Despite Jack Nicholson being an A-list actor, somehow "Man Trouble" is a film that flew under the radar....hitting theaters and leaving them very quickly. And, after watching it, I can see why it's one of his lesser-known films...the script is simply a mess. It's a shame, as the characters were interesting and unusual.
Describing the plot isn't easy, as there are MANY story elements, goofy characters and plot twists. Joan (Ellen Barkin) is being stalked by some maniac. But instead of going to the police, she consults a dog trainer with protection dogs. Harry (Nicholson) insists that his dog can protect her...and soon, with little warning, Joan and Harry become lovers...which is a problem since Harry is already married and he failed to tell Joan this.
At the same time, there's a disjoint plot involving Joan's sister (Beverly D'Angelo)...a kooky lady with strange tastes in men. Her boyfriend (Harry Dean Stanton) really started to seem interesting....but his character was WAY underdeveloped. Suffice to say, he's rich....and a bit scary.
While these disparate story elements are in themselves interesting, together they just don't work. Characters come and go and seem way underwritten and the ending just made no sense at all. In fact, the script seems much like it was filmed in the middle of a re-write...like it wasn't quite finished and all the plot elements not completely worked out in the story. A confusing mess at times...and a waste of interesting characters played by amazing actors.
Describing the plot isn't easy, as there are MANY story elements, goofy characters and plot twists. Joan (Ellen Barkin) is being stalked by some maniac. But instead of going to the police, she consults a dog trainer with protection dogs. Harry (Nicholson) insists that his dog can protect her...and soon, with little warning, Joan and Harry become lovers...which is a problem since Harry is already married and he failed to tell Joan this.
At the same time, there's a disjoint plot involving Joan's sister (Beverly D'Angelo)...a kooky lady with strange tastes in men. Her boyfriend (Harry Dean Stanton) really started to seem interesting....but his character was WAY underdeveloped. Suffice to say, he's rich....and a bit scary.
While these disparate story elements are in themselves interesting, together they just don't work. Characters come and go and seem way underwritten and the ending just made no sense at all. In fact, the script seems much like it was filmed in the middle of a re-write...like it wasn't quite finished and all the plot elements not completely worked out in the story. A confusing mess at times...and a waste of interesting characters played by amazing actors.