Ok here is the deal. Big talent, with writers who are vets of good sitcoms. Tim Allen directed. The premise is kind of good. Unfortunately, they phoned it in. The writing was mediocre. The acting was mediocre. A lot of times Allen should have called cut and gone for another take. The music score was top notch, and reminded me this movie wanted to be a feel good family fun outing like we used to have in the sixties.
Well now to the autopsy. What went wrong? Well for one, my number one rule is NEVER under any circumstances mix drama with comedy. Soap operas are never funny and comedies never make you sad or emotional. You never kill off the hero in a comedy. Even Shakespeare knew that. If the hero dies, its a tragedy, not a comedy. If there are jokes in it and everybody lives, it's a comedy.
The Bird Cage is my model perfect TEN comedy movie. It doesn't get any better than that. Good rich characters with a lot of energy and direction that keeps the energy flowing and makes the audience feel like they are right there. And Bird Cage kept you wondering what was going to happen next, but you were always surprised from the next curve. And juxtaposing Williams and Lane with Gene Hackman was a perfect voltage opposite.
I wanted it to be good. I mean, you have A list sitcom actors and Sigourney on her own can carry a movie, like Sandra Bullock can. Ocean's 11 it was not. No voltage, no excitement, no "wow" factor. Ocean's is a movie that kept you guessing.
Crazy on the Outside was a movie with few turns and you could see the end coming a mile away. Perhaps some comedy friends just wanted to get together and make a little money. Ray Liotta was not used to the best of his comedy ability.
Several times I wanted to say... they needed a closer shot, the camera should follow the action, the scenes were too casual, there was not enough urgency. I did not buy the scenes and I kept popping out of the movie. Sometimes in comedy in the crunch times of the plot you need to speed up the dialogue and push the camera in tight in order to put the audience into the scene. Mad Mad Mad Mad World comes to mind. There was a very well made movie that is a textbook for young movie makers.
Jack Benny and Jonathan Winters, Buddy Hackett and Milton Berle all gave you "crazy." Like Bird Cage, the degree the actors characterized the roles sucked you right into the movie with them. It was a fun ride. And that is exactly what this movie lacked. This movie was not a fun ride. This movie was the Teacup ride at Disney World.
Anyway, if the choice is between watching your paint dry on the four walls or watching this movie, you could do worse than to pick watching the movie. There were shining moments. Allen had some funny lines. I would love a shot at rewriting the script to punch it up and deleting some of the drama. Also I would tighten the shots, bring up the lighting a bit, and speed up the energy of the dialogue and the action. This movie could be fixed.
Well now to the autopsy. What went wrong? Well for one, my number one rule is NEVER under any circumstances mix drama with comedy. Soap operas are never funny and comedies never make you sad or emotional. You never kill off the hero in a comedy. Even Shakespeare knew that. If the hero dies, its a tragedy, not a comedy. If there are jokes in it and everybody lives, it's a comedy.
The Bird Cage is my model perfect TEN comedy movie. It doesn't get any better than that. Good rich characters with a lot of energy and direction that keeps the energy flowing and makes the audience feel like they are right there. And Bird Cage kept you wondering what was going to happen next, but you were always surprised from the next curve. And juxtaposing Williams and Lane with Gene Hackman was a perfect voltage opposite.
I wanted it to be good. I mean, you have A list sitcom actors and Sigourney on her own can carry a movie, like Sandra Bullock can. Ocean's 11 it was not. No voltage, no excitement, no "wow" factor. Ocean's is a movie that kept you guessing.
Crazy on the Outside was a movie with few turns and you could see the end coming a mile away. Perhaps some comedy friends just wanted to get together and make a little money. Ray Liotta was not used to the best of his comedy ability.
Several times I wanted to say... they needed a closer shot, the camera should follow the action, the scenes were too casual, there was not enough urgency. I did not buy the scenes and I kept popping out of the movie. Sometimes in comedy in the crunch times of the plot you need to speed up the dialogue and push the camera in tight in order to put the audience into the scene. Mad Mad Mad Mad World comes to mind. There was a very well made movie that is a textbook for young movie makers.
Jack Benny and Jonathan Winters, Buddy Hackett and Milton Berle all gave you "crazy." Like Bird Cage, the degree the actors characterized the roles sucked you right into the movie with them. It was a fun ride. And that is exactly what this movie lacked. This movie was not a fun ride. This movie was the Teacup ride at Disney World.
Anyway, if the choice is between watching your paint dry on the four walls or watching this movie, you could do worse than to pick watching the movie. There were shining moments. Allen had some funny lines. I would love a shot at rewriting the script to punch it up and deleting some of the drama. Also I would tighten the shots, bring up the lighting a bit, and speed up the energy of the dialogue and the action. This movie could be fixed.