The Woman Chaser

Patrick Warburton, famous for playing dim-witted mechanic David Putty on TV's "Seinfeld," expands his comedic and dramatic range in this witty, black-comedy satire of the movie biz. The high-contrast black & white cinematography accentuate the retro look and feel of this very funny film. Warburton plays a slick-talking, womanizing cad who talks his way first into the used car business and then into writing and directing a movie (the two industries apparently requiring similar levels of BS-artistry.)

With his burly body, Warburton is a welcome throw-back to the leading men of classic film noir Hollywood. He does a wonderful job of keeping a straight face while delivering some of the most original and hilarious dialogue I've seen in quite a while. While the film has some very dark undercurrents, they are so tongue-in-cheek and true to the main character that they make his Icarus-like fate all the more believable and satisfying.

Warburton is a gem; he effortlessly breaks the one-dimensional mold of his Seinfeld role. His razor-sharp delivery of the pitch for his movie-within-a-movie ("The Man Who Got Away") is destined to make this flick a staple of the cult-classic and employee-picks shelf at good movie stores for years.

The Woman Chaser flies off the tracks a bit towards the last reel, but this is only because it's been taking so many risks. Stick with it and you'll be rewarded with one of the most original and funny movies I've seen in several years.

The Woman Chaser is a brilliant piece of faux film noir. Patrick Warburton deadpans his way through the title role, reminding one of Puddy with a serious Oedipal complex. Every time the smile was about to leave my face something else happened to bring it back. This is a very clever, engaging film which will be in my dvd collection when it comes out.

THE WOMAN CHASER (2000) *** Patrick Warburton gives a deadpan perfect turn as a scruple-less used car salesman in this

pitch perfect valentine to B movies and does so with great elan in

adapting pulp fiction author Charles Willeford's novel of noir to

fruition. Warburton's Richard Hudson is a sleaze with barely a

conscience yet defines his purpose in life of expressing himself by

directing a genre film he's written that ultimately mirrors his own

path of self-destruction. Blackly funny with incredible production

design and black & white cinematography that captures all-too-well the dank world of LA circa 1950s with its cocktail

lounge décor and sleek looking cars and costumes. Indie

filmmaker Robinson Devor makes an impressive debut with some

clever commentary on the duplicitous nature of Hollywood.

I first heard of Charles Willeford when Miami Blues came out. I read that book & found it fantastic. I thought the movie of Miami Blues was a minor masterpiece. I began to work backwards in Willeford's novels & got to this one which I found, like much of his earliest work, very bizarre. A used car salesman who dances a ballet with his mother. This film has captured that quality perfectly, treating it with utmost respect & love & lots of very well-tempered humor. Every detail of this film works perfectly, the acting, lighting, music, quality of sound, even, or especially, the perfect pitch of B-movie voices. Less lethal than Jim Thompson, less schematic than James M. Cain, more resourceful than David Goodis, Charles Willeford now has had two well-deserved minor film masterpieces made of his work.

This is an incredibly under-rated comedic gem of a movie. Although it has appeared on several Top 10 lists, it was carelessly ignored by the sell-out lemmings at the Independent Spirit Awards. Patrick Warburton's performance as Richard Hudson is a tour de force. He does great justice to Charles Willeford's original portrayal. See this movie!!!