¿Quién es Cletis T...?

I have avoided this movie since the day it came out, firstly it had Tim Allen in it, second that poster looked hideous and thirdly it was an ensemble piece. It just looked stupid, I had heard it was good, but the name, the poster and the Tim Allen thing all made me walk past this movie over and over again in the video store. So finally I get it out, and from the two mafia guys talking about deliverance right through till the end I love this movie.

This is a movie about movie clichés, but it tells the story in such a way that you could watch even more clichés and still enjoy it. Slater was good, not true romance good, but good, Connolly is great, but the man who steals the shop is Allen who is the funniest hit-man since Grosse Point Blank (Aykroyd or Cusack). And not only is Allen funny, but he holds the movie together in what is by far the toughest role.

I cannot believe more people have not seen this movie. This is a cult classic all about films, I think every movie junkie out there should see this movie right now. I don't know why the director isn't getting work after this (other than its failure to make any money), but I urge any future directors to look this man up and give him some cash.

If you're reading this review, ignore this movie no further.

Tim Allen plays a hit-man who loves movies and kills time before killing Slater by listening to Slater tell his story. The catch, although I doubt Slater believes it, is that if Allen enjoys the story enough, he might let Slater go.

This is a fun, light-hearted crime movie. Not the greatest movie of all time, I can easily think of many films worse that the critics loved. This film on the other hand is distinguised by virtue of getting one of the worst ratings on Rotten Tomatoes I have ever seen. Coupled with an extremely small distribution, this film has zero chance of ever making one cent, but if you get the chance, check it out.

Minor but most enjoyable matinee fodder which is notable for giving tailor made opportunities to an eclectic cast of "names" who have all been unfortunatley ill used by recent vehicals. Tim Allen seems to relish toning down the roguish chortle (the trailer of "S. C. II" points to a huge potential comeback....and an even huger potential for further typecasting). This was his freshest performance in years....and Christian Slater's charming work prooves just how much warmth and wit do lie untapped underneath the lethargic mannerisms....and make appearances in unworthy megaduds like "Windtalkers" even more sad. Richard Dreyfuss has a much smaller role....(thank heavens) but even he seems a bit more vital and less hammy than he has been of late (except in the unjustly overlooked gem "Tripendorff's Tribe" in which he was hysterical...at least on Cinemax. The love it or hate it factor here is bound to be the playful and very deliberate swipes at Tarantino which seem to be this scripts main reason for existence. Even though I loved "Fiction" (and hated "Gump") I can still appreciate the cheekiness of stealing the diffuse plot structure, toning down the bloodletting and bad words, and injecting two very refreshing elements....a nice sense of humanity and an obviously genuine affection for the art of cinema...anyone who is open to either of those qualities should find much to enjoy in this nice little film.

* NO POSSIBLE SPOILERS .. *

I'll skip the plot outline part and go right ahead to the comments.

This movie reminded me a bit "The Usual Suspects". Not that the movie has the same plot or it tries to copy "The Usual Suspects", but it had a similar vibe - how the story unwraps itself and goes together. Not that the end was surprising or spectacular, but how smoothly everything is running.

The actors are all good. None of them disappoint or annoy. If you can manage to take them out from their usual roles i.e Portia de Rossi as an Sub-Zero Nell in Ally McBeal and Tim Allen as Santa Claus etc, then you might even have a pleasant surprise. Supporting cast is believable, even the bad guys.

This movie is not for people who love bloody action, laughing your head off or deep plots. It's an easy movie for an easy watching. When you feel that watching Anderson's "Magnolia" is will be too tiring or "Road Trip" just too stupid, then go for "Who is Cletis Tout?". The best way is to watch this movie without and special expectations or prejudices. This way you have nothing to disappoint in.

If you take this movie as just a movie then most likely you will like it. I think it is worth seeing and worth spending your 1,5 hours on it.

My rating: 7/10.

Not a bad film at all. Considering some of the rubbish that makes big money this was smart enough to keep me interested. Obviously the flashback driven structure is a bit predictable and cheesy, but I have seen way dumber films this year. I don't know about Tim Allen's casting though - it wasn't a disaster but it didn't quite do the business for me. Kudos to him for playing against type, but he was too warm for what is by definition a muderous criminal (I think Nicholas Cage or Robert Duvall might have nailed this part). Overall this could have been much worse,, ( imagine Ms. J Roberts as the love interest.) The plot was fine if a little contrived, and the constant movie references wore a bit thin presented as they were. Competent enough though, it a pity that it didn't have have a bit more je n'est ce quio. Still more challenging than the recent skywalker ranch product if you're in the video store