Maybe it needed to be more pointed in its satire to win over a wider audience and the majority of critics...but then again 'Hollywood Homicide' might have lost its very appealing breeziness and silliness in the process. From the beautifully conceived opening credits, director Ron Shelton has perfectly evoked the sunniness, colour and darkness (at the edges) of Hollywood.
The film recognises the pretensions and superficialities associated with Hollywood, but it's not mean-spirited in its send-up. You come away from the film feeling that director Ron Shelton truly loves Hollywood and the wider Los Angeles community. However, this love has not prevented him recognising the accompanying excesses and darker impulses.
HH is not an uproariously funny comedy - although Harrison Ford's punchline in the elevator sequence is sublime. However, the humour is wonderfully dry and silly, and the film as a whole is terrific fun, punctuated by a lively soundtrack and lashings of local colour (Hollywood Boulevard, its subway stations and the Hollywood & Highland complex are particularly well utilised).
On first glance, the film may seem too much a piece of fluff for a star of Ford's magnitude and esteem. However, there is a real pleasure in seeing him perform in such an unpretentious piece. Ford appears to recognise that stylishness and silliness can be very close bedfellows. It's as though he is using the film as a vessel to say to audiences, "Let's not take this film business too seriously, folks." Ford drollness as the close-to-burnout cop/real estate broker is neatly balanced by Josh Hartnett's comparatively innocent and well-meaning cop/Yoga instructor/wannabe actor. The pair, in turn, navigate a supporting cast and cameo list of offbeat characters, and, of course, some bullish, corrupt types.
Perhaps contemporary comedies need an underlying cynicism or darkness to be considered truly effective. There is of course a time and place for such concoctions, but films such as 'Hollywood Homicide' shouldn't be discounted in the process. Its breeziness and sense of fun make it the perfect antidote to a hard day at the office! Andrew McNess (2008)
The film recognises the pretensions and superficialities associated with Hollywood, but it's not mean-spirited in its send-up. You come away from the film feeling that director Ron Shelton truly loves Hollywood and the wider Los Angeles community. However, this love has not prevented him recognising the accompanying excesses and darker impulses.
HH is not an uproariously funny comedy - although Harrison Ford's punchline in the elevator sequence is sublime. However, the humour is wonderfully dry and silly, and the film as a whole is terrific fun, punctuated by a lively soundtrack and lashings of local colour (Hollywood Boulevard, its subway stations and the Hollywood & Highland complex are particularly well utilised).
On first glance, the film may seem too much a piece of fluff for a star of Ford's magnitude and esteem. However, there is a real pleasure in seeing him perform in such an unpretentious piece. Ford appears to recognise that stylishness and silliness can be very close bedfellows. It's as though he is using the film as a vessel to say to audiences, "Let's not take this film business too seriously, folks." Ford drollness as the close-to-burnout cop/real estate broker is neatly balanced by Josh Hartnett's comparatively innocent and well-meaning cop/Yoga instructor/wannabe actor. The pair, in turn, navigate a supporting cast and cameo list of offbeat characters, and, of course, some bullish, corrupt types.
Perhaps contemporary comedies need an underlying cynicism or darkness to be considered truly effective. There is of course a time and place for such concoctions, but films such as 'Hollywood Homicide' shouldn't be discounted in the process. Its breeziness and sense of fun make it the perfect antidote to a hard day at the office! Andrew McNess (2008)