Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by jamesgarvin (A) on August 07, 2006 at 08:20:59

Nicolas Cage plays a television weatherman. On camera, he is alive, photogenic, basically a together kind of guy. Off camera, his marriage is over, he is distant with his kids, his father, a brilliant writer and Pulitzer Prize winner, disapproves of his career, because he is not a meteorlogist, and he is literally the target of passersby throwing debris such as shakes, sandwiches, etc. at him. The perfect argument for people who make a lot of money, but are still failures.

This is a film that relies upon the skills of the actors to be successful, because what happens is not naturally funny, but becomes funny in the right hands. The film plays a series of events rather than pursuing a finale'.

Michael Caine plays Cage's disapproving father. Caine plays precisely the right notes in communicating disapproval without saying a negative word to Cage. How he recites lines is far more important that what he says. His reactions when Cage cannot get him a simple cup of coffee are a perfect example.

Cage is divorced, but never gives up trying to reclaim his family, who live in the nice big house they shared. Trying to build a relationship with his daughter, he takes her to an archery center. He and his ex-wife go to a counseling session, they play a trust game, which he violates. It seems because he is drawn to failure.

Which Cage plays better than anyone. Is there any actor that can play a looser so well that we end up liking and sympathising so much? The film is hard to describe, because it is not about anything in particular, but rather is basically a series of bad events in the life of a man for whom life is too easy. A man who merely reads what others write, and gets paid handsomely.

It is not a depressing film. I laughed a lot. A liked the way that Caine, the proper, educated Englishman, talked to Cage throughout the film. I liked the way that Cage cared so much for his children, tried so much to help, but often fell short of the mark, often hilariously, as when his daughter tries to shoot a bow and arrow, or positively when, while in New York, he buys her a new wardrobe because her classmates refer to her as cameltoe, and she has no idea the meaning.

The film is crisply directed by Gore Verbinski, who brought us Mouse Hunt (argh), The Time Machine (really argh), and Pirates of the Caribbean (fun romp). Here he shows us he can crisply direct a character driven drama devoid of special effects. The scene in which Cage recounts being pelted by different forms of waste was very funny because of the way that Cage presented the scene, but also because of the camera choices that were made in framing the scene.

If you are looking for a film that is a little dark, with some dark humor, well acted and scripted, then I recommend this film.