Friday, February 13, 1998
Screen Scene
"The Wedding Singer"
Directed by Frank Coraci
Starring Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore and Christine Taylor
Adam Sandler fans: Beware. Although Sandler’s newest project,
"The Wedding Singer," is always amusing and quite often very funny,
it is a huge departure from the types of films that made him
famous.
Whereas Sandler’s previous films, including "Billy Madison" and
"Happy Gilmore," relied upon a genial but goofy comic sensibility
as well as a great deal of intense, mean-spirited physical comedy,
"The Wedding Singer" is more in the romantic comedy vein. Though
"The Wedding Singer" provides many laughs, fans of Sandler may have
a hard time adapting to his new image.
The film takes place entirely in 1985 and finds wedding
performer Robbie Hart (Adam Sandler) all set to marry his longtime
girlfriend Linda (Angela Featherstone). When Linda fails to show up
at the wedding, however, Robbie’s life turns upside-down. But soon
he meets Julia (Drew Barrymore), a likable and beautiful waitress,
and romance ensues.
Where "Happy Gilmore" proved he could by loud and in-your-face,
"The Wedding Singer" shows a more gentle and caring Adam Sandler.
This is quite a departure for Sandler, or any alumni of Saturday
Night Live, for that matter. It is quite rare to see one of the
former "not ready for prime-time players" doing any film that
doesn’t involve constant slapstick and juvenile humor.
In "The Wedding Singer," Sandler is a really nice guy who
doesn’t mind accepting meatballs in lieu of pay for teaching old
ladies to sing or helping girls plan their wedding even though his
own was a disaster. As well, the film showcases Sandler’s musical
talents and features several songs either sung or composed by the
comedian.
The biggest source of humor is, of course, the 1980’s setting,
with every possible pop culture reference being brought out and
displayed, from Rubik’s Cube to Madonna’s wardrobe to Billy Idol.
Because these references are repeated with such frequency, and the
soundtrack is constantly playing ’80’s classics in the background
like a Billboard Greatest Hits CD, the film grows a little tiresome
and repetitive about halfway through.
Thankfully, the final half-hour redeems any rough spots the
movie may enter and is without a doubt one of the more original and
inventive endings of any recent films in the genre.
It is by no means the funniest film of the year, but it does
give the audience a glimpse of the true talent of Adam Sandler,
often dismissed as too silly or ludicrous to have any real
abilities.
Hopefully, he will get to showcase these hidden gifts even more
in future roles, instead of being pigeonholed into the goofball
comedies like so many of his Saturday Night Live colleagues.
Lonnie Harris
Grade: B
"Sphere"
Directed by Barry Levinson
Starring Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone and Samuel L. Jackson
Aside from the success of "Titanic," we know that recently water
films just haven’t worked – "Waterworld," "Speed 2" and "Hard
Rain." (The drenched actors might as well be bottles of canola
oil.)
But this latest Michael Crichton adaptation, "Sphere," throws in
their wet towels for good dialogue and, despite several continuity
problems, manages not to lose the viewer’s interest in the
exchange.
The movie, which is fairly faithful to the novel, maintains a
certain amount of credulity despite the fantastic plot element
these types of film require. Die-hard "Sphere" fans may be
disappointed. The film is not as extensive and developed as the
novel.
The basic storyline is as follows: a team of professionals – a
psychiatrist (Dustin Hoffman), biochemist (Sharon Stone),
mathematician (Samuel L. Jackson) and astrophysicist (Liev
Shrieber) – gather to journey to the bottom of the ocean to
investigate an alien spacecraft. What they find is frightening.
It is a giant sphere which gives those who enter it the power
and ability to manifest their thoughts. But the specialists can’t
seem to keep from creating their greatest fears. Needless to say,
they venture into the abyss, and you have to wait and see if they
all get out of there alive.
Although there are some plot inconsistencies, the situational
atmosphere is believable, due to the conversational dialogue and
well-acted scenes that don’t insult the viewer’s intelligence.
At times, though, the occasional loud, dramatic musical swells
do make one want to shout at the screen, "Okay I get it! The sphere
is scary!"
Another aspect of the film that enhances the audience’s
curiosity about the plot is the fact that "Sphere" isn’t exactly an
action film. It does have neat effects. Much of the picture does
take place underwater (yes, the cast did have to take diving
lessons) and there are some explosions. They’re just not
spectacular.
The film’s more of a psychological thriller, dealing with the
power of the mind and the tackling of one’s fears. However, don’t
expect "Sphere" to be some great philosophical experiment into the
human condition.
The film ends on a bad note; the cheesiness that the movie
managed to escape from up to that point culminates in a final
maudlin hand-holding, bad-sitcom (think "Saved By the Bell")
moment.
Yet despite this final dish of ham and cheese, the star’s acting
replaces the audience’s need for underwater stunts.
Stephanie Sheh
Grade: B
"Hurricane Streets"
Directed by Morgan J. Freeman
Starring Brandon Sexton III and Isidra Vega
"Hurricane Streets" is the debut film for young director Morgan
J. Freeman (no, not that Morgan Freeman), and so far it is winning
acclaim from such high-profile film festivals as Sundance.
Some of this praise is well-deserved, as Freeman does prove
himself an able director. However, the writing for "Hurricane
Streets," also done by Freeman, leaves much to be desired. This is
one director who may be better off filming the writings of
others.
Perhaps the biggest problem with the screenplay is its total
dependency on cliche. Conforming to a storyline explored in a
thousand other movies, especially "Kids," the plot follows
15-year-old Marcus (Brandon Sexton III) from New York who struggles
each day to survive the harsh city streets. His mother is in jail
for vague reasons, and he has taken to shoplifting as a means of
finding income.
Marcus meets and falls in love with Malena (Isidra Vega), yet
another child trying to get through each day. Eventually, a
ridiculous and almost totally random series of events nearly
destroys their relationship. And then it is left up to Marcus to
try and hold his life together.
Even though the young actors give strong performances, the roles
are no more than bland caricatures – composites of a million other
tough urban types written into a million other movies.
The story often revolves around Marcus’ "club," made up of his
close friends who gather together to steal electronics or candy and
then sell their ill-gotten products. Nowhere is the lack of
originality in the film clearer than in the scenes in the
clubhouse, where the stereotypical youngsters trade insults and
witticisms in what Freeman has assumed comprises the argot of the
average young person.
These kids don’t talk like 15-year-olds. They talk like
30-year-olds pretending to be 15-year-olds, saying "man" and "dude"
after every sentence in pseudo-New York accents.
This just furthers the film’s distant and horribly unrealistic
quality. At one point, a young girl of 14 wonders if she should
jump off the Brooklyn Bridge. "Maybe I could fly away from here,"
she says. This "Forrest Gump"-like sentiment would never cross the
lips of a generally happy and easy-going teen.
Many of Freeman’s instincts are very good, including his choice
of filming locales and his casting of Sexton and Vega.
Unfortunately, Freeman’s reliance on formula and lack of creativity
kills any hope his project could have of being memorable.
Lonnie Harris
Grade: C –
Adam Sandler plays Robbie Hart, an ’80s wedding performer, in
"The Wedding Singer."