odanny

I don't watch a lot of comedies because most seem not at all funny to me. Admittedly I'm not looking out for those films with a lot of interest in seeing them. I didn't think I'd ever see something approaching the hilarity of "Office Space" ever again until I stumbled across this film one night. I could tell in one or two minutes it was going to be funny. I was not disappointed.

The humor seem to have grew throughout the film. The power of this comedy is its entire 'staying power', and with only a few exceptions it builds at the beginning and never lets up. Brilliantly done spoof that manages to strike the perfect tone of balance throughout by the characters ever outrageous pokes at stereotypes of all kinds, the sexuality of black men, especially with white women, is laughed at in all kinds of ridiculous and over the top angles, mixing in the token look of Uncle Tom in a white mans business world to the alter ego of Eddie Griffin, the title character of the movie. Dave Chappelle is fantastic, continually spoofing the angry black man with a conspiracy problem and a weed problem, never quite in on whats the subject but always funny.

Billie Dee Williams character was great too and a unforgiving and harsh jab at Ret. Gen. Colin Powell, a military man who held real credentials until his one blemish, going to the UN with news he probably didn't believe (note: my opinion) I also do not know if a feeling of resentment by the black community was real or, like much of this film, just imagined and spoofed in this comparison of these two, as 'Gen. Boutwell' turns into a 'down on the farm' character in black face, dancing at the behest of the white world for profit and inclusion in the all white club.

But, of course, its out of 'his control', so he is not really responsible for it. If there is a deeper message, its hidden, but I do know it's its a most clever skewering of someone. And that's a real point of the film is how to read it, how far the director is going, and what other stereotypes will be exploded in the viewers face.

Whether its 'representing or just pretending' in a way, whether real, imagined, or hilariously spoofed, its all funny. Some spoofs are very artful and accurate in their intent and the complexities of the surroundings are always just as in tune with being over the top as the spirited performances of the cast.

"Mr. Feather" was carried out with hilarity, and was right in line with the outrageous nature of everyone else. (Funny dance scene.) Neil Patrick Harris and Denise Richards (who was maybe featured more than she should have) were both good as well, and it struck just the right balance throughout this laugh fest of all their roles together with the rest of the cast. It stayed funny till its very end. Fantastic job goes out to John Ridley and Malcolm D. Lee on this one.

This film went in too many different directions, I realize it was perhaps the directors intent to keep anyone watching from focusing too much on any one character but the intrigue of the oil companies and their insider trading and mergers was too much to follow at times. And Matt Damon's role struck me as a gratuitous addition by fellow actor George Clooney, who perhaps just likes working with Matt. Why the director attempted to paint the family portrait with this role in the film is baffling, and it seems to have failed, as others have wondered why this was added to the film.

But where this film succeeds is in showing the hustle and bustle of busy Middle Eastern cities, the vast stretches of oil refineries and the workers who are seen as little more than disposable aliens, gotten rid of when convenient. The director also shows, very keenly, how this all ties into a ready made reservoir of resentment that religious scholars can tap into and keep a continual flow of suicide bombers at the ready for the next mission.

The film concentrates mainly on the wheeling and dealing of corporate oilmen and their back room deals. While this may not sound interesting the actors play their roles very convincingly, and one gets the impression you are seeing how Exxon turned this country's highest ever recorded profit in one year (36 billion dollars) last year. And with gas prices over $3.00 a gallon, the politics of petroleum is too important a subject to ignore.

Some war movies succeed where others do not, and that can be judged from a variety of angles. The humanistic angle, one where you can feel the raw emotions (the terror of being under attack, the camaraderie amongst soldiers, the arduous trials people face inside them when in combat, etc..) are always movies I find compelling. Movies like Das Boot and A Midnight Clear are but two examples of movies that you sense a connection to the characters in the film.

This film succeeds on that level as well. It speaks of "The Highest Honor" and that honor is doing the right thing. These 23 soldiers did the right thing, they had honor and it is recognized in a way wholly incompatible with Western thought, but it is, to the very end, a true story of honor. Unforgettable movie. Based on the true story.