Another Chance

"Another Chance" is an odd film. On one hand, it claims to be a film about the joys of monogamy and commitment. But, on the other, the story is also unabashedly trashy and filled with sex and nudity. In other words, the film wants it BOTH ways!

John (Bruce Greenwood) is a sexaholic actor. His life seems to revolve around bedding women and he is an expert manipulator and liar. The story loses some believably when he meets Jackie (Vanessa Angel) and he suddenly is in love. You know he's in love because there is a lengthy montage...followed quickly by John jumping into bed with (or, more like yanked into bed with) a sexy woman (who might just be a demon). Not surprisingly, his dream girl, Jackie, walks in and their relationship is over. To get over this sad breakup, John quickly beds other girls. Is there any redemption or change in John before the end of this picture?

In many ways, this film is like the Blake Edwards film "Skin Deep"....but with a lot less depth....and because of this, it's a lot less interesting. While I love Bruce Greenwood (he was brilliant in the short-lived TV series, "Nowhere Man"), here he isn't given a lot to do other than look pretty and bed women. The biggest problem is that the 'relationship' with Jackie seemingly impacted on John so much only took a few minutes in the film. You see them meet and him trying to manipulate her...but the actual relationship itself seemed unimportant to show in any detail (other than that montage)...and showing WHY he cared about her (at least to the ability this character COULD love anyone) isn't really in the film. The same could be said about his fall from grace...which happened way too quickly as well. And, don't even get me started about the ultra-cheesy meeting with St. Peter near the end!!

As you can probably tell by now, I was not bowled over by this movie. While the idea was good, the execution seemed cheap and unconvincing. I cannot understand the glowing reviews I just read about this film and think the overall score (a paltry 4.6) is more like what you should expect.

My review was written in May 1988 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.

"Another Chance" is a sex comedy with enough laughs (both intentional and otherwise) to find an audience in today's crowded market. Unfortunately, it tries to cram in too much contrasting material, resulting in wide swings in tone and tastefulness that keep it out of the first rank.

Bruce Greenwood is fresh and appealing as anthero John Ripley, a womanizer who stars in a tv soap. Though all women are his targets (and the film piles on a nonstop parade of California beauties), he soon focuses on British model Jacky (voluptuous Vanessa Angel), smashingly until she catches him with fantasy temptress Barbara Edwards (former Playboy magazine model).

As hinted by an opening nightmare scene of Ripley facing judgment in heaven before St. Peter for his misdeeds, pic is a fantasy, recalling the cautionary Cecil B. DeMille pageants of sin and redemption. Actor turned director Jesse Vint lays it on a bit too thick in contrasting the good side of Ripley's nature (idyllic visits to his cornpone family's farm) and the sleazy lifestyle that not only he bu also his vulgar agen (Frank Annese in a well-tuned performance) and seemingly all of Hollywood epitomize. Pic errs in trying to simultaneously portray sexist attitudes (with the usual exploitation of femme bodies and their depiction as airheads) combined with a criticism of same.

Some outlandish scenes, particularly in the escalating final reels, stand out, as Robert Sacchi carefully sairitizes his typecasting by portraying a psychotic Bogart imitator, with the switch that he picks fights with people rather than the other way around; down and out after breaking up with Jacky, destitute Ripley is reduced to hiring on as an imitator of himself and in one of the film's more acid scenes has to put up with stinging criticism from a lowlife agent.

To pic's detriment, Vint also includes spurious material, such as a disconnected scene of Ripley's beautiful white German shepherd getting killed (so it can figure sentimentally later on) and overreliance on dream sequences, which render the underlying fantasy elements confusing.

Angel (previously in "Spies Like Us") is a real find in the lead role and supporting cast is solid. Rocky the dog certainly is an able scene stealer. In a single scene as the landlady, Anne Ramsey virtually duplicates her recent Oscar-nominated "Throw Momma" persona.

In the movie Another Chance, I think that the idea of the actor bombing out in Hollywood, then having to work as his own celebrity look-alike was excellent! The sound, the music and the photography were'nt so great though. Could've been better. Everything considered, I'd give it a rating of 7 overall.

Also, insightful look at the inner workings of an incorrigible womanizer. Also noteworthy to see Bruce Greenwood's work as a newcomer in 1989.

Debra Jo Fondren (Playmate of the Year 1978)

Almost classic romantic comedy, with supernatural touches, full of fantastic girls: from Vanessa Angel to Barbara Edwards (one of the greatest looking playmates of all time) passing through a short (terribly too short, because she's one of my favorites) cameo of Karen Mystal, and several other great looking women. They are a reason good enough to see the movie till the end (there are no other really important, alas). Worth a look for the women alone.