vabarnamees Reviews

What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001)

Worst things have happened than this!

[28 January 2002]

Well, I couldn't avoid the inevitable pun, so I thought I'd get it over with right in the beginning. As for this movie, it's pretty useless as entertainment in terms of humor, fascination and escapism. It definitely doesn't belong among the worst Hollywood comedies of late, as there is only a single fart joke and a single kicked-in-the-groin joke. That's pretty civilized for an American "comedy" nowadays, I am sorry to admit. So the problem here is not vulgarity, just boredom.

Although I greatly admire the talent of both Danny DeVito and Martin Lawrence (yes, you heard correctly - I thought he was excellent in Bad Boys), the combination of the two seems to lack something vital here. Upon a closer examination it is quite clear what this missing ingredient is: a good script. Instead of genuine amusement, this it-takes-a-crook-to-catch-a-thief story line becomes weary and repetitive fairly quickly. Add to this a couple of increasingly annoying supporting characters and numerous inconsistencies - it is one to avoid.

I would also like to add that the only really convincing performance comes from Richard Schiff as DeVito's long-suffering lawyer who experiences a moment of personal triumph. I really loved this scene. Unfortunately, it can't save this movie, which was doomed at birth. A 2 out of 10 from me.

Xchange (2001)

Traditional straight-to-video/dvd fare, not bad though

[5/10 · 20 January 2002]

This is a completely trivial lightweight action flick, yet it succeeded in entertaining (at least me). Its science fiction setting is almost entirely window dressing, although a few valiant efforts have been made to illustrate the futuristic setting. Most of the time these gadgets and technological wonders look and seem familiar from other, more innovative movies, but here they've been done convincingly enough.

The actors all do decent work, maybe with the exception of Janet Kidder, whose on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown persona is a bit grating for my tastes. Neither am I plagued by an allergy of the Baldwin brothers, that some of the other reviewers here seem to be suffering from. Stephen seems to be doing just fine on the acting front, maybe even better than his more famous brothers :)

The tension in the plot is constant, if totally predictable. Yes, you have probably seen this done before a dozen times (at least), so don't see it if you're always craving for something brand new and original. But... it's done quite well, so it's a safe bet. Science fiction, it's not, though. Good show. A 5 out of 10 from me.