TomC-5

This is a movie for those of us who appreciate black, discomforting humor, the kind of humor that acknowledges both the morbid and absurd dimensions of life; as such, it follows along a path blazed by other such dark films as IF, SWEETIE, HAPPINESS, WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, BLUE VELVET, THE CABLE GUY, THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, as well as the brilliant documentaries of Errol Morris and Fredrick Wiseman, to name just a few.

It's also my favorite movie of the year so far.

CHUCK AND BUCK's dark edge comes squarely from the character of Buck, brilliantly played by Mike White. Buck is something of the anti-Forest Gump; whereas Tom Hanks' character, in keeping with Hollywood's grandiose tendency to mythologize, is meant to be a deeply wise and insightful figure, in spite of his outward appearance. We are meant to love and to respect Forrest Gump. White's Buck, here, is simply outright disturbed, and disturbing, and all the more interesting because of it. Playing a confused manchild in his late 20s who reenters the life of his one time playmate, whom he then weirds-out and won't stop bothering, the story eventually explodes as the sexual tension between the two characters draws them together once again. We neither love, nor respect, Buck, but we can't stop watching him - not for a second.

Some of the other, relatively minor, characters, more or less accept Buck as he is; they tend to be funny and interesting. Seeing CHUCK AND BUCK will make you wonder about what ever became of the misfit kids you once knew in childhood. Perhaps they, too, never quite grew up or grew out of it. Perhaps they're out there somewhere making films...

Eddie Murphy - along with Bill Murray, Dennis Miller, Mike Myers, and perhaps just a few other SNL alumni - is one of a small number of this group who have gone on to later, worthwhile projects. Along with Myers and Adam Sandler, Murphy is arguably the biggest star to emerge from the long running NBC television institution. And one can see, in a movie like COMING TO AMERICA, what the basis of this stardom is; Eddie Murphy is a natural. He's brilliantly funny, charming, and causes his fellow cast members to shine - never before and never since has Arsenio Hall seemed so talented; the now completely obscure Joe Piscapo must be kicking himself for having gone off on his own rather than, somehow, remaining Murphy's sidekick.

Still, Eddie Murphy, initially an obvious raw talent, needed to grow up a bit. Just a teenager when he became famous, his early comedy was a bit mean spirited, particularly toward women and gays. So what a better way to grow up than to play the completely likeable character he plays here. As Prince Akeem, he has the audience rooting for him to get the girl and to be his own man. It's nice to see him as a character who is not very cocky.

My favorite scenes, however, both when I watched this movie the first time and when I watched it again very recently, were the barbershop scenes. The comedy of these scenes is just so pure, as Murphy, Hall, and another actor - made up to look like an assortment of old timers - engage in some brilliant sketch comedy (I loved the bit about Rocky Marciano vs. 137 year old Joe Louis). In fact, every scene with the old timers was a standout moment in this movie.

While some of COMING TO AMERICA may be a bit dated (Jherri curl jokes, some cheesy 80s electro-funk, etc.), for the most part, the entertainment value holds up quite well. John Landis' solid directing no doubt helps quite a bit, too.

BULL DURHAM is many things: romantic comedy, buddy picture, sports movie, and character driven comedy. It's also about realizing one's potential, accepting one's limits, and growing as a human being. And it's about the religiousity of baseball and all of its rituals and pieces of insiders' knowledge. But the two main things this movie has going for it are the writing and acting. The dialogue sparkles, and allows for both a tone of witty existential bemusement, appropriate to a story that deals so much with both play and transience, and for the main characters to come across as having greater depth than might be initially realized. The acting, by main cast members Susan Sarandon, Kevin Costner, and Tim Robbins, is great and shows authentic talent, particularly by the sometimes (in other movies) wooden Costner - here, in one of his very best performances, he stands out and gives a truly moving performance. The remaining supporting cast is also fine. This is among the very best sports movies ever made. It's so good, in fact, that I've always thought that a sequel might have been worthwhile.