With the
possible exception of "Ed Wood," I have never
laughed harder at any movie, and believe me,
that's a feat. At most comedies, I sit still,
and smile when something funny happens. So you
can imagine my surprise when I began to really
laugh during this movie! Many critics have
described "MIB" is an amusing piece of fluff,
but I truly disagree! I love this movie!
The story is about a police officer (Will Smith,
proving that he CAN act) who, in the process of
chasing down a criminal, discovers a conspiracy
by evil aliens. Soon, he is in the company of
Agent K (Tommy Lee Jones, underplaying his role
with a certain mastery), a strange individual
who exposes to Smith that thousands of aliens
live among humans. He is an agent for The Men in
Black, a secret agency (so secret, that the
government is even unaware of it) that monitors
the immigration of aliens on to earth and acts
as a security team to take down the nasty
critters that arrive every so often. So our
average cop is invited to join MIB, and he
accepts. His existence is erased entirely. All
of his records are destroyed, his fingertips are
burnt off, and he receives a new name, Agent J.
His first assignment: Work with K and locate an
insane alien "bug" that has disguised himself as
a redneck farmer (Vincent D'Onofrio, obviously
having a wonderful time).
What makes "MIB" such a hilarious, wonderful
story, is not slapstick comedy, or obvious,
stupid humor, but a casual, and almost realistic
look at what this world may be like. One of my
favorite parts:
AGENT J: So, what you're telling me, is that
those UFOs at the World's Fair are real? You'd
think anybody would ever notice?
AGENT K: Of course not, why else do you think we
hold it in Queens?
I shows us society in a twisted, bizarre way.
That guy walking down the street may appear
human, but he is actually a refugee from the
planet Glooplokkiuian and he is actually an 8
foot tall squid monster who only wants to raise
his family in peace.
But what truly makes the humor work, is the
perfect chemistry between Jones and Smith. Jones
is quite possibly one of the greatest
straight-men who have ever lived, and Smith is a
very funny man. So we watch, amused, as Smith
rants about something, and Jones watches,
obviously irritated by his younger partner. It's
perfect.
When the day is over, the sun has set, and we
all slip underneath the warm covers of our beds,
two things are true: Big Brother is watching us,
and "Men In Black" is a comic achievement.
©
Written by Jacob Hall
TC Candler's Comment
n/a
Richard
Propes' Comment
n/a
