"Shadowboxer" (2005)
Directed By: Lee Daniels
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren, Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Ferlito, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mo'Nique, & Macy Gray
MPAA Rating: "R" (for strong graphic violence and sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use)
Every year, at least one actress gives the definitive performance of her lifetime. It is the performance she will be remembered for forever. Last year, we had Reese Witherspoon and Felicity Huffman in the two best female performances of the year. This year, it was very obvious that it would Helen Mirren's year to rule. People everywhere were buzzing about her phenomenal performance and the Academy Award seemed like a definite. That performance was not in "Shadowboxer". It was in "The Queen". "Shadowboxer" is the movie that Helen Mirren will look back on with shame. I really was looking forward to "Shadowboxer". I'm a huge fan of Helen Mirren, and Cuba Gooding Jr. has done enough work to more than prove that he is competent (granted, "Boat Trip" was enough to discredit anyone). I even must admit that I have always thought that Mo'Nique is a good actress with a horrible choice in movies and the same goes for Stephen Dorff (hey, at least he has done some good films in the past). Lee Daniel was a first time director, but I was kind of excited to see a fresh face. He had already produced some phenomenal movies so I was thrilled to see what he would bring to the director's chair. So, what went wrong? Ah well, so many things just didn't work. This movie was a full-fledged disaster.
This movie had a shockingly preposterous plot. It was awkward, clumsily-executed, and had me chuckling in disbelief (this was not a good thing). What started as a bleak, cheerless drama quickly descended into melodramatic schlock with a cheesy, predictable ending. Rose (Mirren) and Mikey (Gooding) are two assassins who have been having an affair for quite some time. Mikey is also Rose's stepson (I can't make this stuff up). She is also dying of cancer. When vicious crime lord, Clayton (Dorff), hires Rose and Mikey to kill his supposedly unfaithful wife, the two agree without much hesitation until Rose discovers that his wife, Vickie (Ferlito), is pregnant. Unexpectedly emotional, Rose cannot bring herself to kill the pregnant woman who just happens to go into labor as Rose arrives. Rose delivers the baby (because, you know, every hired assassin is trained in delivering babies) and, along with Mikey, takes Vickie and her child with them and the four begin a strange family (if "family" is the correct terminology). That is until Clayton finds out what happened and comes after them. Did I also mention that there is a doctor named Dr. Don (Gordon-Levitt) who assists them and who is dating Precious (Mo'Nique). This relationship is actually one of the most unnecessary and time-consuming aspects of the movie. I didn't buy it for one second, but I'll come back to that later. What could have been an intriguing plot (with some tweaking) turns into ninety-three minutes of painfully-obvious garbage.
The performances in "Shadowboxer" are actually quite good, all things considering. Helen Mirren is a fascinating actress. Watching her work is just an amazing experience every time and there is absolutely no difference here. She embraces the role and delivers the only character we can really care about. Cuba Gooding Jr. is also a good actor but he has made mistake after mistake in choosing movie roles and "Shadowboxer" may very well be his biggest mistake yet. Granted his performance works, the movie just gives him nothing interesting to do or say. He populates such a dull, lifeless character that it bewilders me as to how he came off as credible as he did. Stephen Dorff another good actor (in my opinion) who really can't pick good movies--I mean, really, "Alone in the Dark" and "FeardotCom"! Here, he embraces his inner villain and comes off as a genuinely vile man (albeit clichéd and stereotypical). He made me hate him so his performance worked. Vanessa Ferlito is endearing and sympathetic. I felt for her character and felt that she was really the only relatable character in the bunch. She did a fine job. She did a fine job. Mo'Nique well, well, well, she stars in yet another horrendous movie from 2006 (technically, this is a 2005 film, but I am counting it as a 2006 because it was released in 2006). Again, she does a nice job, but no one is going to take her seriously if she doesn't start choosing roles that people actually care to see.
I found myself disliking this movie so much that it surprised me. This movie is not as bad as such movies as "Little Man" and "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector", but it appears to be worse. Why? Because, "Little Man" recognized the fact that it was not a good movie and was just ridiculous. "Shadowboxer" is so shockingly pretentious and self-loving that you can almost hear the filmmakers singing, "We are smart and wonderful! We will definitely win the Oscar!" in the background. But, this movie deserves nothing in terms of positive recognition. It deserves to be forgotten and dropped to the very bottom of the five dollar bin at Wal-Mart right beside "Little Man" and "Rest Stop" and "Phat Girlz". It is such a shame because it has a good cast and a promising fresh director. But, in the end, it doesn't matter how good a movie SHOULD have been if the end product is nothing short of rubbish.
Final Thought: An overly-weird and downright awkward "thriller" with only one thing to offer: good performances.
Overall Rating: 2/10 (C-)
Directed By: Lee Daniels
Starring: Cuba Gooding Jr., Helen Mirren, Stephen Dorff, Vanessa Ferlito, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Mo'Nique, & Macy Gray
MPAA Rating: "R" (for strong graphic violence and sexuality, nudity, language and some drug use)
Every year, at least one actress gives the definitive performance of her lifetime. It is the performance she will be remembered for forever. Last year, we had Reese Witherspoon and Felicity Huffman in the two best female performances of the year. This year, it was very obvious that it would Helen Mirren's year to rule. People everywhere were buzzing about her phenomenal performance and the Academy Award seemed like a definite. That performance was not in "Shadowboxer". It was in "The Queen". "Shadowboxer" is the movie that Helen Mirren will look back on with shame. I really was looking forward to "Shadowboxer". I'm a huge fan of Helen Mirren, and Cuba Gooding Jr. has done enough work to more than prove that he is competent (granted, "Boat Trip" was enough to discredit anyone). I even must admit that I have always thought that Mo'Nique is a good actress with a horrible choice in movies and the same goes for Stephen Dorff (hey, at least he has done some good films in the past). Lee Daniel was a first time director, but I was kind of excited to see a fresh face. He had already produced some phenomenal movies so I was thrilled to see what he would bring to the director's chair. So, what went wrong? Ah well, so many things just didn't work. This movie was a full-fledged disaster.
This movie had a shockingly preposterous plot. It was awkward, clumsily-executed, and had me chuckling in disbelief (this was not a good thing). What started as a bleak, cheerless drama quickly descended into melodramatic schlock with a cheesy, predictable ending. Rose (Mirren) and Mikey (Gooding) are two assassins who have been having an affair for quite some time. Mikey is also Rose's stepson (I can't make this stuff up). She is also dying of cancer. When vicious crime lord, Clayton (Dorff), hires Rose and Mikey to kill his supposedly unfaithful wife, the two agree without much hesitation until Rose discovers that his wife, Vickie (Ferlito), is pregnant. Unexpectedly emotional, Rose cannot bring herself to kill the pregnant woman who just happens to go into labor as Rose arrives. Rose delivers the baby (because, you know, every hired assassin is trained in delivering babies) and, along with Mikey, takes Vickie and her child with them and the four begin a strange family (if "family" is the correct terminology). That is until Clayton finds out what happened and comes after them. Did I also mention that there is a doctor named Dr. Don (Gordon-Levitt) who assists them and who is dating Precious (Mo'Nique). This relationship is actually one of the most unnecessary and time-consuming aspects of the movie. I didn't buy it for one second, but I'll come back to that later. What could have been an intriguing plot (with some tweaking) turns into ninety-three minutes of painfully-obvious garbage.
The performances in "Shadowboxer" are actually quite good, all things considering. Helen Mirren is a fascinating actress. Watching her work is just an amazing experience every time and there is absolutely no difference here. She embraces the role and delivers the only character we can really care about. Cuba Gooding Jr. is also a good actor but he has made mistake after mistake in choosing movie roles and "Shadowboxer" may very well be his biggest mistake yet. Granted his performance works, the movie just gives him nothing interesting to do or say. He populates such a dull, lifeless character that it bewilders me as to how he came off as credible as he did. Stephen Dorff another good actor (in my opinion) who really can't pick good movies--I mean, really, "Alone in the Dark" and "FeardotCom"! Here, he embraces his inner villain and comes off as a genuinely vile man (albeit clichéd and stereotypical). He made me hate him so his performance worked. Vanessa Ferlito is endearing and sympathetic. I felt for her character and felt that she was really the only relatable character in the bunch. She did a fine job. She did a fine job. Mo'Nique well, well, well, she stars in yet another horrendous movie from 2006 (technically, this is a 2005 film, but I am counting it as a 2006 because it was released in 2006). Again, she does a nice job, but no one is going to take her seriously if she doesn't start choosing roles that people actually care to see.
I found myself disliking this movie so much that it surprised me. This movie is not as bad as such movies as "Little Man" and "Larry the Cable Guy: Health Inspector", but it appears to be worse. Why? Because, "Little Man" recognized the fact that it was not a good movie and was just ridiculous. "Shadowboxer" is so shockingly pretentious and self-loving that you can almost hear the filmmakers singing, "We are smart and wonderful! We will definitely win the Oscar!" in the background. But, this movie deserves nothing in terms of positive recognition. It deserves to be forgotten and dropped to the very bottom of the five dollar bin at Wal-Mart right beside "Little Man" and "Rest Stop" and "Phat Girlz". It is such a shame because it has a good cast and a promising fresh director. But, in the end, it doesn't matter how good a movie SHOULD have been if the end product is nothing short of rubbish.
Final Thought: An overly-weird and downright awkward "thriller" with only one thing to offer: good performances.
Overall Rating: 2/10 (C-)