| BY LARRY CARROLL | In the caste system known as Hollywood there are actors, then there are stars, and then there are the five or six talents at any given time who can be labeled as "superstars". While the three classes may mingle with each other, or the lower classes may work within themselves, it is a rare thing for two superstars to act together. Maybe it's their schedules, maybe it's the vanity of the actor that insists on top billing, or perhaps it's the thought of two enormous paychecks which scares the producers away, but these movies don't come along very often. Occasionally we do get a film with two superstars who are at or close to the peak of their fame - "Wolf", "Ishtar", "The Devil's Own", "City of Angels" and "Pocket Money" are a few that spring to mind. Those were all films that brought together two enormous stars, hyped up their pairing, and then proceeded to blow with more intensity than a glassmaker working under deadline. Even more rare is the double superstar film that works - "The Sting", "Heat", "The Philadelphia Story" and "Face/Off" spring to mind as a few double superstar films that should be remembered fondly for bringing out the best in its leads. More often than not, however, the end product fails to deliver on the promise of watching two superstars in their prime, meeting face to face. Dreamworks' new film, "The Mexican", takes the double superstar film to a whole new level. In bringing together Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts it not only matches up a couple of the top superstars in film today, but it also brings together, arguably, the two most attractive people walking the planet. Pacino and DeNiro may have been a great combo, but they never made you ponder how gorgeous their offspring could be. And that brings us to the big question everyone wants answered about this film Brad and Julia will undoubtedly look good, but will the movie be any good? I'm pleased to say "yes". In fact, I'm pleased to say "hell, yes". The stars are great, the supporting actors are great, the script is terrific, and the direction is dead-on, making "The Mexican" the most entertaining film to grace the big screen in quite some time, and definitely the best film of this young year. The movie begins, surprisingly enough, with silence. Jerry Welbach (Pitt) sits on the edge of his bed, staring out at a new morning. His girlfriend Samantha (Roberts) is just beginning to wake up, and smiles lovingly at a bedside photo of the two. As she looks up at him and reaches out her hand, the two actors give the entire setup to the audience without speaking. Sam loves Jerry, thinks their lives are perfect, but Jerry's done something wrong, and now he's got some news to give her that is going to put that love to the test. This wonderful sequence announces two things: that this movie is not going to play by the book, and that it's not going to let these two superstars get by on their pretty looks alone. At this point, Pitt and Roberts take the ball and run with it. In an equally memorable, but far more verbal, exchange, Sam confronts Jerry from the balcony, throwing his clothes out onto the sidewalk. The bone of contention is that Jerry is a modern day indentured servant, performing tasks for the mob to make up for something he did five years ago; Sam wants to move to Las Vegas and has told Jerry that he must sever his mob ties immediately. Jerry, however, has one last job that he has to do. When Sam dishes out the inevitable ultimatum, Jerry figures it better to be a bad boyfriend than a dead one. His mission is to go to Mexico and retrieve a beautiful, priceless, cursed pistol and bring it back to America. So Jerry leaves his girl to go south of the border, and a disgusted Sam leaves for Las Vegas to start a new life. What follows is a nicely paced story that keeps you guessing, filled with angry Mexicans, badass hitmen, an irritable dog, a bitchin' El Camino, and Gene Hackman in the Harry Lime role. Every time I thought the movie would get predictable, it didn't, and I think that's the greatest compliment for a studio film with stars of this magnitude. It would have been very easy to just put Brad and Julia's face up on the screen and watch the money pour in; there has been a great deal of thought and effort put into this film, and it shows. Although the names on the marquee might read differently, there are a lot more than just two stars in this film. Going into "The Mexican", I knew nothing about director Gore Verbinski other then he was the guy who brought us the Budweiser frog commercials and the forgettable kiddie film "Mousehunt". With this, his second film, Verbinski announces his presence in a major way. Verbinski creates some memorable visuals, but never allows them to interfere with the story. The manner in which he shows the "gun origin" stories is particularly effective, to the point where I got excited every time I heard the flickering of the old time camera. The whole movie seems to have been told by a giggling storyteller sitting around a campfire you never know which parts are real, which ones aren't, or where the tale is going to take you, but boy, is the story fun to listen to. And who could have ever predicted that there'd be a Sam Peckinpah homage in a Julia Roberts movie? Also threatening to steal the show is James Gandolfini as a hitman called Leroy. His character goes in several different directions throughout the film, and you'll find the movie much more rewarding if you can avoid finding out what they are in advance of seeing the film, so try not to if you can. Suffice it to say that he gives a very memorable performance which shows great promise for a future beyond "The Sopranos". Virtually all the supporting performances in this film are pitch-perfect, an essential component of any movie no matter how big the leads may be. The great Bob Balaban is sleazy, but at the same time the best friend that Jerry has. J.K. Simmons (soon to be chewing out Peter Parker in the upcoming "Spiderman" film) has perhaps the best product placement scene since "Wayne's World". Richard Coca and David Krumholtz also have their moments to shine in the hot Mexico sun. But it's Brad and Julia who are putting your butt in that red velvet seat, and they don't disappoint. Pitt gives the most accessible performance of his career as a simple boob who just wants to make everybody happy. You can actually see his courage and self-assuredness growing as the film progresses. Roberts lets her hair down as Samantha, bringing about the long-overdue return of "The Safety Dance", and her interaction with Gandolfini might very well be the best part of the film. When Pitt and Roberts are together, it seems very natural and real. The chemistry between the two is terrific, fueled by the quick witted, humor-tinged drama that would mark an old screwball romance like "His Girl Friday". Supposedly Pitt and Roberts are going to work together again, first on the "Ocean's 11" remake, and then on a film called "Replay". If those scripts, and the talent around them, are on par with "The Mexican" then maybe they can once again pull off that rarest of rarities the double superstar film that works. |
