The Woman Chaser

If you saw The Woman Chaser at the NY Film Fest or Sundance, take a second look. I saw it at SXSW in Austin, Tx this last Sunday night and I loved it. You've probably seen the reviews from previous film fests, but the version that played in Austin is not what the reviewers in NY or at Sundance saw. It was outstanding! I have not seen any version but this one, but from other reviews I know what at least one of the cuts was (good decision, by the way). I happen to really like a good bad guy and Warburton made a GREAT bad guy. Just see it. You'll understand. Oh, and if you're reading this Joe, it was great to see you! And yeah, I'm waiting for the director's cut DVD to come out...

Just saw 35 films at Sundance and hands down, this film stands out while most of the others are just a blur. Patrick Warburton plays "The Director" (the author's original title for the story)and he plays it to deadpan perfection. Shot in color and then transferred to a high contrast black and white title stock, paints this film in a lush visual treat. Plot and dialog holds true to the original 60's pulp and creates a harsh charm that is both parody and innovative filmmaking. Looking forward to seeing this one again as soon as it is released.

I first heard of Charles Willeford when Miami Blues came out. I read that book & found it fantastic. I thought the movie of Miami Blues was a minor masterpiece. I began to work backwards in Willeford's novels & got to this one which I found, like much of his earliest work, very bizarre. A used car salesman who dances a ballet with his mother. This film has captured that quality perfectly, treating it with utmost respect & love & lots of very well-tempered humor. Every detail of this film works perfectly, the acting, lighting, music, quality of sound, even, or especially, the perfect pitch of B-movie voices. Less lethal than Jim Thompson, less schematic than James M. Cain, more resourceful than David Goodis, Charles Willeford now has had two well-deserved minor film masterpieces made of his work.

I first saw this movie in a theater, and I thought it was an amusing, if somewhat uneven film. I enjoyed Patrick Warburton's performance, but felt that the movie didn't hold together that well.

I was lucky enough to score a VHS copy recently, and I've watched the movie a few more times, and I've enjoyed it more each time.

Maybe it's because I have a better idea of what to expect. I find more humor in it, and am able to enjoy it more as the satire which I now think it was intended to be.

It's still odd and quirky, and the title really doesn't seem to fit the content of the movie very well (I read somewhere that it was originally supposed to be called "The Director", which would be more fitting), but it's fun to watch.

Plus, it's got a whole lot of shirtless Patrick Warburton, which is definitely a good thing!!

Patrick Warburton, famous for playing dim-witted mechanic David Putty on TV's "Seinfeld," expands his comedic and dramatic range in this witty, black-comedy satire of the movie biz. The high-contrast black & white cinematography accentuate the retro look and feel of this very funny film. Warburton plays a slick-talking, womanizing cad who talks his way first into the used car business and then into writing and directing a movie (the two industries apparently requiring similar levels of BS-artistry.)

With his burly body, Warburton is a welcome throw-back to the leading men of classic film noir Hollywood. He does a wonderful job of keeping a straight face while delivering some of the most original and hilarious dialogue I've seen in quite a while. While the film has some very dark undercurrents, they are so tongue-in-cheek and true to the main character that they make his Icarus-like fate all the more believable and satisfying.

Warburton is a gem; he effortlessly breaks the one-dimensional mold of his Seinfeld role. His razor-sharp delivery of the pitch for his movie-within-a-movie ("The Man Who Got Away") is destined to make this flick a staple of the cult-classic and employee-picks shelf at good movie stores for years.

The Woman Chaser flies off the tracks a bit towards the last reel, but this is only because it's been taking so many risks. Stick with it and you'll be rewarded with one of the most original and funny movies I've seen in several years.