So you're telling me it's a film about a "psychic" and a "paranormal detective" and the primary thrust is NOT that they are con artists? I'm thinking of an eight letter word that starts with "b" and ends with "t." Do you know what word I'm thinking of? Oh my gosh, you must be psychic, too! It's actually worse than that, though. Countless are those pictures that operate in a space of the supernatural and fantastical, and we accept the premise as a part of the unwritten social contract of suspension of disbelief that comes with engaging with fiction. However, I don't think Ivan Reitman pretends to have sought the advice of literal spirits of the dead when he made 'Ghostbusters,' any more than Steven Spielberg claims he talked to dinosaurs before he made 'Jurassic Park.' The fact that folks involved with this flick employed the services of self-proclaimed "psychics" by way of "consultation" and "research" speaks to the earnestness with which the participants approached the material, and wow, all of a sudden 'Second sight' faces not an uphill climb to earn my favor, but a vertical one.
And you know, despite that, it was still possible that I might have liked this. Exorcism and "ghost-hunting" are pure bunkum, too, yet if the writing is sharp enough then entertainment supersedes disbelief. Unfortunately, the screenplay credited to Tom Schulman and Patricia Resnick is a dud. At its best it tries to emptily mimic Reitman's biggest legacy; Wilbur Wills is a dead-ringer for Peter Venkman, Preston recalls Ray Stantz, and Bobby McGee is Louis Tully if Rick Moranis was channeling Pauly Shore. In both the scene writing and Joel Zwick's direction this also commonly tries to capture the same tone as 'Ghostbusters,' and the same energy, and sometimes it almost directly lifts some beats or visuals. For good measure, throw in nonsensical "psychic" jargon that, instead of being invented for yucks, was culled from those "consultations" and that "research" in an effort to allude to as much woo, flimflam, and pseudoscience as possible. But at its worst the script is just lousy, and this applies to the supposed substance of the story - or rather, the lack thereof, as the plot is very thin, very unconvincing, and at times nearly incohesive - and of the intended comedy. Some bits come close to earning a laugh, sure. As the saying goes, however, "close" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
The best thing this feature has going for it is the cast. Bess Armstrong, Stuart Pankin, John Larroquette, and especially Bronson Pinchot give highly animated performances that fully embrace the most raucous spirit of the proceedings, and the personalities of their characters. Setting aside pretty much everything else about the movie, Pinchot is so tremendously lively, and gives himself over so freely to whatever a scene demands, that I'm astonished he never achieved far more significant success as a comedic actor. I would go so far as to say that Pinchot, leading the charge, is actually the one major reason anyone might have to watch this. It's certainly not the lackluster situational humor, middling gag writing, or iffy dialogue, let alone the toilet humor, the puerile sex jokes, or the tinges of racism, sexism, or homophobia. In fact, there are considerable portions of 'Second sight' that are nothing more than the extra-lazy writer's cop-out - the unsophisticated childishness of "Look at that silly man! Haha! Isn't he so silly?" with no otherwise cleverness attached - with "psychic" babble layered on top, and this is supposed to earn laughs. It doesn't.
Zwick's direction is technically capable but dull and unimpressive. The practical stunts and effects are terrific, but we can get these almost anywhere, and the post-production additions are subpar and outdated by 6-10 years. This is fine in terms of other work turned in by crew operating behind the scenes, but such facets alone cannot save a title. Plagued above all by highly questionable writing, the sorry truth is that 'Second sight' never really had a chance. The cast gave it their all, and I salute them, but this is so mediocre that I must assume even those folks who fervently believe 100% in psychic activity would be unamused and turned off. There are aspects of this that are straight-up bad, but that's not the case overall. Overall, the film is just so incredibly weak that it falls perfectly flat, and all the best efforts of the stars amount to too little. I guess I'm glad for anyone who does enjoy this, but as far as I'm concerned 'Second sight' isn't remotely strong enough to even bother mentioning, let alone recommending. Ah well, such is life.
And you know, despite that, it was still possible that I might have liked this. Exorcism and "ghost-hunting" are pure bunkum, too, yet if the writing is sharp enough then entertainment supersedes disbelief. Unfortunately, the screenplay credited to Tom Schulman and Patricia Resnick is a dud. At its best it tries to emptily mimic Reitman's biggest legacy; Wilbur Wills is a dead-ringer for Peter Venkman, Preston recalls Ray Stantz, and Bobby McGee is Louis Tully if Rick Moranis was channeling Pauly Shore. In both the scene writing and Joel Zwick's direction this also commonly tries to capture the same tone as 'Ghostbusters,' and the same energy, and sometimes it almost directly lifts some beats or visuals. For good measure, throw in nonsensical "psychic" jargon that, instead of being invented for yucks, was culled from those "consultations" and that "research" in an effort to allude to as much woo, flimflam, and pseudoscience as possible. But at its worst the script is just lousy, and this applies to the supposed substance of the story - or rather, the lack thereof, as the plot is very thin, very unconvincing, and at times nearly incohesive - and of the intended comedy. Some bits come close to earning a laugh, sure. As the saying goes, however, "close" only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades.
The best thing this feature has going for it is the cast. Bess Armstrong, Stuart Pankin, John Larroquette, and especially Bronson Pinchot give highly animated performances that fully embrace the most raucous spirit of the proceedings, and the personalities of their characters. Setting aside pretty much everything else about the movie, Pinchot is so tremendously lively, and gives himself over so freely to whatever a scene demands, that I'm astonished he never achieved far more significant success as a comedic actor. I would go so far as to say that Pinchot, leading the charge, is actually the one major reason anyone might have to watch this. It's certainly not the lackluster situational humor, middling gag writing, or iffy dialogue, let alone the toilet humor, the puerile sex jokes, or the tinges of racism, sexism, or homophobia. In fact, there are considerable portions of 'Second sight' that are nothing more than the extra-lazy writer's cop-out - the unsophisticated childishness of "Look at that silly man! Haha! Isn't he so silly?" with no otherwise cleverness attached - with "psychic" babble layered on top, and this is supposed to earn laughs. It doesn't.
Zwick's direction is technically capable but dull and unimpressive. The practical stunts and effects are terrific, but we can get these almost anywhere, and the post-production additions are subpar and outdated by 6-10 years. This is fine in terms of other work turned in by crew operating behind the scenes, but such facets alone cannot save a title. Plagued above all by highly questionable writing, the sorry truth is that 'Second sight' never really had a chance. The cast gave it their all, and I salute them, but this is so mediocre that I must assume even those folks who fervently believe 100% in psychic activity would be unamused and turned off. There are aspects of this that are straight-up bad, but that's not the case overall. Overall, the film is just so incredibly weak that it falls perfectly flat, and all the best efforts of the stars amount to too little. I guess I'm glad for anyone who does enjoy this, but as far as I'm concerned 'Second sight' isn't remotely strong enough to even bother mentioning, let alone recommending. Ah well, such is life.