Pete's Meteor

As was mentioned by others, could there be any other reason to see this film other than to see former "Wayne's World" star Mike Myers play a serious role? The story line is interesting but lacks development and is sabotaged by loose ends and bad characters. If there was any good scenic shots of Ireland then it would give it another reason to see it. But instead it focuses on a little normal village that is obviously surrounded by the 'green pastures' of the Emerald-Isle that are often shown in Irish films. If there was any cultural 'spice' to admire the "Irish personality" it would be worth seeing, however this could have almost been shot in England. Too bad for Myers, but this one fails to please or satisfy the heart of anybody who ever wanted to visit the land of Guiness.

Pete's Meteor. I seen this referred to as "authentic" and a "gem." I caught this movie on a Saturday afternoon. I kinda wished that I didn't.

Apparently this was noted as being Mike Myers' first dramatic role. Unfortunately it had to be this movie. The first thing you'll notice that Pete's Meteor suffers from is a complete lack of plot. Or rather, a bunch of little subplots that aren't really connected and don't go anywhere. Young orphan Mickey lives with his younger brother and sister with their grandmother. A meteorite lands in their garden and is eventually collected by a scientist named Hugh. Despite the title of the movie, Mickey is the one who lays claim to the meteor, and the "storyline" actually has little to do with the meteor in any shape or form. From here on out, several other characters and subplots are introduced. But like I said before, they don't really go anywhere.

Things go from cute family movie to dark thriller pretty fast, when Pete (Mike Myers) is introduced and starts to play a role. Micky blames him for the death of his parents, though we're never really told what happened or why. Hugh has romance problems because his girlfriend can't get past his cosmic fascination. And Pete's drug-related past starts to catch up with him and temporarily draws his own girlfriend and the rest of the cast into the mix when shady characters start trying to kill him. This would seem to be the main plot, until you realize it doesn't even have a role until halfway through the film, making everything else feel like pointless filler. Hugh's girl problems, Mickey's bad behavior, the meteor...what on EARTH do they have to do with this? Not much.

So the 'plot' is disjointed and half of it is pointless. But a good cast of characters can save it, right? Keyword: good. The majority of characters are terribly unlikable people, most of which you'd like to see die horribly. At least, I know I would. Despite the title, Mickey seems to be the main character, which is a really bad move once you see him in action. He is one of the WORST little kids I've seen in a movie, with an extremely bad attitude problem. He 'borrows' a car, harasses and talks trash to Hugh (an adult) for taking the meteor, actually attempts burn the man's house down when he doesn't get his way, and even tries to stab Pete with a knife. You'd think a kid like this is on his way to the jail house. Unfortunately, one of the worst things about this movie is that Mickey never gets what's coming to him. I'm not sure at what point you're supposed to be sympathizing with his character, because he's always a nasty little brat. He's the ringleader for his brother and sister, so they predictably end up taking and backseat and just following whatever he does. Amazingly, they're pushed back so far that I can't even remember their names. They might as well not even be there.

Their grandmother is pretty much a borderline alcoholic. She tends to be just as nasty to Hugh as Mickey, and likes to push people out of her house and give them evil glares when she's not chugging down liquor bottles and drinking herself silly. Pretty ridiculous when you take into account that she's supposed to be taking care of three children. Her issues with alcohol are never really addressed, though she does collapse from time to time in the movie.

Hugh is one of the few likable characters in the movie, but that's only because he's the punching bag for the majority of characters and takes their mess without giving it back. The kids treat him nastily but he always comes back and tries to teach them and do nice things with them. He's got a taxi driver girlfriend who seems to take every aspect of his life as a scientist as a personal offense, attempting to leave him several times in the movie when he goes off into his cosmic lingo or does something to prove that he isn't exactly on the same wavelength as the rest of the characters (thankfully).

Then there's Mike Myers as Pete. Pete, despite having the only solid purpose and plot in the movie, is extremely underused and doesn't play any kind of role until the second half. It's unfortunate that Myers got stuck in such a position for a dramatic role. Even when Pete is getting screen time, half of it is just Myers running through dark alleys and hiding in small corners. And even though he was the only real point to this movie, when his plot line brings the movie to a close, it's a strange, unfulfilling conclusion that has all the characters laughing on a good note with a quick and strange explanation behind the title of the movie, making you wonder if they were just performing in the movie you were just watching.

The only thing worth seeing in Pete's meteor is Mike Myers' role as Pete, and that's if you can wade through this disjointed mess long enough without lashing out at another human being due to the extremely unlikable characters and nonexistent plot line. No sir, I didn't like this one at all.

Micky, Sue and Dave lost their parents and have to live with their grandmother Lily, who gets frustrated easily and may even have a drinking problem. Micky (who narrates occasionally) gets into trouble a lot and is even told he might get sent to an orphanage. For example, he steals a car even though he doesn't seem to be old enough to drive, and he pulls a knife on Pete, who promised to raise the kids after their parents died but was never able to do it. Pete was always running with a bad crowd and, though he no longer deals and has a job, his past threatens to catch up with him. This affects his relationship with Mary. Also, Micky blames Pete for his parents' death.

When a meteor falls in their back yard, the kids think it was sent by their parents, who the kids believe are watching over them from the stars. Hugh, the scientist who studies the meteor, thinks it came from Mars, but his girlfriend Carmel isn't particularly impressed with the discovery. The kids want to keep the meteor but the law says it belongs to the government. Hugh later becomes a friend to the children (though with friends like Micky, who needs enemies?).

This started out to be a family film, though somewhat edgy. The worst thing was the cursing, and I didn't even hear the cursing but only references to it. Later, someone's mouth moved and nothing came out, so this must have been edited. But later, the film was too violent to really qualify as family fare.

The film was at its best when the focus was Micky, and the title didn't even make since because it was Micky's meteor. Later, the focus shifted to Pete and the film turned darker, though the title eventually was explained. There were a few funny moments, but this wasn't really a comedy. There was a sweet fantasy scene involving a telescope.

Mike Myers did an adequate job as Pete, but comic roles are more his style. Alfred Molina effectively showed passion for his work and for the kids. Ian Costello was okay as Micky.

Aside from the fact that it turned darker than it had to be, my only real criticisms of the film were the strange whispering and breathing noises (like an Enya song) that must have been the kids' parents, and the strong accents that made it difficult to understand anything (thought the film WAS Irish).

When Jim Carrey signed up to play in "The Majestic" he wanted to show audiences that he could play a more serious role. I thought that he did an excellent job at doing just that, but the script lacked and so the movie flopped. In "Pete's Meteor" Mike Myers faces the same doom. I respect an actor that wants to show his range, in fact that's the reason why I saw this film, but unfortunately a lot of that success depends on the script that the actor has been given. Mike Myers plays Pete, a former drug dealer that has to pay off old debts and wants to help his late-friend's children at the same time. I thought that Myers did an excellent job acting and of course his terrific range with accents, and I definitely believe that he deserves more serious, dramatic role opportunities. I was quite disappointed that Myers wasn't in this movie more, and sadly I was more sympathetic towards the scientist in this film that just never seems to get a break. Only near the end does Myers get the chance to shine. So be warned, this script is lacking and the movie drags much of the time, but is worth a watch if only to see Myers.

It's got one of the biggest stars in Hollywood doing a surprisingly good Irish accent, a wildly original plot and it's set in one of the world's hippest cities. So why has it waited so long to find a distributer? Mike Myers shows he's not just capable of high camp in this story of a working-class Dublin kid who finds a meteor in his back garden only to have it's potential as a tourist attraction robbed by a woosy university geologist. Myers plays a friend of the kid's sister who is held responsible for her death by the family, and who clashed with the geologist over the family's future. It's a tender, funny story that often sinks into sentimentalism and isn't consistently competent in the thespian department, but surely deserves an audience outside the Irish film festival circuit.