Rating of
2/4
Not enough laughs
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/08
"Goddard Bolt" (Mel Brooks, who also the director and co-writer) is a successful millionaire businessman who is about to purchase a major piece of property from Los Angeles that is filled with the homeless. His plan is to demolish the rundown buildings, and replace it with new, expensive buildings.
However, he makes a bet with a co-executive, "Vance Crasswell" (Jeffrey Tambor) after he says he could live without his money. The bet -- live on the street, penniless, for 30 days.
On the street, he meets those who rely on the kindness of strangers. He even meets a woman (Lesley Ann Warren) who lives in an alley, whom he becomes infatuated with.
However, when it's time to collect his winnings on the bet, he learns that his life has been turned upside down. Now, he has to fight his way back into his life of privilege.
The first thing you will notice is that this movie lacks good laugh-out-loud humor like many of Brooks' classics. I probably laughed possibly four times through the whole movie. Yes, this is satire, but knowing how Brooks movies usually are, I was expecting a lot more laughs.
Another thing that is not done well is that you don't get to see a lot of Tambor's character's plans to undermind "Bolt" and take over the business, as well as "Bolt's" personal property.
There are some good performances in this film. Warren and Brooks work nicely together. Brooks plays "Bolt" as a man who slowly changes his way of thinking about the homeless as he learns more and more about them.
One problem with this movie is it barely touches upon how "Crasswell" plans to takeover "Bolt's" empire, which includes personal belongings. We get one scene where you suspect he has a plan that "Bolt" won't like. Then, at the movie's climax, we see his plans in full force.
One thing this movie does well, is wardrobes of the homeless and their makeup. The clothes really look as if they have been worn 24-hours a day for many months to years. Make-up is basically what appears to be dirt smudges.
They really spent some time in the detail of "Bolt's" look in this movie. He starts off clean-cut, and then is slowly transformed into a homeless person. His face grows stubble, and his clothing begins to slowly look as if he hasn't changed his outfit in weeks as the movie progresses.
There are some good performances in this movie, especially from Warren and Brooks. Warren's "Molly" is played with a kind heart, but some obvious issues plague her. "Bolt" starts off as a well-to-do businessman who would walk past a homeless person without making eye contact. He then slowly becomes a person who cares for the problems the homeless, especially when one of those he befriended dies on a sidewalk, and the owner of a near by business is indifferent because the man was homeless.
There are some problems with character development with the supporting characters. To me, they were just plot devices that were not used well at all.
When it comes to music, I honestly can't remember any music in the movie except for the humorously oddly placed dance scene in a clothes filled warehouse.
Despite the minor problems, this is still a fairly good movie. I suggest not to buy or rent it, but watch it on television when there really is nothing else on.
