1999 -- R -- 99 minutes
Directed by Risa Bramon Garcia. Written by Shana Larsen.
Paul Rudd: Kevin
Courtney Love: Lucy
Martha Plimpton: Monica
Christina Ricci: Val
Angela Featherstone: Kaitlyn
Gaby Hoffman: Stephie
Kate Hudson: Cindy
Brian McCardie: Eric
Jay Mohr: Jack
Nicole Parker: Bridget
Casey Affleck: Tom
Guillermo Diaz: Dave
Ben Affleck: Bartender
David Chappelle: Disco Cabbie
Janeane Garofalo: Ellie
Also starring: Catherine Kellner * Elvis Costello * David Johansen
"These cigarettes are disappointing me!"
PLOT SYNOPSIS:
It's new years eve, 1981 in New York City. As the citizens prepare to party into 1982, an assorted collection of young people run into friends and lovers, current, former and possibly future. Will Kevin and best friend Lucy get together? Will Stephie and Val find the party they're hunting for? Can Eric prove that he isn't lousy in bed? Will anyone in the audience notice the first, split second cameo by Elvis Costello?
JANEANES CHARACTER:
Despite the fact this is an ensemble film, with evenly divided screen time for the characters, Janeane is underused. She probably has about 5 minutes of total screen time. Still, she jumps in with energy (unlike the dull part she played in Larger Than Life) as Ellie, the performance artist dubbed "The Mad Woman". Ellie is the ex girlfriend of Kevin, and the thing that stands between a possible relationship between Kevin and Lucy. Janeane is entertaining, especially in the taxi cab scene. And Ellie ends up meeting the ultimate fate...sleeping with Elvis Costello!
MY REVIEW:
**1/2
Here's a film that has so much potential, and ends up leaving the viewer disappointed, even if fairly entertained. It's setting and time is inspired...the early 80s is always a nice place to revisit in movies. Yet, for the most part, the setting is irrelevant as the script does really explore the time. It's more of an angle than a real environment. The script and direction has some ideas, but there's no surprises until new years day, where we find out what became of the characters. What it does get right is the wardrobe. Ricci and Plimpton look tacky-funny in their then-stylish outfits. The soundtrack is good too.
The characters are fairly interesting, though it's the actors that should take most of the credit for them work. Rudd and Love, the most prominent performers in the film, are the most effective. Affleck (Ben, that is) is amusing, playing the handsome, slick bartender who still hasn't quite mastered the tossing the bottles trick, ala Tom Cruise in Cocktail. A pre-superstardom Hudson, who's character is a clumsy-yet-adorable woman falling for slightly slimy Mohr, is especially appealing, with a cute smile and warm demeanour. Ricci and Hoffman seem to be going a little overboard with New York accents, and we never really care much about them; the pair just come across as unpleasant. Veteran actress Plimpton is fun as the hostess of a near-disastrous party, spending most of the film worrying if anyone will actually show up. Chappelle is quiet fun as the fast talking cab driver, though he seems to be overly-Chris Rock-ish. For all the movies faults, it does work as a forgettable, slow-night-at-home video rental.
VIDEO CAPS (scanned by me, Earl)
