From The Number 23 (with Jim Carrey, above) __________
Chicago native Virginia Madsen, who reignited her career with her Oscar-nominated performance in 2004's Sideways, has two features opening this Friday—The Astronaut Farmer, in which she co-stars with Billy Bob Thornton and The Number 23, where she's matched up with Jim Carrey. The first film is excellent and the second is less than that, but both offer further proof of Madsen's wonderful capabilities.
In The Astronaut Farmer, Madsen plays Audie Farmer, the wife of Charles ( Billy Bob Thornton ) and mother of their four spirited children. The husband, a one-time astronaut trainee, has never given up his dream of going into outer space. To that end, he has actually built—with the help of his teenage son Shepard ( Max Thieriot ) —a rocket ship inside the barn on the family farm. Audie works as a waitress to cope with the mounting bills and is enormously supportive, along with the rest of the family, of Charles' dream.
We arrive at the point at which Charles has been at his obsession/dream for years and things are nearing a breaking point. The local townspeople see him as a likeable eccentric and chuckle about his mad idea, but NASA and the FBI aren't laughing when they find out about the rocket. Once things cool down, however, it's Audie who figures out a way for Charles to keep things going. As the saga plays out, there will be many setbacks and speeches of encouragement from those on the sidelines before Charles decides whether or not to go forward with his dream.
The movie is filmed in golden-hued, dappled colors that add to its dreamlike quality. It's a far-fetched idea that is just crazy enough to be inspirational, though there are many places where the story stretches the limit of believability. But based on its huge heart and courage in the face of complacency, the movie triumphs. The acting by Thornton and Madsen, along with the majority of the cast, adds depth to this unusual story.
Interestingly, the term 'family film' is an apt description for this movie although it's a film that defies your expectations regarding 'family' movies. The kids aren't pint-sized cynics; the teenage son actually respects the parents and reveres the father; the husband and wife aren't mismatched buffoons; and optimism trumps skepticism.
Pessimists will be turned off, but I think The Astronaut Farmer is a supreme example of Capra corn—the term that was once applied to classics like Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and It's a Wonderful Life. It's a badge of honor to tag The Astronaut Farmer with the same label—and also hail it as an instant classic.
The same cannot be said for Madsen's other film that is opening this week, The Number 23. The less said about this quasi-thriller, the latest from gay director Joel Schumacher, the better. Jim Carrey plays a mild-mannered dog catcher ( ! ) whose wife ( Madsen ) buys him a book with which he becomes obsessed—to the point where he splits off into a tough-talking, dark-haired private eye who wails on a tenor sax and has a slinky, brunette mistress ( Madsen again ) . Will he solve the mystery of the book before it 'gets him?'
You'll only care if you totally suspend your disbelief from beginning to end. The Number 23 ( which is actually beautifully and meticulously made ) is such implausible claptrap you either stay with it or laugh your head off at the deadly serious obsessions of the characters on the screen as they search for 'answers' to their silly mystery. Sometimes, you might do both at once.
Reno 911: Miami is based on the Comedy Central show Reno 911, which is a hit-or-miss spoof of the reality show Cops. The ragtag group of police officers headquartered out of a fictional Reno police precinct are a cornucopia of characters so perversely stupid, politically incorrect AND inept, the mind boggles. This group is led by the shorts-wearing, blond-highlighted Lt. Jim Dangle ( Oak Park native Thomas Lennon ) , who makes no secret of his gay proclivities or his enormous attraction to fellow officer Deputy Jones ( Cedric Yarbrough ) .
The whisper-thin premise for the movie is that the Reno crew, invited to a police convention in Miami, are the only available law enforcement officers when a terrorist groups holds all the other cops hostage. Delighted with their new assignment, the crew heads out to the streets of Miami to combat crime in their typical dunderheaded fashion.
The result is a very funny movie in a vein similar to the crude humor of Mel Brooks, the Naked Gun series and the like. It's the kind of episodic movie where the writers ( Lennon, his onscreen partner Ben Garant and the rest of the principal cast ) and director ( also Garant ) fling verbal and visual jokes one after the other at you until you laugh helplessly. It has the moments of aggressive, gross-out humor of similar entries in the genre but not nearly as many of them. ( It's much better than the Scary Movie parodies, for example. )
And with not one, but two main gay characters ( Dangle's co-officer Cherish Kimble is an unacknowledged lesbian ) , Reno 911: Miami is not only whacked-out, mindless entertainment—it's gay as a goose. What better recommendation is there to ask for from a favorite waste-of-time comedy like this?
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