Silver Man

Silver Man isn't a big screen box office smash. It's an independent film made in Canada, but it still boasts beautiful locations, a great story, and some excellent acting.

Firstly, let me just say that Eugene Levy (American Pie) absolutely steals the show with his performance as a Jewish gangster who is conflicted about killing people on the Sabbath or before his son's upcoming Bar Mitzvah.

The story centres around a guy who calls himself Silver Man (Paul Popowich). He works the promenade as a busking violinist, his skin covered from head to toe in an eery silver gleam. It's not makeup, however, and Silver Man has carried this abnormality his entire life, always being judged not for who he is, but what he looks like. Silver Man falls in love with the girl (literally) next door to his apartment, Tivoli (Audrey Lupke) who is miserable in her relationship with Jake (Derik Hamilton), her violent, abusive, but strangely charismatic (to her, anyway) boyfriend.

With an impressive cast that also includes Joe Pantiolano (The Fugitive, The Matrix), Daniel Baldwin, and Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest), Silver Man is a charming little love story with a bit of action, and is definitely worth seeing.

Paul Popowich stars in the title role as Silver Man, a young man who is a violinist and a street performer who has some kind of hereditary affliction which causes his skin to be a glowing silver. A handy guy to have around when you're lost at night.

He falls for Audrey Lapke who is the girl next door who unfortunately comes with a psychotic hood of a boyfriend in Derek Hamilton. She'd like to break away, but can't. And she also is keeping company with accountant Joe Pantoliano who has some secrets of his own.

Add to this is Eugene Levy who is a religious Jew and a gangster at the same time. He just wants to make sure his young son has a bar mitzvah that's unsoiled by the family business. He reminded me so much of Malachy McCourt from The Brink's Job who was into all kinds of stealing, but was downright insistent that Peter Falk not use bad language in his home.

In the end it's like that song lyric from That's Entertainment "where a ghost and a prince meet and everyone ends in mince meat".

The basic weakness of Silver Man is Audrey Lapke whose character made no sense at all. In fact this girl just wants to have it all and she'd really like to have all three guys on a string, she likes it that way. Not one of them can see that.

Still all the players give it a good go and if you've been to Toronto, you'll recognize a lot of the locations. Silver Man is an unpretentious little film which could have used some tightening in the story.

No question Eugene Levy is the best thing in this film, playing a Jewish mobster. Believe it or not he is the most interesting character in "Silver Man", although his screen time is minimal. Who ever thought of using Audrey Lupke as the girl that men are fighting over? She is so self centered and unlikable, that all the audience could pray for is that someone, anyone, would kick her to the curb and let her go. But no, the entire plot revolves around her biker boyfriend and Silver Man fighting over her. Throw in a totally unnecessary sympathy angle regarding Silver Man's circus childhood, and an ending that comes out of nowhere. This movie tries to do way too much with characters that no one gives a damn about, and that is it's fatal flaw. - MERK

This odd film benefits from the talents of the older supporting actors, who hold your interest far more than the lead actors. Although they do not appear for very long at a time, Joe Pantoliano adds the interest, Louise Fletcher adds character and the amazing Eugene Levy adds fire and energy to what is otherwise a rather slow movie. Honestly, I might not have finished the movie and was very tempted to fast forward to the next scene with "Leon" the Jewish gangster just to see more of Levy's sinister insanity, which actually drove the movie along more than the lead plot. Most of us are used to seeing Levy's dorky, sweet, everyman persona, but this is a step WAY WAY out of his box. Not since "Splash" has he played a "bad" guy, and never have I seen him play someone genuinely SCARY. And he plays nicely off the lead actress with a very charismatic attitude in a very quick but character revealing scene. So if you do rent this movie and it seems a little slow, stick with it for the heart-stopping finale. You'll be amazed. Movie: 6 of 10, Eugene Levy's performance: 10 of 10.