2004-03-31 - 9:00 a.m.
And Starring...Giancarlo Panini
It took a little longer than I thought it would, but I finally caught a showing of Jersey Girl last night. Accompanied by prominent South African film critic/Whartonite Alan, I trudged down to the Ritz 5 in the rain to take in Kevin Smith's lastest masterwork. Of special interest to me due to Nick's plum role opposite the likes of Bennifer and Liv Tyler, I approached it as a fan, a critic, and indeed, the agent of Giancarlo Panini (Nick's stage name).
The movie was pretty decent. JLo and her atrocious "hair style" left the movie pretty early on. Alan and I agreed that she did a great job portraying her character's aneurysm as someone nodding off in a particularly boring Modern Folklore class after a night probably spent drinking her liver off.
Ben Affleck acquits himself quite nicely as the hottest widower in New Jersey. He's charming, which I think makes up for the queso acting. He almost lost me during a non-stop closeup shot during a tearful monologue that seemed to last for an hour. Also, it reminded me of a crap short story about death I wrote in junior high, but whatever. I blame Kevin Smith for not cutting away more. It wasn't quite Dawson crying over his gay father being murdered by an ice cream cone, and yet it came dangerously close to Agent Mulder crying/knawing at the forearm of the lovely Agent Scully during a particularly harrowing cancer arc episode of The X-Files. He's great at the funny stuff, and he's so appealing that you let the cheese flow.
Liv Tyler is great in this movie. She really lights up the screen and makes you like her. Which is saying a lot for me, because I don't really like her and never had. Her Arwen has softened me a little, but this totally won me over. She and Ben have good chemistry, and her interactions with the little girl were charming.
Little JLo Jr. was very sweet and cute without making you want to puke, a la Dakota Fanning. She helps sells the over the top cute moments, and her fight with her dad is amazingly brutal and real. When combined with George Carlin and the other old dudes, they make a great supporting cast for a charming movie. Jason Biggs was okay (hell, the movie's no Saving Silverman). And Will Smith has a gem of a cameo.
My highest praise, however, is reserved for Nick. He basically holds the production together with his silent yet powerful gravitas in the big talent show scene. He technique is so subtle, so delicate that you barely even see him acting. The few precious moments when I caught him out of the corner of my eye (I think) were magical. He just enhanced the brilliance of the big musical number tenfold for me, and that's amazing given his limited screentime and lack of scripted lines.
Go see Jersey Girl now, and witness the introduction of someone who is sure to be a major force in entertainment well into the 22nd century (you know, if like cryogenics and bionic crap actually works in the future). A star has been born, and I can't wait for Nick to return to the country so that I can propel his burgeoning film career into an even higher orbit.
Dream Watch 2003: There was some sort of drama where a crazed JLo goes on a rampage at a school. I am instrumental in taking her down afrer she tries to shoot everyone. Then I'm out shopping for shoes with Nicole Kidman when JLo shows up at Neiman Marcus with a large crew of assistant shootists. She looks fabulous, by the way, in this white linen get up. Anyway, as Nicole and I duck behind a display, I come up with a plan to immobilize her using those pantyhose sock things they have for trying on shoes. It's very complex and stupid.
What I'm Listening To: Salieri, The 2 Piano Concertos. Nice Vienna school of music disc.
What I'm Reading: Salon.com's interview with John Dean on how duplicitous and yucky the White House is right now. I hope Bruce Willis gets into the race soon.
What I'm Watching: 24. The show really had me on the edge of my seat last night. I'm glad Michelle has come into her ass-kicking own, but it sucks that they had to expose her to the virus to prove it. Also, as much as I'll miss the soon-to-be-totally-dead Crystal Gael, I still think he's a moron for not turning off the fans before the powder blew threw poor Gay Doug from Melrose Place's hotel. Sherry annoys me because she hasn't been given anything meaty after killing that dude by nagging him into a heart attack, which was way cool. Principal Wood is even more annoying though. Poor President Palmer. And poor Jack. Having to rely on his brain dead daughter as his main office backup.
