I'll Take You There

"I'll Take You There" tells of a woebegone man who loses his wife to another and finds an unlikely ally in a blind date. Unlike most romantic comedies, this little indie is mostly tongue-in-cheek situational comedy featuring Rogers and Sheedy with little emphasis on romance. A sort of road trip flick with many fun and some poignant moments keeps moving, stays fresh, and is a worthwhile watch for indie lovers.

In many respects, this is the "Shallow Hal" film for the more mature and cultivated. The main character is a shmutzy looser whose ex-promqueen wife has dumped him unceremoniously for his self-absorbed best friend, and he is obsessed with winning her back. Then his sister, in a misguided attempt to cheer him up, sets him up with the date from hell. This character is exquisitely portrayed by Ally Sheedy, who explodes into his life like an atom bomb. She is repulsive, assertive, controlling and demanding, to give her the benefit of the doubt, and clings to him like a cheap suit of clothes. But this is not a melodrama, and the characters develop and evolve from the absurd to the sublime.

Unlike the more garish "Shallow Hal," which does ask us to consider the less superficial aspects of the meaning and purpose of a relationship, but with stereotypes painted "rather broadly" so to speak, this one approaches the subject with a sharply pointed pencil and a fine-toothed comb. In both films the guy is a dufus who learns to become a mensch. But the girl in this one has a rather paradoxical kind of beauty to her personality that was always there. She becomes likeable precisely because we know that she is different, and not in spite of that fact. Otherwise, it is a splendid fantasy and romance, not to be taken too seriously. We can believe that something like this could happen long enough to enjoy the wonderful story.

I'LL TAKE YOU THERE (2000) **1/2 Reg Rogers, Ally Sheedy, Adrienne Shelly, Lara Harris, John Pyper-Ferguson, Alice Drummond, Alan North, Ben Vereen.

Adrienne Shelly, who became something of an independent filmgoers' version of a pin-up role model/icon with her frequent collaboration as filmmaker Hal Hartley's muse, takes her second attempt in the director's chair with a screwball comedy that has earmarks of her auteur, as well as Woody Allen; good for a start.

Bill (Reg Rogers), a successful real estate agent in New York City, is going through the darkest depression of his life. It's been three months since his beautiful sculptress wife Rose (Lara Harris) left him suddenly for his best friend Ray (John Pyper-Ferguson) - who, to make matters worse, bought a secluded house in Upstate New York from Bill - without warning and it has hit him hard, like a ton of bricks. To complicate his already descending spiral is his well-meaning sister Lucy (Shelly) who drops by one day to clean his house, cook him a meal and get him back in the game of life by fixing him up on a blind date with a former college friend who on cue arrives on his doorstep. Bernice - aka CC - (Sheedy in an ebullient, effervescent screwy performance) turns out to be a nightmarish apparition for Bill, who uncharacteristically slights her with a series of heartless, matter-of-fact delivered opines about her: a virtual character assassination.

This horrible evening in a never-ending string of dismal days for the morose Bill only gets worse when he gets in his mind to take his grieving to the next level and decides to pursue his estranged spouse by trading in one of her necklaces at a neighborhood pawnshop for a gun. Upon leaving the helpful proprietor (played by the one and only Ben Vereen!) CC is waiting outside the store for Bill and is clearly not herself and tells him just that. That he has dismantled her spirit and she is a shell of a woman now. In a clumsy attempt at an apology she later revisits him at his apartment and after a series of angry yet comical conversations she finagles a ride to her dying grandmother's home from Bill in his journey to win back Rose which winds up on a serpentine sidetrack after CC robs a dress boutique of its trendy, pricey wares and forced to stay at her grandmother's.

There Bill meets Stella and Max - CC's feisty grandma and her new companion (played by the estimable character actors Drummond and North, respectively of `Awakenings' and the original tv series `Police Squad!' which spawned the `Naked Gun' films) - who show their eccentricities including a bawdy, yet romantic song (`The Bastard Song') - and manage to cast some sort of wonderment over Bill into finally thawing out from his sad hibernation and seeing CC as a sweet, beautiful woman who clearly is more than she appears to be.

Shelly balances the neat highwire act of farce, screwball comedy, buddy-romantic/on-the-road hybrid with potential to spare in this low budget valentine to all those wild spirits with a touch of self-realization (the elderly couple is loosely based on her own grandparents whom she dedicates the film to). The dialogue has its own pizzazz but not as smart as say Woody Allen yet has its own appeal, however wacky and possibly far fetched (the constant `threat' of the gun turns out to be one of the all-time visual gags - when triggered a small American flag pops out), particularly Sheedy's funny speech during the heady climax. Rogers, an area theatrical actor best recognized as one of Julia Roberts' dumpees who sparks Richard Gere to investigate her in `Runaway Bride', is low-key yet very touching and humorous, even when he is on the border of committing either homicide or suicide and suggests a sleep-deprived Griffin Dunne (come to think of it the story also has echoes of Martin Scorsese's `After Hours' about a yuppie lost in NYC's Greenwich Village surrounded by an outlandish, crazy quilt of characters).

What she may lack in cinematic quality - although I did appreciate the hand-held videotape flashback in a painful car ride Bill recalls - Shelly does manage to commit to a story that is recognizable no matter how preposterous or kooky it may be. That's a compliment!

This comedy with much underlying pain and sadness succeeds where most others fail. There have been many films of this genre with more notable actors attempting to achieve this elusive mixture which haven't come anywhere near the depth and deftness of this one. This is surely because the exceptional cast with outstanding performances by Reg Rogers and Ally Sheedy seem so spontaneous that the reality of their characters rapidly grip your interest and emotions and hold them throughout the film. At first, the action seems rather off-the-wall and harebrained but one gradually learns that these two rather pathetic damaged people are desperately and unwillingly trying to heal themselves, even if grudgingly, through each other. Rogers' heartrending facial expressions of numb hurt and Sheedy's angry outbursts are so eloquent that one feels them as one observes them. You will care about these two likable but deeply suffering people and hope that they will succeed because it's in doubt and all hangs on a tenuous emotional thread. Hopefully audiences will get to see more of Reg Rogers and Ally Sheedy as this film proves their merit as very accomplished actors beyond doubt.

Bill (Reg Rogers), a real estate salesman in New York City, is unexpectedly jilted by his beautiful, artistic wife. She runs off with a gentleman who purchased a nice house from Bill, in upstate New York. Totally in despair, Bill is doing badly at work and at home. His sister (Adrienne Shelley) decides to jolt her brother out of his funk by arranging for him to meet one of her old college friends, Bernice (Ally Sheedy). Bernice, however, is a bit of an odd duck and Bill insults her on their first date, causing her much pain. Yet, Bernice decides to get even, by kidnapping Bill and taking him on a car trip to visit her relatives. Will Bill be able to break free of Bernice's clutches? Will he want to? This is a very original film, with characters and a script that take the viewer into the realm of the unusual but satisfying world of offbeat movies. Sheedy is quite wonderful as the decidedly different woman and Rogers just fine as the heartbroken husband. The rest of the cast, including Shelley herself, who wrote and directed the film, are more than adequate. Given the probable budget constraints, the movie nevertheless looks great, with nice sets, costumes and amenities. If you have seen Shelley's Waitress and are looking backward to her other films, you will find this one an interesting first effort. Although it is not as successful or as universal as Waitress, no one could ever deem this flick as dull. Therefore, anyone who loves a departure from run of the mill movies will find this one easy to embrace.