O Mundo das Spice Girls

This movie was never intended to be serious ART (for that, go watch "Hamlet"--pretty much any version). I'm way too old to be a Spice Girls fan; my husband and I saw this on cable, and my main reason for scanning it was to see Roger Moore.

Let's get the obligatory bashing out of the way: the Spice Girls can't act very well, they sing a little better, they've got a good media machine hyping them, a good arranger for their tunes, and I liked the "2 Become 1" video on MTV.

The script for this movie, however flawed, was a little gem. And in regard to all the other posters decrying Roger Moore's involvement in the movie, I recommend that you catch the flick on cable or rent the tape and watch Mr. Moore's scenes again, carefully. He's always in Chief's minimalist office/sitting room, there's no one there but the animals (and behind the cameraman are the lighting guys and the animal wrangler), and Mr. Moore works wonders with jaw-breakingly nonsensical dialogue. Not only all that, but he ended up with probably the most sophisticated and opulent wardrobe of anyone in the movie!

Oh, and for those folks who think Mr. Moore may have been desperate for money to do this movie--Do you remember that little programme on the telly back in the 60s? "The Saint"? Five series (seasons) in black and white and two series in colour? Mr. Moore was co-producer of the two color seasons and gets his bit whenever a videotape is sold or the package is aired, which is quite often on both counts. It's kinda like having an American 401(k) retirement plan, but with better music and clothes.

Love & Lasers! GalaxyGal

I'm not even kidding, just think of any adjective and it probably accurately describes some aspect of this movie. That's about the only input I can possibly give, because describing it in any other way would portray it as "good", or "bad", or "somewhere in the middle", when really it isn't on that spectrum at all; it just is what it is, and that's that.

... but that statement alone immediately makes it superior to any number of "Wannabe" (Arggghhhh!) Oscar-winners that are actually pretentious cr*p. I know it's a cliche, but this film has a clear idea of its place in the scheme of things, and it knows it's not got a shot of toppling "Citizen Kane" from the public's affections, so it just sets out to have fun. Whether the audience will be doing the same is a different matter entirely. If you can stomach random sequences strung together with barely an excuse for a plot, and countless jokes that can most kindly be described as of the 'hit & miss' variety, you should be alright. Hey, if you watch this movie of your own volition and STILL feel you are justified in complaining that it's awful, you deserve everything you get. Myself, I think it's churlish to overly criticise such a harmless piece of fluff that is obviously desperate to be liked. So I won't. It's about as good as could have been reasonably expected. (There I go, damning it with faint praise!)

Incidentally, of the girls, only Victoria shows the ability to at least deliver a line adequately. Having said that, don't expect her to be appearing in a Scorsese movie anytime soon (There I go again... !)

We'll just ignore the fact that numerous actors belittle their art in various cameo appearances. (Grant, Hoskins & Cumming, I'm looking at you!) Notice I didn't include Roger Moore in that group. I didn't think it appropriate. After all, this is just his level.

I've liked the Spice Girls for years, but I'm not sure why. Ordinarily, I don't care for their brand of dance-pop fluff, but somehow they make it sound good. Regardless of what anyone says, they are talented singers and dancers, and they show that numerous times. They're also pretty and most of them wear outfits that show a lot. And while they're not accomplished actresses, they are simply adorable.

I don't think anyone intended this movie to be taken seriously. It's just good clean (well, slightly naughty) fun. Roger Moore comes the closest to giving a good performance, in a role that appears to be spoofing Bond villains. Just in case we don't get the joke, he pets a long-haired cat.

One of the funniest scenes has the girls complaining about people thinking they fit the stereotypical image people have of them. Of course, Emma says this while on a swing in a three-year-old's fantasy world.

The girls actually show they have intelligence. Or do they? I thought Melanie B was the one with brains. She's no better off than the others!

Another humorous incident: Victoria can't make up her mind whether to wear the short black Gucci dress or the short black Gucci dress. Emma suggests she wear the short black Gucci dress. Problem solved!

Of course, the girls are being harassed by the tabloids, whose top personnel are shown being evil.

And then there are the guys pitching their idea for a Spice Girls movie. Some of what we see is supposedly their imagination. Including a Dukes of Hazzard style incident with a bus, which was done so cheaply it's obviously not real.

In the closing credits, the girls are actually more talented delivering dialogue because they are being themselves, not merely playing exaggerated versions of themselves. I've never seen communication with the movie audience quite like this!

It's not for people looking for Shakespeare. But if you want to laugh and hear music that is bubbly and upbeat, this is pretty good.

The Spice Girls.......what can be said about them that hasn't already been said? Well, for starters..none of them can act. Playing themselves (albeit slightly exaggerated) seems to be a stretch. The lone shining star as far as acting is Meat Loaf, who in his role as SpiceBus driver provides comedy release without being Jar-Jarish. The fact he delivers the line "hey I love these girls, and I'd do anything for them...but I won't do that..." without blushing is priceless.

This movie has some of the cheesiest scenes in the history of film, with the aliens scene being among the worst, but when this movie hits with the goofiness, it hits well. I still laugh to this day when I think of the plastic SpiceBus jumping over the plastic London Bridge. Surprisingly, one of the best musical numbers is the cafe scene...where the girls show that they actually do have some discernible talent.

This is the best summary of the movie I can give: I hated the Spice Girls until I saw this movie, and now I have to say that I actually own a CD of theirs