SHOOTING FISH
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: ** OUT OF ****
United Kingdom, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 5/15/98 (limited) Running Length: 1:45 MPAA Classification: PG (Profanity, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Dan Futterman, Stuart Townsend, Kate Beckinsale Director: Stefan Schwartz Producers: Richard Holmes, Glynis Murray Screenplay: Richard Holmes, Stefan Schwartz Cinematography: Henry Braham Music: Stanislas Syrewicz U.S. Distributor: Fox Searchlight
SHOOTING FISH is a feather-light comedy about a pair of "likable" con men whose plans to live the good life are knocked off track by bad timing and an unexpected romance. While the British release, which probably has aspirations of connecting with the FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL crowd, offers an occasional worthwhile joke, it's ultimately so lacking in substance that it becomes difficult to care about anyone or anything. The probable argument in favor of SHOOTING FISH is that the movie generates a warm, fuzzy feeling. My response to this is to note that the only ones likely to experience such a sense of muted bliss are those who turn off their brains. The film is preposterous to the point of distraction, where the necessary level of suspension of disbelief exceeds the capacity of a normal, thinking person. The approach would be forgivable if the movie was genuinely funny or otherwise endearing, but moments of laughter and charm are infrequent and widely-spaced.
Con men often make for delightful motion picture protagonists, because their presence allows screenwriters to devise all sorts of intricate moves in various games of deception. Alas, that's not the case here. The heroes are Dylan (Dan Futterman) and Jez (Stuart Townsend), and, although they have devoted their lives to bilking rich people out of money, their schemes are so banal that it's understandable if a viewer loses interest. Even the opening gambit, with the pair selling a "voice-activated computer," isn't remotely credible. And it's hard to feel any sympathy for the victims, who are either (a) nasty men getting what's coming to them, (b) gullible fools who deserve to be ripped off, or (c) both.
Theoretically, Dylan and Jez are in the con business because it's the fastest way to make the two million pounds they need to buy a big mansion. In reality, that's just an excuse for their lifestyle of adrenaline-generating close shaves. As Georgie (Kate Beckinsale), their secretary-turned-accomplice-turned love interest notes, they're "compulsive risk-takers who thrive on danger." Of course, hanging out with Dylan and Jez has an effect on her, and it's not long before she too catches the bug and is flirting with the law in order to swindle money out of a thoroughly despicable, filthy rich victim.
Dan Futterman (Robin Williams' son in THE BIRDCAGE) plays Dylan, an American in London, with a certain oily charm. Supposedly, there's a heart lurking beneath his slick exterior, but it's not often in evidence. Stuart Townsend is Dylan's partner, Jez, a technical wizard with no social skills. In the glorious tradition of motion picture nerds, he gets hopelessly tongue-tied around women. The third member of the trio, and the one with the most spark, is Kate Beckinsale. With her dark hair cropped short, Beckinsale looks different than in her previous roles, which include Hero in Kenneth Branagh's MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING and the lead in John Schlesinger's COLD COMFORT FARM.
Watching SHOOTING FISH is a lot like drinking carbonated water. There's a little bit of fizz, and the sensation isn't unpleasant, but the whole experience fails to offer much satisfaction. SHOOTING FISH is a harmless dud, and any minor pleasure it generates vanishes so quickly that it's hard to believe it was actually there in the first place. The movie frequently treads a line between being marginally engaging and painfully trite. Unfortunately, when all is said and done, a majority of the scenes fall in the latter camp rather than in the former.
Copyright 1998 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
Now with more than 1400 reviews... The ReelViews web site: http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/
"My belief is that no movie, nothing in life, leaves people neutral. You either leave them up or you leave them down."
-- David Puttnam
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews