Print  email 

tool name

close

tool goes here

Some have buttons, others push them

REVIEWS: A rollicking comedy and two so-so love stories hit stores

THE OLYMPIAN | • Published November 19, 2009

• Comments (0)

There are some people in this world who are simply adept at pushing other people's buttons. More often than not, these people serve simply to annoy, but every so often, there's a benefit to knowing a nuisance.

In film, button pushers help move along the plot or create conflict, so they are more than welcome. But there are also some actors and actresses who serve as button pushers, and they can severely affect your enjoyment of a film.

BAWDY ‘BRUNO’

There is no bigger provocateur working today than Sasha Baron Cohen, who has made a career out of making people uncomfortable with his brazen actions.

And while BRUNO (R, ***) wasn't as big a hit as “Borat,” it’s just as ribald and rollicking as the former film, while similarly challenging our perceptions about a controversial subject – this time, homosexuality.

Cohen stars as the titular character, the zany host of an Austrian fashion TV program who is disgraced when he ruins a fashion show thanks to his all-Velcro suit. So he decides to move to America and become a star.

While this is somewhat formatted like a feature film, it is shot in the mockumentary style of “Borat,” with Cohen verbally entrapping unsuspecting subjects with his off-the-wall, guerilla attacks. It’s almost worth the price of rental to see a frustrated Ron Paul claiming his interviewer is “queer as blazes.”

I am amazed that Cohen’s tactics continue to work; you’d think that people would be highly suspicious of what Bruno is selling, especially parents of child actors who seem OK with their children getting dolled up in Nazi apparel.

Again, you could be offended by Cohen “taking advantage” of red-state rubes who are duped by Bruno’s baiting questions, but I think it’s nice to have someone get that stuff out in the open so I don’t have to ever visit Alabama.

Your enjoyment of this film will determine how you deal with confrontational humor. I laughed a lot, even though it does seem like Cohen’s well will eventually run dry – but I hope not before he makes another Ali G movie.

‘TRUTH’ IS, IT’S PREDICTABLE

While THE UGLY TRUTH (R, H 1/2 ***) wants to be a provocative look at the men-women dynamic, it’s nothing more than a traditional romantic comedy with a thin layer of vulgarity on top.

Katherine Heigl stars as Abby, an uptight TV producer who oversees a low-rated morning show in Sacramento. Her pedestrian ideas may seem nice, but the erosion in ratings causes her boss to bring in a ringer.

Enter Mike Chadway (Gerard Butler), the abrasive host of a local talk show with some very stringent views on relationships.

Of course, Abby and Mike hate each other because Mike says naughty things about women and Abby likes to keep a checklist for her dates.

But Mike’s R-rated diatribes turn the show into a hit, and eventually even Abby comes around as Mike’s ways help her land the dreamy doctor who lives across the courtyard.

Since this is a chick flick, however, the inevitable sparks begin to fly between the pair, even though in real life this would never happen.

The movie is so predictable that I was able to call out what was going to happen next, even forecasting the ridiculous finale in the hot-air balloon. Yes, you read that right.

A bigger problem is that the movie doesn’t know what it wants to be.

Women don’t want to watch raunchy chick flicks, and guys aren’t interested in movies that don’t deliver the goods, i.e., nudity.

Heigl is comfortable with comedy and I’m a fan of Butler, but here they both turn in subpar performances. The chemistry between the pair is minimal, and I spent the majority of the film thrown by Butler’s shoddy attempts to hide his Scottish brogue.

When the comic highlight of your film revolves around vibrating panties, it’s never a good sign.

JUST A GIGOLO

Ashton Kutcher is one of those people that inspires intense reactions. Either you love his work and seeming good humor or hate his smug personality and questionable talent.

A movie like SPREAD (R, ***) is the perfect vehicle for both Kutcher’s strengths and weaknesses.

Playing a himbo to rich, older women doesn’t seem out of the realm of possibility, given Kutcher’s personal life, and this is where the movie shines.

Kutcher stars as Nikki, a gigolo sleeping his way to a luxe life in Los Angeles. His latest “client” is Samantha (Anne Heche), a 40-something lawyer who lives in a fabulous house in the Hollywood hills.

Nikki uses his, ahem, physical prowess to carve out a nice little life – free food, shelter, clothes – and Samantha is so desperate for that connection that she’s willing to overlook the obvious fact that she’s being used.

So far, so good. But when director David McKenzie interjects the subplot of Nikki falling for a woman (Margarita Levieva) who is in his same profession, the film turns from a guilty pleasure to a typical cad-gets-redeemed-by-love story, one that we’ve seen done much better than this.

I don’t want to see the guy who lived his life by a strict code of pleasure turned into a simp who walks on the beach watching dolphins.

Still, I must admit that I was surprised by Kutcher’s performance here.

Aside from his “Batman” super-deep voice (which made me laugh out loud the first time I heard it), Kutcher gives a nuanced performance while playing an unlikeable character.

And even though I know Anne Heche is crazy as a loon, she was super-hot here. If I were Nikki, I certainly would have stayed with Samantha. Yowza!

The Video Guy is Elliott Smith, a former Olympian reporter who lives in Seattle. He can be reached at ejsteeler@hotmail.com.