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CRAZY ON YOU
At the risk of universal collapse, this week's
column includes NO documentaries. Instead, LPS
takes a look at three independent films with
protagonists who have such loose screws, said
screws screw up the lives of those around them.
THE KING (R) 2005. Transvestite, communist
revolutionary, priest, dogfighter: there isn't a
role Gael Garda Bernal won't take on. And when
he does it, he does it oh so well. Unfortunately,
Bernal's avarice and sex appeal can't save this ,
indie flop.
In James Marsh's The
King, a young Naval of
ficer finishes his tour of
duty and embarks on a
personal mission. The
son of a prostitute, Elvis
Valderez (Bernal, Amores
Perros) sets out to find
his estranged father, a
man known to him only
by name: David Sandow.
He drives to a commu
nity church in Corpus
Christi, TX, where David
(William Hurt), now a
pastor, preaches every
Sunday.
Sandow is less than The King
receptive to Elvis' revela
tion, having shoved his past under the rug for
many years. David's rejection doesn't deter Elvis,
though. Falling for his 16-year-old half-sister
Malerie (Pell James), Elvis seduces the young
girl and slithers into the Sandow family's life.
The two carry out a steamy, illicit affair until
Malerie's upright and earnest older brother, Paul
(Paul Dano, Little Miss Sunshine), confronts Elvis.
It's all downhill from there.
Despite Bernal's keen performance, Elvis' di
mensionless character fails to reveal any motive
for his malicious behavior, besides the obvious
"fatherless upbringing." He's an enigmatic bas
tard (pun intended) who has no qualms offing
people who get in his way. That's about as deep
as Marsh takes us into his protagonist's psyche,
and Elvis is whittled-down into a heartless paper
doll.
The King fumbles around the question of
whether or not anyone can get right with God,
whether God listens, or some similar socio
spiritual quandary. The
story fails to give a clear
answer, or any answer
for that matter, and the
result is a self-indulgent,
senseless tragedy, and
a very dry, slow-moving
one at that. Grade: D-
MRS. HARRIS (R) 2006.
She's come undone. An
HBO original film, Mrs.
Harris is based on the
eccentric Jean Harris
(Annette Bening), who
was accused of murder
ing her boyfriend, the
author of the bestsell- Mrs. Hams
ing Scarsdale Diet, Dr.
Herman Tarnower (Ben Kingsley). Harris claimed
the murder was a result of her botched suicide,
but the State of California disagreed.
Mrs. Harris opens with Jean's side of the story
in flashback. A failed attempt to reconcile with
Herman sends Jean into a suicidal tailspin. In a
desperate cry for help, she drives five hours to
his home and attempts to shoot herself in the
bedroom. When Herman intervenes, Jean's gun
misfires, fatally wounding the doctor. From there,
the film returns to the present-day trial, moving
back and forth between witness testimony and
scenes from Tamower's and Harris' rather loveless
courtship.
For a film about a homicide, Mrs. Harris is
rather light-hearted and quirky.
The disastrous chemistry is captured perfectly
by two veteran performers. Bening's portrayal of
the neurotic, insecure school teacher is uncanny
(earning her both Emmy and Golden Globe nods),
and Kingsley's execution of the self-centered,
womanizing egomaniac is as convincing as his
Gandhi (how's that for versatility?). Together,
they create an on-screen chemistry that comi
cally captures the codependency that kept the
couple's relationship afloat for years. Fun fact:
Ellen Burstyn was nominated for an Emmy for her
role as one of Tanower's ex-lovers, although she's
only onscreen for 11 seconds. Grade: B
SORRY, HATERS (NR) 2006. A Syrian chemist
working as NYC cabbie to support his sister-in-
law and nephew, Ashade (Abdel Kechiche) is
trying to get his Canadian-citizen brother out
of U.S. Government custody. He shares his story
with a late-night fare, a high-strung American
producer whose success includes reality series
"Sorry, Haters." The producer, Phoebe (Robin
Wright Penn), slowly lures Ashade "under her
wing" with promises of legal aid and amnesty.
Too late, he realizes Phoebe is using him for sin
ister (but unclear) intentions, and the innocent
cabbie is taken for a wild and deadly ride.
Director and writer Jeff Stanzler (Love Gets
You Twisted) is overambitious with his latest
dramatic endeavor. Sorry, Haters begins with an
interesting concept (a Syrian cab driver seeking
help from a self-centered, depressed television
producer), but it forces the audience to swallow
too many social issues at once: racism, paranoia,
terrorism and depression. Things spiral downward
so q Jckly, without any remnant of redemption,
that the result is an oversimplified shock film,
not far from the likes of Flowers In the Attic.
Criticism made, tne film is 83 minutes of en
tertainment, Wright Penn's performance is excel
lent, and the ending is disturbing and hilarious.
Grade: C-
Robin Geddie
18 FLAGPOLE.COM-JUNE 20,2007
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