use of his repertoire.  A beefier Tom Hanks brings surprising depth to an otherwise standard supporting role as Hanratty.  His character features very little in Abagnale’s autobiography but the part was expanded in the screenplay to strengthen the resolve of the FBI’s pursuit.  At times, I felt the Hanratty character was better developed than Abagnale’s which is a tribute to Hanks and perhaps a detriment to the screenwriter.  Hanratty’s “knock knock” joke is just one numerous scene stealers.

It was a very quick shoot for Steven Spielberg who managed to complete the film in only a few months.  It’s reflected in the film’s brisk pace and set up by a wonderful opening credit sequence backed by another on-the-mark score from composer John Williams.  After a wonderful introduction to our cast, the film suffers in the final hour by becoming more of a fact-telling exercise than a motion picture.  Frank’s motives seem lost and his final misadventures are sandwiched together and to those who haven’t read the book, might seem hard to believe given the lack of time spent explaining them.  Following 135 minutes of fun, the final 15 changes path by trying to spoon feed us a moralistic conclusion that wraps everything up into a nice little package.  It’s a complete waste.

Catch Me If You Can is the first major release of the calendar year in Australia and sure to be an overwhelming crowd pleaser.  I enjoyed the film but the sexy trailer, the lure of Spielberg-DiCaprio-Hanks, and the novel itself had me hoping for something a little better.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 February 2003

Eminem’s music is as controversial as it is influential. It all began in Detroit, Michigan where he performed at many clubs and hip hop venues. Only a few years later, he was a multi-award winning artist with Grammys and MTV Music Awards to his credit. 8 Mile marks his cinematic debut and his intimate knowledge of the material sees him excel beyond most expectations.

Whilst the film is based on Eminem’s experiences, it is not a biography. In the film, his character is Jimmy Smith, Jr, known to everyone as Rabbit, who is a talented rapper living in a poverty stricken community. He’s just split from his girlfriend and with nowhere else to go, has moved back in with this mum (Basinger) in a tiny caravan. His relationship with his mother is strained, given she doesn’t work, wastes precious money on bingo, and is dating a loser in the hope of leeching money of him.

Struggling to find to get by himself with a part-time factory job, Rabbit believes in something better. He’s saving all he can to pay for studio time where he can record his music and send it to powerful industry people. His friends Future (Pfifer), Cheddar Bob (Jones), Sol (Miller) and DJ Iz (Wilson) are trying to help with their support and his new girlfriend, Alex (Murphy) is providing more than inspiration. But not all are loyal to Rabbit’s cause and he’ll soon find some people can’t be trusted.

The key to the story is a contest at The Shelter where rappers face off in one-on-one rhyming contests. They are forced to come up with an on-the-spot rap, which usually belittles their opponent, to win crowd approval. The audience is the judge and the contest continues until there’s only one man standing. Eminem himself has spoken of the significance of losing such a competition: “I remember, if I lost a battle, it would be like my entire world was crumbling… I would feel like my whole life was over. It may look silly to a lot of people, but to a lot of us, it’s our world.”

Curtis Hanson’s last two films, Wonder Boys and L.A. Confidential were nothing short of brilliant and despite being an unusual choice for a leading director, 8 Mile is equally as impressive. Hanson has the ability to take a standard story and through his artistry, make it utterly compelling without diminishing the screenplay or directly preaching life lessons. He just likes telling stories. The closing credits are perfectly timed and it leaves the audience wondering and thinking. There’s no need for any obligatory “they all lived happily ever after” stuff and Hanson knows it.

Also deserving credit for the above analysis is screenwriter Scott Silver who doesn’t use a formulaic method. There were several scenes where I thought something was going to happen and it didn’t – clichés went out the window and it felt so great! I also enjoyed the fact the film focused on the music and whilst looking at the depressing life-style that dominates these communities, it didn’t paint some stereotypical world of black guys on drugs getting wasted every night.

With no leading film stars, one would expect only Eminem fans to be buying tickets to 8 Mile. Judging from the numerous sold-out sessions in Australia over the weekend and the very large box-office take in America ($115m), the public is willing to give Eminem a chance on screen even if indifferent to his music. They’re prepared to go the extra mile and deserve the prize of seeing one of the year’s best.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 07 February 2003

As the Autumn leaves fall in this beautiful Connecticut community, Cathy Whitaker (Moore) continues to live her dream life.  She’s married to Frank Whitaker (Quaid), a highly respected and very successful salesman.  They have two studious children - David, who loves playing junior football, and Janice, who loves learning ballet.  Together, they live in a spacious, well-furbished home with a devoted maid and a regular gardener to tend to the beautiful gardens.  A reporter has just written a glowing article on Mrs. Whitaker in the local social magazine to make public to all, the great qualities she exudes as a person.

With everything in place, writer/director Todd Haynes then proceeds to show the simplicity in which society can destroy a perfect family.  Cathy, being the devoted wife, drives into town to deliver her hardworking husband a warm dinner.  Instead, she finds him passionately kissing another man.  In an era where homosexuality was deeply repressed, Cathy and Frank go to a doctor where he can begin treatment to cure this disease.  All was kept secret to protect Frank’s reputation but for Cathy, the revelation was setting in and there was no where for her to turn.  The marriage she had poured her soul into, was a facade.

At the same time, a new African-American gardener had began servicing the home.  The previous gardener had passed away and his son, Raymond Deagon (Haysbert), had taken responsibility for the family business.  Against the community’s general consensus, Cathy was a softly-spoken advocate of the rights of “coloured people” and had no qualms taking the time to talk with Raymond.  She learns he has an 11-year-old daughter and a college education.  He’s a decent, intelligent man and the two find comfort in each other’s conversations.

By chance, they run into each other at an art exhibition.  As they jointly look over the artworks, those around them focus their attention on the obscene sight of a black and white person fraternising together.  Soon, the whole community is spreading rumours of their friendship and speculating how deeply it runs.  The gossip builds and Cathy finds herself ostracised by all.  Frank too is furious.  Cathy’s life has disintegrated through no fault of her own.

Ultimately, it’s a very sad story told with brutal realism.  There are no shock twists, no quirky side characters, no anything else coming from commercialised Hollywood.  We watch the pressure mount on Cathy as she battles, with no one else to turn to, to keep her dream afloat.  Writer/director Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine) uses the repression of two minority groups (homosexuals and African-Americans) to contrast the differing levels of discrimination.  Cathy is unafraid to hide her equal feeling for coloured people and is persecuted for it, even by her own husband.  However, Frank keeps hidden his feelings on homosexuality and in doing so, keeps the respect of others.

Director Todd Haynes has created a film that not only is set in 1957 but also looks as if it was filmed in 1957.  The setting, the costumes, the acting are all spot-on in their depiction of the era.  Julianne Moore is wonderful as her character struggles to hold her composure.  Cinematographer Edward Lachman (The Virgin Suicides, Erin Brokovich) captures the colours and elements of the time with amazing beauty.  Haynes doesn’t rush the story nor does he let his characters overact.  It’s his own personal tribute to his favourite films of the era.  Such is rarely seen these days.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 13 February 2003

Warren Schmidt (Nicholson) is 66 years old.  He’s been married to wife Helen (Squibb) for 42 years.  He has one daughter, Jeannie (Davis), who’s moved away and now engaged to Randall (Mulroney), a mattress salesman who invests in pyramid schemes.  All his life Warren’s worked at the same insurance company and has just closed this chapter of his life with a quaint retirement party.

Instantly, Warren starts suffering withdrawal symptoms from being away from work.   He has too much free time and not enough to do with it - it’s somewhat of a late-life crisis.  The routine he’d developed over time has been suddenly broken and he’s very uncomfortable with the situation.  His wife has convinced him to buy a luxury camper van so they can travel across the country visiting heaps of places and do things together.  Warren’s not exactly thrilled.

An unexpected event will soon throw Warren’s plans out the window.  He’ll begin a new journey of self-discovery that will involve members of his current family, members of his future family, and members of a long distant “foster” family.  They will all play their part in answering Warren’s question whether he has used his life to make a difference - a question he finds the need to have answered.

People are sick and tired of my ravings for a low-profile 1999 release called Election.  Despite near-unanimous critical acclaim, the Matthew Broderick / Reese Witherspoon film struggled commercially.  Few saw the black comedy and many that did, failed to appreciate the many small nuances that made it so great.  About Schmidt is from the same writing/directing team that made Election, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor.

Both deserve recognition and the Hollywood Foreign Press provided that a few weeks ago when their script for About Schmidt won the best screenplay award.  It won’t be the only time they’re honoured because this film has a deeply layered story that like Election, balances the genres of comedy and drama without swinging either way.  I expect older generations to relate most to Warren’s story but there’s ample material (with emphasis on Jeannie’s wedding) to give everyone food-for-thought.

Himself in his later years, Jack Nicholson lets his sarcastically depressed expression epitomise this role.  He says very little (apart from voice-overs) but there’s no need to.  With the bunch of quality roles he’s received of late, there’s no need for Nicholson to consider retirement despite his age of 65.  The most surprising “appearance” comes from the 54-year-old Kathy Bates, who as Warren’s future mother-in-law, reveals a lot more than you would expect in an hilariously crazy scene late in the film.

As a minor criticism, the film did drift off the road at times.  I’d have preferred to see a shorter introduction and more time spent with Randall’s family and their wedding preparations but I can understand the filmmakers’ willingness to focus on Warren rather than the supporting cast - as the title itself says, it is about Schmidt.  In all, it’s a touching journey that will leave some audience members quietly giggling and others deeply contemplating.  Another quality addition to the Oscar season.