| Starring: John Cusack, Olive Platt, Billy Bob Thorton Directed By: Harold Ramis Rated: R for Violence and Lanaugage and Other Evil things like that Final Grade: |
Box Office Bullet Points: The Movie In A Nutshell
*Oliver Platt is hilarious. The middle section of the film that focuses mainly on him and Cusack is comedy gold….
*That whole section doesn’t really fit with the rest of the film, which is a darker morality tale. There are some really great moments and plot turns, but the fact that we’re supposed to find this a comedy makes it feel awkward.
*The movie is put together really well, and uses the Kansas scenery well to fit the characters’ motives. Harold Ramis has never been a very good visual director, so I was definitely surprised by the arty look of this one.
*Connie Nielsen does femme fatale with flair.
*Randy Quaid does mobster well in his one scene, though it’s hard not to see him as the Uncle from the Vacation films.
*Billy Bob is wasted, he doesn’t do much at all. Cusack is just Cusack, but does it well.
The Verdict:
Not really sure what to make of this one. It’s partially a good comedy, partially a good noir-ish mystery, but the parts don’t really add up. I can’t say I disliked the film, but I can’t really recommend it as a whole either…
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