Some actors just belong on the silver screen, big as life and twice as beautiful. You can't really say why they belong there, but they sure as shooting do. It isn't just talent which is, after all, a fairly common commodity. It isn't technical skill or mastery of craft, although, knowledge and pursuit of those things can keep a career going. It is a certain indefinable other, a combination of some acting ability, gobs of charisma and the plain good luck of having the camera adore you. This ineffable quality is what makes an audience remember your name and forgive the fact that the films that you appear in are a little shallow and corny. It surely is what makes Will Smith a movie superstar.
Hey, life is unfair. There are certainly actors (in the generic non-sex specific sense) who have much more technical skill than Will Smith. There are those who have spent years at Julliard and Yale Drama School, and other august institutions of artistic learning, feverishly pondering the secrets of drama and film acting. I've seen and admired such actors and noted how hard they have worked to achieve their cinematic wonders. Hey, and then there are folks like Mr. Smith, who appear to just walk under a kleig light and just bedazzle an audience. Just by showing up. This guy has got *it* and it's that indefinable quality that is making him a superstar. (I can't define what that *it* is, but i know it when I see it, and damned if I wouldn't show up to watch this guy read from the phone book or recite his laundry list. I think he'd make it interesting. I really do.)
Mr. Smith's latest movie, the hilarious MEN IN BLACK, is a case in point. MIB features a dazzling array of special effects, a fanciful and witty script by Ed Solomon and some wonderful direction from Barry Sonnenfeld. But it's Will Smith who makes this picture rock and roll. His onscreen partnership with Tommy Lee Jones (who is at his FUGITIVE best here) is wonderful. Mr. Jones is a hilariously droll and deadpan counterpoint to Mr. Smith's young, hip and definitely cool junior partner. The relationship works and is a lesson in how to make a special effects movie in which the f/x don't overwhelm the story. (Would that the recent BATMAN picture had this quality. Unfortunately, it was nearly the opposite of MIB in nearly every respect from the way the f/x overshadowed everything else on screen to the way that character development was given an early and miscalculated death. Hey Warner Bros, take a lesson. It is possible to do a comic book movie without reducing it to mindless drivel.)
MEN IN BLACK is a tongue-in-cheek story that takes all the paranoid conspiracy theories about aliens-on-earth at face value. It supposes a super-secret neo-governmental agency that is in charge of controlling all extra-terrestrial activity on earth. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, the movie 'explains' a lot of strange things that are going on on Planet Earth as the result of alien visitors who just might be living among us. Tommy Lee Jones functions as the world-weary, seen-it-all senior agent, whose deadpan line delivery is a funny marvel. Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones are perfectly cast and the interplay between the two (and the interplay with Rip Torn from HBO's 'Larry Sanders Show') is an underplayed hoot. (Yes, I'm talking about enjoying the dialogue. In a summer movie. Boy does it feel good to write that down.)
This is a lively picture that has a lot on it's plate. Not only is it a dead-on satire of "X-Files"style paranoia, but it features some beautiful set design and bug-eyed alien creatures that are hilarious. As with most satires, the more you learn about this picture before you go in, the less the satire works, so I'm not going to mention any specific scenes. But I wholeheartedly recommend this movie. Go, sit back and let the whole silly wonder of it rev up your summer. And let Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones drive. Trust me, you'll have a great time.
terrib
A word of caution: allthough this is not by any means a horror movie, there are some scenes and special effects that might scare some kids. As always, parents should not take highly sensitive or easily spooked kids. The special effects are top notch and could give some (not all, just some) kids nightmares. For me, that means that my 12 year old daughter can see it, but my ten year old son cannot. (He is easily bothered by these things.) As ever, you know your kid best and your mileage may vary.
-- http://www.tiac.net/users/jestertb Home of the alt.fan.jim-carrey FAQs
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews