DICK TRACY--A Real Dud
A film review by Elisabeth Riba
Copyright 1990 Elisabeth Riba
DICK TRACY has had more hype than any other film this summer. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to it. When out of a stellar cast, Madonna has the strongest character, you know there's something wrong.
I'd say the plot suffers from comic-book simplicity, but that insults comic books. Big Boy Caprice has organized all the mobsters under his leadership. This coalition faces trouble from Dick Tracy on the side of the law, and the mysterious Blank from the criminal front. That's the whole plot.
Dick Tracy's toughest decision is choosing between Tess Trueheart and Breathless Mahoney (Madonna). He waffles through the entire movie and only chooses by default. The other main subplot features the now-obligatory smart-aleck kid. Tracy continually muddles into hopeless situations which the Kid (that's his name, honest!) gets him out of. Short Round in TEMPLE OF DOOM did it far better.
DICK TRACY easily lends itself to comparison with BATMAN. Yes, both come from comics, but the parallels go much farther. Danny Elfman scored both, and he used similar music. Some scenes directly correspond. When he leaps through the skylight, jacket flapping, you cannot think of anything else.
One possible reason DICK TRACY felt so much weaker than Batman is the difference in their original medium. Comic books can offer much more characterization than daily strips. That should give the cast much more room to develop. Instead, it constrains them.
Warren Beatty both directed and starred. Perhaps he should have left one of the jobs to someone else. I could not care about Tracy. Watching his woman problems, I thought Beatty was playing himself. For all the hype of the Madonna/Warren Beatty romance, it never showed on screen. He had no chemistry with either woman. Tracy wasn't even a good cop. Anyone who needs a child to pull his fat out of the fire more than once obviously has problems. He also admitted using unethical tactics in his investigations.
While Beatty stumbled along, Madonna oozed sensuality. When she walked on in a transparent top, I couldn't believe I was watching Disney. She had the best lines, as well. Her songs were fun, although I would have liked to hear them straight through. But despite the strong character, Madonna also just played herself.
Tess Trueheart barely competes. She whined her way through the entire movie. What brains she had, she loses midway through the film. Although she accepted his desire to work the streets and knew he loved her, she walks out on him with no reason. Of course, with a name like Trueheart, you know she'll return.
What about the other big name stars? I see no sense in hiring great actors and then covering them in makeup until they're unrecognizable. Al Pacino does the best Mel Brooks imitation I have ever heard. In fact, with all that makeup, I thought Brooks did play the role. Dustin Hoffman's "Mumbles" does just that. Some considered it self-parody--I just found it annoying. Mandy Patinkin held a lot of promise. His duet with Madonna left me wanting more. But 88 Keys is a far cry from Inigo Montoya.
Yes, the cinematography was nice. I liked the color scheme and comic bookishness. Beatty did a good job of recreating the forties feel especially in the montages during the music. But the effects were sloppy and seriously detracted. I could actually see the cut between Tess's house and the model. And again, I found fault with the blue screen.
A few other notes of interest. Stephen Sondheim wrote all Madonna's music. When will we get another musical from him? The Batman tradition continues. Disney will release three albums from the film: Madonna's, featuring both Sondheim's songs and her own, Danny Elfman's score, and the incidental music. In the continuing Star Trek actor watch, keep an eye peeled for Colm Meaney (Lt. O'Brien) as a police officer.
As an added treat, the movie opens with a new Roger Rabbit cartoon. I hope other studios follow Disney's lead. Unfortunately, "Rollercoaster Rabbit" shared the same plot as every other Maroon short. Roger watches over Baby Herman, this time at an amusement park, and gets killed many times over protecting him. Although some scenes (particularly with the bull) are funny, I don't find constant injury amusing. Surely Disney can do better than this.
I went to DICK TRACY looking for a good time. I didn't find one. Wait to see it on video.
--
Lady Lis
~~~~~~~~
a.k.a. Elisabeth Anne Riba
lis@cs.brandeis.edu
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