Film Review: 9 (2009)

Director: Shane Acker
Running time: 79 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): 12A

Watched at the cinema Saturday 31st October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Set in a post apocalyptic world where all life on Earth has been wiped out by machines, or rather one machine in particular. This film focuses on the efforts of a group of inventions, numbered 1 to 9, who try to redeem the scientist who made both them and the machine that destroyed the world. The machine has been dormant for many years, but one of its progeny, a mechanical cat-like creature protects its lair and takes anything that moves into the lair.

9 was the last of the scientist’s inventions, but he didn’t have time to animate him before he died. All of the previous inventions, 1 to 8 had already been released into the world. So we begin with 9 falling to the floor and becoming sentient. He explores his surroundings, the remains of the scientist’s lab, and finds a small device that he seems to think is important. He looks outside to see another like himself, but he is unable to call out, so he goes outside, taking the device with him, where he eventually finds 2 who gives him a voice. 2 tells him of the war, and how the machines had wiped out all life, apart from the 9. At this point they are attacked by ‘the cat’ who takes both 2 and the device back to its lair. 9 is now alone again, but is found by 5, who takes him back to the sanctuary where 1, 6 and 8 also live. 9 persuades 5 to help him go after 2. They battle with ‘the cat’, which is finally destroyed by 7, who luckily turns up at the last minute. 9 finds a socket that the device fits into, unfortunately, that socket is on ‘the machine’! This is where things get pretty intense for our heroes.

A beautifully made film with, I thought, a wonderful visual style. Decent performances from the voice talents of Christopher Plummer as 1, Martin Landau as 2, John C. Reilly as 5 Crispin Glover as 6, Jennifer Connelly as 7, Fred Tatasciore as 8 and the radio announcer and Elijah Wood as 9. The film did have some quite scary moments and some of the themes were quite grown up, so I wouldn’t recommend it for small children. The producers include Tim Burton, whose work I shouldn’t have to mention and Timur Bekmambetov, who has previously worked on Wanted (2008), Night Watch (2004) and Day Watch (2006). Given the pedigree of some of those involved, I expected a better film than the one I saw. Don’t get me wrong, it’s well worth the admission fee, but I feel it could have been so much better.

My score: 6.8/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0472033/
Official Site: http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/9/splash/

Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi1213137433/

Gig Review: MAGNUM at the Holmfirth Picturedome 30th October 2009

MAGNUM ARE: Bob Catley (Vocals) – Tony Clarkin (Guitar & Vocals) – Al Barrow (Bass & Vocals) – Harry James (Drums & Percussion) - Mark Stanway (Keyboards)

I have been following Magnum on & off for over 25 years, ever since I first saw them at the Reading Festival in 1983 (Wow, that makes me feel old!). Even through the ‘Hard Rain’ incarnation, and Bob Catley’s solo career. So no surprise, when my best buddy Simon asks if I’m up for seeing them, that I’m the first one to say “You bet!”

After a pretty long and dark journey, we finally arrive in Holmfirth, a pretty little town just outside Huddersfield. It’s better known as the location for the BBC comedy “The Last of the Summer Wine”, but I hear it also has a growing reputation as a concert venue. The Picturedome is a pretty compact venue and, as you can probably guess from the name; it doubles as the local cinema. It does have the advantage, though, that the floor gently slopes towards the stage, making it much easier to see the action.

With the support act Decadenze done and dusted, we eagerly awaited the arrival of Magnum on stage. The finally arrive to a tremendous applause from the crowd and start the show with a couple of more recent numbers. In fact, quite a lot of the show consisted of more recent material. When I say more recent, I mean from since the band reformed in 2000. The tour was to promote the new album “Into the Valley of the Moonking” and, as you might expect, a few tracks from this album put in an appearance. Sounded pretty good too! Towards the end of the show some of the classics got an airing. It was great to hear the likes of “Les Mort Dansant”, “All England’s Eyes” and “Vigilante”, but they save the best 'til last, the all time classic “Kingdom of Madness” closed the show.

All in all a most satisfying show, Bob and Tony really on top form and they were ably backed by Al and Harry. A special mention for Mark Stanway, I must have seen Magnum about twenty or more times and last night was the first time I’ve seen Mark really engage with the crowd. I know he’s had his problems and it was really nice to see him coming out of his shell a little. I will be buying the new album and you can guarantee I’ll be seeing Magnum again, assuming they don’t do something daft!

My score: 9/10

LINKS:
Official site: http://www.magnumonline.co.uk/index.html

Film Review: FAHRENHEIT 451 (1966)

Director: François Truffaut
Running time: 112 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 12

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 18th October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I recently read the book by Ray Bradbury on which this film is based and so was quite interested to see it. I have seen it before, but a very long time ago. It’s quite different to the novel in that a relationship between Montag and Clarisse is created that never existed in the book. In fact, in the book, Clarisse and Montag only meet once, and Clarisse is much younger than portrayed here. I cannot decide whether this improves the story or not, let’s just say, the film takes a slightly different path to the novel.

Set in a future where books are seen as evil things that only give people ideas that they cannot live up to. Ignorance is bliss and so anyone found in possession of a book is arrested and all books are burned. Montag is a fireman, but not in the sense we would know a fireman today, his job is not to put fires out, but to start them, his job is to burn books. He does this with his colleagues, led by The Captain, in a uniform that bears the insignia ‘451’, the temperature, in Fahrenheit, at which paper ignites. After a chance meeting with Clarisse on his way home one evening, he is intrigued by her and her enquiring mind. Asking lots of questions about his work and how he feels about it gets him thinking. His wife, Linda, is not interested in such things, she seems happy to pop pills and watch TV all day. Eventually Montag takes and reads one of the books he is supposed to burn and this sets him on a path that will change his life forever.

I know this film was made in 1966 and it probably had a budget the size of a peanut, but I had the feeling the filmmaker was trying too hard to make it look ‘futuristic’. One thing they got right was the use of flat screen TV’s, but automatic sliding doors in the home and flying policemen were a bit beyond (for me). The other thing I found particularly wrong was that if books were banned, how did anybody learn to read? I have a pretty good imagination and I’m willing to forgive quite a lot in films if it helps the plot, but I’m afraid that I cannot forgive this. No explanation is given and I thing it’s a massive flaw in what is otherwise a pretty good film. Anyway, I digress, very good performances from Oskar Werner as Guy Montag, Julie Christie as Clarisse / Linda Montag and Cyril Cusack as The Captain, who had all the best lines, by the way. Over all, a pretty good film that lacked a bit of spark, it’s all a bit depressing and as I’ve said, there’s a bit of a super massive black hole in the plot. I would like to see how it would be dealt with by today’s filmmakers.

My score: 6/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0060390/

Film Review: ROCKNROLLA (2008)

Director: Guy Ritchie
Running time: 110 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 17th October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Having previously watched and enjoyed both Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch. (2000), I was quite interested to see this film. Not straying very far from the territory of gangland London, Guy Ritchie sticks with what he knows and what he does best. A complicated plot would probably cause many to give up, but I stuck it out to the end. It’s a tale of deception, double-cross, rock n roll and lies. I’ll try to give you an outline.

Two guys, ‘One Two’ and Mumbles, are double-crossed by gangster Lenny Cole and end up owing him a large amount of money. Fortunately, Lenny, who has the council in his pocket, has just made a deal with a Russian businessman, Uri Omovich, who has leant Lenny his ‘lucky’ painting. Now, Uri is using an accountant, Stella, to handle the transaction, and Stella has hired ‘One Two’ and Mumbles to steal the money that Uri is paying to Lenny for getting him planning permission for his building project. With it so far? The guys steal the money and pay off Lenny. Unfortunately, Lenny’s estranged and rock-star stepson breaks into his house and steal’s Uri’s painting. This leaves Uri needing to find more money to pay Lenny off, Lenny panicking looking for Uri’s painting and the rest of them trying to avoid the shrapnel…

First of all, a great script with some really great dialogue, hats off to the writer, Guy Ritchie, that guy gets about doesn’t he? A really well made film with some great locations; I particularly liked the scene where ‘One Two’ is being chased along the railway tracks by a Russian heavy (if you’ve seen it, you’ll know the one I mean). Some really good performances from, Gerard Butler as ‘One Two’, Tom Wilkinson as Lenny Cole, Thandie Newton as Stella, Mark Strong as Archy (Lenny’s top guy), Idris Elba as Mumbles, Tom Hardy as Handsome Bob, Karel Roden as Uri Omovich and Toby Kebbell as Johnny Quid (Lenny’s stepson). Honourable mentions go to Jeremy Piven as Roman and Jimi Mistry as the Councillor. I pretty much enjoyed the film, but I just felt that there were one or two loose ends that weren’t tied up by its conclusion. I won’t go into specifics, but there were some gaping holes in the end. There was a hint that there may be a sequel in the end credits, so maybe there my be some resolution in that, or maybe there’s more in the DVD release. Anyhow, at the end of the day, a complicated London gangster thriller with a really good script and some good performances.

My score: 7/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1032755/
Official Site: http://wwws.warnerbros.co.uk/rocknrolla/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi415432985/

Film Review: EAGLE EYE (2008)

Director: D.J. Caruso
Running time: 113 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Sunday 11th October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

In these days of high-tech gadgets it comes as no surprise that governments, in particular the U.S. government, have a high-tech way of keeping an eye on the population. This is the premise behind Eagle Eye. A military unit dedicated to anti-terrorism using a sophisticated computer driven system that can eavesdrop on conversations, analyse any CCTV footage and even control the traffic lights. Unfortunately, something has gone wrong with the program and nobody has noticed.

Jerry Shaw has just lost his twin brother who he hasn’t seen for several years. Jerry has been off travelling around the world while his smarter twin was in the military. On returning to his apartment he finds that a lot of military equipment has been delivered. The phone rings and a female voice warns him that the FBI are about to arrive and he should run. Meanwhile, single mother, Rachel Holloman, is out with some friends while her young son is away on a trip to Washington DC with his school band. She receives a phone call and a female voice tells her to get into a particular car and drive or the train her son is riding on will be caused to crash. These two eventually meet and are coerced into doing certain tasks. Meanwhile, FBI agent Thomas Morgan and Air Force Security officer Zoe Perez are tracking the pair and trying to figure out exactly what is going on. Phew, and that’s just the beginning of the plot!

As you can see from the previous paragraph, there’s a lot going on in this film, but it’s not too hard to follow (honestly). There are plenty of car chases and explosions and lots of hi-tech gadgetry. Decent performances from the main cast members, Shia LaBeouf as Jerry Shaw, Michelle Monaghan as Rachel Holloman, Rosario Dawson as Zoe Perez, Michael Chiklis as Defence Secretary Callister and Billy Bob Thornton as Agent Thomas Morgan.

I got to the end of the film and felt that I had seen it before. It seemed to borrow a lot for several similar films in the genre. Hints of Enemy of the State (1998) and Mission: Impossible (1996) were all over it. Having said that, although it borrowed elements of other films and updated them, I still found it quite entertaining. Over all, a reasonable action thriller, one to fire up the popcorn maker and chill out on the sofa to. It won’t tax your brain too much once you get the basis of the plot.

My score: 6.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1059786/
Official Site: http://www.eagleeyemovie.com/intl/uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi3270115609/

Film Review: TELSTAR (2008)

Director: Nick Moran
Running time: 119 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on DVD Sunday 11th October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

This is not the kind of film I would usually go out of my way to see, but it was leant to me by a colleague at work who asked me to review it, so here we are. I must say, first of all, that I found some of it quite shocking, but then I suppose the filmmakers were trying to give a true, down to earth, depiction of events.

The film tells the true story of Joe Meek and his rise to fame in early 60’s London, where he worked from a small studio above a handbag shop run by Mrs. Shenton. A hard man to get on with, Joe Meek was very driven, which he had to be as an independent producer. Something that we take for granted these days, but in the 60’s the music scene was dominated by the big studios and independents were very few and far between. Joe was helped by his business partner, a plastic’s manufacturer, Major Banks, also an unassuming character. Having had his first number one hit, “Johnny, Remember Me”, performed by John Leyton, the film tells how Joe wrote his biggest hit “Telstar”, performed by the Tornados. But having won awards for it, all of the royalties were frozen when a French composer claimed Joe had copied it from him. Addicted to amphetamines and gay, in a time when it was illegal, Joe slipped into bouts of depression and rage as he struggled to cope with everything. I won’t say any more about the plot, don’t want to give too much away.

Although I quite enjoyed the music and there were some outstanding performances, I found the graphic depiction of the gay scene quite shocking. Call me a prude if you like, it’s just my opinion. The general 60’s vibe came over pretty well, I really can’t speak for its authenticity, I wasn’t exactly ‘with it’ then (I was born in ’62). As I said, some great performances, particularly from Con O'Neill as Joe Meek, Pam Ferris as Mrs. Shenton, Kevin Spacey as Major Banks and JJ Feild as Heinz Burt. Honourable mentions go to James Corden as Clem Cattini, Tom Burke as Geoff Goddard, Ralf Little as Chas Hodges and Sid Mitchell as Patrick Pink. Over all, a quite enthralling film about a man tortured by his own sexuality and his desire for success. Personally, the film would have benefited from a little less focus on Joe’s gay relationships and a little more on his talent as a music producer.

My score: 6.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1068669/
Official Site: http://www.telstarthemovie.co.uk/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1703215641/

Film Review: UP (2009)

Directors: Pete Docter & Bob Peterson
Running time: 96 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Watched at the cinema Saturday 10th October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

I am a great fan of animated films, and I must say this is, without a doubt, the best I’ve seen this year! I really wanted to stand up and give it a round of applause at the end; unfortunately it’s not something we do here in the UK. Hats off to the guys at Pixar, they’ve done it again! A great script, some great characters and a truly excellent story. But I’ll tell you a little about the plot before I continue to sing its praises.

Carl Fredrickson is a 78 year old retired balloon salesman who decides one day to go on an adventure. He is doing this to keep a promise he made a long time ago, don’t worry, I won’t give that part away. Attaching thousands of balloons to his house, he takes off and heads towards South America. Little does he know that Russell, a Wilderness Explorer was on his porch at the time of take-off. The pair finally makes it to South America, not far from the location Carl wants to go to. Having lost some of the balloons on the journey they have to walk the house the rest of the way. This is where the real adventure begins. They meet a giant bird called Kevin, a talking dog called Dug, an old-time adventurer called Charles Muntz and a whole pack of highly trained dogs. That’s all I can tell you I’m afraid, do yourself a favour and go and see it, it’s really worth it!

Now, I’m not going to get into the 2D, 3D debate, my local cinema can only offer films in 2D, which I found to be perfectly adequate. I guess, having never seen a modern 3D film, I’m not missing it. Technically, another faultless piece of work from Pixar, we’ve come to expect nothing less from those guys. I think the casting was bang on, tremendous work from the voice talents of Edward Asner as Carl, Jordan Nagai as Russell, Christopher Plummer as Charles Muntz and Bob Peterson as Dug and Alpha (the lead dog). As I said at the beginning, I wanted to stand up and give it a round of applause. I very rarely feel this way about a film, I guess the last time was the first ‘Lord of the Rings’ films. This just shows how much I really enjoyed it, a really touching tale set within a great adventure and an awful lot of laughs! I absolutely loved it!!

My score: 9.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1049413/
Official Site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/up/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/screenplay/vi172163609/

Film Review: BLINDNESS (2008)

Director: Fernando Meirelles
Running time: 121 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 18

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 10th October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Brought to us by the same man, Fernando Meirelles, who gave us City Of God (2002), which I thought to be a quite brilliant film. I will tell you my thoughts on this one at the end of this review. It is set in modern times where first one man goes blind, and then more and more. The condition spreads very rapidly and the authorities act quickly to put all those affected into quarantine. A doctor finds himself afflicted and quarantined. His wife, not wishing to be separated from him, feigns blindness and is quarantined with him.

This is where the main body of the film takes place. More and more people arrive and the doctor’s wife manages to help as best she can without giving away her secret. But with more people, all blind, comes more problems, and eventually the unsavoury side of human nature begins to emerge. As food supplies become short grievances are raised. It seems that they are cut off from the outside world with minimal contact with the guards, who don’t want to become ‘infected’. An old man with an eye patch arrives with a radio, and for a while they have a little news, but eventually internal battles become the main concern.

This is not a film without a soul; I will tell you that there is a quite excellent ending that, for most, gives them hope. Some excellent use of the camera, I found the shooting style very pleasing to the eye and very sympathetic to the subject matter. I also found the use of language quite interesting, a Japanese couple, when speaking to each other talk in their native tongue, when conversing with everyone else, they speak English. Excellent performances from all of the main cast, in particular, Julianne Moore as the doctor’s wife, Mark Ruffalo as the doctor, Danny Glover as the man with the eye patch, Yusuke Iseya as the first blind man and Yoshino Kimura as the first blind man’s wife.

Throughout the film our emotions are taken on a ride. I found it a very emotional piece because I could see that there are (unfortunately) people in this world that would take advantage of a situation in the way certain individuals are portrayed here. As with City Of God, Fernando Meirelles knows just how to show the worst aspects of human nature, I really hated certain characters, so he did his job well. Over all, an enthralling and very thoughtful drama. It made me question how I might react in a similar situation, but I really enjoyed it in the end.

My score: 8.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0861689/

Official Site: http://www.blindness-themovie.com/
Trailer: http://uk.imdb.com/rg/VIDEO_PLAY/LINK/video/imdb/vi1844248857/

Film Review: TROPIC THUNDER (2008)

Director: Ben Stiller
Running time: 112 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Saturday 3rd October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

First of all, let me say for the record, I am not a great fan of Ben Stiller’s work. Maybe I’m not designed to ‘get’ his humour, or maybe I ‘get’ it but it’s just not funny (to me). Anyhow, this was recommended to me and so I thought I’d give it a go. The story revolves around the making of a Vietnam War movie based on a book called Tropic Thunder. The author, Four Leaf Tayback, and supposed survivor of the mission it’s based on, is on set as an advisor. The director, Damien Cockburn, is having trouble controlling a cast of pampered Hollywood stars and is persuaded by Four Leaf to take them into the jungle to ‘toughen them up’. Unfortunately, Damien is accidentally killed, leaving the actors in the jungle unaware that they are not alone.

The actors in this piece are: Tugg Speedman, an action hero star who is looking to get into more serious acting. Jeff Portnoy, a comedy actor with a drug habit. Kirk Lazarus, a serious Australian actor who has had his skin colour surgically changed to play the black sergeant of the unit. Alpa Chino, a young black actor whose endorsement work and hip-hop background make him very popular. Kevin Sandusky, the rookie of the unit, a young actor just starting out. So, here are our main protagonists who are armed with just blanks and alone in the jungle, believing they are being filmed and heading into the arms of a ruthless heroin smuggling gang. This is where the fun starts, and it’s also where I’ll leave the plot, not wishing to put too many spoilers in here.

As you can probably guess, as with most of Ben Stiller’s work, it’s a very character driven plot. Not that that’s a problem, I like a film that challenges me, that makes me have to think about it. The trouble I found with this film was that it seemed there were far too many Hollywood ‘in jokes’ for my liking. All of the characters seemed far too superficial, like they were just parodies of either themselves, or some other Hollywood star. Of course Ben Stiller took the leading role of Tugg Speedman, I thought Robert Downey Jr. was excellent as Kirk Lazarus, Jack Black was adequate as Jeff Portnoy. Honourable mentions go to Jay Baruchel as Kevin Sandusky, Brandon T. Jackson as Alpa Chino, Steve Coogan as Damien Cockburn and not forgetting Nick Nolte as Four Leaf Tayback. Finally, a very special mention for Tom Cruise in a brilliant cameo as studio executive Les Grossman. Over all, it was OK, it just isn’t my cup of tea really, some decent performances, but very few laughs.

My score: 6/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0814022/
Official Site: http://www.tropicthunder.com/

Film Review: CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS (2009)

Directors: Phil Lord & Chris Miller
Running time: 90 mins (approx)
Certification (UK): U

Watched at the cinema Saturday 3rd October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: THERE MAY BE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

First of all let me say I didn’t see this in 3D, there has been a bit of a debate about 3D recently on the media and I get the impression that, in a lot of cases, it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. I will maybe see the 3D version at a later date, but my local cinema doesn’t have the option (yet). The film is set on an island in the Atlantic where the main industry was sardines, until the world decided they were gross. This leaves the inhabitants with nothing to eat but sardines. Flint Lockwood has always wanted to be an inventor. Some of his inventions include spray-on shoes that you can’t get off, rat-birds and a monkey translator. As you can imagine, not very useful. But his latest, and best, invention is a machine that takes in water at one end and produces any kind of food at the other!

The mayor is about to announce a plan to help the island’s failing economy when Flint tries to start his invention using power from the town’s grid. Unfortunately it goes wrong and the machine is sucked into the clouds. A weather girl, Sam Sparks, who’s been sent by the network to cover the mayor’s announcement, gets involved when she is the first to witness, along with Flint & his monkey, Steve, food falling from the skies! The Mayor persuades Flint to program the machine to deliver all kinds of food. As his popularity rises, even the local cop, Earl Devereaux requests food for his son’s birthday. The only one not getting it is Flint’s dad, Tim, who just wants him to come and work with him in his bait store. Eventually the machine begins to malfunction and the food it’s producing begins to get dangerously large. This is where the fun really starts! I won’t say any more, don’t want to put too many spoilers in here!

I lost count of how many movie references were included in this film; they just kept coming and coming. Fortunately it didn’t detract too much from what was a really decent story. I found the first 30 or 40 minutes a little tedious, but then again, I guess I’m not really the target audience. But after that, the pace picked up and the gags and the movie references really kicked in. Great performances from the voice talents of all the cast, particularly, Bill Hader as Flint Lockwood, Anna Faris as Sam Sparks, James Caan as Tim Lockwood, Andy Samberg as ‘Baby’ Brent, Bruce Campbell as Mayor Shelbourne and Mr. T as Earl Devereaux. Great animation, as we’ve come to expect these days, and a really decent story, with a lot of laughs. Over all, a really enjoyable film with a bit of something for everyone!

My score: 7.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt1235124/
Official Site: http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/cloudywithachanceofmeatballs/

Film Review: JERRY MAGUIRE (1996)

Writer/Director: Cameron Crowe
Running time: 132 mins (approx)
Certificate (UK): 15

Watched on Sky+ Friday 2nd October 2009.

PLEASE NOTE: POSSIBLE SPOILERS IN THIS REVIEW.

Set against the sleazy world of sports promotion, this is a love story that, for me, didn’t quite work. It may surprise you to know that, although it’s been out for over twelve years, this is the very first time I’ve seen it. The film has been sitting on my Sky+ hard drive for about a week and I finally found a spare two and quarter hours to watch it. It wasn’t all bad, it was, for the most part, very enjoyable, but I just thought there was no chemistry between Jerry and Dorothy. I could see what Writer/Director Cameron Crowe was trying to convey, but what I saw on the screen just didn’t seem to work. Anyway, here’s a bit about the plot and then I’ll continue.

Jerry Maguire is a very successful sports agent; he represents the interests of many top stars from all kinds of sports. One night, while at a convention, he decides to write down everything he thinks is wrong with the business, he calls it his ‘Mission Statement’. Not only does he write it down, but he has it printed and distributed to everyone at the convention. Here we are introduced to Dorothy Boyd, a single mum and an accountant at the same firm as Jerry, who is moved by his statement (and also looking for the right man for her). The consequences of his ‘Mission Statement’ are dire for Jerry, not only does he lose his job and, eventually, his fiancée, but also all of his clients, except one, Rod Tidwell, a footballer (of the American variety). When Jerry leaves the firm, the only one to go with him was Dorothy, because she believed in him. They work together and eventually a deeper relationship grows between them. If you want to know more, I guess you’ll have to watch it for yourself; it’s far too long for me to give you the whole plot!

As I said at the beginning, I wasn’t entirely convinced by the romantic element of this film. There is, however, a lot of comedy in it which is really well written and very well executed by the cast. Speaking of the cast, an excellent performance from Cuba Gooding Jr. as Rod Tidwell, he really threw himself into the role, and it showed. Good performances from Tom Cruise as Jerry Maguire and Renée Zellweger as Dorothy Boyd. Honourable mentions go to Kelly Preston as Avery Bishop, Jerry O'Connell as Frank Cushman, Jay Mohr as Bob Sugar and Bonnie Hunt as Laurel, Dorothy’s sister. Over all, an entertaining comedy with a romantic twist that didn’t quite work… for me.

My score: 6.5/10

LINKS:
IMDb Site: http://uk.imdb.com/title/tt0814022/