Two Words, One Answer.
Sigourney Weaver
 Heartbreakers $14.98 Director David Mirkin can direct comedy, he proved that in "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion" but for me "Heartbreakers" ran well out of the gate, but mid way through the race, it faltered. And it breaks my heart. "Heartbreakers" is about a mother-daughter pair of grifters: Max (Sigourney Weaver) and Page Conners (Jennifer Love Hewitt). (Get it? They are con artists, and therefore they're 'conners.') Max claims she is saving herself until she gets married. She celebrates heartily at the wedding reception, and then, just prior to consumation on the honeymoon, she conks out. Meanwhile, Page has ingratiated herself into the mark's life. She has a job as his receptionist, for example. When he returns to work still unsatisfied he is vulnerable to Page's full dcolletage press. Mom barges in to find the mark in flagrante delicto. She sues for divorce, along with a healthy settlement. So far, so good. I enjoyed the twisted mother-daughter dynamic between Weaver and Love Hewitt. ------------------------------- Max Conners: Maybe you'd like a spanking? Page Conners: Just try it. I dare you! ========================================= Kind of like "The Joy Luck Club" meets "The Grifters." When they move to Palm Beach, Florida, in search of new targets, that's when "Heartbreakers" stumbles. Max sets her sights on billionaire William B. Tensy (Gene Hackman). Mirkin uses one running gag: he is a chain smoker with a hacking cough. This soon gets tiresome. What is it with Mirkin and the whacky nomenclature? Casting Hackman as a smoker with a hacking cough? People who live in glass mirkins should not throw stones. For some reason Max affects a Russian accent for this con, if for no other reason than to cry about deportation, thus hastening the mark's marriage proposal. Sigourney is no Streep, and maybe that's the point of one amusing scene in a Russian restaurant where she fails miserably to convince Native Russian Speakers of her authenticity. But, like Hackman's hacking cough, the faux accent also became annoying in short order. Ray Liotta was good as the mark "Dean" in the first act, but when he returns he mostly just gets in the way. A few jokes hit their mark, but many miss. The best thing about the second part is the ongoing war/romance between Page and Jack Withrowe (Jason Lee). ----------------- Jack Withrowe: Hi. Can I get you a drink? Page Conners: Wow! I've never heard that one before. You really blow me away with your creativity. Jack Withrowe: Well, I... Page Conners: "Well, I, uh..." Your recovery's even better! Do you even care at all who I am? I mean, I could be the Antichrist or have the intelligence of a thermos, but unfortunately *those* are not the matters the male ***** ponders. So please tell me, why did you walk all the way over here to ask to get me a drink? Jack Withrowe: Well, because... I'm the bartender. =========================== When she finds out he is not only the bartender, but the bar owner, she sets her sights on him as her next mark. Of course, she never expected to fall for the guy, though her mother warned her. Mothers. What would we do without them? -------------------- Max Conners: How do I look? Page Conners: If I were a guy, I'd do you. ============================== Somehow though, I get the feeling that the marketing department wasn't 100% behind Sigourney Weaver, especially if you look at the box cover. The picture doesn't even look like her. ---------------------------- Max Conners: You will respect your mother and do the con. Page Conners: Keep dreaming, witch! Max Conners: You are not too old to spank! ======================================== Nora Dunn and Kevin Nealon, both former SNL cast members, have funny cameos. Anne Bancroft plays Max's con artist mentor. Director David Mirkin even pulls a Hitchcock as Jack's lawyer. Zach Galifianakis (who is on fire since "The Hangover") and Sarah Silverman play Jack's friends, but talk about wasted resources. They just sit there while those of lesser comedic gifts flail about helplessly. ---------------------- Max Conners: I'm sorry, Page. I'm a terrible mother. I'm a terrible everything. Page Conners: [comforting her] You're finally seeing things clearly. =================================== The Hangover [Theatrical Release] (2009) .... Zach Galifianakis was Alan Garner Runaway Jury (Widescreen Edition) (2003) .... Nora Dunn was Stella Hulic and Gene Hackman was Rankin Fitch Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) David Mirken: Director I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) .... Jennifer Love Hewitt was Julie James Chasing Amy: The Criterion Collection (1997) .... Jason Lee was Banky Edwards GoodFellas (1990) .... Ray Liotta was Henry Hill Postcards from the Edge (1990) .... Gene Hackman was Lowell Kolchek (written by Carrie Fisher) Annie Hall (1977) .... Sigourney Weaver was Alvy's Date Outside Theatre Shampoo (1975) .... Carrie Fisher was Lorna Carp The Graduate (1967) .... Anne Bancroft was Mrs. Robinson ---------------------- Dean: No more conning! No more! If you're gonna be my wife, you're gonna live a respectable life, chopping cars! =============================  Imaginary Heroes $14.94 "Imaginary Heroes" is an unusual domestic drama that hangs together most of the time. Jeff Daniels plays Ben Travis, a father whose son embodies his dreams for athletic awards in swimming. When son Matt decides to shoot himself, it ruins his father's dreams. Jeff Daniels becomes so depressed that he is almost immobilized. Sigourney Weaver plays his mischievious wife who tries to bury the blues by smoking illegal substances. I recently watched Kip Pardue in Loggerheads. His brief appearance as Matt is impressive. Emile Hirsch was nominated for Best Actor by the Screen Actors Guild for "Into the Wild" last year. Here, he plays Matt's brother Tim who is not athletic and cannot embody his father's dreams. Tim's buddy Kyle, played by Ryan Donowho, lives next door. One night the friends become more than friends, which leads to quite a bit of self-examination on Tim's part. Michelle Williams who had an Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain (Widescreen Edition) plays sister Penny Travis who pops home from college periodically. Director Dan Harris seems very young in the DVD extra interviews, but with a vision for this film. It received "Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking" from the National Board of Review. I didn't altogether buy Weaver as the mother; she seemed removed from the tragedy to me. The excellent performance of Jeff Daniels makes this film one to watch. Enjoy!  Half Moon Street $14.98 This is a squeamy little film that nevertheless drew me in, due to the London setting (I'm a big Anglophile), and the star power of Sigourney Weaver and Michael Caine. The story itself is compelling: every woman has at one time or another imagined what it might feel like to seduce men for money, even if she abhors the actual realities of prostitution. With all this star power, an exotic setting (at least for Americans) in the high echelons of the British diplomatic corps, and a sexy thriller plot, the final result should have been a much better film. Even with the big names attached, the production values are distressingly low-budget, giving the film a down-market "TV Movie of the Week" feel, even without its dated 1980s wardrobe. The acting is curiously low-energy and stilted, though whether his is from a bad script or just the general malaise of actors not really wanting to be there, it's hard to tell. Stars of the wattage of Caine and Weaver ought to have made this a whole lot shinier and ramped it up several notches. As it is, they seem to be phoning in their respective performances in an ennui that's odd considering the subject matter. It's not just that this movie is now 22 years old that gives it its stiff and lackluster aura; other thrillers of the same period (1988's 'Frantic', comes to mind) have a much more accomplished and modern feel, and don't wear their age as poorly as this. It's hard to believe that this movie was ever given a theatrical release; at best it could have been an episode of 'Mystery!' and doesn't seem to aspire to more. The thing is that Caine and Weaver are both perfect for their respective roles; too bad this film was too thin to match what they were capable of.  Copycat (Snap Case) $14.98 Very original story with great acting. If you like horror then add this to your collection |
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