Galaxies Are Colliding

I saw this movie yesterday and thought it was awful; it was pointless and just plain stupid. the supposed plot concerned a prospective bridegroom too caught up in the problems of the world to relate to his bride and the other people in his life. He disappears on his wedding day (in a tux no less) and hooks up with an assortment of weirdos.

We saw it with a bus-load of people on the way down to Atlantic City and everyone agreed that it was a terrible movie. It was trying to be profound but it wasn't; it was stupid and offensive. If I wasn't on a bus I would have walked out on the movie. Anyone considering seeing the movie or renting or buying the video you have been forewarned.

For me, this movie was an unexpected treat. I surfed across it on TV one night, and decided to watch just until I recognized the plot. Then I would go off to bed. I wound up watching the whole remainder and then renting it to see the beginning. Folks, this is a comedy about existential angst. That, my dear, is not an easy thing to do.

This is a man who has gotten the BIG picture of the Universe, and is experiencing the loss of all meaning. That's hard to write comedy about. Probably the second most important aspect of the movie is the variety of others' reactions to Big Philosophy, or their lack of ability to comprehend. -Some sympathetic and understanding, some shallow and intolerant, etc. Watch the backgrounds for humorous clues, and little pieces of dialog and music. Once you catch on, it's got lots of laughs, and even some insights.

I agree with another reviewer that the humor and philosohical ramblings were too forced in this potentially good film. There wasn't enough angst to make the story seem profound or true, given the subject matter, but to me, that's typically what happens when Kelsey Grammar is in a movie. He's too sarcastic and cynical and doesn't have the ability to play a role without misplaced superiority. I could be wrong, but he's a ham (pedantic?) in everything he does. I liked Karen Medak's character, especially the restaurant scene. She was poignantly goofy. My favorite line: "Are you on drugs?" The way she delivered her lines was charming and refreshing compared to the rest of the cast. It wasn't a bad movie, just sort of irritating.

This failed exercise in satire or commentary on the human condition easily earned a place as one of the 10 worst movies I've ever seen. I'm seriously considering buying a copy, if I can find one dirt cheap, to chase away unwanted company. It's honestly that bad. I view it as some kind of anti-personnel weapon. If you're the kind of person who just has to see a train wreck to witness the carnage, then this movie is a gem. Just to be fair, Kelsey Grammar's character has 1 line that almost works, but doesn't quite. Other than that everything in this movie strives to be insightful, but misses the mark by approximately the distance between earth and the nearest pair of colliding galaxies. I usually can appreciate a book or movie where the protagonist suffers from some sort of existential angst, but the angst presented here is so unbelievable and over the top, and the movie doesn't even address the nonsense it presents in any valuable way. If you are familiar with the term "word vomit" then you may get some picture of the cinematrocity. Oh, and the narrative structure is ill conceived, pretentious and amateurish. It has failed on both style and substance. If you really hate someone, invite them over for a double feature of this movie and "The Terror of Tiny Town," an all midget western from the 1930's and put them in restraints with their eyes forced open "A Clockwork Orange" style. But that probably violates some provision in the Geneva Conventions.

I don't understand the (currently) low rating. Jeez, no it's not Citizen Kane, but it's not intended to be. I identify with Adam's problems dealing with the insanity and brutality of the modern world, and the universal and timeless question of why we exist. And I loved the tongue-in-cheek humor. My favorite line is Adam's friend Peter's observation that "... sometimes I think we're all just a bunch of solar-powered sh*t machines."