spacefoo Reviews

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

Almost inspirational, but slightly misses though still satisfying

[6/10 · 9 January 2014]

There are moments in this film which will stand out the most. The beginning was interesting and drew you into the story, and the ending was equally heartwarming.

I also thought Ben Stiller's directorial debut showed a lot of maturity. He has an excellent eye for visuals, and often the cinematography was quite stunning.

The romance developing between Ben Stiller and Kristen Wiig was well done and she played her part. The cast was good, Stiller's performance was easily his best since Greenberg and a special shout out to Adam Scott famed from Parks and Recreation, plays a horrible boss we've all had at one stage or another.

Furthermore, the story is something which should be inspirational- a quiet middle aged guy with a big imagination in a rut looking for someone special, never achievied anything particularly interesting up to now or travelled. His spacing out moments hinted at opportunities missed in his life previously. Which took an interesting turn of events to convince him to take a wild journey and helped bring back his zest for life and love and conquer the day-dreaming. its a heart warming message.

However, it does miss the mark at times. The 'spacing out' moments at times were decent, but often the special effects were over done and distracted from the purpose of the scene.

His journey started off a little outlandish and by the end became wildly improbable including a shark attack a jaunt up the mountains of Afghanistan and offering Afghani warlords cake.

At times it struggled to wrestle with whether it was a light hearted independent comedy or drama mixed with a big budger. So it settled for something uncomfortably inbetween, which detracted from what could have been powerful moments.

All in all a satisfying film coupled with a nice soundtrack. But also slightly frustrating as it hinted at being a special film but settled for pretty good instead the understated love story was the highlight. I've given this a 6/10 but could also be a 7.

American Hustle (2013)

Oscar winning performances throughout

[10/10 · 9 January 2014]

I have rarely come out of a film buzzing as much as I did leaving the theatre after American Hustle. Director David O. Russel has brought us a film with a razor sharp script involving story and incredible acting.

I would like to start with Christian Bale:

Bale continues to show he is one of the top actors in Hollywood, he can go from being Batman to American Psycho to his brilliant co-star role in the fighter. Here he plays a brilliant con-man. He had to put on a lot of weight for this role and he looked every bit the part. He was phenomenal in this movie.

Bradley Cooper was also fantastic in this movie.

Amy Adams was sexy and alluring and really showed what a talent she is as an actress. I recently enjoyed her role in "Trouble with the curve" here she plays a completely different characte,r and her scenes with Cooper and Bale dripped with sensuality and intensity. Even still Jennifer Lawrence possibly stole the best supporting actress Oscar from her; as she was a mixture between completely insane, but also funny and also mesmerising. She brought everything and her character almost brought the hustle and Bale down. This is an amazing performance from Lawrence. The whole supporting cast did its part, and a special mention to De Niro as the terrifying crime boss. His one scene is so intense you will still be talking about it afterwards.

I won't go into the plot, but the directing was cut from the same cloth as a great Tarantino movie in terms of razor sharp dialogue and moments equally tense, but also with a comic edge. This film has everything and I thoroughly recommend it.

Groundhog Day (1993)

Uplifting and truly unique

[10/10 · 24 May 2007]

There are few films in which you can watch and genuinely feel uplifted and can make you feel like every day is important...this is one of them. A truly special film. It follows Phil Conners (Bill Murray) a TV weatherman man who pretty much hates his life, and the world around him- he's cold, and drips sarcasm and dry humour and no one really knows him. But its not one of those yawn inducing romance movies, where the bad man turns good because of love instantly- this is a much smarter movie, the premise is unique as Phil aims to get his report over with, in Punxatawney to cover the groundhog day, as quickly as possible and get out. He can't stand the town, and finds the whole day utterly pointless. Thus the groundhog day commences at 6am and his radio alarm awakes him to two radio presenters "Its groundhog day..." after the quirky ceremony he tries to get out of town but his own weather report lets him down as the storm forces him to stay another day. What he doesn't realise is this is a day he may have to re-live for the rest of his life. He awakes to exactly the same day and events as the previous one- and continues to do so. From this point on Phil goes through many stages: At first he treats the repeated days with contempt; then he continues his personality of dry ego-centric and impersonal, by using it to his advantage- by picking up women rather impressively i might add, living it with reckless abandon with the realisation there are no consequences stealing,arrested; then the next stage was that of being suicidal- as he commits suicide every day as this repeated day was a curse; however as the movie develops so too does his interest in the sweet good natured Rita Andie McDowell character, whom he woos and romances and he uses each day to develop his knowledge of her. He gets a lot of slaps in the face as he attempts to use it to bed her in one go; but this soon gives him a reason to keep going, and he over time develops an excitement in his life and re-living it as he starts doing good in the community helping people and sculpturing and playing and instrument and his nature changes to one of good... and he finally gets groundhog day right- it all comes together for him and he gets his girl, and he feels genuinely uplifted as he awakes the next day with Rita beside him and he finally made it to the next day.

Themes wise, there is a distinct religious overtone- almost Buddhist in its philosophy.The conclusion makes the viewer realise that every day should be cherished, by living one through the eyes of a man we can all relate too. What would you do with having to relive the same day over and over? in many ways we'd probably all go through the stages that Bill Murray does. Personally i can relate to the metaphorical idea that you live the same day in the same town when nothing really matters, this movie takes that in a literal sense which is unique- and finds an uplifting way to change Phil Conners character. In terms of comedy, this is undoubtedly in my opinion Bill Murray's finest achievement he is a wonderfully skilled comedic actor but he is given a script he can run riot with as he makes the character his own in his fantastic Murray way. His facial expressions, his dry humour-- some of the moments in this movie are just fantastic, it makes you laugh out loud, but it also makes you feel heart-warmed and carries a strong message. Harold Ramis does a fantastic job of directing in this movie also...all in all i feel this could possibly be one of the underrated gems of all time.

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

The Shark was one step away from climbing out of the water and asking if they've seen any Brody's going around...

[1/10 · 19 May 2007]

Seriously this is one of the goofiest films of all time. It was so bad it was kinda funny. I don't think you will ever see a more dramatic collapse in a franchise from the first to the fourth as you do in the Jaws movies. Jaws the original is possibly the greatest movie of all time, Jaws-the revenge is possibly the worst movie of all time, and has often been rated as such!

What is semi bizarre is the fact that at the beginning, it actually starts off surprisingly- the opening attack and killing of Shaun Brody (the Brody's youngest boy) whom is now grown up as a cop in Amity replacing his now deceased dad whom apparently died of a shark motivated heart-attack?!? I certainly didn't see it coming.

However, after the first two minutes this movie suddenly becomes goofy to the point of ridiculousness. The surviving Brody's decide to jet off to the Bahamas to get away from this vengeful shark...(lol) and this is when the goofyness sets in...this super shark swims basically at 400mph following the plane making the trek from New England to the Bahamas in time to catch its breathe and beat the plane there. INstead of a homing pigeon we have a homing Shark a remarkably personal one at that. Seriously this film was one step away from the shark climbing out of the water and getting a charter plane to the Bahamas.

We are introduced to Mario Van Peebles character 'ya mon' and his sublime acting skills in tackling a Jamaican accent. If this film was to be taken semi serious, it would be mildly insulting in its stereotyping- but this is the least of this films worries. When we see the shark in action you can see the mechanics in its mouth at times and the the little railing it goes along on the sea bed!!! Seriously check it out! Remarkable. It also seems to possess selective speed, it swims from the US to the Caribbean faster than a plane but it can't catch Mario Van Peebles...go figure.

We see a disastrously hammy effort from Michael Caine post Oscar winning perfroance, supposedly Mrs Brody's love interest. Incidentally she seemed to get over Martin Brody's heart-attack pretty fast. However i digress, there is one scene where Caine gets attacked in his plane in the water, and the rubber shark supposedly eats him. Yet INexplicably and quite hilariously Caine's character swims and climbs onto the boat everyone else is on where he's washed, completely dried, and without a mark on him. His reaction to being attacked by this shark 'wow, it had bad breathe' seriously, this is no joke...there is no way you can take this film seriously. The climax is...i laugh at the prospect of recollecting it...Mrs Brody now very annoyed that this vengeful shark, interrupted her holiday and transported Michael Caine unharmed; sets off to beat this shark once and for all...now apparently she was aided by this mechanical device which sent electric waves from the boat on to the shark because suddenly this fish begins to flap about on its fins hovering above water...and roaring...again i kid you not... i didn't know a shark could roar either. Anyway, this shark continued to hover above water long enough for Brody to cunningly control her boat and ram the shark with the bow of the boat and stab it in the belly to kill it.

Despite the fact that is hugely implausible the best is yet to come, she has flash backs to things which happened in the original which she wasn't there to witness...yet she steers the boat right into its chest and the shark blows up...seriously it blows up! But the realms of implausability had already been tested by the safe transportation of Michael Caine after being eaten; swimming faster than a jet plane; having a personal agenda against a human family; plus it takes Mario van Peebles by the head, but don't worry he survives in the end as well...so i guess a roaring shark hovering above water and blowing up from being stabbed is not any more unlikely than the atrocities committed by the director in this film! A truly awful film, but enjoyable if you want to laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole movie.

Jaws (1975)

The Greatest Movie of all time.

[10/10 · 18 May 2007]

Steven Spielberg's finest film is Jaws , which is saying something considering he's probably the greatest director that ever lived. Jaws is not simply a monster movie, it goes right in to the heart of an island community Amity Island, which is terrorised by a man -eating shark which staked its claim in the friendly waters of a New England island community.

The rich characterisation of every character is sublime. The suspense is unbelievable, and the sense of fear adventure and wonderment of the open water is also evident in this film. This film made me terrified of Sharks, and the water since i was a child- thats a mark of a great movie right there.

The editing in JAWS was Oscar winning, and deservedly so- it had masterful cinematography, and the score from Williams is probably his greatest even above Indiana Jones and Star Wars, and the score to Jaws the 'bah-bum-bah-bum' is possibly the most famous piece of music you will ever hear in a motion picture. All this combine to make this if not the greatest film of all time- pretty darn close to it, due to every individual element of film-making at its very best throughout this picture.

The opening attack, is the most shocking beginning to a movie your likely to see...with the highly documented problems in production with the mechanical shark undoubtedly makes this film so special as Spielberg got to do what he does best. Create suspense without actually seeing the perpetrator. Think about the T-Rex in Jurassic Park we knew his arrival with the thud and the vibrations in the mud or a glass of water for instance. Spielberg does similar here, we know the shark is there with the use of an underwater camera taking the sharks POV and John Williams famous music. IN this opening scene the vulnerable girl is killed dramatically from something from below...the camera work follows her legs from the depths as the camera takes the Sharks POV and the music begins, and the camera gets closer and closer then the attack...a masterful piece of suspense film-making. The rubber shark itself isn't terrifying, but the seamless editing and Spielbergs masterful direction makes it so. One scene which deserves an in-depth look is the scene where the young boy on the raft is killed. What is great about this scene and what makes Spielberg truly great and at his height of his suspense craft is how he set up this scene. The premise is the chief Brody paranoid of another attack so he sits in his beach chair focusing obsessively on the water; the camera is focused entirely on him, as people walk past him and talk to him either off frame or in the shot, meanwhile Brody is entirely still focused on the water; Spielberg further sets various scents- the dog playing fetch; and the shrill screams in the water which we think is the shark but is a couple playing...so Spielberg throws us off the idea of an attack especially when a young boy enters the water on a raft, its basically a rule that young people don't get murdered in Hollywood movies right? No character is safe in this movie, which makes it all the more scary. Suddenly Spielberg puts us right on the scent as the dog owner can't find his dog suddenly...could it be? then the camera does does the under water cam and suddenly we realise its the shark- as it attacks the boy on the raft. What is genius is the camera pans at speed to Brody's sensitised reaction of panic, as the whole beach is in chaos. That was just one scene of many on how Spielberg sets a scene as well as any director alive. As mentioned earlier the characterisation in this movie is wonderful, whether it be the main guys or the co-actors every body has their own distinct personality which makes this movie special. Even in little moments of humour, or fear we get distinctly involved in the characters and the impact this shark has on the peoples lives.

After we see the effects the Shark is having on the community 3 men the dangerously un-hinged fisherman Quint (Shaw), Dr.Hooper the rich Shark expert (Dreyfuss-probably his greatest role) and the main character, everyman chief of police Brody terrifically played by Scheider. They set off on a tiny boat on to the open seas to face this Shark once and for all...this is where the adventure element comes in and where the film truly becomes elite. The actors clearly work off each other in the intimate scenes, especially in the dinner scene where they compare injuries and Quint does the amazing story of the USS Indianapolis. Key to his characterisation.

Also The music when the boat chases the shark with the barrels on him, is filled with exciting swash buckling adventure, as i said before this film has everything. Suspense, adventure,humour in the flaws of the characters- everything. Its as close to a perfectly put together movie you will likely see.

The ending is rousing and exciting as Bordy conquers his fear of the water and faces down the on coming shark, as his boat is barely above water, he's alone with one bullet left to hit the tank he stuffed int he sharks mouth...."Smile you son of a B...." BOOM!!!

This movie is the granddaddy of all suspense movies, and we can see Spielberg at his finest and craftyness creating suspense out of nowhere. You know when you've finished Jaws- you have witnessed as close to a perfect film as humanly possible, an absolute joy and terrifying to watch even 32 years later.

Batman Begins (2005)

Over-rated, not bad

[4/10 · 17 May 2007]

I watched this film immediately biased because i loved the first two Batman's and believed no one would replace Tim Burton and Michael Keaton. Burton added a Gothic atmosphere in the city of Gotham and a sense of wonderment keeping the audience guessing in the original about Batman. He also knew how to create suspense and make the most out of characterising his villains and characters. We had many themes of duality in the movies and the villains were incredible. Michael Keaton had the dark personality to suit the Batman character, and the handsome and quirky nature to be Bruce Wayne...many BAtman fans wish we saw more from Batman as he was often upstaged in the original movies, and Returns wasn't really a batman movie but more of a Burton movie. And the less said about the atrocious Shumacher movies the better. AS FOR BEGINS.... this movie i'm sorry to say is pretty over-rated. How its made the top 250 of all time on this list i have no idea, don't get me wrong its a good film, well made, but its not better than the 1989 original, just more accessible to todays audience. First of all the only characterisation in it is Bruce Wayne himself. He wasn't quirky, interesting or multi layered, he just seemed angry and un-interesting. Bale iisn't a great Batman, a great actor, but not a great Batman in fact he seemed to be exactly the same character as he was in American Psycho- a type cast casting job. When he spoke- is just seemed goofy and unnatural...Keaton had a very good BAtman voice, Bale it sounded choked up and restrained.

Its his supporting cast that was the worst, its ridiculously type-cast....Michael CAine could have been so much more as Alfred, he is a great actor as seen in Educating Rita completely contrived in his role, which he didn't exude with the grace as Michael Gough did in the early Batman's. Alfred is meant to be far more prominent in aiding Bruce/BAtman than he ended up being in this movie. The most outrageously bad casting job was Katie Holmes- Joey from Dawsons Creek, who was basically exactly the same as she always is... the wholesome girl next door vibe she gives off is boring. Did Tom Cruise lobby for her to be involved in the movie? Revoke some Scientologist credentials from someone in the cast? How the heck she got in this movie i have no idea. Morgan Freeman-i love him as an actor but what character is he mean to be in the comics? He is the one to introduce Batmans machinery and Mobile and Armoury? And last but not least Liam Neeson, another type-cast, he's been doing the mentor sword wielding role for years in his movies- the wise but hard pushing Mentor, give me a break. He was an unconvincing bad guy. Scarecrow- could have been so much more, the mask was pretty scary, but the character he played before it just seemed annoying rather than anyone with psychoti tendencies.

The action was average it wasn't riveting, the gadgets were fun, and i believe its a good thing we see a movie on how Batman became Batman,it was too Hollywood MTV the cast wasn't imaginative enough, this isn't as close to the comics as the critics make out, its closer to the Batman graphic novels with Raj Alghul. In this movie Bale comes across as a boring, self-obsessed character.

However i await with great anticipation the sequel, it seems to be far more what fans of the franchise are looking for- it looks very dark and entertaining. Ledger looks incredible, but he has a task unseating NIckolson. I have to admit this movie borders on over-rated, but its a genererally OK movie with some very good parts to it.

Batman (1989)

The finest batman

[9/10 · 14 May 2007]

From start to finish- in my opinion this is the movie for batman lovers. Simply put: Keatons's the best Batman, Burton the best director in the franchise, and Nickolson steals the show as the best villain on the big screen.

The opening title sequence has a terrific sequence of seeing the Bat symbol, with the camera investigating all its intricacies and then its there with all its glory the bat symbol...it fades to the bustling, dark misty streets of Gotham. Burton's portrayal of Gotham is terrificly atmospheric we follow an outsider family struggle and take a wrong turn into the cities underbelly where they get attacked by thugs. This leads to one of the most memorable scenes in the movie. While the thugs are counting their money, and discussing the stories they heard about this bat man legend going around, we see this menacing cape shape and then descending from a height Batman himself lands and puts his vengeance on them, leading Batman to hold the terrified main thug over the ledge who asks what he was, prompting one of the best lines in the movie "I'M Batman." Keaton's BAtman is simple, he under-acted the role, he had a mysteriousness about him, yet a mild-mannered Wayne and clearly withdrawn from the outside world. Keaton used his excellent grasp on humour and and spontaneity which left the audience always asking questions about the character throughout this is a perfect way to approach the complex character like Wayne/Batman, which served Keaton well in 'Bettlejuice.' The way Burton handles the Batman character is perfect, he's dark menacing and you're always wondering about him- obviously we know he's the good guy and the hero- but he has a lot of secrets himself and they aren't unveiled until later in the film, the audience can see through Vicky Vale's vantage point as she tries to deal with the Batman story and the troubled Bruce Wayne. Bassinger's Vale is one of the few stumbling points for this film. Her role in the first half of the film was well defined, yet when she became a primary character, this is where the film detracts. She soon becomes too simple screams and faints, and there is a terribly hammy scene where she inexplicably arrives in the bat cave and without blinking an eye she wants to know whether her and Bruce will try to love each other...firstly this ruins the genius scene previously in the move where we see Wayne attempt to say he was Batman before the Joker storms in. Whispering 'i'm batman' to himself. Now on to the star of the show Jack Nickolson, the Joker. Not only do i sometimes catch myself, saying some of the generously hilariously twisted one liners he says in the movie. "As my plastic surgeon used to say- if you have to go, go with a smile" Nickolson runs riot with the script and not only steals the show he is pretty much given free reign to take over the screen with his brilliance, i feel he is the greatest actor of all time, and he is just unbelievable in this movie.

The set-pieces with Batman is everything you can want, and more- the gadgetry of the utility belt, Batmans martial arts training, the special appearance of the bat plane (*scene for batman lovers- when the plane fly's on the moon creating the bat symbol*)the fight scenes were tremendous and the exiting finale in the Church makes up for the fact the movie stalls three quarters of the way through, and a lack of substance in the script is made up for by the brilliant story telling, set, and acting special mention to the Alfred character, in the movie.

To conclude, for the most part this is THE batman movie as far as i'm concerned, i feel the story about the laughing potion kind of stalled and the love interest stalled toward the end. However when Keaton was on screen and Jack Nickolson was going nuts with the lines- and the special moments like the end, where the phenomenal masterful score by Elfman leading up to Batman on the rooftop over looking the bat signal....makes this the definitive Batman and superhero movie of all time.

Batman Returns (1992)

An epic movie...beyond a superhero movie

[8/10 · 14 May 2007]

This is an epic from start to finish. This movie reminds me of an operatic score, its dramatic and triumphant. It takes the simplicity of the original and adds lairs and depths to the characters- to take it beyond a superhero movie of bad versus evil which works for and against it. It explores dark sides, dripping with sexuality and black humour. This is possibly Michelle Pfeiffers finest role bar possibly Dangerous Minds-she turns from do-good nervous secretary to a sexy mysterious and nasty'cat woman.' Danny DeVito was perfect as the penguin- he had terrific lines in the blackest humour. Michael Keaton i maintain is the finest 'Batman;' and what is possibly one of the only downfalls of this movie is that again batman takes a backstep to the development of these bad guys stories. Thats why its beyond the superhero movie maybe some Batman die-hards were hoping for, as we see little of batman outside of when he first tackles the circus gang, in a tremendous set piece, full of action and gadgetry we see mostly character development of his foes. That said the scenes with Keaton and his interaction and chemistry with Michelle Pfeiffer's character was nothing short of sizzling, Keaton will probably go down as one of the most-underrated actors of all time, and again was terrific in this movie. Who else sizzled? the fantastic Christopher Walken-as the corrupt business man working to make the Penguin the mayor of Gotham.

Tim Burton creates a Gotham ice world, absolutely awe-inspiring, the army of penguins in the end armed, is so dark and twisted it can only come out of the mind of Burton. Oh and the bat-mobile and Batmans new improved utility belt plus the arrival of the Batsub at the end. Its just so darn cool!

Beside the original in my opinion there is no need to watch 'begins' or the poor Schumacher sequels because the real genius lies with Burton and Keaton and the co-stars, and the amazingly dark world that is created. Returns has its flaws maybe to the extent it tries to be too huge scale and there is possibly too much going on, but Burton wanted to really put his fantastical might in to this movie and i think thats where it struggles to match the original due to the fact its more of a Burton fantasy spectacle than a pure Batman movie, this is still a twisted epic and a must see, however clear Burton doesn't trust the original Bob Kane Batman story.

100 Girls (2000)

Dawsons creek dialogue... C movie script.

[3/10 · 14 May 2007]

on the plus side, there are some interesting lines and the plot was semi original to the point you wanted to find out who the girl in the elevator was. So it kept you watching, i'll give it that- it also attempts to tackle in as fair a way as possible the relationship between a man and a woman, plus peoples insecurities. Thats as much as i'll give it.

The main character seemed to be taken from the Dawsons Creek book of characters, he spoke in ridiculous dialogue of philosophies and attempted psycho-analysis of the sexes at every given moment. Whether he's in a girls panties drawer or playing fusball. He didn't come across as enlightening, he came across as self-absorbed and cringeingly annoying. Don't worry by the end of the film, he solved men and womens insecurities; brought people together; arrested the evil rapist man; outed his best friend (the girl from 'Alice Mack'); was a woman for a few days and found out how 'violated' he/she felt when looked at by a guy, and found enlightening things about women; single handedly conquered a female studies class- due to enlightening the world that there being too many 'isms' in the world; saved his room mate from his insecurity; and declared to 100women in a dorm about what a perfect boyfriend he'd be- making them all call his name oh and found his girl in the elevator....all in a days work for our conquering hero. Thats basically as simplistic as it got- he was all things to all people-literally. This move was ridiculously over simplistic and infuriatingly self-absorbed, but i guess you gotta give the guy an A for effort... This is a move to cure insomnia and nothing else.

Anger Management (2003)

Good but not coherent

[6/10 · 19 March 2006]

It's a feel good movie, and its good to watch when you don't have anything better to do. Its not challenging, but when you put the type of comedy it is into context, its actually pretty watchable barring some annoying scenes.

It has a great cast- Sandler is good, Jack Nickolson is my favourite actor of all time, Marrissa Tomei is gorgeous and everything you would want in a girlfriend. She could probably have done with a bigger role as she is a superb actress. There are some good cameo roles also. The positives in the movie is first of all, Sandler's best movie by a distance and his personality in the movie appeals as he is likable. Nickolson makes everything tick as far as i'm concerned, he is completely insane and makes everything he does hilarious by his unbelievable facial expressions.There is also signs of good on-screen comic chemistry between Nicholson and Sandler. Also it is a great movie for yankee fans like me, seeing Jeter and co. and the main showing of affection from Sandler towards Mareisa centres around a wedding proposal at yankee stadium. I couldn't possibly dislike the movie.

From a critical standpoint the movie can fall down at points.The movie gives the impression that it is complicated with a multi faceted script but actually in reality its pretty flimsy. The Budhist scene is an example of stupidity, harmless stupidity but it was annoying. And the plot towards the end reaches preposterous levels of implausibility which prevents the movie from being wholly satisfying. To sum up, individually the performances are very good. Also in moments there are excellent comedic points. The "goose frabba" joke was very smart and very funny especially when repeated by Yankee players at the end. John McEnroe attending anger management with Nicholson was also a great touch. And lets not forget the cameo's and the great cast of characters involved in the anger management group. The ending was so satisfying in a feel good way that you have got to enjoy it and as Sandler declares at the stadium- "GO YANKEES!"

Welcome to Mooseport (2004)

Not Raymond's finest moment

[4/10 · 10 March 2006]

As an avid fan of the genius that is Everybody Loves Raymond, i went in to this movie with a degree of optimism- and was dramatically let down.

The worst thing is the character Ray Romano plays in this movie 'Handy,' well they might as well of called him Ray Barone because he is exactly the same character as he is in his famous sitcom only a plumber without kids and a wife. Good thing right? WRONG...he plays a hapless oblivious bumbling idiot, which instead of bringing out a lovable aspect,you cringe at how a this guy can be so infuriatingly simple.

Probably most infuriatingly of all about his character is not his own doing, but his undying love toward the nightmare that is his girlfriend in this movie. What the heck does this guy see in this broad? I mean shes the nice ER girl don't get me wrong, but the things she does to him in this movie merits his leaving her immediately. Seriously, Ray sorry 'HAndy' turns up a little late from work so she gives him dogs abuse and he accepts it. She then happily while still supposedly going out with the ray guy starts dating the President. And she has the audacity to continue to stomp about like the bell of the ball and continue to give the ray guy dogs abuse for being quite forgivably bemused by her show of loyalty to the guy she was supposed to have been with for six years. Heck she even throws books stones underwear whatever household appliance landed on this poor dudes head. This brings us to the plot then we'll delve in to the disaster that was the stereotypical characters later. basically Andy (can i just call him Ray) is a kind, simple but happy small time guy who is the plumber of Mooseport, an obvious look at small-town America,a town in Maine. The movie starts off with literally everybody going 'Hi Handy' everybody loves....Handy? familiar pattern huh, anyway jam packed full of pointless gags later, we meet Gene Hackman acting as the popular ex-president. He is forced to run for mayor of Mooseport or whatever this place is called, to improve his finances after a messy divorce we're led to believe, and so needs to get his PR ship shape. Then Ray's girlfriend the pretty ER girl takes Gene's fancy and that convinces him. Ray is understandably miffed; yet the story takes the turn that basically Ray runs against Gene to win the girl. GAG ME. Most guys would look twice at the stunts his girl was pulling off and personally recommended the girl and the election to the rival. But Ray was determined. The rest of the movie follows the boring pattern of David morally triumphing over Goliath etc.

Ray's character seemed more like the outtakes of his Ray Barone character, and his interaction with Hackman was about as spontaneous and funny as an episode of the Antiques Roadshow. Which is a tragedy considering how Hackman is one of the finest actors to grace the bigscreen in our lifetime. Yet he looked vacant in this role.

And the ER girl seriously should have revised her role as she merited ridicule rather than a future gig in movie stardom. However Ray remained a small light of decency to this movie, he at times carried off the lovable simpleton well with his comic charisma which valiantly failed to turn which was a ridiculously bad script in to something watchable.

You know the movie was off to a bad start when a random naked dude is running to start the movie, having no bearing on proceedings what some ever. Ray owns a pet Donkey which walks about the street; And we have the obvious nose 'gag' comparing Ray and the Donkey's nose- and that is about the extent of the intelligence to the humour. We even have gene Hackman say 'Unless Donkey's fly- i'm always going to be Mr. President...' wait for it, yup! guess what he sees when he looks out the window of his plane-no seriously- A donkey transported by a nearby helicopter. Thats what the film seemed like a bogged down relationship, election story with odd snippets of dreadful humour neither cynical, intelligent or goofy enough to be funny, it was just plain- turgid.

To sum up i bought the movie in the supermarket for a couple of bucks, and that basically sums it up- its a bargain bin movie and a sad state of affairs for wonderful talent like Hackman. No doubt Ray as a great comic will find his niche, however on evidence of this movie he looked like a fish out of water without his wonderful co-cast from his Raymond sitcom.