Men In Black
Chad'z rating: *** (out of 4 = good)
1997, PG-13, 98 minutes [1 hour, 38 minutes]
[comedy/satire/science fiction]
starring: Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K), Will Smith (James Edwards/Agent J), Linda Fiorentino (Dr. Laurel Weaver), Vincent D'Onofrio (Edgar - The Bug); written by Ed Solomon; produced by Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes; directed by Barry Sonnenfeld; based on the comic book and characters created by Lowell Cunningham.
Seen Sunday, November 2, 1997 at 2:20 p.m. at the Crossgates Mall Cinema 12 (Guilderland, N.Y.), theater #6 [?], with my brother John for $4.75. [Theater rating: ***: good seats, picture, and sound]
Movies geared towards massive audiences tend not to be too complicated or have much intelligence to them. Americans especially like to watch things they don't have to think too much about. What's good about "Men In Black" is that, technically, it's another lightweight, mass-market comedy/adventure, but it's also a clever satire. It appeals to both the child and the adult in us.
It's difficult to make a film intended for the family that can actually be enjoyed by all members. But this movie starts off well by displaying its ability to do just that. The first scene depicts a truck full of illegal aliens which is stopped by highway patrolmen, until two men in black suits show up and take over. Agent K (Jones) singles out one of the immigrants and brings him back into the desert where his true identity is revealed. He's an illegal alien all right - one from another planet who doesn't have a passport.
The dialogue between K and the alien is cartoony, but witty, in a "Simpson's" sort of way. Even though there's a slimy sight gag, it was built up through satire, which shows how the comedy succeeds on many levels.
Satire derives its power from great acting. Anyone can write a joke, but it takes talent to make subtle comedy funny. Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic here as the Joe Friday-like Agent K. His sense of timing is perfect and his deadpan delivery makes everything he says or does seem both serious and funny.
Then there's his counterpart, the always hyperactive Will Smith as James Edwards, an NYPD officer who is asked to join "Men in Black" (the secret agency K works for), because of an encounter he had with an alien. Many consider Smith a typecast actor who always plays characters like himself - but it doesn't matter because he's hilarious! It seems like he improvises every joke and gag, yet he never repeats himself.
The actual plot of the film involves some kind of pending inter-galactic war with Earth in the middle. Agents J and K's job is to find a "bug" (D'Onofrio as "Edgar") whose ship crash-landed on a farm in upstate New York. He has made his way to NYC and wreaks havoc like a zombie in an Ed Wood movie, and if they don't find him soon something terrible is going to happen.
There's a lot of detail and attention given to the MIB operation, which not only makes the comedy even funnier and the satire more clever, but shows how the film doesn't cop-out where most others would. Everything the characters do has a purpose, and there's a good sense of mystery here. At times I wasn't quite sure what was going on, but because the story is so lighthearted I was never hopelessly lost.
Not much more needs to be said about the film because the comedy is so broad. It would be difficult to list even a few examples without describing, in detail, the context in which they take place. Everything's just plain fun, and the ending is a real hoot.
Special mention must be given to Linda Fiorentino as Dr. Laurel Weaver, the sexy coroner who never plays the role of the damsel in distress nor the butt-kicking, "strong-willed woman" stereotype.
"Men In Black" is the epitome what the summer blockbuster movie should be: just plain fun.
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(C) 1997 Chad Polenz
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