BEFORE: Ben Stiller carries over from "Reality Bites", he'll be around for a few days. I put this on a DVD with "Reality Bites" a few months ago - I liked the way the two titles went together to almost form a sentence.
The TCM 31-day Oscar road-trip comes to a close today, visiting the location known as "all over" (because the trip is all over, get it?) with "The Great Race" and "Around the World in 80 Days" (already on the list), then the metaphysical location of heaven, with "Cabin in the Sky" and "The Bishop's Wife", then ends in outer space with "The Right Stuff", "2001: A Space Odyssey", "2010" and "Forbidden Planet".
THE PLOT: A New Yorker moves to Los Angeles in order to figure out his life while he housesits for his brother, and he soon sparks with his brother's assistant.
It's only natural that when we watch a movie, we look for common ground - things we might have in common with the characters, or ways in which their situations are like ours. Which is why I don't consider this a straight movie-review blog. A movie reviewer has to consider the whole audience, and describe a film in a way so that everyone can decide if they want to see it. I only have to describe the way a film affects me, or what I can get out of it. Much easier.
But about the only thing I have in common with Ben Stiller's character here is the fact that I also used to write letters to newspaper editorial columns, and letters of complaint to various companies. Thanks to me, the meatloaf at Boston Market is no longer improperly called "double-sauced", but that's a long story.
These days I don't have much energy for letters of complaint or railing against the corporate machine - now I just watch TV and cringe when I hear younger folks butcher the English language by misusing the pronoun "myself" or overusing the word "actually".
Oh, and I'm also in my early 40's. And I haven't driven a car in a few years, plus I'm more comfortable in New York city than in California. And I sometimes feel out of place at parties, and would often rather spend time alone. And I function better when my tasks are routine and in order.
Holy crap, I might actually be Greenberg. (note proper usage, kids)
But here's where I set myself apart from him - I know how to have FUN. Or, at least I think I do. People would tell me if I wasn't a fun guy, right? I go out with friends and have drinks, or dinner, and I talk about other things besides my interests, right? I haven't been on vacation in a while, but I've been on a few good ones over the years. And I go out to Comic-con and have fun - OK, so first I work a 12-hour shift in a booth, but after that I go have fun. That counts.
Stiller's character doesn't look like he knows how to have fun. We know he had some kind of breakdown, and spent time in a mental hospital, (warning sign - so did the guy in "Sling Blade") but we never actually find out what's wrong with him. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he's got Asperger's or high-functioning autism or something, because if not, then he's just an asshole.
Which is an interesting acting challenge, I guess. And I'd love to hear the pitch meeting for this - "So, this guy acts mean to all his friends, and yells at the woman that he can't commit to, and has no motivation to work, or accomplish anything but ranting in letters." "And then, what happens? He gets redeemed, right?" "Umm, no, that was it. He just acts like a dick for the whole film."
Even when he's at a party and trying to fit in, he can't control himself. He has to put on the music that no one else wants to hear, or help himself to other people's drugs, or tell stories from the old days that no one can relate to. He over-analyzes everything, and seems to be stuck in the past in many ways, focusing on the relationship that fell apart, or the band that never got famous, etc.
So, the debate becomes - does all of that constitute proper entertainment? Can you take a bunch of awkward situations and just string them together to make an enjoyable narrative, with no real story arc? Do people want to see someone acting up and acting odd for 2 hours? For me, the answer was a disappointing "No". Generally, if the people on screen aren't having fun, then I'm not either. But as always, your mileage may vary. And that's MY rant for the day.
Also starring Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans (last heard in "Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties"), Jennifer Jason Leigh (last seen in "Road to Perdition"), with cameos from Dave Franco (brother of James), Max Hoffman (son of Dustin), Jake Paltrow (brother of Gwyneth)
RATING: 3 out of 10 voice-mails
I'm starting to accept that Ben Stiller is our generation's Charles Grodin. There's something about him that rejects all attempts to make an audience connect with his character or even sympathize with him in any way.
ReplyDeleteEven when I saw him in the "Night At The Museum" movies, in which he saves the day, I think "Jeez...why does he have to be such a dick?"