By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 2.5 cats
Director: Billy Morissette
Starring: Christopher Walken | James LeGros | Kevin Corrigan | Maura Tierney
Country: united_states
Year: 2002
Running time: 104
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0265713
Hilary says: “I commented a bit about this film a couple of weeks ago. I agree that it never quite comes together, despite some decent performances. I particularly enjoyed Maura Tierney as the bitter ‘Lady’ to James LeGros’ Macbeth. Her double-knits and gigantic plastic jewelry were groovy and you believed she was going to claw her way to a shag-carpeted ranch house with above-ground pool no matter who was in her way. I generally enjoy James LeGros (one of those great character actors who is in EVERYTHING) and agree that he was a little goofy here, but it was convincing that it was Pat who was the real driving force in his life. The hippie trio was less than compelling, particularly the constant over-the-top presence of Andy Dick, but there were many solid performances in what ultimately becomes a wholly character-driven experiment.
“See it if you’ve got some extra viewing time at the end of the year, but don’t go out of your way. ”
Jeff says: “Here’s an outlandish idea: Set Macbeth in a Pennsylvania diner in the mid-1970’s and play it for laughs. That’s the conceit director Billy Morrisette asks us to accept in this mix of dark and oddball comedy.
“Joe ‘Mac’ Mcbeth (James LeGros) and his wife, Pat (Maura Tierney), work as fry cook and waitress in Norm Duncan’s restaurant. After tipping off Duncan that the restaurant’s manager is dipping into the till and seeing him fired, they expect that Mac will be promoted to manager. Instead, Duncan makes him assistant to Malcolm, Duncan’s son, who has no interest in running the restaurant; he’d rather play bass in a rock and roll band. Pat, with some supernatural help from a trio of stoner hippie witches, sets the plot in motion by convincing Mac that they need to bump Duncan off and take over the restaurant.
“There are some entertaining performances (Christopher Walken, in particular, as a cornball vegetarian detective) and a bitchin’ AOR soundtrack featuring Bad Company’s greatest hits, but the plot veered so dizzily from dark to corny to straight drama, I could never decide how I was supposed to feel about the characters, and, I’m sorry, but LeGros, with his big, square teeth and Prince Valiant haircut, is just too goofy looking to pull off the brooding and dark title character.” 2 1/2 cats