16 July 1999

Furthermore, his casting choices are stunning. Marie Richardson, who replaced Jennifer Jason Leigh when Leigh couldn't return for re-shoots, is the only actor who was a little tough. She is so tender in her scene that it plays as comedy when perhaps that was not the intent. I would love to see the JJL footage someday because her ferocity might have turned the trick on a very tough scene for an actress to walk away from with any dignity at all.

Which brings me to Nicole Kidman. I'm not working in reverse order. I felt about her performance kind of like I felt about Tom Hanks' performance in Forrest Gump. An Academy Award nomination is a mortal lock. But for her not to win the Oscar®, someone is going to have to come along with a really amazing performance. The only thing that will stand in her way is that she disappears through what seems like an hour of the film which is all about Tom. But it is still a lead role and should be prized. Really wonderful work.

There were also some real stand-outs in supporting roles as well. Alan Cumming brings a deep breath of humor and life to the film just when it needs it. Vinessa Shaw, who may be the sweetest movie hooker since Elizabeth Shue in Leaving Las Vegas (though her unusual beauty in this role, I think plays into underlying themes by Kubrick). Leelee Sobieski doesn't have much to do, but what she does is absolutely perfect, hitting a really difficult note right on the head. And Rade Serbedzija is glorious with the kind of spirit that made the late, great Oliver Reed one of my favorites. You can't wait to see what this madman is going to do next. And Sydney Pollack is damned near flawless in the role he took over from Harvey Keitel. I don't want to get into why I feel that he turned out to be a much better choice than the great Keitel for this role, as not to spoil the shadings of his character. All I'll say is that Pollack tells the truth differently than Keitel and his nature is a better fit in my eyes. Now, see the movie and tell me why.

I don't mean to leave out Tom Cruise. There's nothing wrong with his work here. He has some great moments. But Cruise is an actor who thrives on being in action and this role is all about reaction. It's one of the delicious anomalies of this film, that his character's actions are active but passive and his wife's actions are passive but active. Hard to explain exactly what I mean without spoiling the movie, but it is fascinating. And that reminds me to point out how small this film really is. It's three days in this couple's life. It's a busy three days, but it's just a brief slice and it is truly all about them. This is no epic. It's an intimate, painful photograph of a bad, bad moment in a nine year marriage.

Is Eyes Wide Shut the best film of 1999 to date? Not yet. Ask me in a few more viewings. The Matrix probably still tops my list, but this one is already working on my heart.

THE UGLY: Some of your reactions to this film certainly will be ugly. It is a tough film and when I see it a third time this weekend, I'm sure I will see more there. And when I see it an eighth time on tape or DVD, I'm sure I'll find more there again. And the twenty-eighth time at 3:27 a.m. on cable with a crying baby spitting up on my shoulder. There is lots of female nudity here. There are lots of moments of quiet reflection that will try the patience of some. There is a lot of artifice that will be hard for some to take. And that's fine. No great artist satisfies everyone. If the art doesn't slap you upside the head, it probably isn't that good. I'm not going to tell you that Eyes Wide Shut is for everyone or that it is Kubrick's definitive work. Even if it is, like every other Kubrick film since A Clockwork Orange, it will need room to breathe before it is so defined. This is the glorious exotic fruit of this summer. More like Out of Sight than Saving Private Ryan. Take a bite. Spit it out if you have to, but take a bite. (And after you see the film, read that last sentence again and put it in context.)

THE CHAT: You've already had your shot at Seann William Scott and Shannon Elizabeth from American Pie. All that's left of them are some transcripts. (They should be up by Monday or Tuesday.) Next week, you'll get to chat with the brothers who baked the American Pie as director and producer, Chris and Paul Weitz. They'll be here next Thursday and we hope to have the lovely and talented Mena Suvari on Tuesday (how sweet it is to be loved by her).

READER OF THE DAY: JC continues the city love fest: "The city that definitely did it for me was New Orleans. There's something about that place that I lust for. As gross as it may sound, I immediately think of Bourbon Street when I catch the unmistakable scent of puke and piss wafting up from the subway stairwell near my home here in Chicago. When you're geezed out of your gourd, you really don't care about that stank. I love the wrought-iron balcony railings, the voodoo shops, the souvenir shops where you can purchase t-shirts proclaiming "One Tequila Two Tequila Three Tequila FLOOR!" and a stuffed alligator head -- wonderfully twisted one-stop shopping. There's a certain mystical air to the Big Easy, where anything goes, you can eat and drink to your heart's content and no one gives a damn. I went down for Halloween two years ago (I would describe it as Mardi Gras Lite), and my friends and I spent an afternoon in a daiquiri shop watching people stroll down Bourbon, simply letting time pass us by. And then, Halloween night was a spectacular display of friendliness and fantastic group costumes (a group of folks done up as Oompa-Loompas and, perhaps in the most brilliant stroke, four brothers and their father all dressed up as '70s Elvises, complete with black pompadours and white polyester suits. Fabulous!) Whether I could live there or not...I couldn't say. The humidity's a bitch."

E ME: I guess there's not a lot to get you to write in about until you see the movie. I'm also looking forward to your thoughts on The Muppets, The Croc and The Wood's marriage mock.