Change Your Image
jens1966
Reviews
Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999)
Drop Dead Boring
I laughed out loud watching this movie--ONCE. And I forget what scene it was... A friend lent me this DVD, telling me it was hilarious. I can't believe I wasted 1 1/2 hours of my life on this! And don't tell me I "Don't get the jokes"!!! A five-year-old can get the hackneyed jokes in this thing! But if you can't get enough of mundane stereotypes, by all means, watch this movie! This film pokes fun at Mid-westerners, women, Christians and more, in the most obtuse, unimaginative, witless ways! The plot is slow and weak. Don't get me wrong, I love dark, irreverent humor if it's well-written and well-acted. This movie is not an example of either. I cringe to hear it mentioned in the same breath as Best In Show and Spinal Tap! If you feel they are on par with this movie, you mustn't have very discriminating taste.
Liam (2000)
One dimensional, hackneyed melodrama
My first question after seeing this film was, "Why is the title LIAM?" If the intent was to tell a story from the boy's perspective, it was not carried out well. Of course there was the formulaic use of camera angles in the boy's scenes, but much of the crucial action took place outside of his field of view. Having a "main" character unable to speak (obviously suggesting the mute, powerless position of a child) makes it difficult to give that character much depth.
Melodrama is defined as: "dramatic or other literary work characterized by the use of stereotyped characters, exaggerated emotions and language, simplistic morality, and conflict" LIAM fits this definition to a T. The viewer is hit over the head with the typical stereotypes of the fire and brimstone Catholic Church in the stern school marm and the well-fed priest squeezing money from parishioners. (A stereotype which is becoming very tiresome.) What's more--the Jewish characters are money lenders and factory owners!
Much of the film was predictable...Who didn't think that we'd see Theresa scrubbing the toilet after her mother had told her "No daughter of mine will scrub another woman's toilet!" I'm a fan of British realism if it's done well. In my opinion, LIAM is not.