Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 July 2001

At his daughter’s 16th birthday dinner, John is interrupted by Joey the Raccoon who comes tapping at his window.  He asks that John come into the woods and meet “The Beaver”, a mafia-like figure who is both respected and feared by the other animals of the forest.  The Beaver has called on Dr. Dolittle as he believes he’s the only person that can help them - the forest is to be logged by a corporate giant and with government approval, there isn’t much time until they’re all out of home.

With the help of a friendly zoologist, John finds a female Pacific Western bear in the forest that is on the endangered species list.  Being the only resident of her species, the court refuses to recognise her right to survival leaving John searching for a solution.  Looking for a mate, he finds a circus bear named Archie but he’s long been domesticated.  Can John break nature’s rules and reintroduce Archie into the wild to save the species (and the forest)?  Not only can he do it, he’ll make sure it’s a hilarious journey.

We aren’t talking brilliant comedy here but it’s funny enough to appeal to both adults and kids.  In the first film, much time was wasted introducing Dr. Dolittle and how he first realised he could talk with animals.  That problem is not replicated in the sequel.  Despite the improvement, the film still feels like you’re watching a bunch of unrelated skits.  Many scenes don’t flow but to their credit, they’re still amusing.

Eddie Murphy is super and it’s nice to see the “real” Eddie for a change.  In the past three years, he’s played a voice twice (in Shrek and Mulan) and in most every other film, he’s covered himself in make-up to play more than one character (The Nutty Professor, The Nutty Professor 2, Bowfinger).  Murphy has a great sense of humour but is more controlled in this film than his previous works.  I believe it works in the film’s favour.

How many celebrities did they get to provide animal voices in this film?  Just when I’m racking my brain to recognise one particular voice, another chimes in leaving me even more perplexed.  A simple check of the Internet Movie Database tells the full list includes Andy Dick, Jamie Kennedy, Lisa Kudrow, Norm Macdonald, Mandy Moore, Frankie Muniz, Michael Rapaport, Molly Shannon, Steve Zahn and even Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Dr. Dolittle 2 isn’t going to win any awards but it’s innocent enough to earn my approval and recommendation.  A silly film that makes you laugh at just right times.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 June 2001

It took Tully time to regroup but found comfort in Mullet’s brother, Peter (Gilbert), the town’s local police officer.  They married but live a cold life together - Peter has trouble expressing himself emotionally leaving Tully constantly frustrated.  Mullet’s sudden appearance leaves them all stunned.  He intended to rekindle his relationship with Tully and is upset by Peter stomping on his ground.  Tully is shaken up and confronts Mullet with her rage but the strong love she has for him still exists and things start to get very complicated...

Tremendous dialogue from writer/director David Caesar breathes much life into the story and its characters.  As we are told during the introduction, not a lot happens in small communities but one’s business is everyone’s business and the most insignificant event can become folklore.  Whilst the story is ultimately a drama, there’s lots of sly humour emanating through the film and Mullet’s parents are perfect examples - they just act like normal people which makes them so funny - it’s as if they’re not acting.  Ben Mendelsohn is great and so is Susie Porter but Andrew S. Gilbert delivers the best performance with his quiet nature.

As if teasing us, Mullet’s story is told in fragments and it takes a while for the pieces to fit together.  It’s an effective technique in making us think about each character and wonder just what they’re thinking and what they intend to do.  Australian dramas have a predictable style but I still enjoy seeing a film (especially this time of year) that doesn’t have oodles of hype and millions of dollars worth of special effects.  It’s a touching story so just forget American blockbusters for a brief moment and take the time to see a film worth seeing.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 July 2001

Behind the scenes, the voluptuous Page has gotten herself a job as Dean’s secretary (but of course Dean doesn’t know she’s Maxine’s daughter).  The day after the wedding, Page makes her move.  Knowing Dean to be a womaniser, she leads him on and sure enough, Maxine walks in and catches the two in a rather uncompromising position (with her hair stuck in Dean’s zipper).

It’s now off to divorce court and Maxine cleans Dean out with a big settlement in her favour.  This is Maxine’s 13th marriage (and 13th scam) and all the money she has accumulated has raised a few eyebrows at the tax office.  Claiming years of back-taxes and penalties, Maxine and Page are left without a dime.

There’s only one way to get back on top and that’s to go for a final big score and the two set forth for Palm Beach.  The prime candidate is William B. Tensy (Hackman), an elderly unmarried billionaire.  Maxine begins her con but behind the scenes, Page is falling for a young bar owner named Jack Withrowe (Lee) who may be worth a couple of million himself.  With all this deceit going on, it’s all a matter of who to trust and a question of who’s working for who.

What an abomination!  Heartbreakers is an appalling film flooded with bad performances and supported by an equally disgusting script.  What pushes the film over the edge is its length.  It’s rare for a comedy to stretch longer than two hours so you can imagine the discomfort I felt during the last half-hour.  If you’ve seen the trailer or the ads, you’ll know how it’s all going to end and if you haven’t, you’ll see it coming anyway.  It’s like having to listen to someone tell a joke for 123 minutes when you know the punchline in the opening minute.

Ray Liotta is the only positive ingredient of the film but it’s a minor role when compared with the rest of the cast.  The sappy and sentimental scenes between Weaver and Hewitt will make you squirm and flinch in horror.  How can people think this is funny?  This is director David Mirkin’s second feature and isn’t an improvement on his first effort, Romy & Rochelle’s High School Reunion, which was lame in its own right.

My own heart was broken after seeing Heartbreakers.  It hurts to see Gene Hackman and Sigourney Weaver lower themselves to this level.  It hurts to see people waiting in line to pay $13 admission to see this film.  It hurts that I’ve wasted an hour of my life in writing this review.  It hurts.  Period.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 28 June 2001

The past is then revealed.  Gabriel is an elusive terrorist and his latest scheme is something that only a screenwriter could conjure up.  Up until 1984, the government was stashing away millions earned from money laundering.  Threatened with exposure, the operation shut down but the money continued to earn interest and went from its initial $400 million to its current day $9.5 billion (that’s a 24% effective interest rate - give me a piece of that!).

Guarding the money is a high-tech computer system and Gabriel’s girlfriend, Ginger (Berry), believes she knows the man who can break into it.  Stanley has a history of “cyber crime” and has only recently been released after a two year stint in prison.  In that time, he lost custody of his daughter and has been ordered by the court to never to touch a computer again.  In a show of financial strength, Gabriel persuades Stanley to return to the business with a juicy $10 million offer.

Swordfish has promise but I constantly doubted its legitimacy.  One feels that “real life” cyber crime isn’t quite as exciting and that writer Skip Woods has tried to put a little too much colour and flair into the craft.  The scenes where Jackman sits at a computer trying to hack in are hopelessly unrealistic.  How can a man who hasn’t touched a computer in years crack the government’s highest security codes in a matter of days?  Not a comforting thought.

The ending is especially weak - a ludicrous bus chase followed by a quick resolution and a senseless twist.  It’s a shame the film ended on such a note because it was interesting for the majority (despite the flaws).

Backed by strong dialogue, Hugh Jackman deserves praise but John Travolta surprised with his dynamic performance (reminiscent of Face/Off).  Hale Berry was paid an additional $500,000 for a 5-second scene in which she bears her breasts.  The scene was totally unnecessary and I cannot understand why Berry agreed to do it (apart from the money) and why director Dominic Sena decided to include it.  I think the studio might have had the final say on this one.

The pivotal action scenes are well shot and don’t succumb to the recent trend of over editing (I particularly loved the Matrix-like explosion at the beginning).  The film deserves its MA rating - not for the violence but for the many unnecessary sexual references.  Apart from Berry’s breasts, there’s a scene in which Jackman gets a blow-job whilst hacking into a computer.  Can I ask why?

Following Pearl Harbor and Tomb Raider, it is strike three in the Hollywood action stakes of 2001.  With the class of 2000 generally regarded as the worst ever, 2001’s line-up is looking even sicker.  Do I even dare predict what’s in store for 2002?

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 05 July 2001

Sammy has felt alone for a long time.  Both parents were killed in a car accident when she was young and her brother hasn’t been heard from since working in Alaska over six months ago.  Her ex-husband split and suffice to say, isn’t someone she wants to see again.

Unexpectedly, she receives a letter from Terry (Ruffalo), her brother, who writes to say he’s coming home.  Sammy is overjoyed by the news and in her enthusiasm, thinks that everything will be like it always was.  As we’ve all learnt, time changes people and Terry isn’t how Sammy remembered him to be.  He’s broke, has just spent three months in jail and has a girlfriend who just unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide.  He hasn’t really come home to visit Sammy - he’s come home because there’s nowhere else to go.

Despite initial reservations from Sammy and Rudy, Terry’s presence breaths new life into the household.  He develops a bond with the impressionable Rudy who appreciates a male influence.  Sammy just loves being surrounded by the two most important people in her life and she suddenly finds herself with purpose and direction.

The developing instability in the house has brought secrets to the surface.  Rudy wants to know about his father, Sammy is sleeping with her boss and Terry’s depressed at having no future prospects.  As stress levels rise, all three realise things are changing and will never be the same again...

This is a beautiful story from writer/director Kenneth Lonergan and you will be hard pressed to find two better performances this year than those offered by Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo.  Both characters are vulnerable and their facial expressions say more than words ever could.  Scenes between Linney and Ruffalo are absorbing thanks to the honestly furnished dialogue crafted by Lonergan.  It examines human emotions that are often considered too in-depth to explore in a simple movie.

Linney was rewarded with a deserved Academy Award nomination (but lost to Julia Roberts) but unfortunately Ruffalo couldn’t muster the same attention in the Oscar advertising bandwagon.  Lonergan was rewarded by his peers when the Writers Guild of America found his original screenplay worthy of the award for the year’s best.

You Can Count On Me is frankly one of the best films released to date in 2001.  It’s a story about love, it’s a story about friendship and it’s a story about family.  There are people we love who shape our own lives but it’s usually only in retrospect that we understand and appreciate just how much so.  Those special people, who no matter what, we can always count on.