Comedy keeps vice away in ‘Miami Rhapsody’
Sarah Jessica Parker runs the show in latest film
By Mike Horowitz
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Sarah Jessica Parker has been doing fun character work for a
while, but she’s never really been given a movie to carry on her
own. Miami Rhapsody shows she is quite capable of running the
entire show.
Luckily, her first vehicle is equipped with all the latest
safety features, like a fine supporting cast and a smart script.
David Frankel, who also directed this well-paced film, is
apparently aiming at winning some sort of Woody Allen award for
this. And he just may get whatever he’s aiming for. When a movie is
as funny as Miami Rhapsody no one cares if it’s derivative.
Parker stars as Gwyn, an up-and-coming ad creator dealing with
her family and relationships. If this was a John Singleton movie,
her character would be named Rhapsody, but she’s in better hands.
Her name is Gwyn and she’s engaged to charming animal doctor Gil
Bellows, but recent familial events have her worried about an
upcoming wedding day.
Her mother, father, sister and brother are cheating on their
respective spouses, not exactly an advertisement for the sanctity
of marriage. She also may need a horizontal career shift. In any
case, she’s not ready to be tied down.
Parker delivers on the promise she’s shown in earlier work. Her
Gwyn is tough and sarcastic, casting out one-liners to keep the
world at arm’s length. If she knew what she wanted, she’d get it.
As she wanders through the art-deco heart of moneyed Miami, she
lets her perceptions guide her actions.
Told through a series of flashbacks where chronology is barely
stressed, first-timer Frankel’s large and humorous cast pursues
many storylines at a time. Mia Farrow, as Gwyn’s mom, is especially
enjoyable, pursuing an affair with little conviction but constant
contemplation. Opposite her is Paul Mazursky, whose resigned
patriarch is believable and sometimes sympathetic.
Then there’s Antonio Banderas, as Gwyn’s grandmother’s saintly
nurse, who is pursued at times by Gwyn and her mother. He’s
basically playing a bimbo, but he does it with a demure grace and
he gets his share of the punchlines.
A bunch of other bit part masters fill out the rest of the
extended family, and Naomi Campbell makes her demanding screen
debut portraying a model. By easing into the film industry,
Campbell never lets down the movie, something fellow supermodel
Cindy Crawford should take notice of as she plays a lawyer lead in
her upcoming film.
Parker doesn’t have to worry a bit about either models
encroaching on her territory just yet. If this film works at the
box office she’s ensured A-list status, where her charisma and
beauty may give her a chance to make more films like Miami
Rhapsody.
FILM: Miami Rhapsody. Written, directed and produced by David
Frankel. Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Mia Farrow and Antonio
Banderas. Opens at theaters today.