Flaws are fun_英文原版
rebecca romjin and ben afflick in man about town.
this insider's comedy about a hollywood talent agent in the grip of a midlife crisis started out as the untitled steven spielberg project. when the hollywood legend pulled out, writer mike binder took over, revising his screenplay to suit. one of the few things man about town has in common with the film spielberg might have envisioned is ben affleck, who stayed with the project when it changed hands.
"the upside of anger (binder's directorial debut) was a smart adult movie. i signed on to this one as fast as i possibly could," said the actor.
but affleck is no joan allen (the actress who so superbly played the bitter, pickled protagonist in binder's impressive first feature). in contrast to good will hunting co-star and co-writer matt damon, affleck's range as an actor is limited.
while the role of super-smooth go-getter jack giamoro doesn't prove too much of a stretch, affleck fails to inject the character with the warmth it would require for us to empathise with him.
to all outward appearances, affleck's top-ranking hollywood player has it all - money, success, and a beautiful wife named nina (rebecca romijn). but a niggling feeling that something is lacking in his life spurs him to enrol in a journal-writing class.
after a couple of false starts jack lets rip, scribbling down all of his painful secrets and traumatic memories. when this intimate journal, in which he bares his very soul - not to mention damaging business information - falls into the wrong hands, jack's world falls apart.
now this might sound like extremely fertile territory for a former stand-up comedian such as binder, who has a wicked sense of humour and a rich understanding of his subject matter.
but man about town turns out to be a very mixed bag. the keenly observed scenes in the talent agency staffed by gina gershon, kal penn and binder zing with life.
and john cleese has a great deal of fun with the role of the smug literary professor.
but jack's marriage to nina is too covincingly empty. and by the time he finds himself chasing freelance journalist barbi ling (bai ling) around the back alleyways of chinatown, the story has become as tangled as a bowl of over-cooked rice noodles.
only some serious farce can resolve the situation.
* * *
director: mike binder
starring: ben affleck, rebecca romijn, john cleese and gina gershon
screening: general release
this insider's comedy about a hollywood talent agent in the grip of a midlife crisis started out as the untitled steven spielberg project. when the hollywood legend pulled out, writer mike binder took over, revising his screenplay to suit. one of the few things man about town has in common with the film spielberg might have envisioned is ben affleck, who stayed with the project when it changed hands.
"the upside of anger (binder's directorial debut) was a smart adult movie. i signed on to this one as fast as i possibly could," said the actor.
but affleck is no joan allen (the actress who so superbly played the bitter, pickled protagonist in binder's impressive first feature). in contrast to good will hunting co-star and co-writer matt damon, affleck's range as an actor is limited.
while the role of super-smooth go-getter jack giamoro doesn't prove too much of a stretch, affleck fails to inject the character with the warmth it would require for us to empathise with him.
to all outward appearances, affleck's top-ranking hollywood player has it all - money, success, and a beautiful wife named nina (rebecca romijn). but a niggling feeling that something is lacking in his life spurs him to enrol in a journal-writing class.
after a couple of false starts jack lets rip, scribbling down all of his painful secrets and traumatic memories. when this intimate journal, in which he bares his very soul - not to mention damaging business information - falls into the wrong hands, jack's world falls apart.
now this might sound like extremely fertile territory for a former stand-up comedian such as binder, who has a wicked sense of humour and a rich understanding of his subject matter.
but man about town turns out to be a very mixed bag. the keenly observed scenes in the talent agency staffed by gina gershon, kal penn and binder zing with life.
and john cleese has a great deal of fun with the role of the smug literary professor.
but jack's marriage to nina is too covincingly empty. and by the time he finds himself chasing freelance journalist barbi ling (bai ling) around the back alleyways of chinatown, the story has become as tangled as a bowl of over-cooked rice noodles.
only some serious farce can resolve the situation.
* * *
director: mike binder
starring: ben affleck, rebecca romijn, john cleese and gina gershon
screening: general release