Friday, June 23, 2006
SHAGGY YUPPIE STORY
Today's NYTimes Best 1176 Film was Albert Brooks'
I am a sometimes Brooks fan so I approach each writer/director/star film that he makes with a bit of trepidation.
This one hits the mark; in a good way.
He is not the nerd/worm Brooks but a more aggressive and decisive version. Of course, the decisions he makes are not so great and the aggression comes a little late but it all feels good when he unleashes it and boy does he give as good or better than he gets.
Fucked out of a promotion he quits the firm and mid-house purchase, he and his wife liquidate all their assets, buy a Winnebago, and head out to find their dream.
Improbably, they are thinking 'Easy Rider' here which is all upside down.
The wife is played by Julie Hagerty. Her 'going bananas in a casino' segment is priceless. She is so calm and quiet and then WHAM!
The bits and pieces are very good and the whole film builds tension to a great shaggy dog finale.
It is a one-big-joke one act play with lots of stuff to gander at on the way to the punch line.
The use of a rollover 'what happened to' sequence at the end only slams the joke down harder. It is all laughs for the last five minutes.
I liked it a lot.
I will give it a 5 out of Netflix5 because of the ending. Without it, it would be a 4. That isn't bad!
