MATINEE
A film review by David Pimmel
Copyright 1993 David Pimmel
-- comedy, rated PG, runs about 1:40 -- starring : John Goodman, Kathy Moriarty, and a bunch of teenagers -- directed by Joe Dante and written by Charles Hass -- **** out of *****
SUMMARY: Lawrence Woolsley (John Goodman) brings his new horror film MANT! to premiere in Key West during the height of the Cuban Missile crisis. He hopes to capitalize on the tense moment by providing an escape for the town. We see most of the events through the stories of four teenagers and how life affects them.
QUICK AND EASY REVIEW: I really enjoyed MATINEE. The mixture of comedy and tension blended nicely. Unlike many comedies this film tries, and succeeds, in getting past the stage of doing anything for a laugh. The makers of the film also cared about telling an intelligent story. The performances of all the principals are right on the mark, particularly John Goodman as the schlock master. So I would definitely recommend this film to anyone looking for a light hearted, yet interesting way to spend a couple of hours.
LONGER, MORE DETAILED REVIEW: [beware of spoilers]
The primary reason I enjoyed this film was, that while being a comedy, the film also had an intelligent story to tell. Too many comedies today subscribe to the the notion that a comedy need only make you laugh. You watch the movie, laugh a lot, leave the theatre and take nothing with you. MATINEE is not like that. I left the picture thinking about what I would do faced with the Cuban Missile crisis. I found myself wondering what would happen to the characters of the film. But most importantly, I found myself caring about what would happen to the characters.
The comedy of the film centers around Goodman, his character, and the film he brings to Key West. I believe that Goodman is one of the finest comedic actors in the business today. He is highly expressive both physically and vocally. I felt he at least deserved an Oscar nomination for his work in BARTON FINK. The other characters are often lost in a scene with him due to his commanding nature, however, while the star, Goodman is actually not at the center of the film.
The movie is really the story of the four teenagers, discovering who they are and what they want, against a background where at any minute it could all end. I thought the kids reaction were highly realistic. They tried to block it out, they tried to escape from the concerns of their world. Unfortunately it kept creeping back in, particularly with the fear, and the chaos of the time.
While the comedy centered on Goodman, and the drama on the teens, there was a great deal of overlap. Several aspects of the panic are shown in a humorous light. One example is a scene where people are fighting each other for the the last cans and boxes of food in a grocery store. If you think about it the threat of nuclear annihilation seems hardly to be the backdrop for a comedy, but it works here.
Another reason I like this film is that I like B- science fiction movies. One of my favorite films to go watch is PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. (Note I did not say it was one of my favorite movies, but one of my favorite to see.) While MANT! never got made, many films like it were, and MANT! serves mostly as Dante's homage to the B-films he loves.
So again I would like to recommend MATINEE to anybody looking for a good, humorous story. This isn't a gag film like many other comedies but an intelligent, well-thought out, film about real people with real problems told in an often hilarious way. Enjoy!
-- David Pimmel pimmel@cs.wisc.edu
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