Starring: Kevin Bacon, Alison Lohman, Colin Firth
Firth and Bacon play Vince Collins and Lanny Morris, a famous comedic duo, who, in the 1950s, were best known for their work hosting Polio telethons. The schtick was simple: Collins (Firth), British and ever the gentleman, played straightman to Lanny (Bacon), the say-anything womanizer. When a girl they'd "met" winds up dead, the boys find themselves in hot water and the gig is up. The investigation is blown over, the body is cremated, and Morris & Collins call it quits as a duo.
Flash-forward some fifteen years, where aspiring journalist Karen O'Connor (Lohman, a complete dead-ringer for Elisha Cuthbert) has snagged herself a major book deal: Collins will tell-all to her an in exclusive interview that will become an official biography, previewed with a magazine article. If she can get him to open up about "the incident", she's got herself a story. There's a problem, however. Lanny, who wrote all of their material back of the day, plans to write a tell-all book himself. The script exploits the writing angle to use expositive voice-overs, and it works well, perhaps only because Bacon gives his voice a sleezy grit that makes listening to it irresistible.
The first 45mins of the film are completely flawless: terrificly acted, and very stylish, as director Atom Egoyan gives the film a fuzzy look that makes the whole ordeal seem slightly nostalgic. Then things derail a little. That's not to say it collapses, but the script meanders a bit, and didn't hold my interest as well as the opening. It doesn't take things too long to get things back on track, however. What did happen that night with that girl, and why won't anyone talk about it? This is what the movie is really about, and just when you think you know, it flips things on their head.
FINAL SCORE: 8.4/10 = B+
I can recognize this movie isn't for everyone, and you'll probably love it or hate it. But I liked this movie. A lot. Lohman was a little iffy at times, but Firth and Bacon more than made up for her -- plus, she gets naked, and that's always a nice bonus. It was stylish, and its twists actually surprised me. Pure film noir is hard to come by these days, and when it's good, well, what more can you ask for. It's a good little movie that should find an audience on DVD.
Firth and Bacon play Vince Collins and Lanny Morris, a famous comedic duo, who, in the 1950s, were best known for their work hosting Polio telethons. The schtick was simple: Collins (Firth), British and ever the gentleman, played straightman to Lanny (Bacon), the say-anything womanizer. When a girl they'd "met" winds up dead, the boys find themselves in hot water and the gig is up. The investigation is blown over, the body is cremated, and Morris & Collins call it quits as a duo.
Flash-forward some fifteen years, where aspiring journalist Karen O'Connor (Lohman, a complete dead-ringer for Elisha Cuthbert) has snagged herself a major book deal: Collins will tell-all to her an in exclusive interview that will become an official biography, previewed with a magazine article. If she can get him to open up about "the incident", she's got herself a story. There's a problem, however. Lanny, who wrote all of their material back of the day, plans to write a tell-all book himself. The script exploits the writing angle to use expositive voice-overs, and it works well, perhaps only because Bacon gives his voice a sleezy grit that makes listening to it irresistible.
The first 45mins of the film are completely flawless: terrificly acted, and very stylish, as director Atom Egoyan gives the film a fuzzy look that makes the whole ordeal seem slightly nostalgic. Then things derail a little. That's not to say it collapses, but the script meanders a bit, and didn't hold my interest as well as the opening. It doesn't take things too long to get things back on track, however. What did happen that night with that girl, and why won't anyone talk about it? This is what the movie is really about, and just when you think you know, it flips things on their head.
FINAL SCORE: 8.4/10 = B+
I can recognize this movie isn't for everyone, and you'll probably love it or hate it. But I liked this movie. A lot. Lohman was a little iffy at times, but Firth and Bacon more than made up for her -- plus, she gets naked, and that's always a nice bonus. It was stylish, and its twists actually surprised me. Pure film noir is hard to come by these days, and when it's good, well, what more can you ask for. It's a good little movie that should find an audience on DVD.