The Whole Nine Yards
***
Rated on a 4-star
scale
Screening venue: Warner Village (Birkenhead Conway Park)
Released in the UK by Warner Bros. on May 19, 2000; certificate 15; 99 minutes;
country of origin USA; aspect ratio 1.85:1
Directed by Jonathan Lynn; produced by
Allan Kaufman, David Willis. Written by Mitchell Kapner.
Photographed by David Franco; edited by Tom
Lewis.
CAST.....
Matthew Perry..... 'Oz' Oseransky
Bruce Willis..... Jimmy 'The Tulip' Tideski
Michael Clarke Duncan..... Frankie Figs
Amanda Peet..... Jill
Natasha Henstridge..... Cynthia
Rosanna Arquette..... Sophie
Kevin Pollak..... Yanni Gogolack
It's easy to make a bad movie look good in a trailer:
Arrange a couple of moments into a fast-paced rhythm, stick a nice song on
the soundtrack, and overlay some snappy lines. Recently, though, some wonderful
movies have been getting sloppy treatment in the ads -- think of "Three Kings"
and "The Green Mile", and now "The Whole Nine Yards". The studios
must have pissed off their publicists something awful.
The commercials for "The Whole Nine Yards" make
it look like a completely inane buddy comedy, full of people goofily shouting
and bumping into doors. It's actually a much more skilful and witty picture;
even Matthew Perry, an actor I previously hated, impressed me with his
performance. In the television show "Friends" he scrunches his face, raises
his voice, and always seems to be asking a question. Here, his voice is slower
and calmer, and he plays a more likeable man, with reasonable worries and
desires.
His name is Oz, a Chicago dentist living in Toronto
because his bloodsucking French-Canadian wife Sophie (Rosanna Arquette) refuses
to move. In next door moves Jimmy (Bruce Willis), who Oz recognises as an
infamous Mafia hitman from back home. Sophie discovers that some of Jimmy's
old gangster pals have a contract out on his life, and tries to get Oz to
turn him in and collect a reward.
Oz travels to Chicago just to humour her and get
a break, and even though he has no intention of actually getting involved
with any criminals, they somehow know he has information, and are on his
back as soon as he steps off the plane. Our hero's life gets complicated
from here on in, and so does the movie's plot --Oz just wants to keep his
head above water, but both the groups of enemies are using him as a pawn,
he's fallen in love with Jimmy's wife, and his secretary Jill (Amanda Peet)
wants to jump in and become a contract killer herself.
The story is violent, and features a lot of complex
plotting and double-crossing, but it's sweet, enjoyable and easy to follow
because the director, Jonathan Lynn, sets such an easy-going tone, and there's
a cute central friendship between Oz, Jimmy and Jill. Perry, as I've already
mentioned, performs in an uncharacteristically grounded manner; Bruce Willis
is an actor who always seems calm and self-assured, even when buildings are
falling down around him. By simply adding a grin to this, he gives Jimmy
an amusingly devious authority. And Amanda Peet, as the secretary who gets
excited and giggly from the most perverse and macabre of things, gives off
wonderful vibes of silly energy.
It was also a wise decision to set the movie in
Montreal (and notice I said set it there, rather than just shooting
it there). American light comedy movies are normally set in stunningly clean
and stylish versions of big US cities, and the unusual location makes Lynn
pay attention to the surroundings, and use them to add texture to his picture.
He was in the same position when he made the Alabaman "My Cousin Vinny" (1992),
which is one of my favourite films. "The Whole Nine Yards" is not its equal,
but it's a lot better than you'd expect from those damned
trailers.
COPYRIGHT© 2000 Ian
Waldron-Mantgani
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