PALOOKAVILLE
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 7.5 Alternative Scale: *** out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: beginning 9/96 (limited) Running Length: 1:33 MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, brief nudity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Shown at the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema, 5/1/96 (Opening Night)
Cast: William Forsythe, Vincent Gallo, Adam Trese, Gareth Williams, Lisa Gay Hamilton, Bridgit Ryan, Frances McDormand Director: Alan Taylor Producer: Uberto Pasolini Screenplay: David Epstein Cinematography: John Thomas Music: Rachel Portman U.S. Distributor: Orion Pictures/The Samuel Goldwyn Company
If you thought the criminals in BOTTLE ROCKET and FARGO were incompetent, wait until you meet the trio from PALOOKAVILLE... They can't seem to get anything right. Nevertheless, what separates this film from the many other crime-gone-wrong pictures is that it's almost completely non-violent. There are no shoot outs, fistfights, or explosions. There is a gun, but it's used primarily as a prop.
PALOOKAVILLE (the title is from the classic Marlon Brando line in ON THE WATERFRONT about losers) is the debut feature for director Alan Taylor, who has used the stories of post-WWII Italian author Italo Calvino and the 1956 comic heist movie, BIG DEAL ON MADONNA STREET, as inspirations. This film, which takes place in Jersey City, New Jersey, chronicles the failed robbery attempts of three inept protagonists: Sid (William Forsythe), Russell (Vincent Gallo), and Jerry (Adam Trese). The problem is, while these "self-unemployed" men need money to pay the rent, none has the kind of personality necessary for a life of crime. As Jerry says, "We're not really cut out for this. Some people are. For instance, criminals."
PALOOKAVILLE opens with a jewelry store robbery gone bad -- but not in RESERVOIR DOGS fashion. Here, it's a bloodless, customerless night operation, with Russ and Jerry knocking a hole in the back brick wall while Sid stands guard out front. The problem is, they've got the wrong store -- it's a bakery adjacent to the jewelers, and the booty ends up being jelly donuts and pastries instead of diamonds and gold.
Following this first failed caper, the gang tries to go straight, but their good intentions don't last long. Eventually, they hatch a plot to rob an armored car. It's not a very good plan -- parts are culled from the old RKO movie, ARMORED CAR ROBBERY -- but they seem to think it's foolproof. Inevitably, however, when it comes to pulling the heist, Murphy's Law is in full force, and nothing goes the way anyone expected.
One of the things that elevates PALOOKAVILLE over the likes of BOTTLE ROCKET and THINGS TO DO IN DENVER WHEN YOU'RE DEAD is its character development. Although this film is sprinkled with comic moments and its tone is basically lighthearted, it treats its protagonists seriously. Sid, Russ, and Jerry seem like real people -- losers with good hearts who want to commit crimes but lack the requisite toughness and cynicism. Through their relationships with women and their illegal activities, each of PALOOKAVILLE's main characters learns something about himself and the world.
The lead actors -- William Forsythe (THINGS TO DO IN DENVER), Vincent Gallo (THE PEREZ FAMILY), and Adam Trese (THE UNDERNEATH) -- are effective in their roles, and they're given solid support by Frances McDormand (as a local prostitute), Gareth Williams (as Russ' policeman brother-in-law), and Bridgit Ryan (as a young woman who falls for Sid). The best performance is turned in by Forsythe, playing against type as a shy man who acts like he lost his wife to death, not divorce. Gallo's Russ would like us to believe that he's a tough hood, but his hard personality is really a front. And Jerry just wants an alternative source of income so his wife doesn't have to work for the sleazy store manager who gropes her.
With an evocative score by Rachel Portman and cinematography by John Thomas, PALOOKAVILLE has a feel that belies its $1 million budget. At times, the movie is funny, touching, and quirky. There are a few isolated scenes that don't work, but, in general, PALOOKAVILLE represents insouciant entertainment bolstered by an unforced message about not taking the "American dream" too seriously. After all, the people in PALOOKAVILLE may be losers with little hope of rising above their circumstances, but that doesn't mean they don't have hearts and souls.
After winning the Kodak award for Best First Feature at the 1995 Venice Film Festival, PALOOKAVILLE has become a festival favorite. Although it's not due to be released until September of 1996 (and then only in a limited run), it will be shown at dozens of festivals during the spring, including those in Cleveland, San Francisco, Dallas, and Philadelphia. And, although it may appear Tarantino-inspired at a glance, once you get into PALOOKAVILLE, you'll understand that it has a much kinder, gentler story to tell.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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