Rating of
2.5/4
Slightly better than other black comedies Ive seen
The M.O.W. - wrote on 08/02/08
"Dedee Truitt" (Christina Ricci) is a manipulative 16-year-old who is pregnant. She takes us, through narration, on how she has manipulated men, including the gay lover (Ivan Sergei) of her half-brother (Martin Donovan), to get what she wants.
She convinces her half-brother's boyfriend that he is the father of the child, even though he really isn't. And the two runaway with each other, with the ashes of the half-brother's former lover who died of AIDS, which is the butt of some jokes from Ricci's character that didn't produce a laugh from me. They take the ashes in an attempt to extort some much needed money.
Now, "Bill", along with the uptight sister of his late lover, "Lucia" (Lisa Kudrow), follow the two to try to convince them to at least give them back the ashes if not come home.
Well, Yahoo Movies predicts that I would like yet another black comedy. And, even though I laughed one time during the entire film, I thought this one wasn't all that bad. However, I didn't think it was all that funny.
What I liked about the movie was the performances from the entire cast, Ricci, out of the entire cast, stands out more than any other person in the movie. However, Kudrow is a real close second when it comes to standing out. Both actresses move away from roles they were known for at the time and do it wonderfully.
The movie is well paced and isn't really confusing. The jokes, like other black comedies I've seen, aren't all that funny and are pretty insulting at times.
There is some action, but they are very brief. The violence, for what there is, is mostly kept off-screen. Minor things like one person punching another is seen though.
The most major members of the supporting cast are developed pretty well and actually help move the story along nicely with some subplots involving them.
There are a few gay characters in this movie. One of them could be a comedic sterotype, but it's not too over-the-top. In fact, the depiction of the gay characters is not sterotypical and is done with taste.
If you ask me, this would be something pretty good to watch if it's on HBO or one of the other movie networks. As for a rental, I wouldn't make it a first choice. Probably a little lower -- say sixth or seventh choice if your first one is not available.
I would also recommend that parents not really show this movie to young children due to some of the themes in the film. Like all black comedies, this one isn't for everybody. Some may find this one of the funniest movies they have ever seen, while others may see this as something not funny at all.
