Blu-ray Review: Election (1999)

Tracy Flick Won't Let a
Presidential Inauguration Get In Her Way
Pick Flick on Blu-ray
1/20/09

Already Available

Director Alexander Payne

Note:
Sideways Hits Blu-ray on 2/3

Author Tom Perrotta

Following the earlier comparison to Lucy in the Peanuts Cartoon Strip which called up images of the know-it-all bossy girl who ran an advice stand and dominated her male friends, after Alexander Payne's 1999 release of his cult favorite independent comedy Election, it seems as though every woman running for political office is compared to the film's fictional overachiever Tracy Enid Flick. For proof, enter in a female candidate's name and Tracy Flick on YouTube or turn on any major cable news channel and let the sexism rip.


Embodied by Reese Witherspoon in the film that launched her from supporting roles into the commanding Oscar winning presence she would become, Election garnered Ms. Witherspoon a Golden Globe nomination for her pitch perfect performance.

If Charlie Brown's Lucy isn't your thing, to put it bluntly, Tracy Flick is the brand of Type A, unrelenting ball-buster that makes men-- much like her film nemesis, the popular teacher turned selfish saboteur Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick playing the type of man that Ferris Bueller would've hated)-- both infinitely nervous and cross their legs. Thus, like McAllister, they'll do anything to crush her by any means necessary.

Payne's Election-- an unceasingly dark and satirical take filled with unsympathetic characters-- was inspired by the '98 novel by Little Children author Tom Perrotta who based his book on What Makes Sammy Run?, the '92 Bush/Clinton/Perot election and an incident where a Wisconsin high school faculty member burned winning ballots to prevent a pregnant student from becoming prom queen.

And although it's revealed that in the book, Tracy is far more attractive (with some phrasing quoted by Wikipedia that recalls Nabokov's Lolita) and there are major differences in plot concerning what happens to the ensemble characters, Payne and co-writer Jim Taylor pushed their version to the edge.

While it was released within a few years of the terrifically sunny take on high school-- Amy Heckerling's Jane Austen Emma inspired Clueless and Wes Anderson's humorous, melancholy, yet heartwarming Rushmore-- Election is a film for which it's truly hard to vote.

Despite the first-rate performances and writing--we're torn as we watch McAllister's unraveling personally and professionally as he persuades a dumb but sweet jock (Chris Klein in his first role) to run against the dedicated but friendless Tracy whose affair with his colleague destroyed him forever. Yet, by never truly giving us someone with which to empathize, we're a bit baffled by the overall mean-spiritedness of the purposely ugly feature that seems to specialize in finding the worst angles and most repulsive aspects of humanity to magnify.

It's a similar problem I had with the joyless and equally misanthropic About Schmidt and although I greatly admired Payne's sharp Citizen Ruth and still feel that Sideways was one of the best mature comedies of the last few years, I realize that no matter how many times I try and revisit Election as years go by (and this could very well be my eighth viewing), I evaluate more films, and gather more life experience, I still can't completely recommend it.

Finding humor in misery and appalling actions obviously exaggerated to effect-- while Payne's penchant for pain works exceedingly well in places such as showing the actual ugliness of teachers who have affairs with students as Tracy's instructor (in flashback) seduces her to Lionel Ritchie in his house with baby toys in the family room after a heart to heart at a pizza joint, most of the time we're not sure just what the director's attitude is about the story he's aspiring to tell.

Broderick completely breaks free from the stereotype of his youth as an '80s icon (as he did in Helen Hunt's superb Then She Found Me and the recent Magnolia film Finding Amanda which benefited mostly from his unscrupulous turn ) and I can't think of any other actress better suited for the manipulative, cutey-pie, fast-talking Flick than Witherspoon who seems to be taking a cue from Faye Dunaway in Network mixed with an Avon lady (which seems fitting because Witherspoon is now the face of Avon).

But, it must be said that for women, the film was essentially one step forward and two steps back. As recent as last week in the event of Caroline Kennedy's withdrawal for consideration for New York office (whether one agrees or disagrees with her campaign to take office in the first place is unimportant), political pundits on news channels began tossing around comparisons to Tracy Flick, just as they had for the women preceding her including Sarah Palin and Hillary Rodham Clinton (who was endlessly dubbed Flick).

Would Payne's Election have been as successful or memorable as if Broderick was trying to take down an overachieving male or is there something subconsciously rooted deep within us that finds the idea of super ambitious Type A women especially dangerous and worth ridiculing? Additionally, you have to wonder why women must try so very hard to compete and why even at times we turn on each other to do so, labeling one another Tracy Flick. I have my theory and the answer is that the fault lies not in Election's frequent use of the biblical metaphor involving the Apple or Eve but that the fault is directly Adam's (ahem, or McAllister's and by extension Payne's) in this particular case.

It's these questions that are well worth considering whether you love the film and/or hate it, just as one needs to question the choice of making the rest of the female characters mostly unlikable as well as Klein's trouble-making lesbian sister played by Jessica Campbell stereotypically tries to get even for a broken heart, Broderick's wife basically uses him as a stud endlessly hoping to get pregnant, and he goes after his colleague's ex and now sex-starved wife.

Still it must be said that one cannot argue that Broderick is the most reprehensible character of the lot. Yet foolishly there were some critiques that raised questions as to which character was worse-- Flick or McAllister that are just plain ridiculous as one was a child and one an adult authority figure. And willing to take the brunt of the blame as the film's idiot, Broderick is photographed in incredibly unflattering ways in the movie as he urinates on an apple tree as aforementioned, apples are used throughout as another Adam/Eve sexist metaphor as is the battle between Tracy who represents Coca Cola and McAllister who represents Pepsi. Despite this, Election is decidedly slanted in its portrayal of women who dare to dream.

And even if they annoy the hell out of us in the process with endless buttons and cupcakes like Flick, again and maybe it's unfortunate that this Blu-ray is released following a national election (and on the President's Inauguration no less) where sexism definitely played a role in media coverage-- ultimately, we must ask just how much of Tracy being a female is why the film is deemed so incredibly "funny" and why she's considered so "shrill."

Transferred to high definition-- while clarity is improved-- the color quality was always meant to be muted and purposely drab and ugly so the Blu-ray isn't overly impressive or necessary when compared to its DVD counterpart, especially considering that the sole extra feature is filmmaker commentary that runs throughout, making it unworthy of an upgrade unless you're a fan purchasing the film for the first time.

House Bunny (2008)

Even Elle Woods couldn’t “bend and snap”
this film into a success.

Director: Fred Wolf

In screenwriting team Karen McCullah Lutz and Kirsten Smith’s big screen adaptation of Amanda Brown’s novel Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon taught Jennifer Coolidge (a.k.a. Stiffler’s mom) how to “bend and snap” men into submission by offering them the most flattering view of their figures. However, while Witherspoon’s ditzy character’s transformation from sorority bimbo to Harvard law student garnered critical acclaim and award nominations, in recycling their Blonde script into the far more degrading House Bunny, McCullah Lutz and Smith offer us a film that’s all about the proverbial “bend” with none of the refreshing “snap” of Blonde’s witty dialogue. Although I didn’t worship Legally Blonde as much as most viewers, I still feel it’s a frothy, forgettable, and escapist film that served its purpose brilliantly in making us laugh after the tragic events of 9/11 (when it was re-released specifically for that purpose the second time that year) mostly due to Witherspoon’s undeniable charm.

Cut to seven years later and likewise the similarly themed Bunny benefits from the vastly underrated Anna Faris. She first caught my attention with her scene-stealing turn in Lost in Translation (until I realized that Sofia Coppola most likely modeled her on Cameron Diaz which makes the caricature seem a bit mean-spirited) and later impressed me again as one of the brightest additions to the final season of television’s hit show Friends.

In Strange Wilderness director Fred Wolf’s House Bunny (produced by Adam Sandler’s Happy Madison Productions), Faris is cast as Shelley Darlingson, a Playboy Bunny who’s ousted from Hef’s mansion the morning after she turns twenty-seven. No longer able to lounge around in bikinis at the pool, flirt with celebrities, shop on Hef’s dime or drive the company’s pink Prius, Shelley eventually lands in jail after being mistaken for a prostitute, which offered the writers the first opportunity to gently season their lighthearted comedy with a subtle commentary about Playboy’s objectification of women, yet they missed the mark completely.

Of course, after they’ve turned from ugly ducklings to Spice Girls, Shelley and the girls realize that inner beauty is what counts and in a perfunctory fashion the screenwriters try to work in this message half-heartedly far too late into the picture. Ultimately even the likable Anna Faris can’t make up for House Bunny’s complete lack of respect for the intelligence of its audience and especially its narrow and sexist view of women and men alike.

Let’s just say that McCullah Lutz and Smith may joke via Shelley that they “know what boys like,” but obviously they don’t know what thinking men and women like. And as a feminist who not only adores men but as a film lover — who has a circle of mostly male friends — I’m proud to say that a large majority of both genders will find this ridiculous. However, as a woman and one individual, I can only speak for myself in saying that when it comes to representing our gender, I rank McCullah Lutz and Smith in the same regrettable company as Dr. Laura along with the contestants on The Bachelor, Wife Swap, and America’s Next Top Model.

This is especially unfortunate as Faris, a sunny, guileless beauty who will do anything for a laugh, tries her hardest to make the script work, playing her role as a sort of cross between Marilyn Monroe and Judy Holliday. It’s definitely most notable when we realize that as a Playboy Bunny she’s never actually been on a real date and struggles with coming on first too ridiculously sexy and then as a faux intellectual. For the fullest effect, check out these priceless clips as she tries to win over Colin Hanks’ (yes, the son of Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks) earnest do-gooder over the course of two monumentally awful dates.

Date 1:

Date 2:

And you know it’s bad when Hugh Hefner earns the most audience sympathy in a few choice comedic scenes and our romantic leading man plays a character so one-dimensional, he may as well have just been dubbed “Shelley’s Date” instead of even given an actual name. Although he’s had little opportunity to prove himself in other work, Hanks is likable (it runs in his family after all) so therefore it’s woefully unfortunate that the writers were so compelled to include a romantic subplot that they didn’t even try to offer us anything new, creating yet another one of these bland, interchangeable, asexual, and neutered romantic comedy males (think Michael Vartan in Never Been Kissed or Mark Ruffalo in 13 Going on 30). I couldn’t help but think that the film would’ve benefited from deleting his character altogether and making it solely about Shelley’s Pygmalion-like journey with the other girls as they each begin to bring out the best in one another. Although that wish was dashed from the start when it begins structured like a fairy-tale without a trace of irony with Hef’s mansion as the film’s version of a royal palace and Shelley’s ultimate goal to become a centerfold.

Admittedly, as ultimately a sorority plot-driven film, I knew it wouldn’t be as bold or daring as the Christina Ricci independent vehicle Pumpkin which found her superficial character overcoming prejudice in falling for a mentally disabled athlete. But after viewing these two early House Bunny scenes of Faris and the girls (shown below), I was sorely disappointed that when you have a cast filled with talented stars including both Emma Stone and Kat Dennings, it’s a shame that more wasn’t done with the young women’s storyline other than forcing Stone to go through a humiliating “sacrificing of the virgin” jello lava slide into punch at an Aztec-themed party.

Introductions:

Clubbing:

Therefore, all in all, while Witherspoon’s Elle Woods will never be mistaken for a celebration of sexual equality, compared to Shelley Darlingson, she seems like a modern-day version of Gloria Steinem. And while I have no doubt that some will call my reaction to the film overly harsh and typical of my gender (and I predict, to misquote the title of Paul Thomas Anderson's 2007 epic, "There Will Be Comments"), I must assure you that it has nothing to do with those facts nor that as the same age as Shelley’s character, I’m not upset that the film informed me that I’m fifty-nine in bunny years.

No, instead, I just feel that wisdom should go along with age and no matter how old you are in bunny years, you’ll take it upon yourselves to seek out just what makes something truly funny and heartfelt for both men as well as women. And as Elle Woods might say, may I be as bold as to suggest going for something with much more “snap,” and a bit less “bend?”

Flawless (2008)

Director:
Michael Radford

We open in a newsroom several years ago: Overlooking the fact that the only other woman on the floor was sitting at the reception desk, I fought that familiar battle between anxiety and adrenaline while being ushered across the floor of a major American newspaper (which shall go nameless) for what at that point, I perceived would be one of the most important interviews of my professional career. Feeling incredibly insecure but infinitely glad that I opted to wear a feminine yet conservative suit, I recalled my father’s advice to smile while always looking men directly in the eye as I shook the editor’s hand, again choosing not to dwell on the fact that-- as someone who still occasionally gets carded at R rated movies-- he was obviously disappointed by my youthful appearance that didn’t match my overflowing resume. Immediately relieved to see a second male with a far friendlier face enter the room, it dawned on me they’d be playing good editor, bad editor, however, I was incredibly unprepared when bad editor’s eyes methodically looked me up and down-- dwelling uncomfortably long on my legs—and his tone changed as he stared me dead in the eye, charging, “Do you even read the paper, honey?” While it was far more subtle than the words of a former (and shockingly) female boss who told me I’d been hired because as opposed to those who seem inherently “back office,” I looked like a “front desk girl,” I was still so taken aback by what I assumed must be a joke that my first instinct was to laugh before he confirmed his seriousness with an eye-roll and more condescension. Realizing with pity what it must be like for the poor receptionist who I made sure to nod at in solidarity later, I decided the interview was a waste and gave bad editor an equally leveled look, telling him honestly that I did read his paper occasionally but frankly, I preferred The New York Times. And although the good editor hid his smile well and seemed not only genuinely impressed by my moxie but amused enough to walk with me after the interview was over, needless to say, I wasn’t shocked when my phone didn’t ring with a lucrative offer from bad editor.

While admittedly... baby, we’ve come a long, long way from the rampant sexism of the 1950’s and 60’s, the glass ceiling as most recently referenced by Hillary Clinton hasn’t been shattered yet and if you ask most women honestly, chances are they all have at least one story to tell that’s similar to the anecdote I just shared. Therefore it only takes a few minutes of director Michael Radford’s Flawless for us to instinctively rally behind actress Demi Moore’s character Laura Quinn, an Oxford educated American woman who works as the only female manager at the London Diamond Corporation in 1960. With a nonexistent personal life and always the first to arrive and the last to leave the office of back-slapping, two faced, witless joke telling colleagues whom one can best sum up as sort of a British, wealthy, highly intelligent version of the popular colloquialism “good ol’ boys” when it comes time for promotions and vice presidencies, the brainy and richly deserving Laura has been passed over six times in the last three years. Shortly after her latest snub, Laura finds herself propositioned by an unlikely ally in the form of Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), a loyal night janitor who teases her with clichés such as “fortune favors the bold” before suggesting she sublimate the need for revenge and benefit financially at the same time by banding together to steal a thermos full of diamonds from the corporation. First casting the idea aside altogether, Laura has a change of heart when Hobbs learns her position within Lon Di is no longer secure and soon enough the two plot to pull off the heist which evolves with dangerous challenges as security cameras are installed inside the corporation and more secrets are revealed.

Intriguingly and atypical for the heist genre, the cool, unemotionally involving Flawless becomes downright irresistible following what should’ve been its climactic theft as an unexpected twist is introduced and Caine’s character morphs into one finally worthy of the great actor’s talents. Although director Radford’s Flawless isn’t in the same league as his critically acclaimed Oscar favorite Il Postino or the unforgettable 1984, and first time screenwriter Edward Anderson weaves in a few modern and politically topical plot revelations that make it seem a bit anachronistic and unbelievable, it’s wonderful to see the former A list leading lady Demi Moore in something that gives her much more room to shine than as exploited forty plus eye candy in Charlie’s Angels 2.

With the warning that it’s a rather methodical and creaky roller coaster, taking a good forty to fifty minutes of climbing uphill before it finally thrills us on the ride down, Flawless plays even better on the small screen and should make it all the more successful on DVD than it was theatrically, especially for those of us still dizzy from a long day in the unceasing theme park we call the concrete jungle.

Sense & Sensibility (2008)

Director: John Alexander

When it comes to the men of Austen, Pride and Prejudice’s Mr. Darcy has always been in a class by himself. Occasionally he's proven far more memorable than some of the scribe’s heroines, yet when critics and devotees turn their attention to Sense and Sensibility, there’s a nearly universal dissatisfaction with the novel’s dull yet loyal Colonel Brandon who nonetheless manages to secure the affections of the young, spirited Marianne Dashwood. Typically-- due to both their similarities in temperament and their estimable age of mid to late thirties-- Brandon is lumped together with Emma’s Mr. Knightley who often scolds the precocious matchmaker with schoolmarm styled dialogue such as “Badly done, Emma. It was badly done, indeed.” Yet despite the fact that Knightley is consistently deemed preferable to Brandon, to me Emma’s beau seems about as sexy as a collections agent (except when portrayed by Jeremy Northam in the ’96 adaptation) and while-- granted-- neither man is in Darcy’s league, Brandon always seemed like my kind of guy. Trying to validate this belief became a much harder case to make in Ang Lee’s stunning ’95 cinematic version penned by Emma Thompson when the ages of nearly every character (save for Kate Winslet’s Marianne Dashwood), were increased and Brandon was portrayed by Alan Rickman a.k.a. the villainous star of Die Hard who thereafter had a recurring role in my childhood nightmares. However, even though he was brought to life by the man who would become Harry Potter’s Snape, there was always something about his chivalry, his obvious affection for Marianne and the fact that, in stark contrast to his usually dour exterior, he seemed to grow more joyful when in close proximity to her positive, passionate demeanor that genuinely touched my heart.

This is augmented considerably in director John Alexander’s gorgeous Masterpiece Theatre miniseries Sense and Sensibility, which recently made both its television and DVD premiere thanks to the good folks of PBS and the BBC. Startlingly sensual from the start as we’re introduced to the story via a love scene-- for a moment, I wondered if screenwriter Andrew Davies (who penned the best Austen adaptation with the BBC Pride and Prejudice miniseries starring Colin Firth) had picked up the right book. Although quickly we’re pushed headfirst into the familiar tale of the serious, practical and protective Elinor Dashwood (The Bank Job’s Hattie Morahan) and the fiery roughly seventeen year old Marianne (Charity Wakefield)-- two close yet decidedly different sisters who along with their mother (Tumbleweeds and Songcatcher star Janet McTeer) and much younger sister Margaret (Lucy Boynton) are left nearly penniless after their father dies and his estate and fortune are left in the hands of their greedy half-brother and his manipulative Lady Macbeth styled wife, aptly named Fanny.

While Fanny takes an instant dislike to the women, her charming brother Edward Ferrars (Dan Stevens) arrives for an overdue visit and proceeds to form an attachment to Elinor that troubles both Fanny and the Dashwoods when the overly polite Edward and soft-spoken Elinor fail to make any concrete plans regarding marriage. Not so subtly kicked out by Fanny, the Dashwoods retreat to the country when they’re offered assistance and a humble cottage from Sir John, a relative of their mother’s whom she’s never met and find themselves instantly welcomed by not only Sir John and his wife but John’s dedicated thirty-five year old friend Colonel Brandon (The Other Boleyn Girl’s David Morrissey).

Admirably and perhaps indicative of the fact that screenwriter Davies is male, we’re given a greater glimpse into the male characters and dynamics in the film as Brandon is positioned more as a kind, unlikely soul mate than his usual label as an old, tired boor. In sharing with Marianne a genuine love of music and books and eagerly surprising her with sheet music, Davies sets the two of them up nicely until the oblivious Marianne who’s mistaken his generosity for friendship turns her attentions to the Austen’s quintessentially sexy bad boy Willoughby (Dominic Cooper from The History Boys and Mamma Mia!). While those familiar with the rascally Willoughby know exactly where this is headed, it’s great fun to watch another reinvention of the classic that invites comparisons to Ang Lee’s sumptuous classic and at the same time also adds more dimension to the tale in its inclusion of more scenes taken directly from the novel that strengthen characters' motivations.

Clocking in at three hours, surprisingly Alexander’s amiable (as Austen would say) adaptation never ceases to impress. While the talented but under-utilized and erroneously cast Hattie Morahan makes a weaker Elinor than Emma Thompson-- and there’s no replacing the Oscar nominated Kate Winslet-- the film’s real revelation comes in the astute portrayal of Charity Wakefield as a more earnest and relatable Marianne who nearly ignites on screen with fevered passion and becomes even stronger when sharing scenes with Cooper (predictably) but even more so when partnered with Morrissey. Granted as someone in the character’s age bracket it pains me to say that the obvious difference in the ages may not benefit the argument that Brandon is the right man for Marianne in the staunchest critics. However, given the benefit of the adaptation’s length and making his character feel more alive and less one dimensional, perhaps even his fiercest detractors will have to admit that when all is said and done, there’s just something about Brandon after all.

In other words, "Nicely done, Davies. It was nicely done indeed."

What Love Is

Director: Mars Callahan

In The Tao of Steve we learned that guys don’t do opera, in Swingers we learned that every guy needs a wingman and in the movies of Kevin Smith, we learned that guys gossip more than a sorority. Yet, having worked in the theatre, I can confidently tell you that unless they’re desperately trying to woo a date or are over the age of 55, straight guys seldom do theatre.

With undoubtedly this in mind and in an effort to blend theatre together with Swingers and Chasing Amy, writer/director Mars Callahan got in touch with his inner screwball and served up What Love Is, a film so foul it would make Kevin Smith blush and one where dialogue whips by so quickly that the Gilmore Girls heroines would tell them to slow down for fear of a speeding ticket. A raunchy hybrid of sitcoms and confessional theatre and set during a particularly raucous Valentine’s Day night, nothing about this wicked talk-a-thon feels authentic as audiences find themselves half expecting applause or canned laughs after certain punchlines and characters actually enter the room on cue like Norm on Cheers or Kramer on Seinfeld.

When he discovers empty closets and suitcases by the front door, Tom (Cuba Gooding Jr.) reads the obligatory Dear John letter left for him by his girlfriend who’s decided to walk out on him after three years of cohabitation and realizes that in addition to his heartbreak, he must contend for an impromptu party he’d obliviously decided to throw to celebrate what he’d hoped would be his engagement.

Before the other guests arrive, his four boyhood friends trickle in one-by-one (and always on cue) and, with their varied outlooks and attitudes offer Tom advice and speeches for the film’s opening forty minutes that seem so loud, chaotic, and lewd, one wonders if Callahan, perhaps budget strapped, offered a bonus to whichever actor can deliver his monologues the fastest, thereby saving precious film stock and shortening the running time to roughly ninety minutes.

Matthew Lillard sets the film’s tone early on as the self-described misogynistic and homophobic Sal who, saddled with the film’s most shocking yet memorable lines, attacks his character with a ferocity I didn’t realize the actor had in him and it’s easy to imagine that his agent will be mailing his entire opening segment to David Mamet in the hopes of scoring a role as one of the prize-winner’s legendary boors.

In fact, Lillard is so repugnant yet compulsively fascinating that the other actors are nearly helpless in his wake, although the fault seems to lie largely in the script which finds Andrew Daly faced with portraying a one-note, ridiculously penned gay stereotype, Sean Astin relegated to portraying a Birkenstock wearing, granola eating New Age hippie tired of always being labeled as the friend to beautiful women and the writer/director, who turns in a nice performance in an uninteresting role as the happily married Ken.

How and why these characters still remain friends is a mystery as San Francisco Chronicle’s Peter Harlaub memorably described his view of the group by asking viewers to “imagine if the pack from 'The Breakfast Club' were still stuck in detention twenty years later.” While they repeatedly explain that they’ve known each other since grade school, the men in What Love Is prove just as often that they haven’t evolved much since then and it’s all the more apparent when, almost halfway through the film women begin arriving at the party (played by Gina Gershon, Anne Heche and others) and as they walk through the door, must endure starring in a stripper fantasy.

Of course, women and men are as different as Mars and Venus as the media will constantly remind so with little in the way of explanation, Callahan gives the women an abridged opportunity to delineate their own pet peeves and attitudes about dating, love and sex by placing them in the bathroom (of course) where they prove that women can be just as crude as the guys. Again as Hartlaub explained, “If you’re in your late thirties and still trolling for hookups in trendy bars, these characters will probably speak to you. If not, you’re almost certain to find them annoying.”

In other words, consider this reviewer annoyed and while I held out hope that once the two sexes would coexist in the same scene, sparks and words would begin flying, the film’s final act proves to be its most lifeless when cliché induced unsatisfactory conclusions are reached. As rude and clipped as the opening forty minutes were of the film were, had Callahan kept up the pace and managed to write the rest of the supporting players with as much force as he did for Lillard’s Sal, it may have been a successful melding of theatre and film, yet as released and given a bland title destined to blend into the video store shelves, there’s not much to love about What Love Is.

The Tollbooth

Director: Debra Kirschner

You may want to dub this one Feminist on the Roof but there’s no telling what Fiddler’s Tevye would have made of Sarabeth Cohen (Marla Sokoloff), the young art school graduate struggling against her parent’s adherence to Jewish tradition as she tries to navigate through The Tollbooth.

While Norman Jewison’s landmark musical Fiddler on the Roof served as Tollbooth’s primary inspiration in offering audiences a modern tale of three sisters who “attempt to redefine the parameters of their culture,” as writer/director/producer Debra Kirschner explains on the film’s official website (thetollboothmovie.com), her story is uniquely contemporary and tinged with the filmmaker’s feminist sensibility.

After returning to her Brooklyn nest following college graduation before artistic differences and Sarabeth’s anger towards parental censorship of her politically charged artwork prompts her escape, twenty-two year old self-described “feminist artist” and activist Sarabeth moves in with her medical student sister Becky (Liz Stauber) to weigh her options. While her loyal boyfriend Simon (Rob McElhenney) seems all too willing to compromise his art and settle down in his native Pennsylvania working a regular nine to five job, Sarabeth rails against conformity. Accepting part time work as a cater waitress, she decides to spend more time painting and pounding the gallery pavement, receiving one very memorable critique that while feminist anger is out, cynicism-- as long as one keeps with the times-- never goes out of style.

Meanwhile Sarabeth, who questions, “What is the point of being chosen when you have no choices?” gets frustrated by the old fashioned traditions kept up by her mother Ruthie (Tovah Feldshuh) who seems all too ready to take a submissive attitude towards women’s work, and her quote happy father Isaac (a terrific Ronald Guttman). In keeping with her belief that New York is the capital of attitude, Sarabeth has more than enough attitude to go around and it’s precisely this bratty, unattractive sense-of-entitlement worsened by her obliviousness to respecting the fact that her relatives both paid for her education and our housing her all the while having to put up with her absence of gratitude that made her, in my opinion, the least likable character in the bunch.

Far more fascinating are the two older sisters in the film, namely model daughter Becky who is as devout as her parents but trying to meld her religious upbringing with her newfound realization that she is a lesbian as well as the talented Idina Menzel who plays the married, pregnant Raquel, who seems to be an intriguing blend of her two parents.

Unfortunately, as Sarabeth’s story gets the most screen time, it bogs down Kirschner’s clever set-up by way of the film’s ultimately clichéd coming-of-age paradigm, making it an average success bolstered only by the expert supporting turns. Although it took four years to make its DVD premiere, Kirschner’s high definition video labor of love was a modest success in the east coast film festival circuit, debuting at the Hamptons International Film Festival following its 2004 production.

Prairie Fever

Directors: Stephen Bridgewater & David S. Cass Sr.

“Hell, that ain’t nothin’ but a bunch of women,” a bemused villain surmises in figuring out the best way to rob a small wagon-bound party heading for Carson City in this surprisingly entertaining made-for-cable western just released on DVD. In what can best be described as a B movie version of a tale probably better suited for old dime western novels of the early 1900’s, we’re introduced to familiar characters and situations in the film’s opening sequence as Sheriff Preston Biggs (Kevin Sorbo) accidentally guns down his wife while trying to stop a criminal holding her hostage.

Cut to two years later and he’s become the town drunk, practically renting one of the stools at the Pure Luk Saloon (intentionally spelled wrong in honor of the proprietor Luk). After an obligatory bar fight lands the sheriff in jail with a hefty two hundred dollar bill to cover both the damages and his past due bar tab, Preston reluctantly accepts a week long assignment to bring three mail order brides stricken with prairie fever (a.k.a. mental instability) to Carson City's train station.

Soon saddled with the strangle-happy Lettie (Jillian Armenante), the hellfire and brimstone scripture quoting Blue (Felicia Day), and the sweet but terrified Abigail (Dominique Swain), Preston finds he’s gained a fourth traveler when the beautiful no-nonsense con-woman Olivia (Jamie Anne Allman) overhears Abigail’s irrational screams and intervenes on her behalf with a pistol, only to find herself discovering a maternal attachment to the young bride as well as a surprising interest in Preston. Having fled her former controlling male partner, Olivia talks her way into the wagon and provides both added danger in the form of her ex Monte James (Lance Henriksen) and a helpful ally and conscience as she and Preston begin to make inroads with the young women and learn what has driven them batty.

With an emphasis on sensitivity and character development that, as The New York Times wrote, does make for some pretty awkward dialogue that no cowboy would have been able to pull off, this nonetheless unusual and passable western benefits from the inclusion of four worthwhile female roles. Thankfully with a running time of roughly ninety minutes, Prairie Fever isn’t given the opportunity to overstay its welcome and it’s perhaps due to its brevity that the film’s (many) flaws are hidden, yet it’s sure to entertain those who scour used book racks looking for old fashioned tales of the west and those who appreciate a slightly modern take on a popular (and admittedly trite) western plot.

An American in China

Director: Ron Berrett

While the title An American in China may indeed be forgettable, one has to admit, it’s probably a better choice than "Love in the Time of Outsourcing" yet the unlikely merging of romance and outsourcing comprise the plot of director Ron Berrett’s independent film.

James Snyder stars as David, a twenty-two year old recent Stanford University graduate, whose aimless plans to promote beach volleyball as a valid sport and negotiate a relationship with his vain, promiscuous on-again, off-again lip gloss obsessed girlfriend take a backseat to family duty when his dad urges him to head to China to explore the prospect of building a factory there for their toiletry product empire. Quicker than you can say, this film is about to go down the drain in a series of overly cheesy, hip and tired clichés including an obligatory slow-motion car wash scene with David’s bimbo sister, the required funny best friend, and a lame beach volleyball fight (all of which would probably have been vetoed from Beverly Hills, 90210), Berrett’s An American in China saves itself when it takes David out of the states and outsources the plot to China.

First hit with the culture clash of an entirely different society in Shanghai, David is even more shocked when he’s brought to a remote village seemingly untouched by modern technology where the film becomes a nice hybrid of a coming-of-age plot blended with a fish-out-of-water tale. Romance is thrown into the mix as David begins to find himself falling for the beautiful, intelligent, and hardworking Mei. Played by a winningly earnest Sun Fei Fei, it's Mei, a factory employee who is trying to fulfill her dream to attend Beijing University while balancing her own ambitions with her loyalty to her loving family, who helps David to realize that there is quite a difference between simply being a dreamer and trying to achieve a dream.

Seemingly inspired by The Graduate with a bit of Lost in Translation thrown in for good measure, amazingly, much is gained with the translation as the film’s tone shifts from gently moving and bittersweet overseas to generically one-dimensional and lowbrow whenever it touches American soil. While the evening news and major public opinion might tell a completely different story, in the world of Ron Berrett’s An American in China, the success comes from outsourcing and those who can overlook a frightfully disastrous opening will find themselves delighted by his story of David and Mei.

Man Trouble

Director:
Bob Rafelson

The concept alone is guaranteed to make you smile—an opera singer and a guard dog trainer fall in love. After being burglarized and the victim of disturbing phone calls, opera singer Joan Spruance (Ellen Barkin) finds herself in the market for a rented security dog and enlists the help of shady philandering Jack Nicholson, who despite already being married to his Asian land lady whom he calls Iwo Jima (even in marital counseling), becomes entangled in the mystery surrounding Spruance.

When Joan’s sister Andy Ellerman (Beverly D’Angelo) lets Joan stay in her home while she’s away for foot surgery and in the middle of shopping around her tell-all-book about her marriage to scandal prone businessman Redmond Layls (Harry Dean Stanton), Joan tries to escape her perpetual stalker as well as play detective once Andy goes missing.

Originally written in the 1970’s by Carole Eastman as a project to reunite her with both Bob Rafelson who directed her landmark script Five Easy Pieces and the film’s star Jack Nicholson, delays set in and various actresses including Meryl Streep were attached until it was made in the early 90’s with Nicholson staying true to revive Eastman and Rafelson’s careers (IMDb). Despite the film’s mostly disastrous reviews and the way it pales in comparison to the masterpiece Five Easy Pieces, I found it to be an above average romantic comedy made fresh by its Raymond Chandler inspired film noir plot and inventive bursts of humor, although the finished result and rushed conclusion proved to make Man Trouble a bit uneven in tone.

Eventually the “four or five volatile personalities” involved in the filmmaking process prompted Eastman to share that she wouldn’t make another film with Rafelson and the screenwriter told The Washington Post that she was disappointed by the film also acknowledging its trouble in having a male filmmaker carry out her vision. She concluded that “a male director has a very different set of eyes and experiences, which lead to distortions in the translation,” and despite the fact that as I’d mentioned, the film’s uneven tone shifts from flighty, screwball and breezy to dark and cynical back and forth throughout as if it’s a tennis match, fans of Jack won’t want to miss it.

Caramel

Director:
Nadine Labaki

Delightful, surprising foreign sleeper from first time director Nadine Labaki finds the filmmaker doing triple duty as a co-writer and the enchanting lead of the Roadside Attractions release Caramel. An official selection at the Toronto International Film Festival as well as Lebanon’s cinematic submission to the Best Foreign Language Film Category of the 80th Academy Awards, Labaki takes what in another’s hands may have been a typical chick flick set up of five Lebanese women who live and work in or around a beauty salon in Beirut and turns it into a charming, bittersweet tale of love, self-discovery and gender equality without once getting sappy or falling into a stereotypical “you go girl” paradigm.

Labaki stars as the gorgeous Layale, a single beautician famous for her caramel waxes that keep her Beirut clients smooth and hair-free who finds her own life tangled up by her devotion to her married lover that seems all the more magnified when contrasted by her engaged best friend and coworker Nisrine (Yasmine Elmasri) as they approach Nisrine’s nuptials. Rounding out the group is the shy and loyal Rima (Joanna Moukarzel) who unexpectedly forms a romantic attachment to a stunning client as they bond over sensuous hair-washing, the aging, struggling actress Jamale (Gisele Aouad) who fights against time to stay young and perky to compete with unrealistic standards of beauty in her profession and feel worthy as a woman, as well as the women’s seamstress neighbor Rose (Sihame Haddad) who, after years of taking care of her senile elder sister Lili (Aziza Semaan) finds herself faced with a last chance for love.

Likably engrossing as well as alternately sweet and heartbreaking, Labaki’s Caramel offers a brilliant showcase for its multitalented writer/helmer/performer and also serves as a much needed cinematic offering to women around the globe who, given the last overwhelmingly testosterone fueled year at the movies, deserved something intelligent and refreshing and something that-- similar to the experience clients have when leaving Layale and Nisrine’s salon-- of feeling beautiful and valuable for themselves as women of worth.