Desperately Seeking Spawn

JUNO (2007)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally reviewed in 2008)

You know you've seen a great film when, after you have finished watching it, you are not sure of what you have just seen. I used to feel that way often but not as much anymore with today's current cinema. "Juno" is something of a masterstroke that will take me days to really think about what I've seen. Usually this requires another viewing to be sure. I am not shortchanging the experience nor am I overrating it, but I don't think that is the case here. "Juno" is a brilliant comic and dramatic marvel of a movie, a genuine feel-good movie that is completely unsentimental and yet so heartwarming, so truthful and so winsome that it is one of the few irresistible movies I've seen in the 2000 decade.

Ellen Page plays the most arresting, smartest, disarming, ironic teenager I've seen since Thora Birch in "Ghost World." She is Juno, a 16-year-old high-school girl who speaks in ironic tones and uses language that even the Droogs would have trouble understanding. In the opening scene, she gets a pregnancy test and finds out she is pregnant (the plus sign looked like a division sign). She had sex as an experiment with her best friend, Paulie (Michael Cera), who approaches life with a nonchalant slight ironic tilt of the head - these two deserve each other. Juno considers abortion but hates how the clinic treats her. Then she finds an ad in the Pennysavers with the headline, "Desperately Seeking Spawn," thanks to her other best friend, Leah (Olivia Thirby). Juno has an epiphany and feels she has to give birth and give the child to good parents. They are Mark (Jason Bateman), a commercial jingle writer/Sonic Youth enthusiast with bigger musical aspirations, and Vanessa (Jennifer Garner), who senses her purpose in life is to be a mother. All Juno has to do is give birth, despite complications with school, and tell her parents, Mac (J.K. Simmons) and stepmom Bren (Allison Janney) who would rather hear she was expelled from school than being pregnant.

As written by debuting writer Diablo Cody, "Juno" juggles all kinds of characters in refreshingly simple yet complicated ways. Most refreshing is the lead character, Juno, a smart aleck but not fully, though she is self-aware and doesn't seem to worry about much of anything - she (and Ellen Page) are too wise and mature for their years. Juno can see through people yet is nonjudgmental (especially towards a classmate who holds up an anti-abortion sign in front of the abortion clinic). She can be as witty and sassy as her stepmother, who holds her own with a disapproving assistant during a sonar scan. Juno doesn't hate anyone or necessarily love or hate herself - she is a selfless teenager with her own moral compass (that is even more refreshing than you might think in today's climate) and she doesn't expect everyone to adhere to it. Juno is one of the most unpredictable and articulate characters in modern movies.

Other formidably drawn characters are Mark, the uncertain parent-to-be who would rather rock with a band than with a baby. He also develops an unspoken affection for Juno (they bond over their love for horror movies), as if she was the kind of girl he had been looking for all his life. There is his wife, Vanessa, who is simply looking to love and nurture a baby, more so than Mark, though one gets the feeling they are not meant for each other. And last but certainly not least is Paulie, the kid who is not quite a nerd but not quite a troublemaker - he is the silent partner who loves Juno probably more than he suspects. As played by Michael Cera (whom I admired in TV's cult classic series, "Arrested Development"), he seems smarter than his years, also able to see past people's superficial nature.

Again, I am not sure I can fully encapsulate the high I felt after watching "Juno." This is an odd, spectacularly funny and very charming film about grown-ups who express their feelings by intuition, or at least when they feel it is right. Sometimes a nod or a smile says more than actual dialogue and writer Cody and director Jason Reitman (who is on his own high after having a smashing debut with "Thank You For Smoking") have fully realized their material. You'll notice that I said this film is about grown-ups, despite being mostly about teenagers. Juno is all grown-up before she grows up. Now that's maturity.

The right to take a puff

THANK YOU FOR SMOKING (2005)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 2006)

A satire about smoking campaigns seems absolutely ripe for this day and age. Many die from lung cancer thanks to smoking, and many others don't and smoke a lifetime's worth. "Thank You For Smoking" aims to cultivate our nation's demand to make smoking synonymous with evil, and it does a bravura job through humor and lightning paced quips and repartee.

Aaron Eckhart is Nick Naylor, a lobbyist for the Academy of Tobacco Studies. His job is to promote smoking at any cost, including making an appearance on the Joan Lunden show and pointing out that a boy stricken with cancer is owed the right to smoke. He attacks the anti-smoking lobbyists who promote the idea that cigarettes will kill the boy, known as Cancer Boy, which would kill the chance of him ever smoking again. So he advocates smoking, turns the tables slightly, and has the audience applause on his behalf. One could say that Nick Naylor is the best spin doctor ever.

Nick often has dinner with two other members of the MOD (Merchant of Death) squad. One is Polly Bailey (Maria Bello), an alcohol lobbyist, and the other is an overzealous firearms lobbyist, Bobby Jay Bliss (David Koechner). They altercate over which product has a higher body count, though they never discuss the ethics and machinations of the product they are lobbying for (that would be for another movie).

Problems are arising in the media when Vermont Senator Finistirre (William H. Macy) is appealing for legislation where a skull and crossbones visual would appear on every cigarette box, replacing the already clear Surgeon General warning. He wants the visual with the word "poison" imprinted as a safety against those who can't speak English at all (how timely!). Nick has to work overtime to prevent such legislation, making appeals to everyone including a Hollywood producer (Rob Lowe), who would include smoking in an upcoming movie set in space with Brad Pitt, and even the Marlboro Man himself! To top it off, Nick has to deal with an ex-wife who's afraid he is a negative influence on her son (Cameron Bright). There is also an ambitious reporter (Katie Holmes) who faintly promises Nick that what he says when they're having sex is strictly off-the-record. Yeah, right.

There is more to "Thank You For Smoking" but in the interest of brevity, I shall be brief of the movie's many pleasures. As pure satire, based on a book by Christopher Buckley, it scores a direct hit. The movie delights in the hypocrisies of everyone involved in defending and arguing against smoking. As Nick says at one point to Senator Finistirre, cheese can cause cholesterol problems so what if there were a campaign against cheese ("Vermont will not apologize for its cheese"). Smoking can cause lung cancer and other health problems yet that won't stop anyone from smoking. In one superbly written scene, Nick explains to his son his analogy with chocolate, arguing that most people want chocolate yet some prefer vanilla - he will fight for vanilla because he's always right. The moral of a spin doctor being that if you argue, you are right. It isn't just about his son, it is everyone else.

Aaron Eckhart has clearly his most acute, complex role since his film debut in "In the Company of Men." This time, Eckhart plays a more likable character in the sense that his Nick is seemingly sincere about what he's selling to the American people and yet we sense that he doesn't wish to be a part of it. It is that sneaking sincerity that helped build his powerhouse performance in "In the Company of Men" (he played a far worse slimeball in that movie), and it works here as well. Nick is a salesman of words and watch the scene with the Marlboro Man (Sam Elliott) and you'll see how his sneakiness works in Nick's favor, and how anyone can be bought with just enough manipulation.

The rest of the cast dazzles as well. J.K. Simmons is shaping up to be one of my favorite character actors and here he plays B.R., Nick's headstrong boss who is relying on Nick to make tobacco the seductive drug it once was, especially in movies. William H. Macy, a man who can't give a bad performance, wrings laughs and pathos as the hypocritical senator. Rob Lowe is truly hysterical as the Hollywood exec with an affinity for Japanese culture. Maria Bello and David Koechner are ideally cast as feuding lobbyists. Let's not forget the divine Robert Duvall as the Captain, the big boss of the tobacco industry. Even a cameo from the terminally annoying Dennis Miller brings a few laughs into the mix.

If there is one disappointment in casting, it is Katie Holmes (Miss Tom Cruise Who Had Me At Scientology) as the backstabbing reporter. Although she made her mark in "Go" and "Batman Begins," she doesn't credibly register as a reporter of any type - you sense she'd be better off reporting on the high school wrestling team. And her continuous sex romp with Nick is so underdeveloped that you forget Holmes is even playing a reporter.

At a sharp, brisk 92 minutes, "Thank You For Smoking" makes you wish it were longer. There is such a wealth of good material that it could've easily been mined for an additional half-hour. Director Jason Reitman (Ivan's son) does a stellar job of adapting Christopher Buckley's book, mining it for the nuances and quirks that will easily elude most ADD viewers. Complete with countless freeze frames, Nick's sardonic voice over and endless pokes at the stupidity of anti-smoking campaigns, "Thank You For Smoking" is the kind of movie that gets funnier the more you think about it.

Stephen King's stale Writer's Block needs rewrite

SECRET WINDOW (2004)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Johnny Depp is usually at his best in low-key performances where his tics and eccentricities pay off and you're left with an entertaining, mannered performance. I think back to Depp's work in "Ed Wood," "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and "Blow." But when he is stuck in a commercial Hollywood flick, he can sink fast. Think back to "Astronaut's Wife" and "Nick of Time." The exception is "Donnie Brasco," a better-than-average mob flick. "Secret Window" gives him ample opportunity to expand his range, and he does so as long as the screenplay allows him. Unfortunately, Depp is stuck in a generic, watered-down suspense thriller that would have been better as a TV movie than something released in theaters.

Depp, in typical fashion, aims for anything he can do to make his character stand out. He is Mort, a novelist living in isolation in a log cabin. He sports glasses, a ripped robe, a bleached hairdo, and continually sleeps on the couch. He can't get his new novel off the ground. He recently caught his wife (Maria Bello) cheating at a motel and, as a result, is in the middle of a divorce. What's next? One day, a stranger arrives at his house and claims that Mort stole his ideas from his own novel. The stranger is John Shooter (John Turturro) and the story is titled "Secret Window," something that Mort claims as his own. Shooter supplies him with a manuscript as proof, but when was it written? Could Shooter be using Mort for some ulterior purpose? No matter. Mort goes to the police when his dog is found dead with a screwdriver through its heart. Unfortunately, the police chief spends more time doing needlework than policing. Mort even gets a private investigator involved. And there is something strange about Shooter's pilgrim-shaped hat and the rocks placed in front of Mort's porch. Is Mort's disorientation growing because of his constant whisky-swilling, or is his life in danger?

Based on Stephen King's "Secret Window, Secret Garden" (from his "Far Past Midnight" book), "Secret Window" can go in any direction with such a solid build-up. It does, and then it ends with a howler that is easily foreseen. That wouldn't matter much if the film delivered with psychological twists and some handy scares - what else would you expect with King? The problem is that focus is lost and attention flags when the seams begin to show. I think a tale like this needs to stay with Mort and in his reclusive house - we should really see it all from his point-of-view. Instead, we get unintentionally hilarious and flatly staged scenes in cafes, offices and gas stations - these scenes primarily involve Mort's wife and her new lover (Timothy Hutton). Unfortunately, Maria Bello and Timothy Hutton are bereft of anything remotely interesting to do or say - they look like wooden blocks and we feel nothing for them.

"Secret Window" is agreeable enough as passable filler, thanks largely to Johnny Depp's wiry, wry performance which serves up Mort's lethargy and paranoia - characteristics common to someone with writer's block. Depp lets us see that his mind is always at work - he is so active that you wonder why the movie can't quite contain him.

Arranging a date with a trickster

PASSIONADA (2002)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally reviewed in 2003)

I wanted to like "Passionada" so much more than I had, but it is my duty to be honest. For its high likability factor alone, "Passionada" is worthwile pursuing for an evening of light entertainment. Still, it is so formulaic and predictable to the core that you wonder what might have been if it pursued some of its less formulaic elements.

Sofia Milos is the Portuguese singer and factory worker, Celia Amonte, a dedicated mother and widow who is still in mourning over the death of her first and only love, a fisherman who died at sea. Celia has a precocious teenage daughter, Vicky (Emmy Rossum), and a wayward mother-in-law, Angelica (Lupe Ontiveros). Celia lives with her daughter, and the mother-in-law lives right above them where she can watch every move they make. One night at a restaurant club where the exotic Celia sings, a patron from the audience, Charles Beck (Jason Issacs), takes a fancy to her singing and her beauty. He gets the nerve to introduce himself and asks her out twice - both times he is rejected. Enter Vicky (who has a thing for setting up her mother on Internet dates) who works out a deal with Charles (whom she knows from the local casino gaming tables) - if he teaches her how to count cards, she'll arrange a date with her mother. Of course, we are aware that Charles is a con man, a trickster who has been banned from nearly every casino. He is not wealthy and lives in a motel with financial support from fellow buddy, Daniel (Seymour Cassel, in a trademark role) and his pretty wife, Lois (Theresa Russell, completely wasted in an empty role. Can this be the same actress who startled us in "Black Widow" and "Crimes of Passion"?)

"Passionada" is by-the-numbers in every respect. We know Charles will woo Celia and eventually bed her, and we do know he will not immediately reveal his gambling past. There is even a scene where Lois is seen picking up Charles at the motel where Celia conveniently happens to be riding along and spots them, thereby assuming the worst. We have seen all these scenes before, including the inevitable happy ending where fish is used to...well, you probably will anticipate it.

There is a curious subplot where Vicky pretends to go on dates when she dresses up and goes to the casino - does she like to gamble or is she looking for Mr. Right? Is she only toying with Charles or does she really know how to count cards? If she does know how to count, was she hoping that Charles would be interested in her, not her mother? There is an insinuation there that the writers did not anticipate.

"Passionada" is well-acted, especially the dark-curly-haired Sofia Milos (best known for her role in TV's "C.S.I. Miami") who brings a balanced act of reserve and outrage, and even comic outrage at her daughter's comings-and-goings at night. I also enjoyed the live wire performance by Emmy Rossum, whom you might remember as Sean Penn's daughter in "Mystic River." Lupe Ontiveros is also superb with her double takes as the mother-in-law who does have a heart after all.

Less impressive is Charles Beck - yes, he has wit to spare but seems unbelievable as a con-man (imagine what Clive Owen of "Croupier" fame might have done with this). Theresa Russell is a disaster in every respect, merely walking through her part instead of embodying it. It is a fruitless role, as is Seymour Cassel's who at least keeps his humor intact. Eliminate these two characters, Lois and Daniel, focus on Celia and her family and her sad songs and her Portuguese background, and we might have had a truly passionate movie instead of the stale though enjoyable dramatics on display here.

Sleazy, cheesy and not much else

WILD THINGS (1998)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

"Wild Things" has no one dependable to keep things interesting. The story has Matt Dillon (wildly miscast) as Lombardo, a respected high-school teacher who is convicted of raping two local teenage beauties of the "Scream" variety, the rich blonde Kelly Van Ryan (Denise Richards) and the girl from the alligator nests' living in a trailer, Suzie (Neve Campbell). And that's about as far as I can go in describing the plot except to say that Kevin Bacon shows up as a clean-cut cop, and Bill Murray hilariously plays a shyster.

Although "Wild Things" is sleazy, exploitative to an extent and often cheesy, the film's twists and turns are much too apparent. Perhaps, I've seen too many film noir thrillers but I could anticipate its every move, excluding Kevin Bacon's stunning reversal of roles that I'll keep mum about. The other flaw is that the complex weaving of twists reveals little about the characters or their humanity. In the best tradition of film noir with classics that range from "Double Indemnity" to "Chinatown," there was always an identification with the protagonists and an understanding of the motives for their actions, no matter how depraved. Here, there is no one to identify with on any level, possibly because no effort was made to make the characters' personalities real or consistent - they appear to be cartoon characters out of a Vogue fashion spread. The only character worth caring about is Neve Campbell's Suzie, but then we learn she's not quite what she seems either.

I miss the old days of film noir when the dialogue sparkled and cut the air like stabbing someone's back. The atmosphere was always there, but it served as an existential backdrop for the sins of mortal men and women. Desperation hung like an endlessly dripping wet blanket - it was omnipresent. "L.A. Confidential" and "Lost Highway" are the best recent examples of that type of noir. "Wild Things" is disorganized, silly and counterproductive.

Noir seeped in troubled Florida waters

PALMETTO (1998)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Noir that thrives on pure irony and unbelievable coincidences plague most of "Palmetto." The film stars Woody Harrelson as a rambunctious former reporter just out of prison for a crime he didn't commit - he was apparently framed in a police cover-up. Now he starts life over with his sexy girlfriend (Gina Gershon), an artist, and is offered a job with the police department! He resists the offer, and finds himself neck deep in trouble with a flirtatious blonde siren (Elisabeth Shue). After stealing money from her purse, she asks him to participate in a scheme involving the kidnapping of her sister. Before you can say murder, corruption, conspiracy, double indemnity, Woody gets in a jam he can't get out of. The desperation begins. In an ironic twist, he's hired by the police department to cover his own story, which involves him as a possible murder suspect.

"Palmetto" is breezy fun for a while, but it takes much too long for it to go anywhere. An inordinate amount of time is spent on Woody's couplings with Ms. Shue before the plot kicks in gear. The problem here is that Harrelson and Shue have no believable sultry sparks between them - Shue's best leading man has been Nicolas Cage by far, and he played a drunk! The film has the perfect sweltering atmosphere to convey hidden passions and desires, but its tone is too uneven. It goes from completely deadpan, to wildly over-the-top rainy climaxes, to deadly serious innuendoes of the "Gingerbread Man" variety - witness the gory shenanigans of the Michael Rappaport character that belongs in a different movie. The movie floats by thanks to Harrelson's charisma but charisma is not always enough. 

Frenetic innocence in the Trainspotting-style

MILLIONS (2004)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

(Originally reviewed in 2004)

Danny Boyle's "Millions" is a frenetic daydream as seen through the eyes of a child. Its wild, antic energy may throw viewers off, but its sense of innocence pervades, albeit unevenly.

7-year-old Damian (Alex Etel) is living in a new house in a new neighborhood and attending a new school. He has a sturdy, older brother, Anthony (Lewis McGibbon), and a lonely, widowed father (James Nesbitt). Damian is especially informative and insightful when it comes to the lives of saints, especially knowing the year of their birth and the year of their death. He also has conversations with them, mostly in an elaborate cardboard hideout he has built near the railroad tracks. One saint, Clare of Assisi, smokes while claiming she is the patron saint of television. Another saint helps Damian with stage direction on how to properly emote in a biblical play - "Focus!"

One fine day, a train zooms through town while Damian is in his cardboard compartment. Out of nowhere, a Nike bag falls near him and it ends up having more than enough money to keep President Bush in office for another four years. Damian believes it is a sign from God. He tells his brother and they decide to keep it secret from their father, and any other grown-ups (though not from their schoolmates). Damian likes to give money away to charities, including at their school - he also gives it to neighbors, including Mormons who use a stash of money found in their door slot to buy the latest in state-of-the-art electronics. Anthony wants Damian to keep a low-profile but Damian makes himself too obvious - he buys a huge pizza lunch for some homeless people. Then there is the dilemma of what to do with some of the extra money, especially when British pounds are about to be converted into Euros.

"Millions" is like a hyperactive junior-league version of Boyle's own "Shallow Grave" crossed with the hallucinatory visuals of "Trainspotting." It is so in-your-face that you might need a dose of Dramamine to survive it. Boyle has made a whimsical tale of innocence but he forgoes whimsy for frenetic, cartoonish visuals that may leave you more exhausted than enlightened. The cuts are too rapid and too frantic to suggest the point-of-view of a saintly child like Damian.

Sometimes the film drags when dealing with the general populace crowding the banks as they are eager to get their Euros. There are endless shots of Damian dragging his Nike bag along with his dad's new girlfriend (Daisy Donovan). And the subplot involving the real owner of the loot may make you wonder if you aren't actually watching "Shallow Grave."

If nothing else, Alex Etel saves the film, occupying almost every frame. We love this kid for his belief in the goodness of others and for his hope that he can do good for others - in the end, we feel good enough to root for him. Besides, you have to love a kid who worships all the saints. As for director Danny Boyle, this is probably as close to a feel-good film as he'll ever get.