June 9, 2004

Last night's screening of Fahrenheit 9/11 was unexpectedly attended by both of the Moore Siblings (Michael and Demi), but only one Weinstein Brother (Harvey). Arriving home after 1 a.m. from the film, the film itself spared me the effort of a late night review. It can wait. I'll just leave you with this thought… I expect Fahrenheit 9/11 to be the Far From Heaven of this year.

More important to me this evening are a trio of comedies that are suffering painful pre-release buzz that I have been amazed to realize is unfair and excessive… even inside the studios where they reside. I suspect that I will be in the minority on two of three of these titles, but so be it.

The first film is Garfield, which is in many ways exactly what you'd expect, but it is both more and less. It is more funny and less manic. Make no mistake, this is not the birth of a legendary new movie character… it's not really as fun as Cheaper By The Dozen. But it is a solid series of one panel comic moments, strung together into an enjoyable 75 minutes in the theater.

Not only does Bill Murray hit just the right notes as Garfield, but after finding myself initially resistant to the mixture of the CG Garfield and a live-action cast of talking animals, including Odie, who is not a realistically drawn character in the strip, I found myself really pleased that they made just that choice. For whatever reasons, I am willing to suspend disbelief for talking animals, from Mr. Ed to Cats & Dogs. And I actually enjoyed the menagerie of characters.

Fox has a difficult marketing challenge on this film, especially in this era of one weekend and out. Garfield is the moneymaker. But the movie is better than just Garfield. His interaction with the other animals on the cul de sac is really the best thing in the film. And probably in an effort not to mix the message, Fox has leaned almost exclusively on Garfield and Ms. Hewitt's tight clothing. (Odd admission: This is the most right-on role that Breckin Meyer has ever had.)

That said, the humans were the only really weak part of the story. It would have been nice to get a little side action from those bi-peds. But Love was not dressed for sweat, Breckin is just too nice and the bad guy, played by the reliable Stephen Tabolowsky, didn't have quite enough to do and his sidekick really needed to be Lee Evans or someone who could make a similarly strong impression. Mario Cantone, now on Broadway in "Assassins" and often seen on The View, should be the supporting player that studios are fighting to land in the next few years.

Anyway, I was shocked to find myself laughing at Garfield one blurry Saturday morning. It's not the holy grail, but if you have young kids who like animals, this one will do nicely without making you want to claw your own eyes out.

THE BIGGEST SHOCK of the week is The Stepford Wives, a title that has just seemed doomed for months and months. But I am still in shock, as I laughed at the film from the very beginning to the very end. I would need two hours, a print, Frank Oz, and a fine tooth comb to figure out what happened to the movie in terms of re-shoots, reconsiderations and re-dubs. I could guess where four or five of them are in the course of the movie. There is no question that the ending was reshaped. But just as I started focusing on the odd bumps in the road, Glenn Close takes things over with one of the best comic monologues I have seen in a long time, which also happens to make sense of her character's very existence in the film. Dare I say - about Stepford! - that if this film somehow does real business, Glenn Close would be a serious contender for a Supporting Actress Oscar nomination?

The Stepford Wives is an arch, truly Rudnick-ian comedy. The conceit, which has had many of us worried about since the film was announced, works. The film brutalizes both sides in the battle of the sexes and there is no end to the cynicism thrown in the fire. Somehow, Rudnick has managed to go beyond the kind of creepy, sci-fi element of the story and gotten to its gut… what do men and women want in a post-feminism society? And how funny is the absurdity of it all?

Like Fox, Paramount faces a problem selling this movie, as the best stuff take more than 5 seconds to develop. When Bette Midler is not stealing her scenes, Roger Bart (best known for his work in "The Producers", on Broadway) steals everything in sight… but you probably have not noticed him once in the trailers or ads… because no one knows who he is. But that is the movie. Nicole Kidman trying to make it down the hallway at the office before exploding with emotion and then turning up virtually comatose in a hospital room… terrific performance, terrific filmmaking… but hard to get into a spot. The Washing Machine workout is a joy to behold, especially Kidman's reaction to it. But it isn't spot material… or if it is, you get the comedy of the hip swivel and not the whole experience, which is a lot funnier.

By the time the film was over, I was surprised how quickly it passed. There is some messy stuff in the final sequence, including the reveal of the evil in Stepford, where things lose the archness of Rudnick's voice, which so defines the rest of the film. But then, like a bolt of lightening, is the Glenn Close speech that seems very likely to have been the last thing they added. There's actually green screen work, putting Close, Kidman and Broderick in the room where the scene was first shot, while the apparently difficult Midler inexplicably disappears. But it doesn't matter because the speech and the performance are quite excellent.

Another thing… Jon Cusack was due to play Kidman's husband and Joan Cusack to play the hippie-ish best friend, I love their work, but without Broderick and Midler, I'm not sure the movie would have worked. Broderick is a good looking guy, but he is also small and the theme of men overwhelmed by their women is far more believable with him up against Nicole than John could ever be. Cusack gave a terrific man-in-panic performance in The Road To Wellville, but he always gives of the air of a man who was once very cocky. Not a great fit here. Likewise, Joan Cusack is almost too funny for the role of the best friend. She is a gifted physical comic. But the verbal heft of Midler is dead on for her role, much as Paula Prentiss was in the original version. Joan Cusack seems almost born to be a funny Stepford Wife. But not Midler and that disconnect is what makes that character so right.

Did I mention home run hitting Roger Bart?

Faith Hill is a non-issue, outside of some fascinating insight into her upper thighs as she walks down some stairs in one scene. But Jon Lovitz is another really fine casting choice and Frank Oz reined him in just far enough. And Walken… is Walken. At one point, I actually got a good laugh just from looking at the back of his head.

I guess I haven't mention Nicole very much. With the exception of a few bumpy beats, she is excellent here. The funny thing is that she really does play the straight woman to the wild band of characters. She gets to do a lot of takes, just reacting. Well done.

The Stepford Wives is not the return of Billy Wilder. But Frank Oz is one of the best comedy directors in the game and he shows it here. And the movie, if you like Rudnick humor, will make you laugh… often. I was alone on a few laughs, but for the most part, the audience was there with me the whole way. It is a satire and as I have been saying forever, if Stepford works, it is still hard to sell. Well, it works a lot better than I expected. And it will be hard to sell. But in a comedy-hungry summer, audience could do a lot worse.

THE BEST OF THE TRIO is another real surprise, for me at least. Dodgeball is silly, careless, Farrellyesque, losers vs winners comedy with a raunchy edge. And I laughed my ass off.

As with both of the other pictures, the marketing challenge is unique. Here, the best known elements are Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn. But this film is a true ensemble. And Stiller, who gives his best caricature performance ever, offers a character more complex than Zoolander could ever be. In fact, if Derek Zoolander wasn't so oblivious and really understood where he came from, he might find a connection with White Goodman, his Dodgeball character.

The set-up is pure Animal House. The misfit gym, led by the laid back stud guy, is threatened with extinction. The dominant gym is the source of much of the trouble, with some uncomfortable history between the leader of that group and the leader of the misfits. Instead of double secret probation in Dodgeball, there is a mortgage in foreclosure.

The Dodgeball playing feel leads to a lot of balls smashing into people. That makes me laugh… I admit it. But you also get to develop relationships with the geeks, most of whom are basically unknowns. Stephen Root is the big name on the misfit side. Justin Long looks like a pubescent Jimmy Fallon, but he's not. But you get to know each guy and make a real connection.

The director, Rawson Thurber, not surprisingly, was the director of the great Terry Tate, Office Linebacker spots that ran last year. Again…. Lots of funny hitting.

It is all too stupid to watch a movie about Dodgeball. But it is laugh out loud funny and what more do you want from a comedy? Ben Stiller will make you think twice before you go out for pizza after the movies. And the surprise cameos are more than enough reason to avoid imdb until after you've seen the film.

Dodgeball, White Chicks, Anchorman and Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle are all looking like strong entries in the comedy category, suddenly making 2004 look like a good comedy summer. It is to laugh.

E ME: What comedy are you most looking forward to this summer?