Le porteur de cercueil

The tone of this film is really difficult to convey on paper. It manages to successfully capture the elusive appeal that David Schwimmer has from time to time; it's easy for his sad-sack personality to grow annoying and pathetic, but this script managed to walk that line. The scenes of embarrassment and shame never seem overdone or cheap, and serve the story well. I especially like the down-to-earth, realistic beauty that Gwyneth Paltrow always brings to a role; she never seems like a movie star playing a real person. Because of Schwimmer's brief tenure as a star with buzz, this was seen as a box office failure, but it was never the kind of movie likely to rake in huge bucks. For what it is, a small, thoughtful, offbeat romantic comedy, The Pallbearer is a winner.

"The Pallbearer", a schizophrenic cross-genre muddling of comedy, drama, and romance with idiosyncratic characters and a thin, marginally interesting story. Schwimmer is at the center of this slow moving, somewhat quirky flick about a young man who lives with his mother (Bosco anyone?) and courts a demure unassured girl (Paltrow) while having an affair with an older woman (Hershey). Most will find it difficult to get their head into this off-kilter story and its subtle tongue-in-cheek humor though it remains loyal to its purpose throughout...whatever that may be.

This 1996 flick was directed and co-written by Matt Reeves along with Jason Katims. A sort of serious romantic comedy. I loved Barbara Hershey in this. She never disappoints. Playing the mother of a son she lost, she turns to companionship to help heal the loss. David Schwimmer, Ross in FRIENDS, helps her out. Schwimmer does an admirable job as a young man, almost a virgin in relationships.

Then he meets the likes of Gwyneth Paltrow and sparks begin to fly. So, the plot thickens when he's up against the two ladies in his life. Add another lady, Carol Kane, his mother, who does a brilliant job as she fawns over her son. She's a riot and brings what little comedy there is to the movie.

Friends to Schwimmer are played by Michael Rapaport as a groom to be, with advice for his friend, and Michael Vartan, who I have liked since THE NEXT BEST THING. They both add much to this movie.

Not really a comedy, as the acting is quite real and often touching, but enjoyable to watch the two stars in the leads and an excellent supporting cast.

Although I am watching this movie at this moment I am certain it is stable enough to comment on. The film is somewhat of a parody on relationships and relationship movies. The acting, scenes and writing are quite good. At some times this movie makes points, however it is mostly a silly movie to be enjoyed. More a movie to mellow on, it would be best to rent other films and use this film in between blockbusters. Pleasant would best describe this film with easy music and nice scenes and lots of scene changes it carries well. Somewhat nostalgic in feeling. A special mix here is the good fortune of Tom Thompson (David Schwimmer) that his actions are always amplified as altruistic. Be sure not to expect this to be the "everything, drivemecrazy" film because it is not, yet in this film everything plays off of Tom who as all fabled heroes may have his troubles when others realize his true actions. Some sexual content with very little violence.

I would suspect that most reviewers on this page are disappointed for not being handed the cookie cutter romantic comedy that the poster art for this film suggests. Not getting the conventional romantic comedy was what I liked most about this well written and darkly hilarious film. In THE PALLBEARER, we are shown the effect that Gwyneth Paltrow's character has on David Shwimmer's character. In the end, Tom's the guy we're meant to focus on, not Julie, or even the relationship between the two. Even if the general consensus is that this film is sub-par, I'll have to stick to my conclusion that THE PALLBEARER was an exceptionally made black comedy.