If you try to forget the fact that you are actually watching Hoffman then you can enjoy certain parts of this film. It is disappointing to see a man who performed admirably in such great pictures as "The Graduate", "Papillon" and "Rainman" stoop so low as to accept a part in this second rate script.
There are lots of parts that I found un-enjoyable, including Davis' harangues and Hoffman's more than lame character, but it does have one or two saving graces. I like the many scenes with Hoffman that are not related to him being a hero, including steeling money from his lawyer, claiming that the homeless play the stock exchange, advising his son to "keep a low profile" and his many other moral philosophies on life. It is probably worth watching for these bits alone, in much the same way as it was worth watching "Conspiracy Theory" not for the main story, but for hearing Gibson's theories and seeing his lifestyle.
The main theme of the film does, however, get very old very fast. We know from the beginning that he wont get credit for his endeavour, but we find out that the guy who did is a far better bloke, so it is hard to feel sorry for Hoffman. It portrays the American public as being a stupid bunch of easily persuaded unimaginative sheep when it comes to role models, so I suppose that there is a message in it. Aside from the dialogue that he gets, we can see that Hoffman struggles to keep the film going, and the hollow script is barely enough to sustain the near 2-hour running time.
The Chevy Chase cameo, and seeing that guy "Bing" from Groundhog Day were mildly amusing, but really this film was of an largely banal nature. Possibly worth watching once, but that is about as strongly as I could recommend it.
There are lots of parts that I found un-enjoyable, including Davis' harangues and Hoffman's more than lame character, but it does have one or two saving graces. I like the many scenes with Hoffman that are not related to him being a hero, including steeling money from his lawyer, claiming that the homeless play the stock exchange, advising his son to "keep a low profile" and his many other moral philosophies on life. It is probably worth watching for these bits alone, in much the same way as it was worth watching "Conspiracy Theory" not for the main story, but for hearing Gibson's theories and seeing his lifestyle.
The main theme of the film does, however, get very old very fast. We know from the beginning that he wont get credit for his endeavour, but we find out that the guy who did is a far better bloke, so it is hard to feel sorry for Hoffman. It portrays the American public as being a stupid bunch of easily persuaded unimaginative sheep when it comes to role models, so I suppose that there is a message in it. Aside from the dialogue that he gets, we can see that Hoffman struggles to keep the film going, and the hollow script is barely enough to sustain the near 2-hour running time.
The Chevy Chase cameo, and seeing that guy "Bing" from Groundhog Day were mildly amusing, but really this film was of an largely banal nature. Possibly worth watching once, but that is about as strongly as I could recommend it.