In the 30+ years as a performer, Johnny Depp has always found way to reinvent himself as a performer and has always made us invested into the roles he's played. Even the oddball characters, Depp has depth to every role that's given to him. Not just the physical shaping of the characters, but the personality to go with the character/s.
In "Don Juan DeMarco" Depp plays a psychiatric case who thinks he's the Lothario of all Lotharios, even going far as sporting a Zorro mask and speaking with a Spanish accent. He eventually tries to manipulate his psychiatrist Dr. Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando) into thinking he's Don Juan who's unenthusiastic in curing this eccentric patient.
Brando in his heyday had outweighed Depp in terms of depth in the role his played. From "The Godfather" to "A Streetcar Named Desire" to "On the Waterfront" he could outperform anyone who crossed his path. But it seemed like in the later years of his career, Brando seemed like his heart was just no longer in the business. In his younger days, he was energetic, robust and larger then life, in his twilight years, his weight got so overwhelming, it was just so painful to see him let himself go like that. It's quite sad actually.
If his composure to move around about doesn't raise some concern, it often makes me wonder if he actually even caring about performing in general. The trademark mumbling he's most famous for may have touched hearts with people from the past. That's because it felt like a thing of importance. In this movie, his mumbling is demoted to petty incoherence. Is it possible that writer/director Jeremy Leven was intimidated by the larger than Marlon Brando that he thought he should speak by way of articulation?
Most of the movie seems too unbearably uncomfortable to adjust to the presence of the heavy-set Brando who had to be filmed from the waist up and where one who has to manipulate us into thinking that they can conceal it long enough so that no one would notice it.
Leven's complex initiative to infuse bored-out-of-his-mind Jack, who's near retirement into showing some sort of interest with the love hungry Don Juan whose youthful charm matched with his honest approach tries everything he can to conceal any kind of personal interest in him. Even Depp has his limits when it comes to embodying sappy dialogue.
Suddenly his words of poetic lingers into the mind of Jack as he tries to make love with his wife, Marilyn (Faye Dunaway) who's turned on by his seductive overtures while she takes her Metamucil, estrogen and calcium medication to surpass the effects of aging before they get down to business behind the sheets.
Even the performers feel the off-sided effects of Brando's acting which makes everything all out of balance. Dunaway seems so full of life enjoying her bedtime scenes with Brando without even caring that the scenes written looked forced and feels very awkward. It's like everybody is having a ball and that at times feels very unnatural. It like you go to night out with friends and all the jokes come off as private.
At least it doesn't hinder the performance of Johnny Depp. Depp does successfully cement his role as Don Juan even if the other performers are meandering in other directions and has the right facial features that could make hearts melt. That picturesque complexion like a 17th century painting is the sole reason why this film works while the others are in their little world. See this film for Johnny Depp's performance because he's the only performer who truly cares about what's happening in the script.
In "Don Juan DeMarco" Depp plays a psychiatric case who thinks he's the Lothario of all Lotharios, even going far as sporting a Zorro mask and speaking with a Spanish accent. He eventually tries to manipulate his psychiatrist Dr. Jack Mickler (Marlon Brando) into thinking he's Don Juan who's unenthusiastic in curing this eccentric patient.
Brando in his heyday had outweighed Depp in terms of depth in the role his played. From "The Godfather" to "A Streetcar Named Desire" to "On the Waterfront" he could outperform anyone who crossed his path. But it seemed like in the later years of his career, Brando seemed like his heart was just no longer in the business. In his younger days, he was energetic, robust and larger then life, in his twilight years, his weight got so overwhelming, it was just so painful to see him let himself go like that. It's quite sad actually.
If his composure to move around about doesn't raise some concern, it often makes me wonder if he actually even caring about performing in general. The trademark mumbling he's most famous for may have touched hearts with people from the past. That's because it felt like a thing of importance. In this movie, his mumbling is demoted to petty incoherence. Is it possible that writer/director Jeremy Leven was intimidated by the larger than Marlon Brando that he thought he should speak by way of articulation?
Most of the movie seems too unbearably uncomfortable to adjust to the presence of the heavy-set Brando who had to be filmed from the waist up and where one who has to manipulate us into thinking that they can conceal it long enough so that no one would notice it.
Leven's complex initiative to infuse bored-out-of-his-mind Jack, who's near retirement into showing some sort of interest with the love hungry Don Juan whose youthful charm matched with his honest approach tries everything he can to conceal any kind of personal interest in him. Even Depp has his limits when it comes to embodying sappy dialogue.
Suddenly his words of poetic lingers into the mind of Jack as he tries to make love with his wife, Marilyn (Faye Dunaway) who's turned on by his seductive overtures while she takes her Metamucil, estrogen and calcium medication to surpass the effects of aging before they get down to business behind the sheets.
Even the performers feel the off-sided effects of Brando's acting which makes everything all out of balance. Dunaway seems so full of life enjoying her bedtime scenes with Brando without even caring that the scenes written looked forced and feels very awkward. It's like everybody is having a ball and that at times feels very unnatural. It like you go to night out with friends and all the jokes come off as private.
At least it doesn't hinder the performance of Johnny Depp. Depp does successfully cement his role as Don Juan even if the other performers are meandering in other directions and has the right facial features that could make hearts melt. That picturesque complexion like a 17th century painting is the sole reason why this film works while the others are in their little world. See this film for Johnny Depp's performance because he's the only performer who truly cares about what's happening in the script.