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astrosheil [ 5.0 ]
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Some interesting twists and turns in this comedy starring Matthew Perry. But its still just a sit com blown up for the big screen.
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DokBrowne [ 7.5 ]
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Bruce Willis, unquestionably one of the most undervalued actors of our time, is trapped in a cinematic loop. His consistently capricious selection of roles – and especially the ways he achieves each one – are as premium as they were way back when in the days of "Die Hard" and "Death Becomes Her" (as a testament to his audacity and talent, try finding a similarity between the two characters he played in those utterly diametric movies). What’s impeding his official progression into a $20 million-a-flick earning super-megastar are the movies for which he works. Despite his universally recognizable image as a rigid, squinty-eyed tough guy, Willis always seems anxious to seek out interesting material, thereby compromising his commercial savvy, yet supplying his career with a healthy routine of challenge. Since the gloriously bombastic epic "Armageddon," though, he has appeared in four distinctly different films, of which the best can only be considered solidly good but not great. That description belongs to "The Sixth Sense," the second career cornerstone of his in two ways: as a $200 million plus financial boon (the other being "Armageddon"), and as an Academy Award Best Picture nominee (see "Pulp Fiction"). The modest ghost story was probably his weakest – though nonetheless notable – performance, and the movie itself deserves recommendation only for its redemptive ending, in an amazingly believable and wholly unpredictable twist. "Breakfast of Champions," barley a blip on the box office radar screen given its scarce theatrical release and searingly deleterious critical reaction, was one of those too-quirky-for-its-own-complacently-quirky-good oddballs (though needless to say, Willis was outstanding). There was also the cloying, see-through bittersweet romance "The Story of Us," flavored with alternating Willis bravura of lovable zaniness and intense anger. These projects were entertaining (sans "Champions"), and make for impressive footnotes in Willis’ perpetually zig-zagging filmography, but remain understatements of his ability to take part in truly great filmmaking.
"The Whole Nine Yards," riding rather late on the coattails of last year’s Mob-for-yuks trend ("Analyze This," "Mickey Blue Eyes," even "The Sopranos" to a marginal degree), is no exception; in fact, it strongly validates Willis’ relative losing streak, not only in its prohibition of the genuine comic gifts residing in its star, but also – to the hubris of the film’s quality – in its imbalance of tone. This movie is a collision of two habiliments that don’t quite braid into a pure whole: heavy plotting (which denotes the inevitability of twists) and comedy. Director Jonathan Lynn, he of the marvelous cult classic "Clue" and the masterful "My Cousin Vinny" (whose intricate, deeply-involving structure "The Whole Nine Yards" is clearly meant to replicate), has an affinity – or perhaps just an obsession – with this kind of thoroughly detailed ensemble comedy of errors (further proof is evident in his limp "Vinny" spinoff "Trial and Error" and the moderately amusing but overly mean-spirited "Greedy"), and he does an admirable job of clarifying the complexity of his stories while forcing the funniest and most colorful characterizations out of his actors. The tale he spins this time is of an unhappily married Canadian dentist whose life is displaced by his new neighbor, former hit man-turned-narc Jimmy “The Tulip” Tudeski. Or was Dr. Nick “Oz” Oseranski’s life in peril before the notorious, uncomfortably friendly Jimmy moved in? Given the mutual hatred between him and his annoying French accented wife (Patricia Arquette), it’s not very far-fetched to learn that she may be deceiving – perhaps even planning to kill – our worried and wimpy protagonist. In "The Whole Nine Yards," the audience eventually arrives at the realization that virtually no one besides the obviously do-gooder Oz is trustworthy, and that pretty much everyone wants to kill everyone else.
There’s more to the scenario than that – menacing giant Michael Clarke Duncan is a hit man who shifts loyalties and attitude (worst enemy, best friend, possible enemy after all) about three times; "Species" vamp Natasha Henstridge softens up as Jimmy’s bored wife, Cynthia, who finds companionship in Oz (the initial gag that unites them is that neither have had sex in five years – Oz not with his loathsome spouse and Cynthia not since Jimmy went to prison); Kevin Pollack is a feared crime boss anxious to avenge his father’s death; and Amanda Peet plays Oz’s dental assistant, Jill (trivial fact: Peet is the Jack of her TV gig on the WB called "Jack and Jill"), who reveals a bizarre fetish that equates her well with Jimmy. It all builds to a number of climaxes, only the last of which, after endearing myself to these people, cajoled from me some genuine smiles (guess there’s no question as to the movie’s ultimate tone now).
Expect most of the laughs – and there are enough to label this a success of sorts – to come from the comic capacities of the cast. Matthew Perry sticks to the tried-and-true bumbling smart aleck persona of his namesake on "Friends" and gets a lot of hilarious mileage out of Oz’s physical outrageousness. His incredulity schtick wanes throughout the film, making him more and more the kind of putz who really needs to be told to shut up, but there is some variation to his acting (mostly when he’s being cynical or smacking into windows), and in that he finds an adequate balance. Pollack gives the usual memorable-but-small performance, using a funny voice much better than Arquette. Duncan becomes a scene-stealer, a figure who is fun to watch for no particular reason – I’m happy to assume that that’s the measure of his personal ability as an actor. What Henstridge lacks in talent, thankfully she compensates for in a general level of charm and an old-fashioned kind of attractiveness that is far preferable to her dirty, sluttish appeal in the "Species" movies. And, as professional critics seem to unanimously concur, Amanda Peet is a discovery, whose irresistibly perky, lovable, and blithely energetic role might just compel me to give the otherwise by-the-numbers seeming "Jack and Jill" a chance sometime (no wait, I still DO have standards; oh well, I can still admire her here).
As for Willis, he plays it extremely low-key. Except for when he rages at Oz, the script makes him a nonchalant, ever-grinning guy with an air of mystery and danger so obviously false that even if he truly is supposed to be considered a casual murderer, there isn’t much doubt at any time as to his amicable nature. I’d be curious to see him as broad and wackily over-the-top as most of the cast, but it's even more respectable that he reserves this potential in order to create his own kinds of laughs from a character he can call his own.
The worst part of the movie is the way Lynn ruins some scenes with his unreliable sense of timing. Staying just half a second too long on a comic punchline, Lynn upsets the delicate balance required in comedy and ends scenes with awkward sensations that demean whatever humor had already been achieved. At least the lasting impression is of a fun time; it’s not serious, and so there’s no substance to anything, but why should every movie necessarily have meaning? Their primal ambition is to entertain, and "The Whole Nine Yards" fulfills modestly. Based on my own personal partiality towards light-hearted, HAPPY movies, I think this one actually performed beyond its mild expectations. Bruce Willis may have bypassed another opportunity for greatness – his combination of super role and super movie have made triumphs of "12 Monkeys," "Pulp Fiction," all the "Die Hard"s, and "Armageddon" – but the consolation prize is a pleasantly diverting resume addition all the same
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szarka [ 7.0 ]
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While The Whole Nine Yards would be disappointing if you expected it to be as good as the best from the many fine actors involved, taken on its own terms it's a fun night out. I found the dentist's assistant (and hit man in training) to be a particularly fun character, and while the plot (and acting) limps along in places, there are enough good laughs in between to make this worth a rental. Besides, what was the last movie you saw that portrayed a Canadian as less sympathetic than a mobster from Chicago?
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Emmitt [ 4.0 ]
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very dissapointing with willis and matthew perry. i hate bruce willis to me hes the male version of sandra bullock . some laughs but just a few like when ving rhames is sitting in perrys room and hes like sir are u sure your in the right room? lol.
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Love_Spoon [ 7.0 ]
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Pretty good little black comedy. Anal dentist Matthew Perry has a new neighbor, mobster hitman Jimmy (Bruce Willis). When Doc's spendy wife finds out that Jimmy has a price on his head, she sees the dollar signs and sends her husband to Chicago to negotiate a finder's fee with the people that want him dead. Pretty funny, but Perry's friends-esque humor tires a bit after a while. Clever, unexpected plot twists (like Perry's dental assistant secretly wanting to be a contract killer) kept my interest throughout. My only speedbump in the film is how much it depends on coincidence, like a hitman moving in next door (which I suppose could really happen) and that same hitman being the lifelong idol of a personal acquaintence (as he shrugs his shoulders). Other than that, solidly funny and worth seeing.
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KIL [ 4.5 ]
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Not bad. You get to see some skinny titties in this one. Michael Clark Duncan (Green Mile Giant Black Man), Bruce Willis, Mathew Perry. www.outcrybookreview.com/meat.htm
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Dancing_P [ 4.5 ]
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Here's a perfect example of a movie that seems to be the synthesis of its stars making it up as they go along. This is exactly what a comedy starring Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis seems like it should be; I literally cannot imagine anything being different. That's not exactly a compliment towards this mind-bogglingly generic mob comedy in which Perry plays a hapless, whipped dentist who unfortunately finds a deadly Mafia hitman moving in next door. And the the dude wants to be friends. Indifferently directed and blandly comical, it's probably the film that least justified a sequel since Weekend at Bernie's.
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chapter11 [ 7.5 ]
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Though it's not enough to singlehandedly disprove the "friends shouldn't let 'Friends' make movies" theory, Matthew Perry makes his flustered shtick work in "The Whole Nine Yards," a disarmingly happy-go-lucky mob farce about a likable hitman moving in next door. Most of the cast oozes charisma-- only Patricia Arquette is truly annoying, and one gets the feeling that it was supposed to be that way anyhow-- and, while Perry would be easily replaceable by Ben Stiller or any of a dozen "flustered guy caught up in tangled web of zaniness" auteurs, he still gives it a great go: watch the particularly funny bit of slapstick where he runs into a door, or his reaction to hitman Jimmy the Tulip (Bruce Willis) gushing over his tomato garden seconds after swapping stories of the contract-killing trade with an eager disciple. It's Willis who shines, his immediate screen presence stealing the scene whenever he's on-screen, even though his performance is one of masterful subtlely considering the film in which it resides. But the ensemble-cast format works wonders for this type of comedy (it bills itself as a black comedy, but despite all the death and violence, it's still sunnier than most straight comedies I've seen): both Michael Clarke Duncan and Amanda Peet, in particular, shine in their supporting roles, Duncan playing the same big, imposing, but amiable guy he always plays, Peet exuding boatloads of natural personality and charisma, all smiles as a doe-eyed amateur hitperson. (Kevin Pollak contributes a minor role, but it isn't as memorable as previous Kevin Pollak bit parts-- here his main objective is to see how lamely he can pull off an accent. He succeeds.) It's all fun and games and guns, and while the plot gets a little too tangled up in itself (everybody is trying to "whack" everybody), the plot is secondary to the natural presence and chemistry of the cast, and the fact that everybody looks like they're barely suppressing a grin-- an incredibly encouraging thing to see in a comedy. It doesn't atone Matthew Perry for "Serving Sara," but it comes purty close.
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brandon [ 3.0 ]
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i have to agree with babyduck on this one .. course, there was one guy in the audience who was about to cough up a lung he was laughing so hard. so, i'll chalk this up to different strokes for different folks ..
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babyduck [ 2.0 ]
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How did this movie get made? What were the actors thinking? What kind of blackmail did the director / producers have over Bruce Willis? Where did the plot go? Who wrote this crap? Why did I go see it? Why was this movie so lame?
I was extremely disappointed with this film having decided to go watch the film purely based on the trailer. My vote is to avoid this film at all costs.
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| Weighted Rating | : 5.6 |
| No. Ratings | : 22 | |
| No. Reviews | : 11 | |
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