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By
DEBORAH NICOL
Though admittedly not for
everyone, this dark comedy is very well done. Paul
Thomas Anderson, the director of "Magnolia" and
"Boogie Nights" brings us another rich cinematic
treat, here focusing primarily on one character
rather than his usual large ensemble.
Adam Sandler gains respect in his turn as Barry
Egan, a quiet but disturbed man, whose insecure
personality has been directly affected by his
tribe of harassing sisters. The audience is
allowed insight into his feelings through a
beautiful display of splashing colors or by a mere
calm flash of light. His emotions become the paint
for the film's canvas. When things become too
chaotic for him, the audience becomes privy to the
mounting cacophonous percussive music inside his
head. These emotive responses drive the movie, and
are a wonderful visual alternative to voice-overs
or dream sequences.
The plot enveloping this love story is no fairy
tale. Before Egan has met the woman of his dreams,
he calls a sex chat line and divulges all of his
personal information. The company then proceeds to
demand money and threaten his life. As he attempts
to smooth everything over, he is introduced to a
woman who is the first person to give him positive
attention. The woman, Lena Leonard, is portrayed
by the incomparable Emily Watson. Watson, who was
brilliant in "Breaking the Waves" and "Hilary and
Jackie," does an excellent job as the seemingly
normal love interest, who remarkably takes
everything in stride.
Luis Guzman playfully rounds out the cast as
Egan's oblivious friend Lance. Anderson regular
Phillip Seymour Hoffman plays Dean Trumbell, the
sex chat company's head honcho. Though a small
role, Hoffman plays it full-tilt and does not let
go. This unique tale is subtly humorous, and not
meant for Sandler's usual "Happy Gilmore" crowd.
Anderson has created full characters, each with
their own quirks and peculiar habits, and each one
to be appreciated. Those looking for the usual,
predictable Hollywood storyline and acting method
will be disappointed, but those who prefer their
plots on the edge of reason -- yet closer to
reality -- will enjoy this film. Visually
refreshing and aurally assaulting, this is a
creative movie for a creative crowd.
Anderson was involved in creating the extra
features for this 2-disc DVD release and like
other DVD releases of his films his choice of
features -- and their implementation -- is
undeniably original, even peculiar (for instance,
extras with dialogue come with optional Korean
subtitles and you can choose to surrender your
remote and have the extras be shown in random
order). Because the film is presented in Superbit
all the extras are on the second disc: There's a
12-minute montage of Jon Brion's "Here We Go" tune
with clips and images, two deleted scenes, some
promo pieces, trailers, and 12 Scopitones from the
film (Scopitones are very short films, a few
seconds long, from the early 1960s; they're
the forerunners to today's music videos). |
