I had heard " The Road Wellville " was quite an interesting film, very strange and funny. I agreed whole heartedly with this statement after viewing the film. The movie is about the health empire which Dr. Kellog initiated with his wacky inventions and his very own Health spa. Anthony Hopkin's is brilliant as the obsessive health maverick, and his bizarre regimen for well-being. Hopkin's shows his enormous acting range and a gift for comedy, he is unrecognizable when compared to his role in " Silence of the Lambs ". Other stellar performances as usual from John Cusak and Matthew Broderick, as well as Bridget Fonda as Eleanor Lightbody the wife of Broderick's character. One thing I truly enjoyed were scenes of flashbacks with Kellog's son George (Dana Carvey), these scenes are emotional and poignant. My problem with these scenes though is they are under used which decreases the effect a little bit. Camryn Manheim who now stars in the Practice(a virtually unknown at the time) is wonderful as Eleanor Lightbody's devoted friend, and advisor. Scenes where she tries to clue Eleanor in to sexually related topics are hilarious, re: bicycle scene at the beginning of the film. Many comments I have seen about the movie are about the subject matter which they feel is distasteful or unnecessary. Although I agree it is very dry, it is important to the context of the movie and it's subject matter, it adds a taste of burlesque which amplifies the bawdiness and adds to the humour. The energy of the movie is vibrant and the cast seems to be thoroughly enjoying themselves which adds to the movie's flavour. I am not surprised the comments of the movie vary so drastically, it is a hard movie to pin down; although I feel The Road to Wellville is an excellent comedy, and I rate it 7 out of 10 stars.
Reviews
2 Reviews
Phantom of the Paradise
(1974)
A campy and highly entertaining flick
1 February 2000
This is a send up on " The Phantom of the Opera ". It focuses on a dorky, but talented composer Winslow Leach ( William Findley ) who's music is stolen by a demonic, but highly successful record producer Swan ( Paul Williams ). Jessica Harper who also appears in another campy musical, " Shock Treatment " stars as the Christine-like character who Winslow pines for. Phantom of the Paradise is a wonderful parody of 70s Glam rock, and is chock full of B-movie references; it even begins with an intro narration by Rod Sterling! The pace of the movie is electric, and the music done by Paul Williams is fantastic. Don't miss a diabolical " KISS-like " group as the entertain the crowd during the end of the film. This is a bizarre and highly entertaining film not to be missed!
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