Um Dia de Louco

Ok...strange little movie? Oh yes, but I like weird humor. I thought it was very funny, and to my surprise a good movie to consider for christmas time. It is a aptly named title, as each character has their own quirks and bits to add into a pot of building insanity, unitl it finally boils over into total chaos. You really have to give yourself over to the movie to enjoy it. Just accept the fact that just about everyone in it is OUT OF THEIR MINDS and you'll enjoy it a lot more.

This is an underrated classic film that utilizes the comic skills of several great actors. I watched it twice through the first day I rented it, just to hear the great one-liners and see the crazy antics of a bunch of neurotic phone counsellors. Praise must go to Madeline Kahn (late), who performs hilariously, especially in the elevator scene, and later gives us a sample of her beautiful operatic voice. Rita Wilson's character is cheerily naive, Juliette Lewis is wacky and fun, and Liev Schriber is scene-stealing as the cross-dresser...the dance scene with him and Steve Martin is one of the highpoints of the film, especially with Liev spinning solo around the room. And Adam Sandler is wonderful as the musical neighbour- his singing 'hello' had me laughing for the rest of the movie. This is ONE wacky film, but unlike recent productions, which seem to scream 'look at me! I'm a wacky film! I've got weird characters and an oddball script!', Mixed Nuts doesn't have to. It just is. And that's good enough reason to watch it.

One of those "slice of life" stories, "Mixed Nuts" portrays several hours on Christmas Eve in a crisis hot-line center where Phil (Steve Martin) works. Over the day, a most unusual series of events happens, and no one's life will ever be the same again. Some of the scenes are real shockers (you'll know them when you see them).

Steve Martin has a great time with the role, as does Rita Wilson as Catherine O'Shaughnessy, Phil's co-worker. You'll really like the elevator scene. Great support from Madeline Kahn, Robert Klein, Juliette Lewis, Anthony LaPaglia, Rob Reiner, Adam Sandler, and Liev Schreiber make this movie truly one Christmas treat. Jon Stewart and Parker Posey also appear.

I think I might cry. I feel so hopelessly misunderstood. This movie is brilliant.... I feel as though the epitome of my sense of humor has been rated "two stars"... this is depressing...

It's just... brilliant. It's completely nonsensicle and pointless and brilliant, much like a dream I might have when on too much cold medicine. Much like the dreams that I find most delightful...

It's one of those movies I find myself quoting all the time just to hear the lines again. Everyone thinks I'm nuts when I quote it because of course no one has ever heard of it. I've taken to making the little "plop" noise that Steve Martin does when he gets too flustered... when I get too flustered. Madeline Kahn is my hero. I relate too well to Mrs. Munchnik, sanity surrounded by chaos only to find that deep down, she too is a nut. If I were stuck on an elevator, I would have acted just as she had, making up little raps... It's the simple stuff... simple stupid stuff. That's what makes this film so brilliantly refreshing. It's so dumb! Take Adam Sandler, for instance. There was no reason for this character whatsoever. It was entirely random and uncalled for. It was almost as if he happened to be walking by and they called him over and said "Hey, Adam! Wanna be in a movie?"... the only thing he did was show off his mad ukulele skills. And he made me laugh... he was there for the sole purpose of being funny, no strings attached. It was so refreshing. As was this whole movie. Like a good dream! To me it is proof that when you have fun making it (which it appears impossible that they did not), you have fun watching it. At least I do... I'm gonna watch it tonight and appreciate it's wonderfulness.

So I always enjoy Steve Martin. He's not what you'd call a movie star, or a typical leading man (and that's not a bad thing). He brings a lot of fun to roles, and I always enjoy him in film.

As it was nearing Christmas at the time I saw this movie was available for free, I decided I'd go for it. Now, with movies, if one is a classic, then most people have seen it. Stuff like "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", people know and love. I'll see the stuff that people regard as classic, if I haven't already, but I love doing the deep dives, and seeing what most people haven't.

Now clearly if this movie were really good, more people would talk about it, and by other reviews on here, some do really like it. Here's what I think:

Nora Epron was a good director. Not everything she directed was great ("Bewitched", yeesh.) I think what stands out in her films is the characters. That's what we remember the most. She'll get a great cast, and make some good films, but not every film made by every great director works.

The tone of this movie is a little off. It's not really that funny. Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of silly stuff that's supposed to be funny, and the comedic acting from Martin was good effort, but the thing is, he can't save a picture with so many other characters. The movie doesn't really have focus. It jumps between characters, and some we may not really want to know. Some are just barely more than one note, too.

So without really funny scenes, or character development, it's really just chaos. There's a version of this movie that would work, but I think it has to go further in one direction or the other, tonally.

If you're looking for something a little outside of normal Christmas fare, and can keep expectations low, it might be worth a try, but for some people, it'll be like nails on a chalkboard. 5/10.