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Film Clips
FEBRUARY 23, 1998:
 THE APOSTLE. Robert Duvall has chosen parts in interesting,
meandering movies so often that it's no surprise he's finally
made one himself. The Apostle deals in the fuzziness of
morality, the difficulty of self-knowledge, and the uses and misuses
of religion so gracefully that you may not notice anything is
being questioned, at first. Duvall, with gleeful unselfconsciousness,
plays Sonny, a preacher who can't tell when he's being generous
and when he's being self-serving. His devotion to a life of God
looks an awful lot like a devotion to himself--he commits some
of the really bad sins, but he's prone to kindness as well.
The sheer ambiguity of this story is staggering, given the state
of American movies these days. How often can two people see a
film and come away with completely different ideas about its meaning?
With The Apostle Duvall, who has already proven himself
to be a spellbinding actor, has shown himself to be an intelligent
writer and director as well. --Richter
THE WEDDING SINGER. This film calls into question the value
of the very large brain and the opposable thumb possessed by our
species. Really, what's the point in creating cultural artifacts,
if they're as stupid as The Wedding Singer? Adam Sandler
plays a crooner who specializes in weddings (though he quits near
the beginning and is a wedding singer no more); Drew Barrymore
plays the sugar cube he falls for. There are a few little obstacles
to their love, but nothing serious, and a few little jokes thrown
in, but nothing funny. The '80s clothes are the best part of the
whole thing, and that's not saying much. --Richter
ZERO EFFECT. Yes, it is a little like eating rice cakes
and yes, the title does describe what you're left with a few days
after seeing it, but Zero Effect is still a pleasant experience
while it's actually happening. Bill Pullman can't help coming
across as deeply affable, even when he's playing a psycho detective
with a serious mood disorder (proving he is indeed the Jimmy Stewart
of the '90s). Ben Stiller is similarly likable as Arlo, Detective
Zero's faithful sidekick. The two of them go about solving mysteries
with a Watson-and-Holmes routine, complete with amazing deductions
gleaned from mere shreds of evidence, and, for master detective
Zero, a nagging drug problem. The script leans towards the goofy
end of the spectrum, rather than the ironic/witty, which is a
nice change for a comedy in our Sienfeld-dominated era. We award
five special bonus points for the tender age of writer/director
Jake Kasdan, who is just 22. --Richter
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