| Comedic highs and lows 04/11/2001 By Tom Maurstad / The Dallas Morning News Every once in a while, nostalgia inspires more than an updated trip down memory lane. In the case of Josie and the Pussycats, it has provoked something refreshingly new and unexpectedly interesting.
Much of the credit belongs to the writing/directing efforts of Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan. The team behind the romantic comedy Can't Hardly Wait has created a spot-on satire of consumer culture wrapped in a goofy rock 'n' roll comedy. The movie opens with a brilliantly hilarious prologue introducing a hysteria-inducing boy band, DuJour.
A plane crash later, evil rock manager Wyatt Frame (Alan Cumming) is looking for his next sensation, which is where Josie (Rachael Leigh Cook) and her Pussycats come in. As the movie tells of the girls' overnight, globe-conquering success, it also spins a wickedly funny satire of our marketing-drenched world.
. From the campy performances by Mr. Cumming and Parker Posey to scene after scene of dazzling eye candy, Josie and the Pussycats makes high fun out of lowball entertainment.
Tom Maurstad
JOSIE AND THE PUSSYCATS
B+
Starring Rachael Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, Rosario Dawson, Alan Cumming and Parker Posey. Directed by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. Rated PG-13 (language, sexuality.) In wide release. 95 min.
And the award for overacting by an ensemble cast goes to Kingdom Come, a fit of hysterics, confrontations and resolutions that feels far too interested in plucking at heartstrings to attain any kind of dramatic cohesion.
Among the emoters are LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Anthony Anderson and Loretta Devine. They all play relatives of the dearly departed curmudgeon Bud Slocumb, whose sudden death brings the family together to air dirty laundry, patch up lingering animosities and show us that there's no conflict in the world that a healthy dose of love can't cure.
Unfortunately, the conflicts of Kingdom Come come flying at you in every scene, leaving little room for developing any of the combatants beyond the most clichéd level. It's all very easy, cloying and predictable, and most of it is painted in the broadest possible strokes.
Vivica A. Fox and Whoopi Goldberg get credit for resisting the urge to shout or cry through what feels like every other line. Kirk Franklin's original songs fit in fine with the film's inspirational tone. But if you're looking for a story that doesn't manipulate you every step of the way, you'll have to wait until you know what.
Chris Vognar
Kingdom Come
C-
Starring LL Cool J, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Devine and Anthony Anderson. Directed by Doug McHenry. Rated PG (language, sexual content, bodily humor). In wide release. 95 min.
Comedies from Saturday Night Live alumni – whether they're based on SNL characters or not – tend to be iffy prospects, especially these days (the sub-genre pretty much peaked last with Wayne's World in 1992). The last year or so alone has subjected us to Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo; Little Nicky; Lost & Found; and The Ladies Man. Sadly, Joe Dirt doesn't stray too far from the pack.
Former SNL player David Spade stars as a self-described trashy hero with a mullet haircut. It seems he's been trying to track down his parents since being abandoned at the Grand Canyon as a youngster. He has led a lonely life, his only friend being a young country girl named Brandy (Brittany Daniel), who may love him. Desperately needing closure, he embarks on a cross-country odyssey, encountering oddballs along the way.
It may sound like a can't-miss formula, but the plot exists only to set up one unfunny gag after another. Joe Dirt's sole saving grace is a few comedic pearls generated by several actors in cameo appearances, most notably a bizarre turn by Christopher Walken as a janitor with a secret.
Since the script was co-written by Mr. Spade (along with long-time SNL head writer Fred Wolf) he really has only himself to blame for being involved in such a mess. The worst part is that what they've given us is – to use the vernacular – so dang familiar.
Gary Dowell
JOE DIRT
D-
Starring David Spade, Brittany Daniel and Dennis Miller. Directed by Dennie Gordon. Rated PG-13 (language, sexuality, crude humor). In wide release. 95 min.
Coming Friday
Bridget Jones's Diary
Renée Zellweger stars as the British "singleton" Bridget Jones in the adaptation of the hit novel, Bridget Jones's Diary. And she finds herself involved with two men, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth. Also opening are the Oscar- nominated Amores Perros and Liv Ullmann's Faithless.
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