Don’t Sleep in the Subway…How Could You With All That Noise?

By Christopher Manson
June 25, 2009 Issue

Tony Scott’s The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 is actually the third screen adaptation of John Godey’s riveting 1973 novel. The first was Joseph Sargent’s excellent 1974 film with Walter Matthau as the New York City transit cop dealing with subway hijacker Robert Shaw’s ransom demands. In 1998, the film was remade for television with Edward James Olmos and Lorraine Bracco—I didn’t see it, but I vaguely recall a glowing review from TV Guide at the time.

The original movie had plenty of tension and a clever, somewhat low-key ending. But this being the Jason Statham era, Scott pulls out all his flashy, manic camera moves. The result is an entertaining, highly caffeinated take on the original source material. Brian Helgeland’s screenplay pretty much discards everything from the novel and the Matthau film, save for the basic premise. John Travolta, in full-on bad guy mode, barks out his demands at Denzel Washington, cool and collected as a disgraced transit bigwig.

Essentially, the new Pelham is a big chat fest—think My Dinner with Andre peppered with car chases and gunfire. But it’s still one hell of a ride, thanks to movie star presence and breakneck pacing. Washington finds the right note to play against Travolta’s over-the-top ravings, and unlike a lot of big movie star vehicles, the supporting cast is filled with recognizable faces. John Turturro is believable as a hostage negotiator, James Gandolfini plays against type as the mayor, and Luis Guzman makes a strong impression as the fired motorman whom Travolta enlists in his scheme.

Broken Arrow, Battlefield Earth, and The Punisher were lousy movies, but still worthwhile for Travolta’s giddiness. He obviously relishes playing the heavy, and in Pelham it’s more than just the saving grace—it’s one of many good elements of a better-than-average example of Hollywood product. This may be the big-screen equivalent of fast food, but Pelham is more like the Six Dollar Thickburger than a Big Mac.

I DO, ADIEU
A tyrannical New York publishing executive named Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) finds herself facing deportation to her native Canada. Cornered, she confects a scheme on the fly to marry her assistant, get legal status, then file for a quick divorce. The un-worshipful assistant, Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), reluctantly agrees, but the appearance of legality compels the couple to spend a weekend in Alaska meeting his family. Unless you’re a complete stranger to American romantic cinema, you know exactly what the weekend will bring.

Anne Fletcher’s The Proposal runs on a ratio of about 40/60 farce-to-serious. It starts out like a romantic comedy. In no time, we have the exposition, the problem, the so-crazy-it-just-might-work solution, and a quick dash of Manhattan atmosphere. Once the film goes to Alaska, the story takes a more dramatic turn. Andrew and his wealthy father (Craig T. Nelson) have philosophical differences. Dad wants him to run the family empire in Alaska, Andrew wants to edit and write in New York. Mom and Grandma Annie (Mary Steenburgen and Betty White) miss their boy, and everyone in town is dying to know how Andrew and Margaret ever got together. Since the truth is that they didn’t, things get alternately more funny and painful, as the two entangle themselves deeper and deeper in the web of deceit. The clock is ticking as Andrew’s folks insist they tie the knot on the family estate.

The Proposal wastes no time addressing its task, which is to bring this odd couple from odds to coupling, and it does it by the numbers. Forced to kiss in front of family and friends, their expressions go from distaste to surreptitious interest. Forced to room together, they sleep separately but end up trading secrets like girls on a sleepover. A scene of accidental nudity raises the stakes even higher. Facilitating things is White, having sweetly outrageous fun as Grandma Annie, whose skills include tailoring and Native American spirit dancing. Oscar Nunez (of The Office) has a hilarious scene as Ramone, the town’s sole exotic male dancer, treating Margaret to a pre-wedding striptease. There’s little if any real suspense. The real trick is making us believe that Margaret is likable enough for Andrew, and that “two people who weren’t supposed to fall in love” can be even halfway credible actually doing it. The answer lies in the quality of the actors—the ensemble rises above the material. And nobody plays uptight, deadpan, internally goofy women like Sandra Bullock.
Bruce Collier

GOOD IMAGINATION
Attention, all fathers—while it’s quite possible that your first choice for a leisure time activity may be sitting in your favorite recliner channel surfing, it might do you some good to take your young daughter (or son) to see Imagine That, a movie about the magic that happens when a father and a daughter spend time together without the help of electronic gadgets, using only good, old-fashioned imagination to connect with each other.

Here we are reacquainted with the Eddie Murphy of days gone by. Remember that guy who effortlessly made us laugh and who seemed to enjoy every minute of making that happen? His delight never failed to delight us. In Imagine That, the chemistry between Murphy and his young co-star Yara Shahidi (simply great in her big screen debut) is wonderful and it has the added benefit of allowing Murphy’s inner child a chance to come out and play again…and that’s a great deal of fun to watch.

Evan Danielson (Murphy) is a workaholic financial planner with little time for anything but chasing money. When his ex-wife (Nicole Ari Parker) insists he spend some quality time with their seven-year-old daughter Olivia, he doesn’t adapt well to having a child in his life. He ends up simply inserting her into his hectic schedule and taking her to the office where he is vying for a big promotion.

Evan’s biggest rival is Johnny Whitefeather, a phony “Native American” con man played with ridiculous New Age sensibility by Thomas Haden Church. When Whitefeather begins channeling during a client meeting, calling upon his wise ancestors for help, Danielson decides to conjure up a little magic of his own by quoting his daughter’s imaginary friend-princess. To Danielson’s bewilderment, not only does this help him retain his client, he actually ends up providing sound investment advice. In order to continue receiving these financial tips from Olivia’s princesses, Evan must enter his daughter’s fantasy world. What begins as an exercise in self-interest results in a father getting to know, love and, yes, even trust his small daughter.

Director Karey Kirkpatrick (Chicken Run, Over The Hedge) does a good job of allowing Murphy the freedom to run with a few of his signature comic riffs without letting them go on too long. The pancake breakfast scene is heartwarming and funny, something Murphy’s movies haven’t managed lately without either animation (Shrek) or padded body suits (Nutty Professor).
Bruce Collier

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