It seems some people consider this a neglected "gem," a little movie that got lost among the blockbusters. Could it be it just seems good because it was written by Hollywood hack Joe Eszterhaus and is therefore superior to the trash that usually bears his name?
That's what I think, anyway. Being from Cleveland, I looked forward to seeing this especially since I even observed it being filmed on Superior Avenue on the steps of the courthouse there (and I did see it--on video, because it never got an official release, not in these parts, anyway). Watching Kevin Bacon and Brad Renfro film one scene over and over and over again completely demolished any thoughts I had about the movie business being exciting and glamourous. It looked boring and monotonous to me.
I also find this movie rather boring. Kevin Bacon's excellent performance keeps it afloat at times, but his efforts are sunk by Brad Renfro who is never convincing and is even somewhat insulting when he attempts what is supposed to be the younger Eszterhaus's Hungarian accent. He sounds like a half-wit instead of an Hungarian. Maximillian Schell as the father is just dull, and should make the director regret his decision not to hire Charles Bronson for fear that it was "stunt casting" (Eszterhaus relates this in his book "Hollywood Animal"). Schell may have an Oscar, but Bronson was just as good an actor, and unlike Schell, had presence and a box-office name that might have gotten this movie a distributor.
It was nice to see the old CTS buses that I remember from my childhood, and I grinned when I heard the reference to my alma mater, Cleveland State University. But except for Bacon, this movie is lifeless. There is one other point in its favor: it seems to be sincere, something I could never say about anything else Eszterhaus has written.
That's what I think, anyway. Being from Cleveland, I looked forward to seeing this especially since I even observed it being filmed on Superior Avenue on the steps of the courthouse there (and I did see it--on video, because it never got an official release, not in these parts, anyway). Watching Kevin Bacon and Brad Renfro film one scene over and over and over again completely demolished any thoughts I had about the movie business being exciting and glamourous. It looked boring and monotonous to me.
I also find this movie rather boring. Kevin Bacon's excellent performance keeps it afloat at times, but his efforts are sunk by Brad Renfro who is never convincing and is even somewhat insulting when he attempts what is supposed to be the younger Eszterhaus's Hungarian accent. He sounds like a half-wit instead of an Hungarian. Maximillian Schell as the father is just dull, and should make the director regret his decision not to hire Charles Bronson for fear that it was "stunt casting" (Eszterhaus relates this in his book "Hollywood Animal"). Schell may have an Oscar, but Bronson was just as good an actor, and unlike Schell, had presence and a box-office name that might have gotten this movie a distributor.
It was nice to see the old CTS buses that I remember from my childhood, and I grinned when I heard the reference to my alma mater, Cleveland State University. But except for Bacon, this movie is lifeless. There is one other point in its favor: it seems to be sincere, something I could never say about anything else Eszterhaus has written.