Kicked in the Head

Not often that a decently produced film with some veteran actors gets a rating as low as this one. I watched it on Sundance channel with no advance idea of its origin. I am fairly convinced, however, that its flaws relate to the origins of its ingredients.

First, you take some young New Yorkers who may or may not be on speed and get them to write a treatment for a film in small script in an even smaller notebook. Then you have them read it back to themselves after they have come down off their high, reflecting if possible on any chaotic dreams they can remember. Tell them to include all the stock New York characters and clichés in no apparent order, jumping all over the place in time and location.

Next you hire some really great local character actors who are between engagements to play some zany but recognizable types. Add a couple of actresses to play, respectively, a one-note looker and a drippy high school sweetheart type. Then cast one of yourselves in the main protagonist role as an aspiring writer with no real talent either as a writer or actor. A cute dog and maybe even someone's cat could provide added appeal.

Then comes the hard part: getting someone short on IQ but long on money to finance the whole thing and let it go wherever it takes you. Marketing can come later.

This turkey is saved by inspired character acting. I particularly liked Burt Young playing a role he has played many times, and I thought John Ventimiglia was terrific. Pity it had to be in this film.

Matthew Harrison and Kevin Corrigan have come up a quirky movie in which there are a lot of ideas. Some of them come across and others fail, but the film is worth a look because it has good performances. The first half of the movie has excellent pacing, as it moves quickly with all that's going on.

Michael Rapaport makes an excellent appearance as Stretch. This is an actor that always delivers. He is always effective in whatever he plays. Kevin Corrigan's Redmond shows enough confusion as he moves through the different situations. It's not his best role, but having an interest in the film, since he co-wrote the screen play, might have had a toll on him. Linda Fiorentino, Lily Taylor, James Woods and Burt Young make great contributions in an assortment of New York characters.

One of the funniest scenes is at the beginning of the movie when Uncle Sam steals the car and tries to get rid of the dog he finds inside. The shooting scenes are amazing because no one is shot, even at close range. Don't ever show this film to Quentin Tarantino, as he will probably have a panic attack!

I stumbled across this movie on satellite cable last one night. I was mesmerized - it was SO funny, so well written, and so underplayed. This little independent film has a lot going for it. Michael Rappaport has one of his best roles, James Woods plays a weasel like only he can... this movie is "Pulp Fiction" meets "Slacker" but a lot funnier... Guns, drugs, a lost dog, stolen cars, and LOTS of beer. Check this one out - if you like whimsical "small" films then this one is one for you.

The movie start out introducing a boy who is lost ( in search of "the purpose" ). We get to join him for a few days of his life, telling us that life ain`t always the brightest thing to deal with. The movie deserves some credit for not following the mainstream, and Michael Rapaport does his best role for so far. James Woods is quite good as a jerk, the dog is better though. I´m happy that I´ve watched this one, and I recommend you to do the same.

The dialog in the movie is clever, with amusing use of fast talking and repetition. Some of the "philosophical" speeches were good too, particularly one where the main character (Redmond) was warned about stewardesses' body rhythms. The violent scenes seemed to be parodies of action movies; lots of shots fired without hitting anyone. There were a few visually amusing images worked in too.

The plot was mostly aimless. Redmond had no job or apartment, but a girl was interested in him anyway. He had few goals other than working on his book and getting noticed by a flight attendant who interested him. Along the way, Sam got him mixed up with some criminals. Redmond's uncle, Sam, observed that Redmond was in a self-destructive period in his life.

So while the plot was pretty weak, the dialog was pretty funny.