Simple formula: take a sitcom star (David Schwimmer as the title character) looking to break type, put him in an indie film, add a B-list actress (Janeane Garafolo as Linda) who gets a leading role for a change, throw in a talk-show relic (Dick Cavett as Fred) who surprised people not only by being in the film, but reminding them that he's still alive, and you get little more than a useful reminder to Hollwood's snobbier diva types that you can make a movie on a low budget with a dialogue-driven script. This, however, does not mean that the movie is good, even if the intentions of those involved were.
In Duane Hopwood, we get one movie more than a life like this deserves. Schwimmer brings the alcoholic lead to life, and we get to follow him around as he stumbles from one predictable, self-inflicted crisis to another. Schwimmer as a total bad boy would too much disbelief to suspend, so Duane is portrayed more as a likable loser, at least on his good days. We see that Duane loves his daughters, who love him back equally, and pines for the ex-wife who moved on to another man. The movie does correctly show the selfishness of her choice, as Linda puts her own happiness above that of her daughters, who clearly want their father around. Linda is a boring, predictable character played by an even more boring and predictable actress. Garafolo has many fans, but I am not one of them.
Dick Cavett's "cameo" as the presumably gay neighbor was interesting, though it didn't add much to the film. Much of the action focused on Duane at his job, as if to send home the message that the world runs on people like him, people who manage to put aside their problems long enough to clock into work and do their jobs for us. Judah Friedlander (Anthony) is Duane's main sidekick, who moves in with him mostly for co-dependent reasons (he needs to get away from home and Duane needs a ride due to a DUI conviction).
We see Duane continually getting in his own way, but to what end? To tell us that an alcoholic is going to hurt himself is not groundbreaking, the film was sorely lacking in a purpose that would convince the viewer that there was ever a reason to tell this story on film other than to put a few actors into an indie so that they might get better consideration for the big-ticket roles they ostensibly shunned to take this more "artistic" creation.
Don't get me wrong; this is not a horrible film. The acting is decent, and far worse stories have made the big screen. The film just does not stand out or leave much of an impression on the audience beyond the novelty appeal of seeing Schwimmer playing what is essentially an alcoholic version of Ross. If he wanted to break type, he should have tried playing a mob boss rather than a wimpy pit boss.
Of all the performances in the film, the one that actually stands out the most was Ramya Pratt as Mary. I wouldn't be surprised to see her getting Oscar nominations in another decade or two. She did incredibly well with limited material, and showed great timing, poise, and maturity handling material that would have been beyond most actresses her age.
I wouldn't tell someone not to see this film, but I wouldn't go out of my way to endorse it, either. Purely a middle-of-the-road effort that does not accomplish what Schwimmer seems so desperately to want to, but he does get an A for effort.
In Duane Hopwood, we get one movie more than a life like this deserves. Schwimmer brings the alcoholic lead to life, and we get to follow him around as he stumbles from one predictable, self-inflicted crisis to another. Schwimmer as a total bad boy would too much disbelief to suspend, so Duane is portrayed more as a likable loser, at least on his good days. We see that Duane loves his daughters, who love him back equally, and pines for the ex-wife who moved on to another man. The movie does correctly show the selfishness of her choice, as Linda puts her own happiness above that of her daughters, who clearly want their father around. Linda is a boring, predictable character played by an even more boring and predictable actress. Garafolo has many fans, but I am not one of them.
Dick Cavett's "cameo" as the presumably gay neighbor was interesting, though it didn't add much to the film. Much of the action focused on Duane at his job, as if to send home the message that the world runs on people like him, people who manage to put aside their problems long enough to clock into work and do their jobs for us. Judah Friedlander (Anthony) is Duane's main sidekick, who moves in with him mostly for co-dependent reasons (he needs to get away from home and Duane needs a ride due to a DUI conviction).
We see Duane continually getting in his own way, but to what end? To tell us that an alcoholic is going to hurt himself is not groundbreaking, the film was sorely lacking in a purpose that would convince the viewer that there was ever a reason to tell this story on film other than to put a few actors into an indie so that they might get better consideration for the big-ticket roles they ostensibly shunned to take this more "artistic" creation.
Don't get me wrong; this is not a horrible film. The acting is decent, and far worse stories have made the big screen. The film just does not stand out or leave much of an impression on the audience beyond the novelty appeal of seeing Schwimmer playing what is essentially an alcoholic version of Ross. If he wanted to break type, he should have tried playing a mob boss rather than a wimpy pit boss.
Of all the performances in the film, the one that actually stands out the most was Ramya Pratt as Mary. I wouldn't be surprised to see her getting Oscar nominations in another decade or two. She did incredibly well with limited material, and showed great timing, poise, and maturity handling material that would have been beyond most actresses her age.
I wouldn't tell someone not to see this film, but I wouldn't go out of my way to endorse it, either. Purely a middle-of-the-road effort that does not accomplish what Schwimmer seems so desperately to want to, but he does get an A for effort.