THE TALL GUY
A film review by Wayne Citrin
Copyright 1991 Wayne Citrin
THE TALL GUY is a 1990 film that never made it to Boulder. I recently had the chance to see it on video. I don't remember having so much fun watching a movie (on video or on the big screen) in a long time. See it.
Jeff Goldblum is Dexter King, an unhappy American actor in London who has spent the last six years as the straight man in a comedy revue. In short order, Goldblum falls in love, loses his job in the revue, and gets the lead role in "Elephant!," a musical version of "The Elephant Man."
There's so much to like in this film, it's hard to know where to start. There's Goldblum trying to work up the nerve to ask out the no-nonsense nurse (Emma Thompson) with whom he's fallen in love. There's his lovable nymphomaniac landlady and her parade of weird boyfriends. There's the great sex scene (and I mean it in both senses: it's a great scene, and it suggests great sex), and there's the scene where Goldblum and a friend are lectured by a blind man on the nature of love. And best of all, there's "Elephant!," a musical even funnier than the classic "Springtime for Hitler" in THE PRODUCERS. Listen hard for the wonderfully awful lyrics. What makes this even funnier than "Springtime for Hitler" is that one can really see someone producing a show like this, or like "Elephant!"'s director's other project: a musical version of "Richard III," with such songs as "I've Got a Hunch I'm Gonna Be King." The scenes from "Elephant!" had me rolling on the floor, and I can't remember the last time that happened. And there's lots more that I haven't mentioned.
THE TALL GUY is shot in a refreshingly different style, reminiscent of Richard Lester's 1960's comedies. This film has definitely been inspired by A HARD DAY'S NIGHT and HELP! I don't know who Mel Smith is, or what else he's directed, but I'll certainly try to find out.
In addition to all this, the backstage scenes (particularly the rehearsals and opening night of "Elephant!") are done with a verisimilitude that makes them particularly exciting. Note that I say "verisimilitude" and not "authenticity," since I have no idea how authentic they really are. They just *feel* right. You get the tension and excitement of rehearsal and opening night, even as you see how bad this play really is. But, unlike "Springtime for Hitler," you really want it to succeed.
It's a pity that this film never got the widespread release that it deserved. Fortunately it's on video, so it'll never entirely disappear. Rent it, see it at a revival theatre, but definitely go see it. You'll have a great time.
Wayne Citrin citrin@soglio.colorado.edu citrin@boulder.colorado.edu
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