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Slackers of Panama
We continue our script marathon today with a review of Slackers. Regular correspondent and movie columnist Hollyfeld does the duty of evaluating this college comedy. We also have a review of The Tailor of Panama by the column's resident film critic Q-Brick. I had the pleasure of reading the script to that film and I believe it will be a delightful little movie when it comes out. For tomorrow, we are working on a surprise... Another script review!!
A Script Review of 'Slackers'
"Hollyfeld, here. I've got a screenplay entitled Slackers, written by David H. Steinberg, with me today, although you may have heard of this film under different names. Most recently, Hooking Up Ethan (which hardly rolls off the tongue) was scrapped in favor of its original, more Linklater-esque title. Either way the name does not really matter, as this is a very witty and entertaining script that far surpasses most other comedies in the dying 'teen comedy' genre.
Slackers is the story of three college seniors who have managed to coast through every single class for the last four years. Hence, they are Slackers. Funny thing, though... all of these guys get fantastic grades, thanks to a variety of complex schemes (so complex, in fact, that they admit that studying would be easier). This is not hard to believe - I, too, have lived this lifestyle, and somehow managed to sneak out of high school as Valedictorian.
Go me.
Anyhow, the plot takes hold when Ethan (Jason Schwartzman), a local geek with horrible teeth, stumbles upon the evidence of one of their schemes and blackmails them into 'hooking him up' (hence the crappy ex-title) with the object of his obsession, Angela (James King). After some debate, Dave (Devon Sawa), Sam (Jason Segel), and Jeff (Michael C. Maronna) team up to satisfy Ethan's lustful urges, although one of them naturally falls in love with her...
David H. Steinberg has written a very successful screenplay that demonstrates a significant amount of intelligence and, sometimes, genuine heart. Slackers manages to negotiate around the popular comedy conventions (sweet, gross-out, sex farce), combining elements of each into a well-rounded script. There is one particularly entertaining moment of 'low-brow' humor involving a tender kiss and a lot of Sake which I will not ruin for you here - suffice it to say it is one of the script's several 'laugh out loud points.' The sexual jokes, usually involving the clearly perverse Ethan, are cleverly handled, though somewhat disturbing at one point in an old-folks' home. My personal favorite moments were those that featured a freeze-frame of the current scene and a voice-over by Dave. Normally, voice-over scenes are certain death in a script but in Slackers the dialogue is so snappy that it works. I am reminded (pleasantly) of Election, another recent film that works because, not in spite, of its narration. Another trap narrowly avoided was the use of movies to explain a character's point (used more and more ever since Scream) - Steinberg, while making several pop culture references in his script, only uses it in the Scream fashion once, and it becomes a key element of the film. Well done, Mr. Steinberg.
Which is not to say that Slackers is not without its flaws. Although some of the main characters, especially Dave, Sam (whose relationship together is pleasantly complicated, ridding us of the superficial 'best friends' problem), and Ethan (wonderfully vile), are well-written and clearly defined, others, particularly Angela and Jeff, seem to lack depth. Angela, although she is smart and sweet, claims to want a more rebellious paramour - this is never explored, but rather a bit taken for granted. Her character still works in spite of some superficiality, but one feels that there was more complexity to Angela that is simply never explored. Jeff, on the other hand, seems to serve less of a purpose than his roommates. Dave's 'slacker skill' is his uncanny ability to lie, while Sam's is his ability to concoct fiendish plans to get the trio's way. Jeff seems to have no real trait to bring to the group except for some vague danger-streak that is alluded to on occasion. His character, while having a few genuinely sweet moments with his friends, seems to exist primarily to make some quips and provide a third person to take part in the trio's plans. There is one particular instance late in the film in which he goes off on some sort of 'dream tangent,' entirely breaking the flow of the sequence, indicating that he had little else to do in the scene as well as breaking much of the sense of urgency that Steinberg had been building.
Slackers is a very entertaining entry into the teen comedy genre of late, and I must thank the author personally for coming up with an original storyline, and not just remaking Shakespeare, or Shaw, or Austen, or any other 'classic' story. Rather, Steinberg has come up with something that is his own. The result is a very good film that holds up well among any comedy of its type in recent memory. Honestly, if the production is handled well, this could be the most refreshing comedy since There's Something About Mary. It's a good script that I look forward to watching as a film."
(Review submitted by 'Hollyfeld.')
'The Tailor of Panama' Review
"Novelist John LeCarre is best known for deconstructing the spy thriller. When his Spy Who Came In Come From The Cold made it to the screen in the late 1960's audiences saw that the life of a spook was far from the sexy, martini-swilling adventures of a certain Mr. Bond. No, it was simply a job and a thankless one at that.
So, I was surprised to see Mr. LeCarre's name on the credits of the new John Boorman film. He's the Executive Producer of The Tailor of Panama based on his own novel. I was also surprised because this flick stars the usually debonair Pierce Brosnan. But this time around, Brosnan is having some fun in what turns out to be a very black comedy about the spy trade. Instead of Bondian suave we get him as Osnard, an obnoxious, greedy, chauvinistic operative who's been posted to the Isthmus of Panama to keep an eye on Her Majesty's interests and to stay out of trouble. Panama has now become an independent nation with shifting alliances and MI 5 wants to make sure they can anticipate those shifts.
Osnard believes he can nudge it back toward Western interests and sets his sights on Harry Pendel, a nebbish Savile Row tailor with a very impressive clientele, including the little country's President. Geoffrey Rush, as Pendel the tailor, sports a wonderful cockney accent and a nervous, knowing wink for all his customers.
Pendel has a idyllic life with two lovely children and a loving spouse (Jamie Leigh Curtis, flashing more skin than usual). Because of the tailor's shady past and his shaky financial status he is an irrisistable target for Osnard's scheme to uncover the next big political crisis....even if he has to create one. Lured by thick packets of cash, the tailor soon proves to be a valuable asset who hints that the country might be ripe for revolution. Soon, Osnard (Brosnan) is forcing Pendel (Rush) to meet him in a variety of seedy, out of the way sites hoping that no one will recognize them. They rendezvous in the red light district at one point and exchange information seated on a vibrating bed. A very funny moment.
Watching Brosnan play such an unsympathetic role, you can easily sense that he's missed really flexing his acting chops. If it wasn't for the paychecks, he wouldn't need to do another Bond film because he's so damn good in this one.
Of course, a story about a tailor involved in political intrigues gives way to all kinds of obvious symbolism about 'fabricating' plots or making things up 'whole cloth' but thankfully, director John Boorman avoids all of that. Boorman, who has directed some of my favorite films (Excalibur, Zardoz, Hope & Glory, The Emerald Forest) seems to thrive in these exotic locales. He's also one of the more intelligent film makers around and he shows it with his sure handling of this complex mix of vivid characters and swirling plot twists. This is, thankfully, a story that has not been dumbed-down but it does manage to deflate the romantic idea of being a spy."
(Review submitted by 'Q-Brick')
Stay tuned...
That's all folks...
Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
