"That's a nice-a donut."
Monday, April 18, 2005
Envy
Dear Barry Levinson,
What have you done? Is someone blackmailing you? Oh my, how far you have fallen! You were once an A-list director with such greats as Diner, The Natural, Bugsy, your Academy Award-winning peak in Rain Man, not to mention your role as a producer on the wonderful Homicide: Life on the Street television show. And now you give us... Envy, about a man who invents a miraculous spray that vaporizes animal poo and begins filthy rich off it. Meanwhile, his friend becomes jealous of his success and crazy hijinks ensue.
Barry, you just wasted nearly two hours of my life. Envy is a truly horrid movie. The plot is one of the stupidest I've ever seen, and the actors just go through the motions as if they were in prison during the shoot. Jack Black, who I normally like, is downright annoying and wholly unfunny as the poo spray creator. Ben Stiller, who I usually like in these more restrained roles (such as in There's Something About Mary), is a complete waste as the envious friend. Christopher Walken gives us a been-there done-that performance as yet another crazy wacko, though he does give us perhaps the film's only laugh.
This felt like one of those awful Saturday Night Live movies, where a slightly funny 5 or 10 minute skit is somehow made into a feature-length film. I weep for the days of smart(er) comedies. Because I'm in a generous mood - The Verdict: D.
Michael Bentley 3:33 PM
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