Film review: 'My Fellow Americans'
Call it "Grumpy Old Presidents".
In "My Fellow Americans", Jack Lemmon and James Garner play a pair of crusty ex-chief executives from opposite ends of the political spectrum who reluctantly join forces when a scandal threatens to implicate both of them.
A pleasant if not entirely successful comedy caper, the picture probably goes further than it ought to thanks to the game efforts of its two charming leads, who fire off the barrage of barbed zingers with seasoned ease.
Given the heated competition at movieplexes this season, audience turnout probably won't be much of an improvement over voter turnout. However, this lightweight entry should score handsomely on subsequent video popularity polls.
Lemmon is former White House dweller Russell Kramer, a tight-fisted, egocentric Republican whose one term in office ended in defeat to cynical, womanizing Democrat Matt Douglas (Garner), who in turn lost out to current president William Haney (Dan Aykroyd). Longstanding adversaries, Kramer and Douglas get a taste of the old limelight when they become targets of a dirty and potentially deadly political scheme and find themselves teaming up for an unscheduled, extended road trip.
The banter between the two curmudgeons flies with wicked precision, and it's a treat watching two pros take aim with such offhand alacrity. The concept of dueling ex-presidents is a ripe one, but while screenwriters E. Jack Kaplan, Richard Chapman and Peter Tolan get some great mileage out of the political cross fire (peppering the script with real Washington references), the contrivance that brings the two men together and keeps them on the run is considerably less satisfying. Things also get bogged down whenever the picture attempts to become more purposeful or reflective, but fortunately director Peter Segal ("Tommy Boy", "Naked Gun 331Ú3") knows for the most part how to keep up the momentum.
While it's essentially Lemmon and Garner's show, others on hand include a sadly underused Lauren Bacall as Lemmon's supportive tart-tongued wife; a similarly limited Aykroyd as the shifty, current prez; Everett McGill as a nasty National Security agent; Wilford Brimley as a sympathetic Democratic Party chairman; Sela Ward as a Washington news correspondent; and a bumbling John Heard who gets some laughs as the Dan Quayle-esque vp.
MY FELLOW AMERICANS
Warner Bros.
A Peters Entertainment production
in association with Storyline Entertainment
Director Peter Segal
Producer Jon Peters
Screenwriters E. Jack Kaplan &
Richard Chapman and Peter Tolan
Story E. Jack Kaplan & Richard Chapman
Executive producer Tracy Barone
Executive producers Craig Zadan, Neil Meron
Director of photography Julio Macat
Production designer James Bissell
Editor William Kerr
Music William Ross
Costume designer Betsy Cox
Casting Karen Rea
Color/stereo
Cast:
Russell P. Kramer Jack Lemmon
Matt Douglas James Garner
William Haney Dan Aykroyd
Ted Matthews John Heard
Carl Witnaur Brad Whitford
Joe Hollis Wilford Brimley
Col. Paul Tanner Everett McGill
Margaret Kramer Lauren Bacall
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
In "My Fellow Americans", Jack Lemmon and James Garner play a pair of crusty ex-chief executives from opposite ends of the political spectrum who reluctantly join forces when a scandal threatens to implicate both of them.
A pleasant if not entirely successful comedy caper, the picture probably goes further than it ought to thanks to the game efforts of its two charming leads, who fire off the barrage of barbed zingers with seasoned ease.
Given the heated competition at movieplexes this season, audience turnout probably won't be much of an improvement over voter turnout. However, this lightweight entry should score handsomely on subsequent video popularity polls.
Lemmon is former White House dweller Russell Kramer, a tight-fisted, egocentric Republican whose one term in office ended in defeat to cynical, womanizing Democrat Matt Douglas (Garner), who in turn lost out to current president William Haney (Dan Aykroyd). Longstanding adversaries, Kramer and Douglas get a taste of the old limelight when they become targets of a dirty and potentially deadly political scheme and find themselves teaming up for an unscheduled, extended road trip.
The banter between the two curmudgeons flies with wicked precision, and it's a treat watching two pros take aim with such offhand alacrity. The concept of dueling ex-presidents is a ripe one, but while screenwriters E. Jack Kaplan, Richard Chapman and Peter Tolan get some great mileage out of the political cross fire (peppering the script with real Washington references), the contrivance that brings the two men together and keeps them on the run is considerably less satisfying. Things also get bogged down whenever the picture attempts to become more purposeful or reflective, but fortunately director Peter Segal ("Tommy Boy", "Naked Gun 331Ú3") knows for the most part how to keep up the momentum.
While it's essentially Lemmon and Garner's show, others on hand include a sadly underused Lauren Bacall as Lemmon's supportive tart-tongued wife; a similarly limited Aykroyd as the shifty, current prez; Everett McGill as a nasty National Security agent; Wilford Brimley as a sympathetic Democratic Party chairman; Sela Ward as a Washington news correspondent; and a bumbling John Heard who gets some laughs as the Dan Quayle-esque vp.
MY FELLOW AMERICANS
Warner Bros.
A Peters Entertainment production
in association with Storyline Entertainment
Director Peter Segal
Producer Jon Peters
Screenwriters E. Jack Kaplan &
Richard Chapman and Peter Tolan
Story E. Jack Kaplan & Richard Chapman
Executive producer Tracy Barone
Executive producers Craig Zadan, Neil Meron
Director of photography Julio Macat
Production designer James Bissell
Editor William Kerr
Music William Ross
Costume designer Betsy Cox
Casting Karen Rea
Color/stereo
Cast:
Russell P. Kramer Jack Lemmon
Matt Douglas James Garner
William Haney Dan Aykroyd
Ted Matthews John Heard
Carl Witnaur Brad Whitford
Joe Hollis Wilford Brimley
Col. Paul Tanner Everett McGill
Margaret Kramer Lauren Bacall
Running time -- 100 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/10/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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