I'm
surprised.
Truly. I had low expectations for
"Paparazzi," but found myself consistently
engaged in the film and involved with the
characters even when the film's core messages
didn't quite resonate with me.
"Paparazzi" was produced by Mel Gibson's Icon
Productions, the same outfit that brought us
"Passion of the Christ." This film, in some
ways, was trying to crucify the paparazzi while
painting a saintlike image of the celebrities
who experience them. It's that message that
didn't quite resonate with me, and yet the
script, by Forrest Smith, contains a few smart
choices.
First, we have a relatively "new" celebrity
here...we have a man in an action film from
Montana who is married and has a child...we have
it played out not just from a paparazzi angle,
but from the angle of one bad encounter leading
to a vengeful paparazzi...and then a vengeful
actor. So, the storyline contains more than just
"poor celebrity". While it doesn't negate the
impact of the celebrity angle, it does soften
the blow.
Cole Hauser does a nice job as the celebrity in
question, and Robin Tunney turns in a good
appearance as his wife. Hauser, who I've never
really seen actually act almost reminded me of a
Charles Bronson in "Death Wish." He has a gruff
exterior...gets wronged...and works to get even.
It's an unexpectedly solid performance. Tunney,
in a less developed role still intrigues and
does what she can here.
I will confess that I was troubled by the role
of Tom Sizemore as the primary paparazzi out to
destroy Hauser. Sizemore, who happens to be
fairly known for his own domestic violence
issues in real life, is effective here but
almost seemed a bit restrained. If I were him,
I'm not sure this is the kind of role I'd have
taken.
In other supporting roles, Dennis Farina does an
extremely good job as a sympathetic detective
along with other paparazzi including Daniel
Baldwin, Tom Hollander and Kevin Gage.
There were problems here...and they nearly
dropped this film into the "C" range for me.
First, with the exception of one celebrity
cameo, the bit part/cameos here seemed out of
place. First, the one that worked...Vince
Vaughn...the ones that didn't work? Mel Gibson,
Matthew McConaughey and Chris Rock as a pizza
delivery guy. Was this really necessary?
Secondly, car wreck scenes involving Hauser's
family were far too similar to the Princess
Diana scene. I already understood what the film
was about, and did not need to be hit over the
head with "Paparazzi evil." It was a bit too
much.
Finally, the ending...Dare I say it was a bit
too smooth? If anyone ever wondered if
celebrities get preferential treatment this film
would seem to validate that idea. Did I feel for
Hauser's character? Of course...but, by the end
of this film he's far from innocent yet he's
treated with kid gloves. He simply wasn't THAT
innocent.
Yet, surprisingly...I liked this film. I enjoyed
the storyline, dialogue, acting and scenes.
Admittedly, it's a lower budget film and feels
that way...but, for this kind of a movie that
works quite nicely. Will this win any awards?
Probably not. However, it is a decent rental
with surprisingly competent performances and a
decent bit of action. The dialogue, storyline
and performance of Robin Tunney all combine to
push this film up to a low "B" for me.
©
Written by Richard
Propes
TC Candler's Comment
N/A
Jacob
Hall's Comment
N/A
