Rating: Summary: A Mediocre Film You'll Want To Root For Anyway Review: There are mediocre films that one yawns one's way through and then forgets about the moment the end titles roll, and there are mediocre films that one roots for, maybe even views a second time desperately hoping to find some shred of quality, some sliver of greatness upon which to base a recommendation. McCool's is one of the latter. This movie tries hard; it tries hard to be funny, it tries hard to be sexy, and it tries hard with its artistic ambitions. On some level, it succeeds at all three, although its successes ultimately are both fleeting and infrequent. Certainly, there are some funny sequences, ranging the gamut from understated "Coenesque" humor to broad physical comedy. Liv Tyler is certainly sexy enough to carry her role as the object of desire. The snow-globe motif, as realized in the brilliantly executed (no pun intended) climactic scene, as well as a few nice foreshadowing momemts, are certainly artistic. Yet, somehow, it just doesn't add up to a "quality" film. The DVD includes the typical trailers, "deleted scenes," and obligatory alternate ending. None of which are particularly insightful or special. A good "back-up" pick for a trip to your neighborhood Blockbuster, but a "must see" only for the die-hard Liv Tyler fan. JBM
Rating: Summary: I'm over here now! Review: Movie Summary: Randy is a bartender at McCool's. His life isn't anything special, but he gets by. Until one night at McCool's when he meets up with Jewel and everything changes. Jewel quickly moves into Randy's life and tears it apart. She also wreaks havoc in the lives of Randy's cousin Carl, and Police detective Dehling both of whom she met that same night at McCools. As Randy desperately tries to get rid of her, both Carl and Dehling try to win her. But in the end only Jewel gets what she wants. My Opinion: I heard negative reviews of ONAM before seeing it and this lowered my expectations. I have found that my expectations have a lot to do with how much I like or dislike a movie. Some of the biggest and best surprises have come from movies that I heard were "no good" and some of the worst movie experiences have come from movies that had gotten built up in my mind. In the case of ONAM my expectations were rightfully dropped. The movie seems to have many of the pieces that make a great picture, but the ones it has just don't gel. There are some good performances by Matt Dillion, Paul Reiser, and Andrew Dice Clay and there are some funny situations, but they just seem to go flat. I found the plot a little hard to swallow. Although I like Liv Tyler, I couldn't buy Jewel as being that magnetic and magical as to lure these men into destruction. In the end I think the alternate ending on the DVD shows that even the director didn't know where the movie was going. In one ending Jewel smashes the snow globe, and in the other she does not. If the director can't decide where the movie is going, how can the viewer? DVD Quality: Video: Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1. Good picture quality. Sound: DD 5.1 My Love Is Alive sounded pretty good. I wondered what happened to Joan Osborne. Extras: Deleted scenes including an alternate ending, Making Of, Comentary. Menus: Snow Globe Menu is interesting. This is a fairly decent DVD release. What You Should Do: Rent it if you are going to check it out. If you can lower your expectations enough, then it is worth seeing. Related Movies To Check Out: Something About Mary, Snatch, Meet The Parents
Rating: Summary: I loved it...It is a funny movie Review: I admit I wasn't looking forward to watching this movie. I thought great another "man" movie. But, It was funny. And it wasn't Liv Tylor that made the movie funny... she did her job as being the "easy freeloader" whom works everything into being her way. But the men in this movie were great. They picked the right actors to make it work. I laughed and giggled. It's just a fun movie. John Goodman and Micheal Douglas were great.
Rating: Summary: much better with the alternate ending Review: very good with the alternate ending,they should release this ending to theatres.very good acting,specially Mr. Matt Dillon.
Rating: Summary: A few great scenes, but otherwise only mediocre Review: Although I read a few bad reviews about this movie, I had to see it anyway simply because Liv Tyler plays the temptress- and she doesn't do a bad job (just the car wash scene should illustrate how well she can play this role)! The remainder of the movie, however, isn't incredibly funny which is surprising considering the star power here- no one is really given much of an opportunity to shine in their role, which is a real shame since there was still a great deal of potential there. A few cameos of other well-known actors made you wish they would spend more time on-screen= Michael Douglas looks great as the sleazy Mr. Burmeister whose costume alone is worth a few laughs, and Andrew Dice Clay as Elmo and Utah was surprising given the huge difference between the brothers. If you still aren't sure, just think of what it would be worth to you to see Paul Reiser running around in bondage gear for about 20 minutes- that will be your make-it-or-break-it decision.
Rating: Summary: Really Great Review: This is one of the best movies I've seen in years. There is so much more to this film than the average comedy that it's refreshing to see a movie that doesn't play down to its audience. There is so much going on here that if you blink (or laugh too long) you'll miss something great. On the surface it plays like a wild mix of comedy, sex and violence ("All this sex and violence in one night, it's a little hard to take"). More deeply it's full of the reality of prospective; we all see things differently and to some extent our own needs shape our view. Three men fall in love with Jewel and all three see the same girl as a completely different person. She fills their different needs and their wanton desires are played off for laughs. The movie lets those three views tell the story, never saying which, if any, is more accurate. One Night at McCools assumes it audience can handle this and never wraps it all up, as most films do, at the end. With its open nature, this movie plays differently for everyone who sees it and every time it's seen. This gray nature is very different from the usual Hollywood movie and that bothered some. McCools got wildly mixed reviews when released. Time Magazine called it the smartest and funniest comedy of the year, while a heavy set ex-partner of Siskel's gave it thumbs down. Time will tell who was right, but I think time will be kind to McCools. Smart people made a very smart film and I think you will really enjoy One Night At McCools.
Rating: Summary: it's main problem is that it's too unoriginal Review: I'm a Norwegian myself, so naturally I had looked forward to Harald Zwart's Hollywood debut, ONE NIGHT AT MCCOOL's, with high hopes and much anticipation. I'd seen some of Zwart's earlier works, like HAMILTON and the controversial music video for A-HA, and the fella did seem to be talented (albeit somewhat commercial). In addition to this, ONE NIGHT AT MCCOOL's fronted a strong cast (although I'm not Mat Dillon's number one fan) and a storyline that claimed to lend influence from Coen films (and you gotta love them Coen brothers). So my question is; Where did it all go wrong? Well, the film is just too unoriginal. The jokes are old. It's no longer funny seeing a fat police officer stand behind a cuffed man so that it would appear they're doing "you know what". It's been done to death. This is certainly the film's main problem. Another thing that didn't quite "click" for me was the performance of Liv Tyler. I find the notion of a film where the main character is not the center of narration, as quite intruiging, but Liv Tyler's character remains pretty much the same even though we view her from the perspectives of three different men. It would have been nice to see some traces of changes in her character. The ending is also not a lot to scream about ... So with all these things hampering the film, it doesn't really matter that the film fronts strong visuals (which is often the case when the director has a background doing music videos) and a gallery of what could have been interesting characters. There's just too much keeping this flower from blossoming.
Rating: Summary: Michael Douglas's Hair Review: The funniest thing in this movie is Michael Douglas's hair. The second funniest thing in the movie is watching Paul Reiser run down the street in a bizarre leather S&M getup. The sad thing is, I can't even come up with a third funniest thing. This is a discouraging comment about a comedy. This is a strangely compelling movie though. I gave it only two stars because comedies are supposed to make you laugh, and this one didn't, but something about it stuck with me. I guess I identify with these guys who are being manipulated by a beautiful sex goddess. And I do hang out at a bar eerily similar to McCools, albeit a much smaller bar. I've met some sexy, manipulative women there too, now that I think about it. If you're looking for a movie with any depth, or any soul, you won't find it here. The movie tries to combine the best of the Farrelly brothers with the best of the Coen brothers and fails. Such stunning mediocrity is depressing.
Rating: Summary: Funny.....very funny... Review: "One Night at McCool's" is reminiscient of Pulp Fiction and There's something about Mary> "Jewel", played by the newly sexy Liv Tyler, is the woman there's something about. Three men are all in love with Jewel, and they all have their own story to tell. This is where the Pulp Fiction reminder comes in as there are three different subplots that all eventually lead up to something similar. The movie starts with Randy, played by Matt Dillon, going to see Michael Douglas's character, play Bingo, and he tells Douglas his story. Douglas is a contract killer. Paul Reiser goes to see a psychiatrist, played by country western singer, Reba Macintyre. She is sporting an awful haircut, and in my opinion, should stick to her country western schtick. John Goodman goes to see a priest/friend because he has something very important to tell him. One night (all in the same night) at McCool's bar they all meet Jewel, and they all fall captive to her. Jewel and her so-called "boyfriend" Utah, played by a somewhat unrecgonizible Andrew Dice Clay, are trying pull off robberies by getting a sympathetic character like Matt Dillon's Randy to allow Jewel into their homes so they can rob him. Jewel falls for Randy, and suddenly wants out of the robbery way of life, and gets it by shooting Utah right as he is about to rob McCool's bar, where Randy is the bartender. She takes up with Randy and then takes over his house. Paul Reiser is Randy's Lawyer cousin who develops a Walter Mitty like fantasy over Jewel, and eventually has an affair with her. John Goodman is the suspicious police detective that gets involved with the murder cases. Yes, there is more than one. It took a little while for this movie to get going. It was a little boring in the beginning, and then as more characters were introduced, I became more interested. It's very funny and the ending totally took me by surprise. I was very surprised at this little movie, which left the theaters quite quickly. It's worth the rental fee.
Rating: Summary: movies excelling yup this is it Review: i loved this movie. it was like 1999s theres something about mary but much crazier. the end was copying theres something about mary all the charectors showed up. i loved liuv tyler in this movie cause she had a perfect fit for her charector. matt dillon also theres something about mary plays a bartender that thinks he saves livs charector but he doesnt know the scheme until after he has sex with her.
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