Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 14, 1993 TAG: 9308140046
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Mike Mayo
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
"Joey Breaker," for example, tries to take viewers inside the world of an entertainment agent.
Joey (Richard Edson) is the prototypical show business operator. From his slicked-back Pat Reilly hair and Italian suits to his unshakable self-confidence, Joey is a deal-maker. Take away his phone and you'd kill him. When Joey has to meet people face to face, things get a little trickier. At first, it appears that Joey wouldn't know a real emotion if it bit him. At the same time, he's so transparent in his insincerity that there's a certain honesty to his character.
As long as the subject is business, he's all right. He knows how to dangle the bait and set the hook. When he's talking a a young black comedian (Erik King), Joey knows just how to bring him around and get him to sign with the agency. His assistant (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is astonished by Joey's skills, but his fellow agent, Jenny (Gina Gershon) isn't quite so taken with him.
Joey, you see, is an unrepentent sexist who hasn't accepted women in the business arena. He's also a bit of a homophobe. But when he meets Cyan (Cedella Marley) a Jamaican waitress, he begins to change, to see that perhaps there are things in the world more important than the next deal.
That, of course, is true enough but the film is at its best when Joey is at work. Writer-director-co-producer Steven Starr was an agent with William Morris in New York, so many of the details have that unmistakable ring of reality. The game playing, the persuasion, setbacks and repositioning - that's the agent's life. When Joey "gets religion," as it were, he's not nearly as interesting a character.
That's only a minor flaw, though. Most of the film is an enjoyable glimpse into a world that most of us will never know. Starr manages to de-glamorize the entertainment business without trashing it, as so many "behind the scenes" stories do. No, this movie isn't as deep, as slick or as angry as "The Player," but it's certainly as entertaining.
"Joey Breaker" is due in video stores on Sept. 15. It's worth a special trip.
"How U Like Me Now" is much more ambitious but, unfortunately, not nearly as successful. Producer-writer-director-co-star Darryl Roberts tries to present a realistic slice of contemporary life among a group of black adults in Chicago. These people aren't cliches - they don't deal drugs or shoot each other - but they never come fully alive as characters, either.
Thomas (Darnell Williams) is an underemployed and unambitious young man who's living with Valerie (Salli Richardson), an executive who wants something more out of life. When it comes to their visions of the future, Thomas and Valerie are not on the same page. Then her gay friend and hairdresser Pierre (Byron Stewart) shows her a way out, she takes it.
Their friends have other problems. Spoony (Daniel Gardner) can't see beyond the next party. Alex (Raymond Whitfield), believing that image is everything, has created a fragile fantasy world around himself. BJ (Roberts) is the militant nationalist, filled with black pride, who can't persuade the others to join his causes.
In the end, the film is defeated by a curious combination of factors. Though the ensemble acting is uniformly excellent, the action is so stiffly staged that the characters never seem real, and there's so little happening on screen that it's hard to maintain much interest. Also, at regular intervals, each character is given a chance to climb on a soapbox and preach his or her philosophy of life.
Give Darryl Roberts credit for showing that all black people in movies aren't a "Menace II the 'Hood." But they need to be presented in more compelling situations; their conflicts, personalities and motivations explored more deeply. So, even if "How U Like Me Now" falls short of the mark, it's so right-minded and well-intentioned that it's worth a look.
A controversial sleeper about "real people" also made its debut on tape last week. If you missed "Falling Down" in its theatrical release earlier this year, take a look now; it won't lose anything significant on cassette. This story about a defense worker (Michael Douglas) who snaps spawned cover stories in news magazines and added a new angle to public debate about race, violence, and other perennially popular American subjects. The acting is first-rate; Ebbe Roe Smith's script doesn't accept any easy answers and Joel Schumacher's direction never exploits the subject matter.
\ THE ESSENTIALS:
Joey Breaker: *** Paramount. 92 min. Rated R for language.
How U Like Me Now: ** MCA/Universal. 109 min. Rated R for language, sexual subject matter.
Falling Down: *** Warner Home Video. 113 min. Rated R for violence, language.
\ New releases this week:
Chaplin: ***
Stars Robert Downey Jr. Kevin Kline. Directed by Richard Attenborough. LIVE. 144 min. Rated PG-13 for nudity, sexual content, strong language.
This carefully crafted biography of a comic genius didn't fare too well in its theatrical release last winter. Movie fans have another chance now and this one ought to find a larger audience. If the story is a bit somber and conventional in the telling, the performances are strong and the story is fascinating. Strongly recommended.
by CNB