Being a big fan of Mat Dillon's acting style, I was really curious to see him in this movie.
Dillon plays a constantly nervous man called Randy. The movie opens with him confessing all his problems to a calm, gambling person called Burmeister, played by Michael Douglas. Randy meets a beautiful woman - Jewel, played by Liv Tyler, who puts him into a lot of trouble, involving a murder and plenty of robberies.
One Night at McCool's has that typical comedy style, quickly unfolding the story, mixing it with characters who act unnatural, but after all, you still laugh at times, gaining respect for all those good actors, seeking for some genre variety.
Matt Dillon's comic performance is quite successful. I never thought he could be funny again after There's Something About Mary, but it turned out he could. He recreates his character with a lot of enthusiasm. As a matter of fact, he might very well be considered the highlight of the movie. There are a couple of hilarious scenes with him. The way he utters his lines is great. There is that moment when a thief enters Randy's place and forces him to hand over the car keys and Dillon's character responds "I don't have a car". The reaction of the thief, and the whole moment of spoiling the little seriousness is just hilarious.
The plot is more of a self-parody than witty and creative. Paul Reiser, for example, plays the most eccentric character in the whole movie. He is Randy's cousin. His character is given present day story all the way from the third act. Before that, there is a spread segment of him, having a hilarious dialog with a shrink. Reiser is very funny in this one. A good cast decision.
Aside from all those positive things, One Night at McCool's is far from being a flawless comedy. The second act is rather boring and unfunny. Sex jokes repeat one after another in different context. I definitely hated the John Goodman's character - a cop who falls for Jewel and threatens Randy with jail as being the prime suspect for a murder. Michael Douglas, another surprising cast choice for such film, also doesn't fit in the whole story. His character has very few lines until the third act, which is ridiculous for an actor of such magnitude.
One Night at McCool's is great entertainment, but be sure you're not watching it for the cast. Dillon and Reiser are very fresh, but Douglas and Goodman are offensively unfunny. If you think you've never seen them in bad roles, avoid this flick. If you need a good laugh, One Night at McCool's is the right choice.
Dillon plays a constantly nervous man called Randy. The movie opens with him confessing all his problems to a calm, gambling person called Burmeister, played by Michael Douglas. Randy meets a beautiful woman - Jewel, played by Liv Tyler, who puts him into a lot of trouble, involving a murder and plenty of robberies.
One Night at McCool's has that typical comedy style, quickly unfolding the story, mixing it with characters who act unnatural, but after all, you still laugh at times, gaining respect for all those good actors, seeking for some genre variety.
Matt Dillon's comic performance is quite successful. I never thought he could be funny again after There's Something About Mary, but it turned out he could. He recreates his character with a lot of enthusiasm. As a matter of fact, he might very well be considered the highlight of the movie. There are a couple of hilarious scenes with him. The way he utters his lines is great. There is that moment when a thief enters Randy's place and forces him to hand over the car keys and Dillon's character responds "I don't have a car". The reaction of the thief, and the whole moment of spoiling the little seriousness is just hilarious.
The plot is more of a self-parody than witty and creative. Paul Reiser, for example, plays the most eccentric character in the whole movie. He is Randy's cousin. His character is given present day story all the way from the third act. Before that, there is a spread segment of him, having a hilarious dialog with a shrink. Reiser is very funny in this one. A good cast decision.
Aside from all those positive things, One Night at McCool's is far from being a flawless comedy. The second act is rather boring and unfunny. Sex jokes repeat one after another in different context. I definitely hated the John Goodman's character - a cop who falls for Jewel and threatens Randy with jail as being the prime suspect for a murder. Michael Douglas, another surprising cast choice for such film, also doesn't fit in the whole story. His character has very few lines until the third act, which is ridiculous for an actor of such magnitude.
One Night at McCool's is great entertainment, but be sure you're not watching it for the cast. Dillon and Reiser are very fresh, but Douglas and Goodman are offensively unfunny. If you think you've never seen them in bad roles, avoid this flick. If you need a good laugh, One Night at McCool's is the right choice.