79 - Ripley's Game review

Many people will claim not to understand humanity, but Tom Ripley (John Malkovich) really doesn’t. He watches, speaks to, manipulates and kills people, but for the life of him, he can’t connect with them. When asked about his conscience, Ripley responds "When I was young, my lack of conscience concerned me. Now it doesn’t."

Not to say Ripley lacks any and all feeling towards other people; he can grow fond of them much in the way an average person enjoys a trusty pet. In Ripley's Game, he feels this way about his beautiful Italian wife and Jonathan(Dougray Scott), a local picture-framer suffering from leukemia. Jonathan first gets set in Ripley’s sights when he badmouths Ripley to a room full of party guests.

Seriously unamused by any affront to his taste, Ripley doesn’t hesitate to suggest Jonathan as a hitman to Reeves(Winstone), a criminal associate. Jonathan abhors the thought of harming another human being, but with limited time and money, he wants something to leave behind for his wife and son. At first, Ripley doesn’t make his involvement known, but shows up very unexpectedly to loan assistance during a complicated hit on a train ("Hold my watch, because if it breaks, I’ll kill everyone on this fucking train," Ripley remarks while preparing a garrote).

Ripley watches bemusedly as this mild-mannered man becomes a reluctant yet cold-blooded mob hitman. His involvement with the scheme is purely for entertainment purposes, as he already has a gorgeous Italian estate and millions in cash lying around the house. But the prospect of manipulating Jonathan through a web of sordid murder happens to be as much of a psychology project as a game, with all the players functioning as ants in Ripley’s quest to extract some meaning from the men around him. Despite Ripley’s seeming complete lack of empathy, he begins to take on feelings towards Jonathan that would qualify as endearment for a normal person, and for him are a gigantic step forward.

John Malkovich slips into the difficult role like a glove, with a predatory expression and unwaveringly calm, almost apathetic voice. No doubt about it, Malkovich inhabits Ripley’s skin in a way that would be nearly impossible for another actor to match, much less surpass. There are five other films featuring Ripley, each with a different actor, but this one leaves little reason to see the others. After Malkovich’s cool, sophisticated, and brilliant embodiment, picturing Matt Damon or Dennis Hopper as Ripley seems nearly laughable.

Despite his clearly evil actions, Ripley gains our sympathy. At one point, I slowly realized I actually was starting to admire him. It then occurred to me that we don’t like Ripley in spite of his faults, but because of them. In the world we inhabit, Ripley’s lack of conscience and willingness to use his gifts for evil at his leisure are extremely valuable assets, ones that ensure he will never lose, nor even come very close. That his actions make perfect sense to him in turn come to mean that they make perfect sense for us, even as we occasionally turn away at their horror.

But he isn’t just a one-note sociopath. Observe how he goes to great trouble to obtain an antique piano for his wife, and takes joy in holding her as she plays. Notice how he, without a second thought, rushes to rescue Jonathan, the man who may be the closest thing to a friend Ripley has ever had. When Jonathan saves Ripley’s life, all a befuddled Ripley can say in response is ‘Why did you do that?’ Later, when Ripley watches his wife play piano for Rome’s elite, he thinks about everything that has happened, and a smile creeps across his face. For once, even if just for a split second, Ripley understands what humanity is all about. What he will do with the revelation, we can only guess.

5 out of 5

78 - Failure To Launch review

I recently read an article about a technique some men use to end a relationship. Instead of a simple "It’s not you, it’s me," the men start behaving badly in order to drive their partner away. In theory, this provides a way to end a relationship without nasty arguments or bitterly hurt feelings. Once upon a time, I even considered using this technique (no, not you, Susan), but ultimately decided against it. Too slimy, too dishonest.

Trip (Matthew McConaughey) has mastered this technique to the point where separation can be achieved within an hour. As soon as a girlfriend starts pondering commitment, he takes her home for the first time, where she meets the parents, who just so happen to live in (and own) the house. Girl stomps out the front door in a huff, relationship problems solved.

Failure to Launch is a romantic comedy rife with characters for whom cruel behavior constitutes the norm. Trip may be a world-class moocher and a deadbeat, but that just means he fits right in. Mom (Kathy Bates, who must be remodeling her house) and Pop (Terry Bradshaw, with one too many nude scenes for my taste) are sick of this, but instead of changing the locks, they contract outside help. This comes in the form of Paula (Sarah Jessica Parker), a woman who gets paid handsomely to remove men from their parent’s homes.

Her methods would be right at home in the book I’m working on, "What’s Wrong With Evil Women Today". Paula arranges a Meet Cute, fakes interest in his hobbies, shares a weepy experience, and then demands he move out, only to break up with him once he leaves the nest. Paula guarantees the parents that the men will be imbued with confidence, which shows she has never been at the receiving end of a sudden and painful breakup. There’s also a rule about never having sex with the ‘clients’, one she breaks at her leisure if client has views on sex and relationships more advanced than a 6th grader’s.

Against all odds, the supporting characters match the distasteful leads point by point. Paula’s roommate Kit (Zooey Deschanel) has three settings: pouty, bitchy, and cunt. Trip’s friends Ace and Demo (what’s with the goofy names?) are fellow moochers who refuse to leave home, that dispense the typical Best Friend advice, such when Demo explains that animals constantly bite Trip because he behaves in a manner fundamentally opposed to nature. Uh-huh. Ace blackmails Paula into arranging a date with Kit, which the other characters actually admire for the resourcefulness. Friends like these…

The film concludes with one of those moronic moments where the entire supporting cast watches Trip and Paula declare their true love for one another on camera. Why this cliché appeals even to the lowest common denominator, I do not know, but the use here seems especially moronic, seeing as the relationship was a complete farce. At what point did deception and behavior that borders on psychopathic become romantic? Another chapter for my book, I suppose.

To my surprise, the film did have one trait that I would think a masterstroke of writing, if the rest of it weren’t so haphazard. Despite the inherent cruelty of each character, I never felt particularly offended by anything they did. It then dawned on me; by making this sort of bad behavior the norm throughout the script, it brings an odd sort of Zen balance to the proceedings, where everyone does unto others as others do unto them. What a neat screenwriting trick that might be in the hands of a serious filmmaker.

1.5 out of 5