Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 01 January 2001

Violet Sanford (Perabo) lives in New Jersey with her father Bill (Goodman) but has decided it’s time to move on.  She’s found a small pad in New York City where she can establish herself and try to make it as a songwriter.  Violet can sing beautifully but suffers from stage fright, as did her late mother, and her phobia limits her opportunities.

Desperate for a job, she sees three beautiful girls in a cafe laughing, giggling and flashing around $50 bills they had made the night previous.  She overhears they’re waitresses at a bar known as Coyote Ugly and a position will be available within a week.  Too good to be true?

Approaching the bar’s owner, Violet gets the job but it’s not what she expected.  The girls sing and dance on the bar, shower customers with water and ice and stay open until dawn.  She soon catches the drift though, fits right in and meets the dream guy.  You can’t have a movie however without adversities and yes, they’re just around the corner...

Very disappointing is an apt description for Coyote Ugly.  Every time I felt the film getting on track, it derailed yet again - it just couldn’t get passed second base.  John Goodman stands out like a beacon as the only cast member who can truly act.  He has less screen time than anyone but manages to produce the most laughs, if the audience at my screening were anything to go by.

Of the remaining cast, Piper Perabo indicates that she will be a leading actress of the future.  The first question that came to mind though was whether that was her singing all those songs in the movie? Sadly, the answer is no.  In fact, the songs are performed by LeAnn Rimes.  In hindsight, it explains why Rimes has a cameo in the final two minutes.  Perhaps they should have found an actress who can sing to play the leading role.  Think back to Jane Horrocks performance in Little Voice.

Australian Adam Garcia plays the boyfriend in what can only be described as a mind-numbingly awful performance.  So many of his lines are forced and appear as if they’ve been read straight of an auto cue.  Perhaps he felt the same dissatisfaction with the script as I did.

Coyote Ugly is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer - the same guy who made Bad Boys, The Rock, Con Air, Armageddon and Gone In 60 Seconds.  Whilst it’s a step away from his traditional “action” theme, not much has changed in terms of quality (that’s bad).  Let’s look at the film’s PG rating as an illustration.  Despite half the movie being set in a bar, there is no bad language whatsoever.  I’m not sure what world Jerry Bruckheimer is from but it ain’t this one.  His softening of the film from an M to a PG rating has done nothing but expand the number of possible audience members.  To jeopardise the whole movie for the sake of a few bucks - that takes a lot of class.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2000

Sunshine pans many years and is the story of the Sonnenschein family.  Told from the perspective of the latest son, the film begins with his great grandfather and works its way through the family.  From developing marketable alcoholic drinks, to competing at the Olympics, to spending time in a Nazi concentration camp, to loving and losing time and again, the fictional Sonnenschein story unfolds.

68-year-old Szabo based much of the film on his own experiences in Hungary growing up which is clearly evident.  Politically, Hungary has been unstable all throughout the 20th Century and Szabo uses this as a backdrop to his stories.  Rather than “force feeding” us history, he tells it in an attractive way - an immense relief given the film’s three hour duration.

No expense has been spared and the production is lavish.  Much has been created to give the appearance of the respective time frames.  Interestingly enough, the house used as the family home in the film was actually the same house Szabo grew up in as a youth.

Whilst an outstanding film, the “over use” of Ralph Fiennes is irritating.  Given the film stretches for almost a century, different actors are used at the different ages of their lives.  However, Fiennes plays the middle-aged version of the grandfather, father and son.  It is annoying as all three characters look too similar and it doesn’t match the style of the film.  On an interesting side note, there is a character known as Valerie to which Jennifer Ehle plays the younger version and Rosemary Harris plays the older.  In fact, Harris is actually Ehle’s mother - definitely better casting from Szabo.

In many ways, Sunshine reminded me of a great film that won the foreign language Oscar in 1995, Antonia’s Line.  Journeys through generations make interesting viewing, especially when set across famous time frames.  Few are familiar with Hungary and it’s political upheaval but Sunshine shows all on a world stage.  Just don’t take the kids.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2000

Right from the start of the three-day trip to the parents’ home, Greg knows that Jack is out to crucify him.  He pounces on every false move he makes and when he discovers that Jack worked in the CIA for over 30 years, he knows he’s met his match.  At one point, Jack even has Greg on a lie-detector machine asking questions like “have you ever watched any pornographic material?”

Meet The Parents is a situational comedy from director Jay Roach (Austin Powers).  Believe it or not, it’s actually a remake of a low-budget film made in 1992.  Original writer and director Greg Glienna helped make the 2000 version.

On face value, the film is very entertaining.  Robert DeNiro and Ben Stiller work effectively together and create incredibly squirming situations.  This is best illustrated when Greg tries to tell a joke that Jack doesn’t get - you can’t help but feel uncomfortable.  I was not a fan of DeNiro in Analyze This (although a lot of people were) but I’m much more appreciative of his comedic talent following Meet The Parents.  Blythe Danner (mother of Gwyneth Paltrow) is also great as the mother and her quirkiness is really funny to watch - you don't what she’ll say next.

Disappointingly, the movie did not at all flow well.  On one hand, there were two great scenes that ended rather abruptly - the urn and the lie detector and both I feel could have been taken much further for more laughs.  On the other hand, there were scenes that seemed childish and out of place with particular emphasis on the bogged car in the back yard.  Frankly, the last half hour spoilt much of the previous work as it tries to tie up loose ends with sentiment - completely unnecessary.  All in all it adds up to a film with promise that doesn’t fully deliver.

Soaring high above the American box-office charts for four weeks (the most of any film this year) and bound to debut atop the Australian charts, Meet The Parents will be talked about as a must see film of 2000.  If there’s one thing I’ll remember the film for, it’s Greg’s surname that seems to pop up from time to time and is spoken so nonchalantly and casually.  I won’t spoil it for those yet to see it but it makes room for several jokes that are the highlight of the film.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2000

Soon after her release, Cruella helps develop a business known as “2nd Chance” with two other dog lovers.  It’s a place where dogs that have been rejected can stay before new owners are found.  Soon, Cruella on TV and magazine covers with tales of her remarkable transformation.

Of course that wouldn’t make much of movie?  Cruella’s evil side resurfaces and with the assistance of fashion designer Le Pelt (Depardieu), she plots to create a lavish coat made entirely out of dalmatian puppy fur.  Only this time, she’s added a hood to the garment and an extra dalmatian, making the total head count 102.

As with the original 101 Dalmatians, the star of the film is not Glenn Close but rather the adorable dogs that leave audience members giggling.  Throw in a bird that thinks it’s a dog (voiced by Eric Idle) and you’ve got everyone suckered.  All we needed was a baby and the audience stood no chance.

Following tradition of recent sequels, it’s the script that disappoints 102 Dalmatians and most of the original cast did not return as a result.  Jeff Daniels, Joely Richardson, Joan Plowright and Hugh Laurie all did not reappear.  The significant addition to the cast comes in the form of Gerard Depardieu but I cannot understand why he agreed to co-star.

The film has its moments with elaborately crafted action sequences combined with creative costuming and set decoration.  Kids will be kept amused but adults may find themselves a little weary.  With the other strong list of Christmas releases (including The Grinch and Chicken Run), 102 Dalmatians may struggle to find an audience.  You need more than just cute dogs to maintain the attention of this viewer.

Details

Written by Matthew Toomey

Created: 26 December 2000

I have described the film ever so briefly above but there is little more I can add without spoiling most the film.  Ethan and Joel Coen are brave and adventurous filmmakers themselves but no matter how hard you try, you can’t get it right all the time.  O Brother, Where Art Thou? is based on Homer’s poem, The Odyssey, written almost 3,000 years ago.  Of course there is still conjecture today as to whether Homer even existed but that’s another story.

The cast are all well rounded.  Both George Clooney and Tim Blake Nelson are superb and I love seeing John Goodman in action.  Extravagant lengths have been taken to set up many scenes, which is fine work on behalf of production designer, Dennis Gassner.  The Coen brothers’ most recent film, The Big Lebowski, took several viewings to fully appreciate and did grow on me.  Perhaps O Brother, Where Art Thou? may do the same but right now, I feel let down.

Bottom line, it’s a very strange film that many will enjoy and others simply will not.  There are a few musical numbers mixed with totally bizarre subplots.  It is an interesting trip but upon reaching the end, I just didn’t understand the point.  I know Homer said “the journey’s the thing” but in this instance, I wanted more appreciation.