Le concierge du Bradbury

In NYC, Doug Ireland (Michael J. Fox) is a master of deals as concierge in the classy Bradbury hotel. He has a heart of gold protecting some of the older workers from manager Mr. Himmelman. He even takes care of a cheapskate guest like Harry Wegman. Ed Drinkwater from the IRS is on his case. He dreams of owning his own hotel and he hopes billionaire investor Christian Hanover is his ticket. He is infatuated with store perfume girl Andy Hart (Gabrielle Anwar) who claims to have a boyfriend. It turns out she's Hanover's mistress and he's forced to cover for Hanover as he needs the deal more.

This is a barely functional romance. It's mostly riding on the shoulders of Michael J. Fox and he's plenty charming by himself. The romance is questionable. It's not well set up and a bit more back story could have helped. The villain is underwhelming. Overall this is a watchable and unimpressive rom-com.

Someone could have knocked me over w a feather, after having read on IMDb that, this movie maxed out at an estimated budget of $30m yet only grossed worldwide a little over $10m. As a self-professing film connoisseur, this movie ranks in the top 25 personal favorite movies (produced during course of my generation).

Yes, this is a dated movie & yes there's likely not a more entertaining & practical way, for demonstrating to individuals (especially millennials), the true art for possessing altruistic & authentic concern for others, service-related employment {e.g. customer service}. And, yes as a fellow business owner, there's an instant affinity to this type genre..., but this flick is a serious amalgamation of great writing & exceptional acting that's, collided w talented direction, scoring & editing.

Popcorn please (extra butter)...

There are certain type of movies you look back on and think that those days are gone. This movie is one of them. An incredibly sweet story, with no logic and...quite frankly...a very dark message. I see what director Barry Sonnenfeld was doing. He's balancing the line between slapstick and fairy tale. Not much different than what Billy Wilder did, except...I know now why those films only exist within their time.

Fox plays a concierge who has bigger dreams beyond the "bellhop" mentality. He gets in business with a man, who (and I'm not ruining it, since it's in the trailer) whose affair with a younger woman is now Fox's duty. Unfortunately for him, he has a flirtatious history with her. You see where the script borrows from "The Apartment." He's crestfallen that his feelings towards her may or may not trump his dreams. I can see Fox channeling his inner Jack Lemmon, but something is greatly amiss. I think, it's because there's so much fat in the story that you are just always waiting for something interesting to happen. Take for example, the candy shop lady who is pestering him about his love life. The inexplicable banter between a Chinese food delivery boy and himself (perhaps to illustrate his loneliness).

Then you have the obligatory Barry Sonnenfeld wide angle, collective shot. It's very uneven where he places these moments. Works fantastic in "Men In Black" somehow falls short here. The very lovely Gabrielle Anwar seems SO uncomfortable playing the other woman. She has the look, just not the depth. Something missing, but I can't put my finger on it. Somehow, the Shirley MacClaines's Fran Kubliak sweetness was suppose to be injected here. But Anwar doesn't seem to commit. In fact, there is a vomiting scene in this movie, reminiscent of when she attempts her suicide.

I like the fairy tale quality of this movie. And the music, as usual, leaves a swell in your heart. It's not terrible. It's perfectly fine for its time.

No, this movie is actually pretty good. It's quick and efficient, it does its job well, but it's not something you're going to think much about ten minutes after you see it (now, now, don't get greedy).

Why do I like it? Fox. And I don't consider myself a big Michael J. Fox fan, I mean, he was good in Family Ties, but that was a long time ago and he's done some stinkers between then and now. Maybe because the smooth talker consierge he plays in this reminds me a little of Alex P. Keating back in the day. This guy is super-slick, his mind is always going at incredible speeds. One part that will always stand out is the 'ticket trade' scene (How'd this Donahue get in here?). Funny stuff. There are a few good laughs in here.

Oops, can't forget Gabrielle Anwar. She is just cute as a button in this movie, I want to see more of her (the only other movie of hers I can think of off hand is Body Snatchers). Heck, you can almost forgive her for basically playing a prostitute in this one. If you don't agree,ask yourself this: Would she have taken any of this guys crap if he was a married garbage man from New Jersey and not a married european millionaire fashion mogul? Of coarse not, she's in it for the money. Hell, i'd wear a skirt and put out for that kind of scratch.

The director Barry Sonnenfeld has an interesting resume of hits (Men in Black) and misses (Wild Wild West) and just entertaining films (Get Shorty). This one is entertaining fluff. It's an hour and a half of your time that you won't regret spending. 7/10 stars. G'night!

This film may be a very run-of-the-mill, everyday Romantic Comedy but thanks to the performances of Michael J. Fox and Gabrielle Anwar, apart from the singing, it ends up as a deeply entertaining and enjoyable movie to sit back and relax with a loved one over at the end of a tiring week.

This movie never actually got a video release in the U.K. which has greatly disappointed me and means I have to wait for its repeat appearance on TV in order to add it to my collection.

Nevertheless, Fox excels yet again and shows why he is one of the few American sitcom stars to make a prolonged impact in the movies in roles unlike his character from Family Ties. Anwar also gives another performance which leaves me increasingly baffled as to why she has not been used more in Hollywood.

See this movie, it may not have been a hit but it will surprise you with its quality just the same.