Meu Vizinho Mafioso

I rented The Whole Nine Yards a few days ago, and just watched it this morning, I'm such a huge Bruce Willis fan, I don't see him that often in comedies, so I was curious how this would work. But after viewing this film, I have to just say that this movie was just so funny! I couldn't believe how much it made me laugh, I know it's such a dark subject, but it was pretty cool how they just turned into a zanny comedy. Bruce Willis and Matthew Perry were just the most perfect choices, they were like ying and yang. Matthew as this guy who just is scared of everything and finally has something at the end to say where he has control and Bruce couldn't have been a more perfect choice as the cocky and yet charismatic hit man who could be threatening but yet the most likable guy in the world. The story was just very clever and worked so well with the cast.

Nick is just your average guy, he is a dentist and a very likable guy, but he gets walked on quite a bit, especially by his wife who he feels like he owes her family, so he won't divorce her. But one day, a new neighbor moves in, Nick notices him pretty much off the bat, it's Jimmy "the tulip" Tudeski, the famous hit man who has killed 17 people and also ratted out his boss. He's on the run from his boss in Chicago and has a ransom on his head. Nick actually likes Jimmy, but his wife, Sophie, says to turn him in and get the award. He goes to Chicago and falls in love with Jimmy's wife, Cynthia. When Nick comes back home to Canada, he learns from Jimmy that his wife has gone to hire a hit man to kill Nick. But Nick also learns that Jimmy wants to kill Cynthia, Jimmy's boss wants to kill Nick, Nick's receptionist is also a hit woman, pretty much everyone wants to kill everyone.

That's pretty much the best way to sum up The Whole Nine Yards, but trust me when I say that this is such a fun movie. I really had a good time watching this movie, Bruce Willis was just so great. But I have to admit that Amanda Peet's performance floored me when she was just admiring Bruce's work and getting advice from him on what her first hit should be like. She was just so adorable while being deadly. So please, I would recommend this film, it's a dark comedy, yes, but it's all good, just learn to let go and have fun if you're very sensitive on the subject.

7/10

Now here is a rare breed: a mainstream movie that works at just about every level without dumbing anything down or making the average viewer think too hard. "The Whole Nine Yards" is a great movie to simply sit back and enjoy.

Nicholas "Oz" Ozeransky (Matthew Perry) is a mild-mannered dentist whose stuck with a wife who hates him (Rosanna Arquette in a hilariously over-the-top performance) and a huge debt that his partner (his father-in-law) left him when he kicked the bucket. Then his new neighbor moves in. This neighbor, much to Oz's horror, is none other than Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski (Bruce Willis), the infamous hit-man for the Gogolak gang. Oz's wife tells him that they should rat Jimmy out to the Gogolaks to get a "finder's fee." Oz obviously refuses, but agrees to go when his wife agrees that if he does this, she'll give him a divorce. Thus begins a hilarious story of double crosses, new romances, and hamburgers with mayonnaise.

The cast is first rate. Matthew Perry is in full panic-mode, and his reactions to the situations he finds himself in (and their resulting consequences) are hilarious. Bruce Willis is perfectly cast as Jimmy. It's a typecast role, but Willis plays him with a slight tongue-in-cheek. It works wonderfully. While it allows for plenty of laughs, it also gives him an air of menace, which adds another layer to the humor. We are aware of Jimmy's capacity for violence, but the way Willis plays it results in moments of laughter mixed with suspense. Natasha Henstridge radiates a cool sexuality mixed with vulnerability as Jimmy's ex-wife who falls for Oz. Michael Clarke Duncan is also well-cast as Jimmy's fellow hit-man, Frankie. Kevin Pollack and Rosanna Arquette are so over-the-top that their performances must be seen to be believed.

But as good as this cast is, and it's great, the film is stolen from all of them by newcomer Amanda Peet. It takes a great performer to steal scenes with actors at the top of their game. But Peet didn't just steal her scenes, she walked away with the whole movie. Peet is positively delightful as Oz's ditzy receptionist, who has more of a part to play in this than anyone realizes. Peet is hysterical; her performance should have at least gotten her an Oscar nod, if not a win.

"The Whole Nine Yards" is a mix of film-noir and screwball comedy. Director Jonathan Lynn has a lot of fun with the conventions of each genre, including mixing and matching the character traits of the femme-fatale and the "good girl" (you'll see what I mean when you watch the movie). What I really liked is that the humor of the movie is not over-the-top exaggeration humor (like The Farrelly Brothers). This is more about timing and dialogue; it's like a 1930's screwball comedy without the Hays Code. To be sure, the film does not leave out the trademark of the noir genre: the twisty plot. "The Whole Nine Yards" boasts plenty of surprises, and quite a bit of suspense. Just because this is a comedy doesn't mean you can tell where it's going.

Mixing these two genres would seem impossible because more often than not, one would dilute the other. But Lynn manages to walk the line between the two opposite genres and play them both equally well. The film is well-paced, and the timing on the jokes is perfect. There are no over-the-top visual effects, and that's a good thing.

"The Whole Nine Yards" may not be classic film material, but it's highly entertaining. And with a movie like this, that's just about all that one could ask for.

Perry is an unhappy dentist stuck in a dead marriage and burdened with financial problems; as if that isn't bad enough, he learns that his new neighbor is in fact an infamous contract killer with reprehensible mob ties. Against his better judgment, Perry decides to try and rat out the lowlife for his own personal gain, but soon gets in over his head. The film's humor is occasionally too silly for words, but the cast is good and full of enthusiasm—especially Peet—and the script throws out a lot of unexpected twists and turns at just the right moments. Surprising and very funny, with a perfect part for Willis who finds just the right tone for a gangster with heart. ***

Nicholas 'Oz' Oseransky (Matthew Perry) is a meek dentist in Montreal. His wife Sophie (Rosanna Arquette) is a money grubber who may be looking to cash in on his life insurance. His new assistant Jill St. Claire (Amanda Peet) tells him to divorce her. Then notorious mob hit-man Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tudeski (Bruce Willis) moves in next door. He immediately recognizes Jimmy is in danger of a contract kill from Chicago mob boss Janni Pytor Gogolak (Kevin Pollak). Sophie pushes Oz to cash in on the contract and he goes back to Chicago to appease her but not intending to contact Janni. She immediately tells Jimmy to double cross Oz. Oz is confronted by hit-man 'Frankie Figs' Figueroa (Michael Clarke Duncan) who brings him to Janni. Oz falls for femme fatale Cynthia Tudeski (Natasha Henstridge). She tells him that Janni's father Lazlo hid $10M with her before being sent to prison. It can only be accessed with three signatures from her, Janni, and Jimmy. Or else it can be accessed with their death certificates. Janni sends Frankie with Oz back to Montreal to track down and kill Jimmy. Only there are even more double crosses.

My biggest problem with this is director Jonathan Lynn. He doesn't show enough comedic skills in this. There are some good potential but it looks like a second rate movie. This should be so much funnier. It's simply not well filmed. There is also the $10M jackpot. It's way too convoluted and simply a device to give the characters a reason to do what they do. It's backwards writing. Mostly, it's awkward.

The good part is all the good actors around. Most of them are doing their best. Natasha Henstridge is a little stiff. Kevin Pollak isn't as funny as he needs to be. Matthew Perry is working hard and has good chemistry with Bruce Willis. The boys are good with Amanda Peet. Perry has less chemistry with Natasha Henstridge. There are a few laughs. I just wish it has a lot more.

Time is 2000. Bruce Willis fresh off 'the Fifth Element'. An on-form Matthew Perry fresh off 'Friends'. This is a crime-comedy with all the goods from either world, and it's done *just right*. The plot is good, and the film's got that typical contorted type story at the middle of it linking many different characters, but still absolutely coherent and compelling. Perry really is very funny in this one, and it's about to be one crazy ride for this prude of a dentist when an ex- big time conman is his neighbor and he finds out who he is and somehow finds himself involved. This is a crazy ride, with lots of great fun and action, good laughs, a good atmosphere between tight tension and comedy relief, the supporting cast is great, and the plots within the plots are strong enough to make this a fairly layered piece of genre-hybrid cinema. Just all in all, an excellent comedy.