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One of the greatest things about Tribeca is getting to see a bunch of movies that—let’s face it—may never see the light of day outside of the festival circuit. On the flip side, there is something exciting about seeing mainstream movies during their world premieres. That way you can be one of the first to see classics-in-the-making, and run out screaming to warn others of the bad ones coming.
Part 5 of our coverage includes Spotlight premieres packed with familiar names and faces. Ed Burns hangs out with rowdy old friends before tying the knot, John Travolta and James Gandolfini team up to bust a serial-killing couple on the run, Brendan Fraser gets busy snorting coke and hatching schemes in Brazil, and Jeff Garlin tries to eat cheese with Sarah Silverman. Let the good times roll.
[THE MOVIES]
The Groomsmen (Spotlight: Comedy)
Writer/Director: Edward Burns
Cast: Edward Burns, Brittany Murphy, John Leguizamo, Jay Mohr, Matthew Lillard, and Donal Logue
“This is real life; this is the hand we were dealt.”
Brief Summary: With a wedding 3 days away, Paulie (Burns) develops a typical case of cold feet. He loves his girlfriend Sue (Brittany Murphy), who happens to be carrying his child, but he is not quite ready for the next responsibility-laden chapter. What he needs is a final hoorah with his buddies, the groomsmen (Mohr, Lillard, Logue, Leguizamo). Many secrets are revealed, lots of drinking ensues, and several bad 80s cover songs are performed. After spending a sufficient amount of time with these dopes, Paulie realizes that golly, maybe marriage isn't such a bad option after all.
My Thoughts: Edward Burns struck gold with his 1995 indie pearl The Brothers McMullen, but since then he's been repeatedly hitting the sewage pipe (She's The One, No Looking Back.) Any hope that he has another good movie left in him has been completely eradicated with The Groomsmen.
What, you may ask, is the problem? Over time, Burns has forgotten how to write clever banter and tap into real emotion, try as he might. The first half hour of The Groomsmen is excruciating with endless jokes falling flat, obnoxious bar fights, and general drunken lout antics. Imagine a clan of sloshed frat boys, except school is out and now they're 35.
Burns plays the blandest one in the group (as always), but manages to be the least annoying. Jay Mohr takes the top prize in that category, stalking his hot ex-girlfriend (Jessica Capshaw), peeing in fancy cars, and saying every line several decibels too high. Oh yeah, and so much for moving out and growing up—he still lives with his aging pop. Leguizamo and Logue try their best to perform their misplaced emotional roles, but the script gives them crumbs to feast on. The flick is painfully unfunny, and Lillard repeatedly wanting to "rock out" doesn't make it a party worth crashing.
Lonely Hearts (Spotlight: Drama)
Writer/Director: Todd Robinson
Cast: John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Jared Leto, Salma Hayek, Laura Dern, Scott Caan
“We didn’t make this fucking sewer, we just work in it.”
Brief Summary: In the late 1940s, the Lonely Hearts killers took the nation by storm, leaving behind a lengthy trail of bloodshed. This is the “not-so-true” version of their story: Ray Fernandez (Leto) is a womanizing conman who teams up with unemployed Martha Beck (Hayek). The lovebirds, who pose as siblings, lure new clueless victims into their get-rich-quick schemes. Ray seduces women via personal ads, pretends to love them, and then sucks their bank accounts dry before skipping town with Martha. It’s all so very romantic, except for the deceived women who wind up broke and murdered. Travolta and Gandolfini play two detectives hunting down the wannabe Bonnie & Clyde duo.
My Thoughts: The true story of the Lonely Hearts killers is terrifying because they killed all these defenseless women—mainly in the name of love (and of course, greed). Not surprisingly, Lonely Hearts sucks out most of the scary realities and produces a far more generic retread. Several crucial scenes are watered down, making the acts appear far less grisly and horrifying compared to what actually happened. Why simplify such a complex story in favor of showing yet another outlaw couple-on-the-run?
The film looks fantastic visually and has a top-notch talented cast, even though some roles seem direly miscast. The real Martha Beck tipped the scales at 300 lbs, but in the movie she is played by gorgeous, thin Salma Hayek (and no, she doesn’t sport a Shallow Hal fat suit). There is more credibility to Martha being so needy and possessive of Ray—a handsome man, who covers his bald head with a toupee—if you truly capture all of her loneliness, including the external. Likewise, Leto never really uncovers the soulless, smarmy edge needed to play a believable Ted Bundy type.
The best scenes involve the pairing up of Travolta and Gandolfini, who play extremely well off each other as cops on a mission. Although Lonely Hearts avoids the facts when they are actually more interesting than fiction, it’s not a bad movie; just a somewhat misguided effort. It kept me interested throughout the run, and it’s bound to impress people, especially those who are unfamiliar with the real events. Lonely Hearts is probably the largest film at Tribeca without a distributor—and with a cast that promising, it won’t be lonely for long.
Journey To The End Of The Night (Spotlight: Drama)
Writer/Director: Eric Eason
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Mos Def, Scott Glenn, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Alice Braga
“I wish we could but we can’t—everything’s falling apart.”
Brief Summary: Evil leads the way in a corrupt, immoral tale set in Sao Paolo, Brazil. Paul (Fraser) has a nasty drug habit, a horrific violent streak (which finds its way onto a transvestite hooker), and a prominent loathing of his father (Glenn). However, money is involved, so they temporarily shelve their differences—or so they think. With a huge case of cocaine to sell, they hire a Nigerian mule, Wemba (Mos Def) to deal the drugs in exchange for a large cut of the profits. When he goes MIA, all hell breaks loose as Paul’s plan to double-cross his father, steal all the money, and run off with his girlfriend (Moreno) quickly becomes dust in the wind.
My Thoughts: Wow, what a skuzzy movie. It’s the type of experience that makes you want to take two showers afterwards to rid yourself of all the grime. Make that three. It appears that all of the violence and grittiness missing from Lonely Hearts leaked its way into Journey instead.
With the exception of a laughably over-the-top ending, the movie is pretty intense, raw, and tough to watch (often in a good way). Fraser, clearly liking the new dramatic streak he retriggered with Crash, plays an aggressive bastard with daddy issues—which makes sense, considering his dad is an unethical pimp-turned-family man banned from returning to the United States. Everyone is after the dirty money, and they don’t care who has to die to make it happen.
The real scene-stealer of the movie is Mos Def (The Woodsman), who has proven time and time again that he is a real actor. He truly puts to shame a lot of singers that try and hit the movies (this means you, Britney) by making his authentic abilities seem effortless. In Journey, he plays one of the few characters with humanity, and composes himself with shy sincerity, even though he gets wrapped up in corrupt business dealings. Mos Def is most definitely going places and hopefully the grueling Journey will help him get there.
I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With (Spotlight: Comedy)
Writer/Director: Jeff Garlin
Cast: Jeff Garlin, Sarah Silverman, Bonnie Hunt, Dan Castelleneta
“You're like a first-round draft pick that goes bust.”
Brief Summary: Jeff Garlin, best known as Larry David's manager on "Curb Your Enthusiasm", brings his hit comedy act to the big screen. I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With is the story of a 39-year-old overweight actor James (Garlin) still living with his elderly mother. He works for a low-class TV show called "Smear Job"—a more offensive version of "Punk'd"—and his love life is a bust. The vicious cycle continues for James with late-night visits to the junk food section of convenience stores. When he meets a cute girl (Silverman) working in an ice cream shop, he wonders if she can pull him out of his permanent rut.
My Thoughts: If you’re like me and love the politically-incorrect show "Curb Your Enthusiasm", you will find a lot of similarly offbeat humor in this movie. There are miscommunications with people behind desks, a man selling hot dogs in a pirate uniform, and a horrifying remake around the corner of Marty starring teen idol Aaron Carter.
Garlin has a very self-deprecating sense of humor, which balances well with his warm, teddy-bear quality. His scenes with Silverman are a riot, because her raunchiness is always at odds with the way she looks. (There is something hilarious about seeing a sweet little Jewish girl ask a man if he's ever squeezed his wiener between two bosoms.) Bonnie Hunt is amusing as a sex-starved teacher, and there are a ton of great cameos by comedians including Amy Sedaris and Roger Bart.
There is a lot to like about Cheese, and enough comedic bliss to compensate for its fallbacks. It sometimes relies too heavily on the same jokes (too many Marty jabs, for starters), and is aching for some additional developments. The ending, if you can even call it that, feels like a tasteless dessert after a rich main course. I’d recommend the flick for its moments of hilarity, but unlike James himself, it could use a bit more meat on its bones.
[STAY TUNED]
More Tribeca coverage is on the way. Check back regularly at CinemaBlend.com for coverage throughout the festival. We’ve got plenty more in store.
