Exceso De Equipaje

I saw this movie a couple of years ago when my sister and her friends rented it. I remember thinking it was strange, but that's all. I came across it in the video store last night and was curious as to why I couldn't remember much about it. Well let me tell you, I'm glad I tried it again. The movie isn't great, the story drags a bit in the middle, and the two mob guys weren't the least bit scary. I also had a hard time with Silverstone's portrayal of Emily, who I understand was supposed to be a "troubled teen", but whose behavior was so unbelievably bad that I felt only distaste for her instead of the expected sympathy. But Walken and Del Toro are absolutely marvelous. They made it completely worth watching. Walken is his usual sinister self, but at the same time manages to make his Uncle Ray character seem very fatherly and concerned for Emily. In fact, they could have done away with the rather weak father altogether and nobody would even have noticed. Del Toro is fascinating as the shy, befuddled Vincent. Everything that came out of his mouth made me laugh, and you've got to like anyone who can see the good in a whiny wretch like Emily. He turns out to be exactly what she needs, and by the end of the movie she had mellowed so much that I didn't even hate her anymore. Watch for the scenes in the hotel room and next morning by the lake where the tentative lovers make a surprisingly touching connection. This was the best five minutes of the movie for me. All in all, a simple but fairly sweet movie, made better by the outstanding, endearing performances by the two male leads. Don't go into it expecting too much, and you'll have fun with this little bit of fluff that far too many people have been scared away from because of the bad reviews. Just give it a chance. Trust me.

What are the requisites for a person to like a movie? I can't tell, but I ask because a friend of mine told me she had watched a little bit of this film and then stopped because it was bad; and I found it truly entertaining, funny and charming. I've said a lot of times that I love romantic comedies…I still do, you know? "Excess Baggage" is an unexpected little romantic comedy that finds amusement in the strangest places. First off, the way the two leads meet. She is faking a kidnapping an hides in the trunk of a car waiting to be found; he is a car thief and steals that car, takes it to his garage and discovers that someone is making noise…This scene is fantastic because the thief acts like he doesn't understand, and when he discovers it is only a girl, he gets scared.

The girl is Emily Hope: "All I wanted in a father is a person who cared and valued his daughter", she says at the beginning of the film. She is portrayed by Alicia Silverstone as a grown person who hasn't really grown up and does mischief to get her millionaire father angry; because she knows he can spend any amount of money to find her anywhere. Her perception is right, and Silverstone's ability of going crazy helps the development of her character. I'd like to add that Silverstone's had a short career and she was discovered because of Aerosmith (she looked nice in that video); but she's got it.

But the best development is the relationship between Emily and the thief; they start with the wrong foot because neither of them understands how they ended up in the situation they're living, but soon they have to deal with the fact that they look good together and that probably each of them is the part that's missing in the other one. Old question: Can two people fall in love after two days of being together? This movie makes it believable.

Congratulations to Max D. Adams, the only story he ever created, he did it a perfect job. In stories like these is very flexible to keep a loyal viewer engaged with the plot line. Adams, alongside Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais ("Goal!") present the girl-father relationship but are smart enough not to loose focus in what's going on with Emily and the thief. They also put the lead male in a financial trouble bringing funny performances from Nicholas Turturro and Harry Connick Jr; and chose the best person to look out for Emily: Christopher Walken, who end up a step away of stealing the show: the thief does that.

Who is the thief? He is called Vincent and the actor who portrays him has done every type of film and played every type of character including one that lies among the best performances I've ever seen. As this movie went along, I was observing his performance carefully because it appeared similar to something I've seen before; but I couldn't discover it. Maybe it was a character he played, and that's why I'm convinced there's no one like Benicio Del Toro. His performance here finds him always beaten down, but still being able of finding the charm his character requires. "What a view", he says, and only he says it.

The director of the film, Marco Brambilla, showed Stallone the way in "Demolition Man", was in charge of this and then of the marvelous miniseries "Dinotopia". He gives "Excess Baggage" the kind of eye it requires; comprehensive and caring. He sees the chemistry between the leads and takes advantage of it in the best way possible.

I'm a fan of both of the leads…And by the way, I stick to my beliefs about romantic comedies.

This movie have been done so many times, and is so predictable. Maybe with as many "stars" in it, the movie execs thought they could pull it off, but nope.

Benicio Del Toro does the best Dean Stockwell (Blue Velvet, Quantum Leap, et al) imitation I've seen yet (and without even trying). Which is probably why I watched the movie so long; trying to figure out who he was trying to be.

The best part of this movie, was that I watched it on cable, and didn't pay movie theater prices.

Not as bad as some people make it out to be. Alicia Silverstone is as beautiful as ever. And Christopher Walken played his typecast dangerous dude role the way he always does. Yes, the plot had some good sized holes in it. The film is meant to be light entertainment and it made that mark. That doesn't mean it's great or anything. I couldn't recommend spending money on this unless you're a hard-core Silverstone fan. But if it comes on cable, it's an OK hour and forty. Grade: C-

I read quite a few reviews around the time this film was released and they were all very negative towards it. Don't ask me why I rented it (probably in a moment of maddness) cos I had very low expectations of what it was going to be like but actually I didn't think it was that bad a film... I like Benicio Del Toro - if you don't like him or can't get to grips with the way he speaks etc then your probably instantly going to hate this film - I think he is an interesting character in real life and I think he made this film a little more interesting too... Silverstone was just basically Silverstone - I feel sorry for her its been pretty much down hill since Clueless, shes always playing these richgirl/brat characters there is no real variety..but shes ok - nothing special - Walken was as usual solid as a rock, Harry Connick Jnr cracked me up for some reason I thought he was funny! Plot - I could see where it wanted to go but it didn't quite get there - it wasnt quite clever enough - I don't think it was a fabulous film by any means but compare it to Batman and Robin? Speed 2? Its not as bad as that! Rent it if you are a Benicio/Alicia/Walken fan but otherwise you'll probably just feel robbed...