Stuart Saves His Family (1995)
Starring Al Franken, Laura San Giacomo, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Harris Yulin.
Review by Laurence Mixson(venom8@hotmail.com)
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***1/2 out of ****
I didn't really expect very much when I rented Stuart Saves His Family. The movie bombed at the box office, and I had never really liked the Saturday Night Live sketch on which the movie was based. My real concern, though, was the general reputation of SNL-related movies translating to the big screen with less-than-stellar results(Half-Baked, anyone?)
I was surprised to discover a truly entertaining, often hilarious yet also touching little film. It is an Al Franken production through-and-through, who not only created the title character but also wrote and starred in the picture. For those of you who don't know, Al Franken plays a guy named Stuart Smalley, who has a really annoying show on a public-access station about increasing your self-esteem, etc. Although not a licensed therapist, Stuart Smalley is, as the program proudly boasts, "a graduate of several 12-step programs."
Stuart is doing well enough with his tv show, but he keeps getting distracted by family troubles. Stuart's relatives are a mess: his dad and brother(Harris Yulin and Vincent D'Onofrio, respectively)are alcoholics, his sister is overweight and getting over another divorce, and his mom is in constant self-denial and solves all perceived problems by baking. Then, disaster strikes.
Stuart accidentally insults the manager of the station and gets his show revoked. He is forced to move back in with his family after he can no longer support himself, and there the comedy truly picks up.
Franken wrote all of the characters not just as cliches or stereotypes, but as sharply-drawn, real people. Although Smalley's dad has always imbibed too much, Stuart can still recall times when his father seemed like an okay guy. Also, after an accident towards the end of the movie, both Stuart and the audience learn that there is more to his mother than previously thought.
Although filled with small, very funny scenes, Stuart Saves His Family also has its share of dramatic moments, especially towards the conclusion. For a lightweight comedy, it handles these scenes especially well, often better than many so-called "serious dramas" of today. All the more amazing is that such a movie comes from a Saturday Night Live sketch that is essentially a one-joke bit.
If you feel like renting a comedy, and you haven't seen this film, I definitely recommend you try this one out. You'll laugh...you'll cry....it's all there.
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