Editorial
Front Page - Friday, December 10, 2010
The Critic's Corner
David Laprad
In “Faster,” Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson makes an overdue return to hardcore action. Although his charming personality and winning smile make comedies like “Tooth Fairy” and “The Game Plan” a good choice for him, I prefer him in movies like “The Rundown” and “Walking Tall,” in which he lets his fists to the talking. “Faster” affords him ample opportunity to demonstrate why it’s unfortunate to be on the receiving end of anything his appendages have to say.
His character is called Driver. In the opening scenes of “Faster,” Driver is shown pacing his jail cell, then rushing ahead of the prison’s guards as they let him out, and then running to a junkyard, where a car, driving directions and a gun are waiting for him. When Driver arrives at his destination, he barrels past the receptionist, finds his target and puts a bullet through the man’s skull.
At this point, the audience doesn’t know why Driver killed the man or what he plans on doing next. The only thing I’m going to reveal is that his first target wasn’t his last.
As Driver pursues his other marks, he also has to deal with an assassin and two detectives, one of which is surprisingly good at putting the pieces of the case together.
I can’t pretend “Faster” is a good movie. For starters, the dialogue is really, really poorly written. In one scene, the cop played by Billy Bob Thornton says, “I have a hunch,” and his partner replies, “So did Quasimodo, and look where that got him.” Ouch. Also, the plot is not only predictable, but also instantly forgettable. And director George Tillman Jr. seemingly tried to give the movie a visual style, but fell short.
That said, I liked “Faster.” The Rock is terrific, there’s a nicely shot car chase in which Driver drives backward through traffic to outrun the police and the characters have more layers than they should in a movie this superficial. I also like the scene in which “Faster” unexpectedly, but believably, does a 180.
It’s comforting to know The Rock can be merciful. He inspired me to be forgiving as well, which is why I’m recommending fans of revenge movies put “Faster” on their to-see list.
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Director Edward Zwick excels at creating effective moments in a movie, especially the kind that cause a tear to form in the corner of your eye and drop down your cheek. His latest project, “Love and Other Drugs,” in which a fast-talking but irrepressibly charming Viagra salesman played by Jake Gyllenhaal falls for an emotionally guarded victim of Parkinson’s played by Anne Hathaway, is packed with memorable scenes.
Some are funny, some are sad, but they all reveal the hand of a filmmaker who knows the map of the human heart.
There’s the moment when Jamie realizes he’s fallen in love with Maggie, even though they agreed their relationship would only be about sex, and he struggles to tell her.
It’s a great scene for Gyllenhall, who looks as though he’s having a panic attack as his character tries, for the first time, to tell a woman he loves her. I liked the way the movie built up to that moment in such a way that it’s impossible to know how Maggie, who’s made it to her late twenties without allowing a man to grow close to her, will respond.
There’s the moment when a doctor to whom Jamie is trying to sell an anti-depressant expresses his frustration over trying to take care of 50 patients a day while dealing with insurance companies that don’t want to pay him for his services, spouses that think they’re smarter than him because they read something on the Internet and the constant threat of a lawsuit.
I felt sorry for the guy until he agreed to start prescribing Jamie’s product because Jamie could get him laid.
Then there’s the moment when Maggie walks into a support meeting for Parkinson’s patients. Zwick apparently used real victims in the scene, which is as heart wrenching as it is manipulative.
I loved those moments. Unfortunately, they don’t add up to a cohesive whole. Zwick didn’t know if he was making a drama about Parkinson’s, a romantic comedy, a satire of the prescription drug industry, or a sequel to “American Pie.” (The movie’s vulgar humor clashes terribly with its tender moments.)
Moreover, he takes too many detours down irrelevant side roads and ends up allowing the story to waste away into a series of romantic comedy clichés, including Jamie’s obligatory sprint to catch up with Maggie near the end of the movie.
So, despite some wonderfully shaped moments and deeply affecting performances by Gyllenhall and Hathaway, “Love and Other Drugs” is a less than satisfying elixir, making it a rental at best.
Email David Laprad at dlaprad@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
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