March 12, 2001

15 Minutes
(New Line Cinema) Rated R
Release Date - March 9, 2001

15 Minutes is - and I’m being kind - and absolute piece of crap. It is the early leader for my Worst of 2001 list and a shocking bit of incompetence from John Herzfeld, a director who previously seemed to have escaped the stench of Two of a Kind, the megabomb that almost destroyed his career forever in 1983. After an early 90’s run of good TV movies, Herzfeld returned to the big screen with Two Days in the Valley, which got mixed reviews, but whose fans were near rabid. I wasn’t the biggest fan of that film, but it did show style and a well thought out plan on how to get the most out of a low budget. It also marked the discovery of Charlize Theron, which secures Herzfeld and his casting team (Mindy Marin & John Papsidera ) a certain place in movie history. But 5 years and one strong HBO movie (Only in America) later, Herzfeld has dropped a bomb of epic proportions. Forget Ed Burns. Forget the humungous story problems. Forget the poorly designed combination of psuedo-video and 35mm. Forget the so-cute casting of TV personality after TV personality. This is a film that marks Robert DeNiro’s entry into The Michael Caine Club... great actors who are willing to walk through roles for a big check. After a year in which DeNiro was at the top of his game in The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle and Meet The Parents, it turns out that 15 Minutes is the biggest comedy of them all. It did an estimated $10.5 million this weekend. If you ask me, I’d like to have back every 15 minutes of my life I spent seeing this thing.