L'Affaire Monet

The review that caught my eye, before I rented "The Forger", was "Travolta's best performance in ten years...". But then, just before watching it, I searched for more reviews and saw that some critics panned it. Well, I happy to say they are wrong—it's a pretty good movie, after all.

I mean, come on, critics! I usually agree with you—but saying this is too "slow paced" and that it has "two, conflicting, story lines"? I LOVED the pace, and the acting, and, especially the story line(s).

OK, so it does have two story lines going on—the forgery and heist, and the human interest about the forger's family (his dad, his son, his ex-wife who had not seen the son in years, the female detective...). So what? It's believable (as much as any heist story or human interest story can be) to the point that plot vs. sub-plot is just not a problem.

I thought Travolta DID give a heck of a performance. His pace fit the overall pace of the film, as did that of the other actors. And Travolta, who has had his share of sorrow in real life, looked to me like a man who has been there, done that. He looks the part and is very convincing.

Everyone actually looked pretty good (or properly bad-ass) thanks to some solid lighting and overall nice cinematography. (This is not some kind of "art" film, but nevertheless consistent in it's camera work.) The sound quality was good (a pet peeve of mine in some films) including the music which seemed to fit the film nicely.

As for the VERY best performance in the film, besides Plummer, who is always fun to watch for me... it has to be young Tye Sheridan. Nicely understated, smart, believable. I'm looking forward to his next film, whatever it turns out to be.

Finally, the director certainly knows a thing or two about film making, as, even with the somewhat slow pace, everything builds mostly evenly towards a satisfying ending. Of course the screenplay had to work too, for that to happen.

Bottom line, I'm glad I rented "The Forger". I enjoyed pretty much all of it, and even replayed a few parts to study how the film was put together. Probably no Academy Awards coming for this, but all cast and crew can still stand tall.

The Forger, yet pretty forgettable, is still quite an involving drama, with an excellent performance from Travolta. The Forger offers little surprises and sits between good and fair. Travolta an ex con, is released early from prison, to be with his cancer ridden son, who probably has nine months to live. There's a catch. He has to forge a painting for these bad scummy dudes. Travolta kicks arse in this too, like when he's onset by these thugs, as if to remind him to do his job, or he's back in the clink. Travolta separated from his drug addicted wife, takes hos son to see her. This scenario was very reminiscent of that one in The Fourth Wish, where the actress here was excellent, up there wit Travolta. So is Christopher Plummer as the grandad, creating a hell of a interesting old guy character character, putting his magic touch of acting to it, like Travolta does with that paintbrush. The son too, is awesome, bringing a manifold of emotions with such realism and naturalism. One surprise is near the start, when Travolta's in that club, and is made the skank woman for a cop, which I didn't. Though quite a worthwhile drama, it's one you throw away after seeing it. How Travolta screws the bad dudes with his plan was very predictable, and there are other moments too. The final scene borders on tear jerking territory, so have those tissues ready.

People expecting a more action oriented heist type of movie will probably be disappointed. "The Forger" leans towards family drama territory.

Now, if you can get past Travolta's look in this picture (I couldn't help getting distracted by his awkward wig and goatee) and don't expect much, you'll probably be mildly entertained.

Christopher Plummer is very likable in this, and his presence helps the movie a lot.

Overall, straight to video material.

5 out of 10

I really liked this movie despite the criticism against it. It's a story of men's love, more demonstrative than proclaimed. It's not often we get an honest look into the true bonds across generations. Feminists may disagree, but I see no wrong with celebrating either sex's strengths and shortcomings. It's an honest introspective with a bit of sensationalism for entertainment; I feel it was very tastefully done.

John Travolta's life made him perfect for this role. I won't dwell on it but he is phenomenal without ever being over the top. There wasn't a bad act in the bunch, from leads to support and there are a number of genuinely heartwarming and hilarious moments making this film a top class choice you won't regret seeing.

"You ever going to Tahiti like Paul Gauguin? I don't know."

If there's something Travolta remained loyal to, then surely it's his distinctive, sad look. Ever since I saw him the first time appearing in "Saturday Night Fever" (ages ago), he uses that sad expression. It always looks as if he's going to burst out in tears. And the movie"The Forger" is substantively perfect for retrieving that typical facial expression at the right time. A film about a convicted forger who turned his back at his former profession. And at the same time he's a concerned father who would do anything to be with his son the short time that's left. And that's where this movie fails a bit. Does the emphasis lie on the father-son relationship or was it the intention to make a crime story? The final result is a mix of these two, with the result that both aspects feel like semi-finished.

Raymond J. Cutter (John Travolta) is a notorious forger of art works and is about to be released earlier because of a deal with a thug called Keegan (Anson Mount). In this way he can spend some time with his son Will (Tye Sheridan), a petite teenager whose future doesn't look so rosy after they've discovered a brain tumor. To say the very least, the relationship between Will and his father isn't too good. Also between Raymond and his father (Christopher Plummer), who took care of Will during Raymond's absence, there are some disputes. The additional problem is that Keegan expects something in return from Raymond, namely forging a valuable, world famous painting from Monet.

Now, I'm not an art expert but I don't think you can forge a Monet painting in such a short time period. I'm sure you don't really need high-tech methods to determine from the outset if the painting hanging on the wall is authentic or recently painted. But my gut feeling says that this aspect of "The Forger" is irrelevant and that it's just used as an entertaining way to introduce the father-son relationship. Would Travolta be a professional dancer in this film, and he and his son had to participate in a renowned competition together (where Travolta could show his famous 70s dance moves once again) this would have yielded the same result. Commercially, the result would probably be disappointing. So we throw in a bit of mystery and crime (where Travolta can demonstrate his tough side again and beat up some bouncers with a baseball bat) to make it more attractive.

Although it looks a lot like a typical movie, at times the acting transcends the average. Especially the moments between father and son are beautifully played with vulnerability and regret getting the upper hand. That it eventually turns into a collaboration between father and son, is a bit far-fetched. Plummer also shines at times and shows he's perfectly suited for a character part. Even Travolta demonstrates that he has more to offer than just watching sad all the time. The loss of his son Jett most likely has something to do with his rendition looking so realistic. Maybe he decided to give this role a try as a therapeutic decision, in order to put a painful period in the past.

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