SPRUNG
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.0 Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 5/14/97 (wide) Running Length: 1:48 MPAA Classification: R (Sex, profanity, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, Paula Jai Parker, Joe Torry Director: Rusty Cundieff Producer: Darin Scott Screenplay: Rusty Cundieff and Darin Scott Cinematography: Joao Fernandes Music: Stanley Clarke U.S. Distributor: Trimark Pictures
If you take WHEN HARRY MET SALLY and cross it with BOOTY CALL, then=20 throw in a little STRICTLY BALLROOM for good measure, what do you end up=20 with? Improbably, Rusty Cundieff's first attempt at a romantic comedy,=20 called SPRUNG. With this, his third directorial effort, Cundieff=20 reinforces an impression that he has given viewers in his two previous=20 movies (FEAR OF A BLACK HAT, TALES FROM THE HOOD): he knows how to make=20 audiences laugh but is unwilling to try something truly ambitious. =20
SPRUNG starts out like any number of raunchy sex comedies, with a=20 couple of horny guys (Cundieff as Montel and Joe Torry as Clyde) on the=20 make at a party. The women they eventually zone in on are a fine pair=20 of specimens: Brandy (Tisha Campbell) and Adina (Paula Jai Parker). =20 Clyde quickly gets Adina into his Porsche, then into his bed. And,=20 while the two are engaged in a bawdy night of sex, Brandy and Montel are=20 doing everything possible to prove how much they despise each other. =20 Next up, Clyde and Adina have big fight, and he ends up under arrest for=20 deviant behavior. What follows is a hilariously outrageous (not to=20 mention homophobic and potentially-offensive) lineup scene that promotes=20 all sorts of unsavory stereotypes.
It's then that Cundieff rather abruptly alters his film's=20 direction. Suddenly, SPRUNG shifts gears and becomes an unexpectedly=20 sweet romantic comedy. Stereotypes start to give way to real (if only=20 partially-developed) characters. The brashness and least common=20 denominator humor are replaced by kisses, ballroom dancing, and romantic=20 music. Brandy and Montel fall hard for each other and Clyde and Adina=20 call a truce in order to figure out a way to break them up. =20 Predictably, in the process, those two discover just how fine a line it=20 is between love and hate.
It's impossible to deny that parts of SPRUNG are very funny, but=20 the jokes really don't amount to much. Likewise, the formulaic=20 romances, developed in parallel, are a little flat (Clyde and Adina's=20 moreso than Montel and Brandy's). Cundieff seems to believe that if he=20 puts together two attractive couples with decent chemistry that we'll=20 readily accept all of the clich=E9s that litter the road to the obvious=20 conclusion. There aren't any of those special, little "character=20 moments" that elevate many similarly unoriginal romances, primarily=20 because SPRUNG has to juggle two relationships. Each leeches time from=20 the other, and, as a result, neither gets the development it deserves.=20
The actors, who are all appealing, arguably do better jobs than the=20 material warrants. Cundieff and Campbell are effective as the low-key=20 couple, even though they're saddled with a falling-in-love music montage=20 at the heart of their romance. Meanwhile, Torry and Parker are lively=20 enough on their own or together to make the pairing of Clyde and Adina=20 work. Clarence Williams III, Sherman Hemsley, and a few other familiar=20 faces dot the casting landscape with amusing cameos.
At one point, Montel, who is a photographer with aspirations of=20 becoming a director, states that he would like to make a movie with "no=20 gangstas, no drugs, and nobody getting shot=85 A love story, because=20 everyone loves a love story." This is, of course, exactly what Cundieff=20 has done, and it's easy to hear the director speaking through his=20 character's mouth. Ultimately, SPRUNG is probably a little too uneven=20 and familiar to be worth taking a trip to a movie theater for, but it is=20 solid enough to provide an evening's diversion once it makes its way to=20 your neighborhood video store.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
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