New images from Kristin Scott Thomas’ North Star (formally My Mother’s Wedding), have dropped. The film will have its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and is the directorial debut for Thomas. She also co-wrote the screenplay with John Micklethwait.
The cast includes Academy award nominee Scarlett Johansson, BAFTA award nominee Sienna Miller, and Cannes Best Actress winner Emily Beecham, who play the sisters. Academy award nominee and BAFTA award-winner Scott Thomas plays Diana Frost, their mother.
North Star follows three sisters from very different walks of life return to their childhood home to celebrate a momentous event: the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother, Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas). As the weekend unfolds in unexpected ways, Katherine (Scarlett Johansson), a Captain in the Royal Navy; Victoria (Sienna Miller), a Hollywood star; and Georgina (Emily Beecham), a palliative nurse,...
The cast includes Academy award nominee Scarlett Johansson, BAFTA award nominee Sienna Miller, and Cannes Best Actress winner Emily Beecham, who play the sisters. Academy award nominee and BAFTA award-winner Scott Thomas plays Diana Frost, their mother.
North Star follows three sisters from very different walks of life return to their childhood home to celebrate a momentous event: the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother, Diana (Kristin Scott Thomas). As the weekend unfolds in unexpected ways, Katherine (Scarlett Johansson), a Captain in the Royal Navy; Victoria (Sienna Miller), a Hollywood star; and Georgina (Emily Beecham), a palliative nurse,...
- 9/6/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Avid Shakespeare buffs might already be familiar with Rosaline. She’s not technically in “Romeo and Juliet,” but her name is briefly mentioned in the Bard’s tragedy all the same as an early romantic interest of Romeo Montague. Remember the original lover he follows into a party thrown by his family’s notorious adversaries, the Capulets, only to be struck by the sight of her cousin Juliet? Charming and witty despite being tidily formulaic and a little too tame, Karen Maine’s “Rosaline” delightfully assumes the unsung cousin’s perspective in Renaissance Italy, invading the era with a contemporary tongue and attitude amplified by stringy covers of modern tunes like “All by Myself” and “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love).”
Considering countless modernized costume dramas and TV shows in the vein of “Bridgerton,” “Dickinson” and Lena Dunham’s nifty medieval coming-of-ager “Catherine Called Birdy” — not to mention iconic ’90s...
Considering countless modernized costume dramas and TV shows in the vein of “Bridgerton,” “Dickinson” and Lena Dunham’s nifty medieval coming-of-ager “Catherine Called Birdy” — not to mention iconic ’90s...
- 10/11/2022
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
The first look image from My Mother’s Wedding, the directorial debut from Kristin Scott Thomas, has been released. The film stars Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller, and Emily Beecham.
Principle photography on the film — which Scott Thomas co-wrote with John Micklethwait — has been completed. The film follows the story of three sisters who return to their childhood home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother, Diana. The three daughters now lead very different lives: Georgina, a palliative nurse; Victoria, a Hollywood star; and Katherine, a captain in the Royal Navy. Over the weekend, the family gathers to celebrate a new marriage, but mother and daughters alike are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, with help from a colorful group of unexpected wedding guests.
The cast includes Academy award nominee Scarlett Johansson, BAFTA award nominee Sienna Miller, and Cannes Best Actress winner Emily Beecham, who play the sisters. Academy award nominee and BAFTA award-winner Scott Thomas plays Diana Frost, their mother.
This marks the third time Scott Thomas and Johansson have played mother and daughter since 1998’s The Horse Whisperer.
“I have wanted to direct for a long time and it was thrilling to create this fictional family using my own childhood memories as a springboard,” said Kristin Scott Thomas. “Directing and acting with such talented actresses and reuniting with Scarlett Johansson has been exhilarating.”
The cast is filled out by BAFTA award nominee, Freida Pinto, Sindhu Vee, Joshua McGuire, Mark Stanley, Thibault de Montalembert and Samson Kayo.
Additional credits include director of photography Yves Belanger, BAFTA award-winning Production Designer Andrew McAlpine, Casting Director Lucy Bevan, Editor Gary Dollner, Costume Designer Sinead Kidao, and Academy award nominated Hair and Make-Up Designer Daniel Phillips.
CAA Media Finance, which arranged financing for the film, represents domestic rights.
Principle photography on the film — which Scott Thomas co-wrote with John Micklethwait — has been completed. The film follows the story of three sisters who return to their childhood home for the third wedding of their twice-widowed mother, Diana. The three daughters now lead very different lives: Georgina, a palliative nurse; Victoria, a Hollywood star; and Katherine, a captain in the Royal Navy. Over the weekend, the family gathers to celebrate a new marriage, but mother and daughters alike are forced to revisit the past and confront the future, with help from a colorful group of unexpected wedding guests.
The cast includes Academy award nominee Scarlett Johansson, BAFTA award nominee Sienna Miller, and Cannes Best Actress winner Emily Beecham, who play the sisters. Academy award nominee and BAFTA award-winner Scott Thomas plays Diana Frost, their mother.
This marks the third time Scott Thomas and Johansson have played mother and daughter since 1998’s The Horse Whisperer.
“I have wanted to direct for a long time and it was thrilling to create this fictional family using my own childhood memories as a springboard,” said Kristin Scott Thomas. “Directing and acting with such talented actresses and reuniting with Scarlett Johansson has been exhilarating.”
The cast is filled out by BAFTA award nominee, Freida Pinto, Sindhu Vee, Joshua McGuire, Mark Stanley, Thibault de Montalembert and Samson Kayo.
Additional credits include director of photography Yves Belanger, BAFTA award-winning Production Designer Andrew McAlpine, Casting Director Lucy Bevan, Editor Gary Dollner, Costume Designer Sinead Kidao, and Academy award nominated Hair and Make-Up Designer Daniel Phillips.
CAA Media Finance, which arranged financing for the film, represents domestic rights.
- 7/27/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller and Emily Beecham sit around the dinner table in this first-look image from My Mother’s Wedding, the directorial debut of Kristin Scott Thomas.
Principal photographer has now wrapped on the project, focusing on three romantically dysfunctional sisters trying to navigate their mother’s third wedding. Also part of the cast are the already announced Freida Pinto, plus new additions Sindhu Vee (Sex Education, Matilda), Joshua McGuire (Cheaters, Anatomy of a Scandal), Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones, Trigger Point), Thibault de Montalembert (Call My Agent, The King) and Samson Kayo (Bloods, The Bubble). Scott Thomas — who plays Johansson’s mother on screen for the third time since 1998’s The Horse Whisperer — is also reunited with her Four Weddings and a Funeral co-star James Fleet.
My Mother’s Wedding sees three sisters returning to their childhood home for a momentous...
Scarlett Johansson, Sienna Miller and Emily Beecham sit around the dinner table in this first-look image from My Mother’s Wedding, the directorial debut of Kristin Scott Thomas.
Principal photographer has now wrapped on the project, focusing on three romantically dysfunctional sisters trying to navigate their mother’s third wedding. Also part of the cast are the already announced Freida Pinto, plus new additions Sindhu Vee (Sex Education, Matilda), Joshua McGuire (Cheaters, Anatomy of a Scandal), Mark Stanley (Game of Thrones, Trigger Point), Thibault de Montalembert (Call My Agent, The King) and Samson Kayo (Bloods, The Bubble). Scott Thomas — who plays Johansson’s mother on screen for the third time since 1998’s The Horse Whisperer — is also reunited with her Four Weddings and a Funeral co-star James Fleet.
My Mother’s Wedding sees three sisters returning to their childhood home for a momentous...
- 7/27/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In what looks to be this year’s most adorable tear-jerker, Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for Me Before You. In cinemas on June 2, 2016, this preview is guaranteed to have you sobbing.
Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin are just too super cute. And the look of the film looks top notch. The behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Remi Adefarasin (“Elizabeth”), production designer Andrew McAlpine (“An Education”), editor John Wilson (“Downton Abbey”) and costume designer Jill Taylor (“My Week with Marilyn”).
Based on the critically acclaimed, bestselling novel by Jojo Moyes, New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ Me Before You is directed by Thea Sharrock. The movie marks her feature film directorial debut.
Oftentimes you find love where you least expect it. Sometimes it takes you where you never expected to go…
Louisa “Lou” Clark (Clarke) lives in a quaint town in the English countryside.
Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin are just too super cute. And the look of the film looks top notch. The behind-the-scenes creative team includes Oscar-nominated director of photography Remi Adefarasin (“Elizabeth”), production designer Andrew McAlpine (“An Education”), editor John Wilson (“Downton Abbey”) and costume designer Jill Taylor (“My Week with Marilyn”).
Based on the critically acclaimed, bestselling novel by Jojo Moyes, New Line Cinema’s and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures’ Me Before You is directed by Thea Sharrock. The movie marks her feature film directorial debut.
Oftentimes you find love where you least expect it. Sometimes it takes you where you never expected to go…
Louisa “Lou” Clark (Clarke) lives in a quaint town in the English countryside.
- 5/4/2016
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Andrew McAlpine and Eugenio Caballero - two representatives of production design, a generally underexposed side of the filmmaking process - sat down for “Stylish By Design,” a panel put on by both the London Film Festival and the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Monday night. At BAFTA’s headquarters in London’s West End, McAlpine and Caballero opened up about their craft to moderator and former editor of Empire Magazine Mark …...
- 10/20/2009
- Indiewire
Our previous article putting the spotlight on Carey Mulligan says it all. But there are those who still wonder: Who is Carey Mulligan? That's completely understandable since many have not seen Mulligan act on the big screen. To those who attended this year's Sundance, they already have a very good idea of what she's capable of - in terms of acting, that is.
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This film, An Education, will give Mulligan or any up and coming young actress the best introduction they could ever dream of...
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It's 1961 and attractive, bright 16-year-old schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is poised on the brink of womanhood, dreaming of a rarefied, Gauloise-scented existence as she sings along to Juliette Greco in her Twickenham bedroom. Stifled by the tedium of adolescent routine, Jenny can't wait for adult life to begin. Meanwhile, she's a diligent student, excelling in every...
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This film, An Education, will give Mulligan or any up and coming young actress the best introduction they could ever dream of...
- - -
It's 1961 and attractive, bright 16-year-old schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is poised on the brink of womanhood, dreaming of a rarefied, Gauloise-scented existence as she sings along to Juliette Greco in her Twickenham bedroom. Stifled by the tedium of adolescent routine, Jenny can't wait for adult life to begin. Meanwhile, she's a diligent student, excelling in every...
- 7/19/2009
- The Movie Fanatic
Our previous article putting the spotlight on Carey Mulligan says it all. But there are those who still wonder: Who is Carey Mulligan? That's completely understandable since many have not seen Mulligan act on the big screen. To those who attended this year's Sundance, they already have a very good idea of what she's capable of - in terms of acting, that is.
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- - -
This film, An Education, will give Mulligan or any up and coming young actress the best introduction they could ever dream of...
- - -
It's 1961 and attractive, bright 16-year-old schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is poised on the brink of womanhood, dreaming of a rarefied, Gauloise-scented existence as she sings along to Juliette Greco in her Twickenham bedroom. Stifled by the tedium of adolescent routine, Jenny can't wait for adult life to begin. Meanwhile, she's a diligent student, excelling in every...
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- - -
This film, An Education, will give Mulligan or any up and coming young actress the best introduction they could ever dream of...
- - -
It's 1961 and attractive, bright 16-year-old schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is poised on the brink of womanhood, dreaming of a rarefied, Gauloise-scented existence as she sings along to Juliette Greco in her Twickenham bedroom. Stifled by the tedium of adolescent routine, Jenny can't wait for adult life to begin. Meanwhile, she's a diligent student, excelling in every...
- 7/19/2009
- The Movie Fanatic
Our previous article putting the spotlight on Carey Mulligan says it all. But there are those who still wonder: Who is Carey Mulligan? That's completely understandable since many have not seen Mulligan act on the big screen. To those who attended this year's Sundance, they already have a very good idea of what she's capable of - in terms of acting, that is.
- - -
- - -
This film, An Education, will give Mulligan or any up and coming young actress the best introduction they could ever dream of...
- - -
It's 1961 and attractive, bright 16-year-old schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is poised on the brink of womanhood, dreaming of a rarefied, Gauloise-scented existence as she sings along to Juliette Greco in her Twickenham bedroom. Stifled by the tedium of adolescent routine, Jenny can't wait for adult life to begin. Meanwhile, she's a diligent student, excelling in every...
- - -
- - -
This film, An Education, will give Mulligan or any up and coming young actress the best introduction they could ever dream of...
- - -
It's 1961 and attractive, bright 16-year-old schoolgirl, Jenny (Carey Mulligan) is poised on the brink of womanhood, dreaming of a rarefied, Gauloise-scented existence as she sings along to Juliette Greco in her Twickenham bedroom. Stifled by the tedium of adolescent routine, Jenny can't wait for adult life to begin. Meanwhile, she's a diligent student, excelling in every...
- 7/19/2009
- The Movie Fanatic
"The Sentinel" is a slick enough thriller about a presidential assassination attempt. It is also a rather mechanical, soulless affair that avoids politics or anything else that might clearly define who these characters are and why we should care other than that's the First Family and these are the valiant Secret Service agents sworn to protect the president's life. Michael Douglas heads a sharp cast that performs with drill-like precision under fast-paced direction from Clark Johnson ("S.W.A.T".). Business looks good for opening weekend, but because better White House dramas have been on TV in recent years, boxoffice probably won't rise above midrange in major markets.
For all its D.C. trappings and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the White House, Secret Service and the Presidential Protection Division's elaborate, state-of-the-electronic-arts control center, "Sentinel" basically reworks every police thriller where a top cop falls under suspicion and must use the tools of his trade to prove his innocence while on the lam.
"You are chasing your worst nightmare," barks agent David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland) as he sends fellow agents after Secret Service superstar Pete Garrison (Douglas), his former buddy and now greatest antagonist. Pete once took a bullet for President Reagan, but now he is being framed and blackmailed. So Pete must save his reputation and the president from assassination in a matter of hours.
The trouble is that the "worst nightmare" line comes past the halfway point. Getting there takes too much time and too many leaps of logic that never get closed in a final shootout that is a wee over the top. The movie could have used more of the cop-against-his-own-system and less of the contrivances and implausible melodrama from screenwriter George Nolfi (working from Gerald Petievich's novel).
First we're asked to believe that the first lady (an unusually demure Kim Basinger) is conducting an affair with the head of her Secret Service detail under the president's nose. That would be Pete and, yes, it's really Michael Douglas, but c'mon! The first lady and a Secret Service guy!
OK, let's move on to the murder of Pete's colleague moments before he was to share confidential information with Pete. The investigation falls to Breckinridge, who hates Pete's guts because he thinks Pete slept with his wife, whom he has since divorced.
An old informant of Pete's turns up with convincing evidence that a traitor exists within the Secret Service. That investigation gets folded into the murder inquiry just as Pete receives photos of him and the first lady in what used to be called "compromising positions."
Once Pete goes underground, the film picks up stream. Douglas is now free to be an action hero, while Sutherland makes an intriguingly conflicted nemesis. Along for the ride is a glamorous rookie agent played by Eva Longoria. (She keeps interrupting the trains of thought of all the male characters.) Martin Donovan, as the agent in charge of the president (David Rasche), holds down the fort with whimsical ambiguity, while the women -- Basinger and Blair Brown as the National Security Adviser -- get sidelined by the action.
"Sentinel" fails in comparison to the last really good Secret Service movie, Wolfgang Petersen's 1993 "In the Line of Fire" starring Clint Eastwood. There, the cat-and-mouse game between an agent and potential assassin dripped with believable character details without shortchanging action or suspense. Here, the filmmakers seem to feel this is an either/or thing. So they opt for action over character. Thus we never get to discover why such an exacting, conscientious guy as Pete is such a moral screw-up. That might have been the real guts to this movie.
This D.C./Toronto production does benefit from Gabriel Beristain's deep-color cinematography, Cindy Mollo's sharp editing, Andrew McAlpine's solid production design and Christophe Beck's rousing score.
THE SENTINEL
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises present a Further Films/New Regency production
Credits:
Director: Clark Johnson
Screenwriter: George Nolfi
Based on the novel by: Gerald Petievich
Producers: Michael Douglas, Marcy Drogin, Arnon Milchan
Executive producer: Bill Carraro
Director of photography: Gabriel Beristain
Production designer: Andrew McAlpine
Music: Christophe Beck
Costumes: Ellen Mirojnick
Editor: Cindy Mollo
Cast:
Pete Garrison: Michael Douglas
David Breckinridge: Kiefer Sutherland
Jill Marin: Eva Longoria
William Montrose: Martin Donovan
Handler: Ritchie Coster
Sarah Ballentine: Kim Basinger
National Security Adviser: Blair Brown
President Ballentine: David Rasche
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 108 minutes...
For all its D.C. trappings and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the White House, Secret Service and the Presidential Protection Division's elaborate, state-of-the-electronic-arts control center, "Sentinel" basically reworks every police thriller where a top cop falls under suspicion and must use the tools of his trade to prove his innocence while on the lam.
"You are chasing your worst nightmare," barks agent David Breckinridge (Kiefer Sutherland) as he sends fellow agents after Secret Service superstar Pete Garrison (Douglas), his former buddy and now greatest antagonist. Pete once took a bullet for President Reagan, but now he is being framed and blackmailed. So Pete must save his reputation and the president from assassination in a matter of hours.
The trouble is that the "worst nightmare" line comes past the halfway point. Getting there takes too much time and too many leaps of logic that never get closed in a final shootout that is a wee over the top. The movie could have used more of the cop-against-his-own-system and less of the contrivances and implausible melodrama from screenwriter George Nolfi (working from Gerald Petievich's novel).
First we're asked to believe that the first lady (an unusually demure Kim Basinger) is conducting an affair with the head of her Secret Service detail under the president's nose. That would be Pete and, yes, it's really Michael Douglas, but c'mon! The first lady and a Secret Service guy!
OK, let's move on to the murder of Pete's colleague moments before he was to share confidential information with Pete. The investigation falls to Breckinridge, who hates Pete's guts because he thinks Pete slept with his wife, whom he has since divorced.
An old informant of Pete's turns up with convincing evidence that a traitor exists within the Secret Service. That investigation gets folded into the murder inquiry just as Pete receives photos of him and the first lady in what used to be called "compromising positions."
Once Pete goes underground, the film picks up stream. Douglas is now free to be an action hero, while Sutherland makes an intriguingly conflicted nemesis. Along for the ride is a glamorous rookie agent played by Eva Longoria. (She keeps interrupting the trains of thought of all the male characters.) Martin Donovan, as the agent in charge of the president (David Rasche), holds down the fort with whimsical ambiguity, while the women -- Basinger and Blair Brown as the National Security Adviser -- get sidelined by the action.
"Sentinel" fails in comparison to the last really good Secret Service movie, Wolfgang Petersen's 1993 "In the Line of Fire" starring Clint Eastwood. There, the cat-and-mouse game between an agent and potential assassin dripped with believable character details without shortchanging action or suspense. Here, the filmmakers seem to feel this is an either/or thing. So they opt for action over character. Thus we never get to discover why such an exacting, conscientious guy as Pete is such a moral screw-up. That might have been the real guts to this movie.
This D.C./Toronto production does benefit from Gabriel Beristain's deep-color cinematography, Cindy Mollo's sharp editing, Andrew McAlpine's solid production design and Christophe Beck's rousing score.
THE SENTINEL
20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox and Regency Enterprises present a Further Films/New Regency production
Credits:
Director: Clark Johnson
Screenwriter: George Nolfi
Based on the novel by: Gerald Petievich
Producers: Michael Douglas, Marcy Drogin, Arnon Milchan
Executive producer: Bill Carraro
Director of photography: Gabriel Beristain
Production designer: Andrew McAlpine
Music: Christophe Beck
Costumes: Ellen Mirojnick
Editor: Cindy Mollo
Cast:
Pete Garrison: Michael Douglas
David Breckinridge: Kiefer Sutherland
Jill Marin: Eva Longoria
William Montrose: Martin Donovan
Handler: Ritchie Coster
Sarah Ballentine: Kim Basinger
National Security Adviser: Blair Brown
President Ballentine: David Rasche
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 108 minutes...
- 4/21/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Reflecting our nation's current ambivalence about the CIA -- which is neither as hostile as it was during and after the Vietnam War nor as gung-ho as it was in the early days of the Cold War -- "The Recruit" follows the lead of 2001's "Spy Game". The filmmakers strive for an old-fashioned spy thriller while acknowledging the immorality and cold-bloodedness demanded by the clandestine organization. The top-billed Al Pacino and Colin Farrell bring plenty of emotional oomph to their shallow and routine characters, but audiences may find these spy games somewhat disappointing.
The film's major twist is telegraphed early and often, so it hits with the impact of a soft pillow. The film's strength lies in director Roger Donaldson's depiction of the recruitment and training of potential CIA agents. This does generate dramatic heat, while an edgy romance between Farrell and fellow trainee Bridget Moynahan produces its own kind of sparks. All of which may add up to a modest boxoffice success.
Pacino's veteran agent Walter Burke has two maxims: "Trust no one" and "Nothing is what it seems". This goes double, of course, for audiences watching movie thrillers. However, the decision by writers Roger Towne, Kurt Wimmer and Mitch Glazer to allow Walter to repeat these phrases constantly, while feeding the overall atmosphere of paranoia, does undermine many of the film's double reverses.
Farrell's James Clayton, a computer whiz with an appealing rebellious streak, gets recruited by Walter, who shepherds him through training at a CIA boot camp called "the Farm." Walter lures James to the Company with the tantalizing prospect that his father, killed mysteriously in a plane crash in South America a decade earlier, was himself a "spook." This also fulfills the tried-but-true gambit of the veteran officer serving as a father figure to the green rookie.
All recruits eye one another nervously. James and fellow recruit Layla (Moynahan) quickly develop a hot-and-cold sexual attraction made all the more difficult by their re-education as liars and sneaks. Meanwhile, Zack (Gabriel Macht) arouses James' suspicions, possibly because he's too all-American blond. Their training sessions represent the film's strongest moments as everyone works to master the lethal arts. It's Harry Potter's wizards school for antisocial grown-ups.
Once the film abandons the Farm to move all the characters back to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., the film veers into a much more conventional mode. Plus, we're already prepped not to trust or believe anyone's mission -- not James', not Layla's and not, for that matter, Walter's.
Pacino has gotten to the point in his career that he can get away with a one-note performance such as this because he plays that one note so beautifully. It's terrific fun to watch him tear into his outsized character with such relish. Farrell has to work awfully hard to hold his own in scenes with Pacino. Not without his own charisma, however, Farrell does manage. Moynahan, meanwhile brings cool intelligence and heated eroticism to Layla, letting us read her enigmatic behavior more than one way.
Donaldson is slowly working his way through the federal government in search of thrillers. Having done solid and gripping films about the White House ("Thirteen Days") and the Pentagon ("No Way Out"), he certainly finds a new way to deal with the old war horse that is the CIA. (He may have his work cut out for him when he hits the Department of Agriculture, though.) But the script betrays him in the second half with sheer silliness. Spies talk to one another over the open lines of a cell phone, and an agent sneaks into another agent's office while she is at lunch. The third act of betrayal and double betrayal is such a foregone conclusion that even James and Layla getting back together after their romance down on the Farm adds little spark.
The film does benefit from Stuart Dryburgh's crisp lensing and Andrew McAlpine's meticulous renditions of such inner sanctums as CIA headquarters and the creepy realm of the Farm.
THE RECRUIT
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment
Credits: Director: Roger Donaldson; Screenwriters: Roger Towne, Kurt Wimmer, Mitch Glazer; Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Jeff Apple, Gary Barber; Executive producers: Jonathan Glickman, Ric Kidney; Director of photography: Stuart Dryburgh; Production designer: Andrew McAlpine; Music: KIaus Badelt; Costume designer: Beatrix Aruna Pasztor; Editor: David Rosenbloom. Cast: Walter Burke: Al Pacino; James Clayton: Colin Farrell; Layla: Bridget Moynahan; Zack: Gabriel Macht; Ronnie: Mike Realba.
MPAA rating PG-13, running time 115 minutes.
The film's major twist is telegraphed early and often, so it hits with the impact of a soft pillow. The film's strength lies in director Roger Donaldson's depiction of the recruitment and training of potential CIA agents. This does generate dramatic heat, while an edgy romance between Farrell and fellow trainee Bridget Moynahan produces its own kind of sparks. All of which may add up to a modest boxoffice success.
Pacino's veteran agent Walter Burke has two maxims: "Trust no one" and "Nothing is what it seems". This goes double, of course, for audiences watching movie thrillers. However, the decision by writers Roger Towne, Kurt Wimmer and Mitch Glazer to allow Walter to repeat these phrases constantly, while feeding the overall atmosphere of paranoia, does undermine many of the film's double reverses.
Farrell's James Clayton, a computer whiz with an appealing rebellious streak, gets recruited by Walter, who shepherds him through training at a CIA boot camp called "the Farm." Walter lures James to the Company with the tantalizing prospect that his father, killed mysteriously in a plane crash in South America a decade earlier, was himself a "spook." This also fulfills the tried-but-true gambit of the veteran officer serving as a father figure to the green rookie.
All recruits eye one another nervously. James and fellow recruit Layla (Moynahan) quickly develop a hot-and-cold sexual attraction made all the more difficult by their re-education as liars and sneaks. Meanwhile, Zack (Gabriel Macht) arouses James' suspicions, possibly because he's too all-American blond. Their training sessions represent the film's strongest moments as everyone works to master the lethal arts. It's Harry Potter's wizards school for antisocial grown-ups.
Once the film abandons the Farm to move all the characters back to CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., the film veers into a much more conventional mode. Plus, we're already prepped not to trust or believe anyone's mission -- not James', not Layla's and not, for that matter, Walter's.
Pacino has gotten to the point in his career that he can get away with a one-note performance such as this because he plays that one note so beautifully. It's terrific fun to watch him tear into his outsized character with such relish. Farrell has to work awfully hard to hold his own in scenes with Pacino. Not without his own charisma, however, Farrell does manage. Moynahan, meanwhile brings cool intelligence and heated eroticism to Layla, letting us read her enigmatic behavior more than one way.
Donaldson is slowly working his way through the federal government in search of thrillers. Having done solid and gripping films about the White House ("Thirteen Days") and the Pentagon ("No Way Out"), he certainly finds a new way to deal with the old war horse that is the CIA. (He may have his work cut out for him when he hits the Department of Agriculture, though.) But the script betrays him in the second half with sheer silliness. Spies talk to one another over the open lines of a cell phone, and an agent sneaks into another agent's office while she is at lunch. The third act of betrayal and double betrayal is such a foregone conclusion that even James and Layla getting back together after their romance down on the Farm adds little spark.
The film does benefit from Stuart Dryburgh's crisp lensing and Andrew McAlpine's meticulous renditions of such inner sanctums as CIA headquarters and the creepy realm of the Farm.
THE RECRUIT
Buena Vista Pictures
Touchstone Pictures/Spyglass Entertainment
Credits: Director: Roger Donaldson; Screenwriters: Roger Towne, Kurt Wimmer, Mitch Glazer; Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Jeff Apple, Gary Barber; Executive producers: Jonathan Glickman, Ric Kidney; Director of photography: Stuart Dryburgh; Production designer: Andrew McAlpine; Music: KIaus Badelt; Costume designer: Beatrix Aruna Pasztor; Editor: David Rosenbloom. Cast: Walter Burke: Al Pacino; James Clayton: Colin Farrell; Layla: Bridget Moynahan; Zack: Gabriel Macht; Ronnie: Mike Realba.
MPAA rating PG-13, running time 115 minutes.
- 1/21/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Eddie Murphy is a holy high roller in "Holy Man", a zany, if somewhat bland romantic comedy that satirizes cable TV shopping shows while working in a generally pleasing yuppie romance between Jeff Goldblum and Kelly Preston.
While "Holy Man" should ring up strong initial sales for Buena Vista based on Murphy's popularity, audience reaction is likely to be more lukewarm appreciative than ecstatic, especially once they realize that Murphy's comic role is actually the vehicle's third wheel and he never really takes his performance out of first gear. And he never even dresses down an oaf or bad guy with his lacerating wit or tongue.
In this generally delightful ditty, Murphy co-stars as G, a cue-bald, beatific pilgrim who traverses the byways of Miami, smiling gleefully and emitting, well, tranquility. Admittedly, such a posture can be downright scary in this day and age, especially if you're a stressed-out media person such as Ricky (Goldblum), a frazzled cable executive, and Kate (Preston), a green Ivy Leaguer who's been brought in by the network's disgruntled head (Robert Loggia) to improve sales and turn things around.
The distressed duo meet G, not cute but accidental, on a thoroughfare when he faints in reaction to Goldblum's hyper driving. In order to make things up to him, Ricky foots G's hospital bill (with worries of a lawsuit careening against his nerve ends) and befriends him. G unexpectedly shows up at the studio one day -- amid all the huckstering and selling of worthless products -- and wanders onto a live set.
The sight of this Gandhi-like smiler who dispenses serene advice, while disclaiming all the products, is a delight to the network's bored viewership -- the phones light up and sales rocket 30% in response to G's countercultural approach. Naturally, he's not the type of guy who ever aspired to become Barry Diller, so there is some hilarious reluctance on his part to take the gig.
We'll dispense with further plot exposition because you can see where this one is going already. Undeniably, "Holy Man" follows the gospel according to Capra and Sturges (including a climactic mea culpa by Goldblum) -- not an unwise path to follow when you're on the genre trail. Screenwriter Tom Schulman also layers in some thoughtful sermonizing on the vacuity of modern life, where consumerism has become an opiate to the yearning populace.
On the downside, Schulman's characterizations are uneven and inconsistent, reducing the depth of the comedy and message with herky-jerky personality inconsistencies. In addition, Stephen Herek's languid direction, while praiseworthy for its gentleness and good-natured delivery, could benefit from a snappier pace and delivery.
Throughout, the film's brainy screwball and slapstick elements are often deadened by the measured pacing -- cut 10 minutes off its 113 minutes and "Holy Man" would zing. Indeed, it's somewhat ironic that Caravan Pictures, inspired by Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels", would deliver a film with such an un-Sturges-like gait.
Verily, "Holy Man"'s viewing disciples will be largely pulled from those who appreciate its delicate, appealing performances. Goldblum is terrific as the conflicted TV executive, both grating and endearing. He's a font of insecurities and inglorious instincts, but he's also a sweetheart beneath it all -- a solid and credible comic character.
As the savvy media-ite, Preston fluidly overcomes her character's inconsistently written motivations, imbuing it with a frankness and likability that is smartly appealing. With his beatific beam, Murphy is a hoot as the comic innocent, but we miss his old deviltry in this one-dimensional part. Loggia, as the snarling barracuda TV head, is so ball-busting brazen that we think real-life bankers could be convinced to put together funds for his own shopping network.
Under director Herek's keen comic eye for character detail, technical contributions are highlighted by production designer Andrew McAlpine's droll, personality-catching adornments.
HOLY MAN
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Touchstone Pictures presents
in association with Caravan Pictures
A Roger Birnbaum production
A Stephen Herek film
Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Stephen Herek
Director: Stephen Herek
Screenwriter: Tom Schulman
Executive producers: Jeffrey Chernov, Jonathan Glickman
Co-producers: Ray Murphy, Rebekah Rudd
Director of photography: Adrian Biddle
Production designer: Andrew McAlpine
Editor: Trudy Ship
Costume designer: Aggie Guerard Rodgers
Music: Alan Silvestri
Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich
Sound mixer: Peter J. Devlin
Color/stereo
Cast:
G: Eddie Murphy
Ricky: Jeff Goldblum
Kate: Kelly Preston
McBainbridge: Robert Loggia
Barry: Jon Cryer
Scott Hawkes: Eric McCormack
Director: Sam Kitchin
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
While "Holy Man" should ring up strong initial sales for Buena Vista based on Murphy's popularity, audience reaction is likely to be more lukewarm appreciative than ecstatic, especially once they realize that Murphy's comic role is actually the vehicle's third wheel and he never really takes his performance out of first gear. And he never even dresses down an oaf or bad guy with his lacerating wit or tongue.
In this generally delightful ditty, Murphy co-stars as G, a cue-bald, beatific pilgrim who traverses the byways of Miami, smiling gleefully and emitting, well, tranquility. Admittedly, such a posture can be downright scary in this day and age, especially if you're a stressed-out media person such as Ricky (Goldblum), a frazzled cable executive, and Kate (Preston), a green Ivy Leaguer who's been brought in by the network's disgruntled head (Robert Loggia) to improve sales and turn things around.
The distressed duo meet G, not cute but accidental, on a thoroughfare when he faints in reaction to Goldblum's hyper driving. In order to make things up to him, Ricky foots G's hospital bill (with worries of a lawsuit careening against his nerve ends) and befriends him. G unexpectedly shows up at the studio one day -- amid all the huckstering and selling of worthless products -- and wanders onto a live set.
The sight of this Gandhi-like smiler who dispenses serene advice, while disclaiming all the products, is a delight to the network's bored viewership -- the phones light up and sales rocket 30% in response to G's countercultural approach. Naturally, he's not the type of guy who ever aspired to become Barry Diller, so there is some hilarious reluctance on his part to take the gig.
We'll dispense with further plot exposition because you can see where this one is going already. Undeniably, "Holy Man" follows the gospel according to Capra and Sturges (including a climactic mea culpa by Goldblum) -- not an unwise path to follow when you're on the genre trail. Screenwriter Tom Schulman also layers in some thoughtful sermonizing on the vacuity of modern life, where consumerism has become an opiate to the yearning populace.
On the downside, Schulman's characterizations are uneven and inconsistent, reducing the depth of the comedy and message with herky-jerky personality inconsistencies. In addition, Stephen Herek's languid direction, while praiseworthy for its gentleness and good-natured delivery, could benefit from a snappier pace and delivery.
Throughout, the film's brainy screwball and slapstick elements are often deadened by the measured pacing -- cut 10 minutes off its 113 minutes and "Holy Man" would zing. Indeed, it's somewhat ironic that Caravan Pictures, inspired by Sturges' "Sullivan's Travels", would deliver a film with such an un-Sturges-like gait.
Verily, "Holy Man"'s viewing disciples will be largely pulled from those who appreciate its delicate, appealing performances. Goldblum is terrific as the conflicted TV executive, both grating and endearing. He's a font of insecurities and inglorious instincts, but he's also a sweetheart beneath it all -- a solid and credible comic character.
As the savvy media-ite, Preston fluidly overcomes her character's inconsistently written motivations, imbuing it with a frankness and likability that is smartly appealing. With his beatific beam, Murphy is a hoot as the comic innocent, but we miss his old deviltry in this one-dimensional part. Loggia, as the snarling barracuda TV head, is so ball-busting brazen that we think real-life bankers could be convinced to put together funds for his own shopping network.
Under director Herek's keen comic eye for character detail, technical contributions are highlighted by production designer Andrew McAlpine's droll, personality-catching adornments.
HOLY MAN
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Touchstone Pictures presents
in association with Caravan Pictures
A Roger Birnbaum production
A Stephen Herek film
Producers: Roger Birnbaum, Stephen Herek
Director: Stephen Herek
Screenwriter: Tom Schulman
Executive producers: Jeffrey Chernov, Jonathan Glickman
Co-producers: Ray Murphy, Rebekah Rudd
Director of photography: Adrian Biddle
Production designer: Andrew McAlpine
Editor: Trudy Ship
Costume designer: Aggie Guerard Rodgers
Music: Alan Silvestri
Casting: Amanda Mackey Johnson, Cathy Sandrich
Sound mixer: Peter J. Devlin
Color/stereo
Cast:
G: Eddie Murphy
Ricky: Jeff Goldblum
Kate: Kelly Preston
McBainbridge: Robert Loggia
Barry: Jon Cryer
Scott Hawkes: Eric McCormack
Director: Sam Kitchin
Running time -- 113 minutes
MPAA rating: PG...
- 10/9/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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