MEET WALLY SPARKS
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 1.5 Alternative Scale: 1/2 out of ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 1/31/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:45 MPAA Classification: R (Profanity, sexual situations, nudity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theater: Magic @ Hadley, 1/31/97, 4:15 pm
Cast: Rodney Dangerfield, David Ogden Stiers, Debi Mazar, Mark Taylor, Cindy Williams, Lisa Thornhill, Michael Weatherly, Burt Reynolds Director: Peter Baldwin Producer: Leslie Greif Screenplay: Rodney Dangerfield and Harry Basil Cinematography: Richard H. Kline Music: Michel Colombier U.S. Distributor: Trimark Pictures
Despite his immense popularity on stage, Rodney Dangerfield doesn't have a sterling reputation as a motion picture lead. With the exception of BACK TO SCHOOL, a delightfully dumb 1986 comedy, every movie to feature Dangerfield prominently (CADDYSHACK, EASY MONEY, LADYBUGS) has been a dud. MEET WALLY SPARKS, a lame, late-January film dumped into a sluggish market, may well finish the aging comic's screen career. There's nothing in this movie that warrants the price of a video rental, much less a trip to a theater.
Generally, about the best one can hope for from a Dangerfield movie is a cliched storyline filled with crude-but-humorous gags and one- liners. That is, after all, basically what BACK TO SCHOOL delivered, and it worked on that basis. MEET WALLY SPARKS never comes close, because there's hardly a laugh to be found from start to finish. It amazes me that Dangerfield, who in the past has been able to make the simple act of walking into a room funny, has turned out such a dreadful motion picture. MEET WALLY SPARKS is easily among the ten worst comedies I've seen in the past two years.
It's hard to put a finger on why Dangerfield isn't funny here. He certainly doesn't seem to have invested his character, tabloid talkshow host Wally Sparks, with much vitality. The sex jokes, even when you can't see them coming, are old and tired, as if we've heard them a few times too many. This shtick is worn-out; it might still work in comedy clubs, but any spontaneity is lost on screen. And, unfortunately, the one or two potentially-amusing moments have been shown to death in the previews, so their comic effect is ruined. Even Dangerfield's intention of lampooning the current generation of talk shows isn't successful. In spite of numerous cameos (by the likes of Geraldo, Morton Downey Jr., Jerry Springer, Bob Saget, Roseanne, Michael Bolton, Ron Jeremy, Tony Danza, Tim Allen, Jay Leno, and others), MEET WALLY SPARKS is too absurd to retain any sense of verisimilitude. Without that quality, there's little chance for satire to be effective. Yet probably the worst thing about WALLY SPARKS is its failed attempts to inject character development and human interest into a one-dimensional story. By aiming for pathos, this movie comes across as pathetic.
The sole bright spot is the opening montage, which compares THE WALLY SPARKS SHOW to its moderate TV competitors (GERALDO, OPRAH, etc.) by means of quick edits. Once the credits have concluded, however, it's all downhill -- fast. The film's premise involves Wally toning down his show to stem the tide of deserting sponsors. The network president (Burt Reynolds) gives him one week to clean up his act, or he's off the air. The show's producer, a no-nonsense woman named Sandy (Debi Mazar), decides that Wally's best chance at respectability is to get his longtime opponent, conservative Governor Preston of Georgia (David Ogden Stiers), as a guest. Complications ensue when the talkshow host is injured at one of Preston's parties. And, as if that wasn't enough, Sparks becomes an unwitting player in a scheme to blackmail the governor.
Enduring MEET WALLY SPARKS is akin to watching a multi-car pileup, as each successive failure leads to a bigger thud. By the end of the movie, I didn't know whether to feel angry at being subjected to such a loathsome experience, or saddened and embarrassed for Dangerfield and the others involved. By his own admission, Rodney's not a happy person, and the public and critical response to MEET WALLY SPARKS isn't likely to bring much sunshine into his life. This is truly a movie that doesn't deserve any respect.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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