Made in America

I'd just finished reading the User Comments, before writing my own, and I can't understand why everyone panned it!! Okay, so it's not exactly Oscar-worthy, but it's good for a few laughs.

I'm a huge Whoopi fan from way back, and while this will never match Jumpin' Jack Flash or Sister Act, it's still a pretty decent film. I think Goldberg's role was pretty funny, and my favorite scene is where she get's drunk and says: 'I know this is his office, I know that, I mean look at it! Cheesy wood, bowling trophies, Western motîf makes me ill... ooooh, it's the Titty Sisters - this is absolutely his office!'

Ted Danson's performance falls short compared to his other work (ie. Cheers). Will Smith's character is pretty funny, and Nia Long does a great job in the film. Newcomer Paul Rodriguez is okay, and Jennifer Tilly is cast again as the annoying little tart (it's what she does best). Step By Step's Peggy Rea is also good in her role as Alberta - the long-suffering receptionist at Hal's car place.

Okay, so it's not the greatest, but it's fine for a rainy day. On a scale of 1 to 10, it'd earn about 5.5.

Ted Danson's run on "Cheers" was about over and it looked like he might go exclusively to the big-screen, but "Made in America" ended those hopes pretty quick. African-American high school senior Nia Long learns that she was conceived through artificial means and tries to find out who her real father is. Of course it turns out to be obnoxious car salesman Danson and this is when the comedy starts. Long's mother (Whoopi Goldberg) is really upset with the data, but actually begins to fall for Danson to Long's dismay as she wants Danson to be the father she has never had. The movie goes for comedy for the most part, but then turns dramatically in the final act and this makes the film uneven in many important respects. Everyone is adequate, but the screenplay struggles to succeed and never does really accomplish its goal. Will Smith is particularly good as Long's best friend. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

"Made in America" is a formulaic romantic comedy with a pretty noble premise. That premise is obviously a setup for racial (not racist) gags, but it never becomes a one-joke comedy. Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg are great leads. They light up the screen with their (sometimes sexual) tension. Goldberg is one of my favorite actresses, and she's wonderful in this role. It's hilarious to watch her spontaneous outbursts. Nobody does 'em like Whoopi.

There are no real surprises in the plot. Danson is a conceited, self-indulgent used car salesman. He's married to a floozy wife (Jennifer Tilly). Whoopi is a single parent who owns an African-American antique shop. Her daughter finds out that her real father (whose sperm was artificially inseminated) turns out to be Danson, that white used car salesman who does those crazy ads on TV. It's pretty obvious what the punchlines will be and it's pretty obvious how this sometimes schmaltzy story will end up.

However, it's lightweight entertainment that isn't meant to be thoroughly analyzed. Just enjoy it for its many laughs and endearing performances. It's an innocuous, feel-good comedy. Even when it takes a dramatic turn at the third act, I didn't feel the mood was ruined. I guess it's because I felt a respect for all these likeable characters and was somewhat manipulated. Just how I felt the humor in the first and second acts, I felt the sadness in the third.

My score: 7 (out of 10)

An intelligent, black teenage girl is shocked to discover from her strong, independent mother that she was the product of artificial insemination. Determined to track her biological father down, she looks up the records to find that not only is he a white man, but he's also an obnoxious and pompous car salesman. Naturally, complications ensue when her mother makes it clear that she requested a black donor. Cast is talented and enthusiastic, setup is very clever and has the makings of a really enjoyable comedy, but unfortunately they're wasted on a sorry script that repeatedly resorts to dumb, sitcom-style humor. A real shame. **

I really like this film. It's been on British T.V. almost as many times as Mary Poppins and I'm always glad to see it. There is a chaotic comic chemistry between Goldberg and Danson, but they don't egotistically dominate the film, allowing the charming and funny performances by Nora Long, Jennifer Tilly, Will Smith, Peggy Rea and others to shine. I particularly like Tilly's character, a new age airhead, and her new boyfriend, played by Fred Mancuso, who between them, make stupidity lovable. Everyone gets a fair chance, and they all make the best of it.

Formulaic as it is, Made in America is about racial identity, which is a difficult subject to address in such a frivolous form as romantic comedy, but it manages to more or less avoid cringes and concentrates on the laughs, only giving as much time to story as is necessary to keep everything moving on. Against the odds and thanks to the superb cast this is a good natured film. It harks back to the optimism of the early nineties, and seems strangely innocent, eleven years on.