The Woman Chaser

The only truly original film I've seen this year, The Woman Chaser takes its cue from its psycho-pulp origins and steeps itself in a brilliantly mordant mise-en-scene. Each shot bursts with ideas and mood, and Patrick Warburton is wonderful. The film is hilarious, and far enough off-center to truly appeal to those who get it. Those who like it will love it, and those who dislike it should probably look a little closer. Somehow simultaneously endearing, shocking and gritty, it's an insider's view of insanity, with all its delightfully f***ed-up characters painted affectionately by the director and his actors. Insightful and funny on the dregs of human behavior and in many ways a multi-layered riff on the nature of movies themselves - this is the one American film I would recommend over any other this year.

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.

Just saw 35 films at Sundance and hands down, this film stands out while most of the others are just a blur. Patrick Warburton plays "The Director" (the author's original title for the story)and he plays it to deadpan perfection. Shot in color and then transferred to a high contrast black and white title stock, paints this film in a lush visual treat. Plot and dialog holds true to the original 60's pulp and creates a harsh charm that is both parody and innovative filmmaking. Looking forward to seeing this one again as soon as it is released.

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.

I first saw this movie in a theater, and I thought it was an amusing, if somewhat uneven film. I enjoyed Patrick Warburton's performance, but felt that the movie didn't hold together that well.

I was lucky enough to score a VHS copy recently, and I've watched the movie a few more times, and I've enjoyed it more each time.

Maybe it's because I have a better idea of what to expect. I find more humor in it, and am able to enjoy it more as the satire which I now think it was intended to be.

It's still odd and quirky, and the title really doesn't seem to fit the content of the movie very well (I read somewhere that it was originally supposed to be called "The Director", which would be more fitting), but it's fun to watch.

Plus, it's got a whole lot of shirtless Patrick Warburton, which is definitely a good thing!!