Amazon.com

The passion of oral surgeons is the unlikely subject of The Secret Lives of Dentists, Alan Rudolph's keenly observed comedy-drama. Campbell Scott and Hope Davis, dentists both, have three kids and a pleasant life. Pleasant, but not exciting. When Scott realizes his wife is having an affair on the side, he's torn between caution and an outrageous inner voice urging drastic action. That voice is personified by Denis Leary, who pops up with unwelcome advice, like a nattering ghost; needless to say, the role is a perfect fit for Leary's hostile persona. The blend of everyday realities--especially a hilariously miserable five-day siege with stomach flu--and Leary's surreal presence makes for a typically offbeat Rudolph offering. The smart script, after a Jane Smiley story, is by Craig Lucas. Indie stalwarts Scott and Davis both do subtle work--they're as careful and scrupulous as the dentists they portray. --Robert Horton ... Read more

Reviews (25)

Quirky look at a family in crisis
Alan Rudolph has directed some very interesting, though little-known films over the last twenty years... In his latest, The Secret Lives of Dentists, Rudolph mostly succeeds in creating an offbeat comedy-drama about a husband and wife team of dentists. Campbell Scott and Hope Davis play Dave and Dana Hurst, who lead a fairly typical, if hectic upper middle class existence. In addition to being a dentist, Dana is an opera singer. They have three young girls, who take up a large part of their nonworking time. Much of the film, in fact, focuses on the daily challenges of a couple raising children. While this gets tedious at times (there is a twenty or so minute segment where we get to see the whole family throwing up as they suffer from flu), it manages to convey something, obvious as it is, that other movies tend to overlook. Namely, that whatever else may be going on in their lives, children take up a great deal of parents' time and energy. The conventional fabric of Dave's life starts to unravel when two unrelated incidents occur one day. First, he sees his wife in what appears to be a romantic embrace with another man. Secondly, he is harassed in public by an obnoxious disgruntled patient (Denis Leary, who is his usual wise-cracking self). From this point on, the movie turns surreal, as Leary becomes a walking hallucination in Dave's life, dispensing unwanted advice and providing comic relief from the otherwise heavy mood. The transitions between comedy and melodrama are sometimes rather sudden, but both work well in their own way, so the imbalance doesn't hurt the film. As in many of Rudolph's films, Secret Lives of Dentists uses a sharp focus to illuminate the small events in the lives of a few people. Everything takes place over the course of a few days, and not all that much actually happens. We mostly watch Dave's struggle to maintain his sanity while dealing with his conflicted feelings, such as love and anger towards his wife, devotion and impatience with his children. The film is slow paced, so if your movie attention span is short, it may not be for you. Yet I found it to be an original, funny and often touching look at a family trying to keep itself together.

Some-what depressing, but a good look at marriage.
I love Indie movies, "Why?" you may ask? Because they usually much better at depicting real humans then Hollywood films are. And okay, some indie films are just as bad as Hollywood films, that's a given, you *always* have to sift through the crap to find the good stuff. But as with anything, when you find the good stuff, the search was worth it.!

So, anyways, I will say that to me, this movie was fairly depressing. It moved fairly slow, but it fit the film, and it went by pretty fast. I felt the relationship between Dave and Dana was handled really well. And the performances by Campbell Scott and Hope Davis were wonderful. All the acting in the film was great, I especially like Denis Leary in this movie, and generally I dislike him(A LOT), but he's PERFECT for the role he plays here.!

I just like watching what Dave is going through, it just seems what I'd be thinking if my husband were cheating on me. Or some-what like thoughts I've had about people hating me. Its fun watching him play-out scenarios in his mind as well.

I mean generally the main problem with marriages and many relationships is lack of communication. That's especially true in this film, they've gotten so wrapped up in they're day-to-day lives they don't have very much real communication. When one of them tries to communicate the other isn't in the mood to listen. And of course their's the whole affair thing with his wife, so she is generally unreceptive of his attempts at affection and communication.

The only thing I dislike about the movie is just how unsympathetic it is. But it makes sense, because if you're cheating on somewhat you're not really thinking much about their feelings, or if you are, you block it out. Oh well, overall I'd say this is worth a view for people who want an honest look at marriage. It makes you realize just how much work a marriage takes. :)

God Bless ~Amy

Like a shot of novocaine
I don't mind if a film is slow-paced, so long as there is something of substance to grab me and hold my attention. The Secret Lives of Dentists is a forgettable trudge through middle-class family life and the mind of the dull and repressed dentist and dad, David Hurst, who is tormented by his unfaithful and distant wife and worn down by the demands his children make on him, even though he loves them all. Clumsy and awkward, the movie belabors the same points over and over again and slowly numbs your mind. Only one sequence of scenes stands out in memory - when the Hursts all come down with the flu and begin to vomit left and right. Great, I got the point that they were sick, but really, how much puke needs to fly in order to convey this fact?

If you want to see a great film that stars Hope Davis, watch About Schmidt. It's also a slow-paced film that deals with ordinary, everday subject matter; however, unlike The Secret Lives of Dentists, About Schmidt is moving and thoughtful and will linger in your mind for days after you watch it.

the ache of marriage
"I am 38 years old, and it seems to be that I've arrived at the age of grief. My wife is seeing another man, and I don't kick her out of the house. She doesn't kick me out. I can't imagine kicking anyone out of the house. Do you kick them? Or do you... kick them?"

Campbell Scott has always been one of my favorite actors, and his performance as a somewhat repressed, subdued and not very socially adept dentist is excellent and compelling. It slowly dawns on his character, Dave Hurst, that his wife is seeing another man. The distance between his wife, Dana (who is also a partner in their shared dental practice), and him grows while both try to carry on with their lives as normal. Sadly I think the movie with its deliberate and slow pace reflects accurately the non-communicative state of many marriages. People become
so busy and wrapped up in the daily grind (in the case of the Hursts, they have three small children, none of whom seem to like their mother very much). Dave struggles not only with expressing himself but with the question of why his wife
looks at him, as he puts it, "with regret" rather than with desire. Dave's frustrations, questions and suspicions finally boil over when he treats a rather belligerent, cantankerous patient (Denis Leary), and Dave imagines the patient is following him around, provoking him and making him think about his relationship to Dana.

Dave is not interested in confrontation with Dana because he is not interested in taking action. He fears the adverse consequences if he were to confront her. What if Dana wanted to leave him for someone else? What if their marriage split up? He was more willing to accept doing nothing to maintain a strained status quo. As the relationship becomes more strained, and as Dave personifies many of the qualities he imagines his belligerent patient to have, there are physical repercussions in the family... the entire family gets violently ill, with the
oldest daughter manifesting ongoing symptoms of nausea brought on by stress and anxiety (which is she clearly sensing in the household).

Overall I felt this movie was well done. The performances were excellent (cannot really complain about Hope Davis and Campbell Scott), the mundane quality of daily life and the sometimes silent suffering and lack of understanding that accompanies the tedium is captured here. As Dana comes alive in the beginning in
a community theater musical, and the let down that comes when the production ends, she embodies a person emotionally distraught at having lost some kind of passion. Most telling, she cries about the end of this period of artistic expression, freedom, and Dave does not notice. Dave and Dana share a
conversation at one point in the movie about whether they are really friends with each other. Dana always felt their marriage would grow wider and larger, but she only saw that it became smaller. They admitted that they scared each other, but they never really dealt with their personal issues. The subtle
portrayal of marriage and its failures as well as the failures of communication are well developed here, and for this reason, the film is a good choice.

Torture
I found this film as torturous to watch as the protagonist felt his marriage was to endure. I had no sympathy for him, both for his behavior and lack of; and, other than Denis Leary, every moment was either boring or disgusting - mostly boring. For 1/4 to 1/2 the film, five characters are Vomiting - UGH. A film about a tortured marriage needn't be torturous to watch in order to get the point across.

The main character's inability to take action was not only frustrating, but made him so unlikable--he was wimpy to the point of, from a filmic perspective, inactive and lacking "character"--that there was no one to care for here. The wife was intentionally not a sympathetic character, so no love lost there - but again, she was just too unlikable and uninteresting. And there were three cloying children. A few funny moments strewn about. But not nearly enough. And Leary's charisma, not nearly enough. I fought my way through. I truly despised it. Please, take out the hour of vomit. It's a family drama, not a drug film.

As a reference point, I'd say I've enjoyed about as many Alan Rudolph films as I haven't. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

If you haven't seen it, please do
Gets better every time I see it. One of the best movies made in recent years hands down.

nice ending
It is amazing how the mind works when it is in jeopardy. I became a fan of Glenne Headly in this movie.

A superb thriller/drama with a terrible miscalculation
Alan Rudolph's Mortal Thoughts is a drama about murder, not movie murder where a hitmen shoots a guy dead with rock music on the soundtrack, but real-life murder, where the killer/killers have a crises of conscience, act with shock, disbelief and paranoia.

The film is set around two couples, James (Bruce Willis) & Joyce(Glenne Headly)and Cynthia(Demi Moore) & Arthur (John Pankow). The film starts out as a pitch black comedy, with Bruce Willis giving an excellent performance as the loud, abusive and downright nasty James. His wife Joyce played by the lovely Glenne Headly is a neurotic who is constantly half kidding her best friend Cynthia about how she would like to kill him. The whole movie is carefully framed with a detective (Harvey Kietel) asking Cynthia questions about one or several crimes. Slowly the flashbacks reveal the events as if they were happening in real time, and the film's momentum builds to a point where it becomes an unbearably tense drama.

The murder or murders in Mortal Thoughts are not commited by a movie-physcopath, but people who have lost their nerve. Throught out the film they have to clean up after it, hide evidence and virtually go insane in the proccess. It the documentary like portrayel of the murders and the first rate acting that makes this film so much better then the countless other murder mysteries you may have seen.

The film however does have one major flaw. After slowly revealing its cards with tense intorrogation scenes the ending is a complete cop out. Without giving anything away, I will say that after working so hard on revealing the facts in the detective's questioning, the truth is unveiled by us seeing the thoughts of one of the major characters. This is not only cheating, but it also leaves a second major crime unresolved.

Despite this, I highly reccomend you see this film. It has a certain truthfulness that makes it more unerving then many serial killer movies.

This is a great suspense movie!
I have watched this movie twice and enjoyed it very much. It really surprises you at the end! ... Read more

Reviews (60)

Kurt Vonnegut is Better Read than Seen
For those who love Kurt Vonnegut, you would appreciate this movie, but only immediately after reading the book version. For those who haven't read the book "Breakfast of Champions", you will be utterly lost in this film.

Kurt Vonnegut stories are fantasies, written tongue-in-cheek with little reflection on reality. The characters are cartoon personifications of annoying people, and the setting is generally a middle-America, strip mall-saturated, consumer-ish nightmare. Just bringing the audience up to speed on the story environment is difficult to visually represent within the timeframe of an average movie.

The acting is done well, especially Albert Finney as Kilgore Trout, Vonnegut's alter ego that appears in many of his books. Bruce Willis does an adequate job as Dwayne Hoover as does Barbara Hershey as his wife, but the story didn't allow us understand them enough. Once again, putting a Vonnegut book to film and making it complete within 2 hours is, in my opinion, an impossible task.

But unlike most similar book-to-movie transitions, "Breakfast of Champions" holds true to the book, so much that it falls short of conveying the roles and motivations of the characters and circumstances. So once again, Vonnegut readers will be amused, but newbies will be befuddled.

...And Cut
You know, some books were never meant for the world of film. Despite how popular and well loved they may be by everyone, that doesn't mean it'll make a successful movie. "Breakfast of Champions" is a perfect example of this. While it proves to be a masterpiece in the written form, it ends up being one lousy film that tries so hard to be funny and fails almost every time.

The movie follows the basic premise of the book, but adds and changes things around (which I understand, because most of the stuff in that book wouldn't be able to translate on film--hence, why it should've never been done in the first place). Dwayne Hoover is a car dealer that everybody loves and trusts. Dwayne Hoover, is also losing his mind. From his pill-popping wife to his cross-dressing business buddy, Dwayne is losing his grip on reality on a daily basis. Soon, he will meet a sci-fi writer that nobody has ever heard of (except for one deranged fan), Kilgore Trout. Their meeting will be the final straw for Dwayne and chaos will be the aftermath.

What made the book so funny in the first place was the actual commentary by Vonnegut as the overall narrator. It wasn't necessarily funny only because of the characters and their actions, but mainly because of Kurt Vonnegut's voice. Of course, they have to do away with the narration in order to have it work on film. The problem is, however, it doesn't work. It feels like a bad imitation of "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas." It's rarely funny nor is it strange, it's just plain annoying. The only way this film will be understood by others is if they have read the book ahead of time. And even if they've done that, they'll only end up being more ticked off at the debauchery that is the movie, "Breakfast of Champions." I wasn't expecting a dead-on adaptation, just something to do the book some kind of justice. Sorry to say, this film does no such thing.

The DVD has almost no special features, and for the first time ever--I could care less. In fact, I'd be even more ticked off if this DVD had tons of special features while other great movies have "doodley-squat" for special features.

"Breakfast of Champions," while a literary masterpiece, is a "fabulously well-to-do" dud as a movie. I can't even recommend this to people who haven't read the book, as they'll most likely despise it since they will have no idea what is going on. This movie is living proof that some timeless literary classics were never meant for the big screen. I think Vonnegut would agree with that. In fact, with all of the rants he does on entertainment, TV, and short attention spans, it wouldn't surprise me if Vonnegut structured the book to be un-filmable on purpose. Avoid it and stick to the book, if you want my honest opinion. -Michael Crane

Breakfast of Champions
This movie is hilarious. I saw it like 20 times before I read the book, and couldn't even really tell what it was about, but was intrigued by it nonetheless. Then I read the book, and realized what was going on, and it became 20 times better. All these naysayers don't know what they're talking about. Buy this movie, I've been trying to forever but no one has it but here. BUY BUY BUY!!!!

Terrible Movie in it's Own Medium
The movie is not as good as the book. It never is.
The movie does not closely resemble the book. It never does.

These are the most common complaints I have heard most people make against this film, but I am going to leave those things adside and judge the film simply as a comedy, but first a brief synopsis.

Wayne Hoover is a well to do car salesman in Midland city and he is having a very bad day. He is starting to see things that are really not there and hear voices that are really not there. He is going insane and he knows it.

Kilgore Trout is a sci fi writer who writes outrageous stories that appear in pornograpyh magazines. On the whim of one of his only fans he is invited to Midland city for an arts festival and decides to go. When Wayne and Kilgore meet all hell breaks loose.

The sad truth though is that all hell does not break loose as it should in a comedy like this. The performances are very subdued. For instance Wayne Hoover has a scene with an employee who is secretly a cross dresser about his clothing! What a hoot huh! Unfortunatley no, it is not a hoot it is barely even a chirp. I expected Wayne to jump up on the desk screaming and ranting as would befit a man going insane, but instead he calmly explains to his employee that he should wear more colorful clothes.

I rented this movie expecting a skillfully crafted black comedy, what I got was a gray farce. If you are renting this movie and you read the book you will be dissappointed. If you are renting this movie and you have not read the book you will be equally dissappointed, it is just all around bad.

As a comedy it comes up short. There are hardly any funny scenes. I do not recall laughing once.

Who said
"Illiterates need not apply"? They were right on. No this movie will not completely mimic the book, however, I think it does an excellent job of capturing the unique essence that is Vonnegut, on film. If you are familiar with Vonnegut's body of work, you will appreciate this film, and might even wet yourself laughing.

You either get it, or you don't. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Love is a mysterious game for the players in Choose Me, writer-director Alan Rudolph's uniquely eccentric spin on matters of the heart. A comedic drama steeped in a nocturnal, smooth-jazz atmosphere, the production is rooted in the mid-1980s but laced with a timeless film noir attitude. Its chamber-piece characters collide and carom from one to the other, each interaction revealing clues about how passions either cloud or clarify our paths to romantic fulfillment. Mickey (Keith Carradine) isn't the pathological liar he's supposed to be; sex-talk radio host Nancy Love (Geneviève Bujold) uses an assumed name and knows far less about sex than she lets on; and bar owner Eve (Lesley Ann Warren) knows too much about men but not enough about love. When they meet and mingle, Rudolph (using Teddy Pendergrass songs as the perfect mood-setting soundtrack) orchestrates a passionate dance of sex, sadness, and self-discovery that's wittily observant and altogether beguiling. --Jeff Shannon ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Brilliant Effort by Alan Rudolph and Superb Cast
Alan Rudolph takes a mystery and turns it inside out, with the help of great acting. Tom Berenger as the crusty, savvy detective. Elizabeth Perkins as the hapless but lovestruck detective wannabe. Ann Archer at her radiant and amusing best. And Neil Young (yes, THAT Neil Young) in a delightful cameo role as a heavy who gets what he deserves. A small film it may be, but the script is excellent, the photography impressive, the familiar theme of mistaken identity is well played, so this is in many ways Rudolph's best film.

Alan Rudolph's Best Film
Those unfamiliar with director Alan Rudolph should not hesitate to buy this video. It's a carefully crafted mystery with a wry sense of humor, visually exciting, and well-scripted. Tom Berenger is at his best, well complemented by Elizabeth Perkins, Ann Archer (at her steamy best), and yes, a cameo by Neill Young (yes, that Neill Young) that is bound to please. This is a small film but one that aspires to greatness through its noir plot, crisp dialog, and excellent acting by all. The larger theme of identity seems, in a way, Hitchcockian, but the movie is not at all derivative. When it came out in the 1980s it received good reviews but went quickly to video, though it deserved wider recognition. Note: although not billed as a "family" flick, the absence of gratuitous violence et al is a welcomed relief. So when is the DVD coming out? It's about time. Until then, buy and enjoy the VHS tape. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

One of the Greatest Willie Movies Ever!!!
Bless my soul, this movie is finally coming to DVD!!! This has to be one of the greatest Willie Nelson movies ever (this and Barbarosa). It is smartly written and has a certain chemistry about it. Everything just fits. It is a wonderful gem of a movie that I'm glad will no longer be one of the moritorium VHS titles. If you're a Willie fan, it's a must own. If you're somewhat curious, check this movie out. You won't be disappointed.

+1/2. Cute Willie Nelson vs. Nashville caper film
A fast-paced, fluffy film about the "outlaw country" lifestyle. Willie Nelson and Kris Kristofferson play Doc Jenkins and Blackie Buck, two grizzled road warriors who will only face life on their own terms, come what may. Early in the film, Doc gives up life on the road and tries to make it big as a record producer in Nashville; his evil, unscrupulous business partner royally screws him in the contract negotiations, and Willie spends the rest of the film trying to get out from under his thumb. For his part, when onscreen Kristofferson mostly just smiles and acts carefree and high on life. Leslie Ann Warren opens up a gaping black hole of talentlessness and tunelessness, improbably cast as the "next big thing" country star that Doc and Blackie pin their hopes on -- it's all very well and fine, except that the gal can't sing her way out of a paper bag. Regardless, this is a fun film, a nice chance to see Willie, in particular, be completely charming. Some fun songs, too, though at times a bit heavy on the '80s rock influences.

We love it!
My wife and I like to open a few stubbies of beer and settle back to watch/listen to Willie and Kris and the cast having a lot of fun. Unfortunately we have to hire it, and always have our eyes open for a copy. The script, music, acting appeals to us. Definitely one our our favourite films.

fun movie - great soundtrack
I enjoyed the movie a lot, but I enjoyed the soundtrack even more. Songwriter, Under the Gun, etc... now I just need to find a CD copy of the soundtrack (or maybe a DVD copy of the movie?).

Songwriter: One of The Best Pictures of The Year
Dr. Drew Casper PhD., Professor of Critical Studies at U.S.C.'s School of Cinema/Television lamented the lack of Oscar(tm) consideration for this as "one of the best pictures of the year"(1984). As one of his former students, I concurred wholeheartedly. Having seen this movie 3 times upon it's very limited original theatrical release, and countless times since, I think it's a shame the studio didn't know how to market this as a universally appealing Musical Comedy. Produced before the heyday day of The Sundance Film Festival, and before studios knew how to market Independent Films, this hilarious movie was neglected a proper release and ignored except by the small elite group of critics who saw it on the tiniest screen of Hollywood's Beverly Center and in film school. Everyone loved it! Tri-Star mistakenly thinking a movie starring Country Music legends Willie Nelson and Kris Kristoffersen would only appeal in the South, stifled it's theatrical run by limiting it's release to cities south of the Mason Dixon Line. But this movie is actually a very, witty, and fairly sophisticated comedy better suited to a wider City Slicker and Art House movie crowd. As a native San Franciscan who cannot stomach Country music, I made its Soundtrack the first (and last) Country Music record purchase I ever made. I loved this movie, considering it among my top ten favorite movies of all time. ... Read more

Amazon.com

One the strangest musical curiosities of the 1980s, Roadie stars Meat Loaf as a good ol' Texas boy who turns himself into the world's greatest roadie to win the heart of a teen-age groupie (Kaki Hunter). She, however, is obsessed with Alice Cooper, just one of the musical guest stars in this rock & roll road movie farce. Meat Loaf single-handedly saves concerts by Hank Williams Jr. and Roy Orbison (who duet on "The Eyes of Texas") and Blondie (who crank up "Ring of Fire") as well. Directed by Alan Rudolph, from a slapdash story he co-wrote with producer Zalman King (which surely qualifies as one of the most unlikely creative partnerships in film history), this high-energy cinematic jam is a raucous, disjointed goof. But only the comedy is played out of key. The music rocks. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (8)

"Everything works if you let it."
Whoa-boy. ROADIE isn't a five-star flick by any stretch of the imagination (save that of starry-eyed fan-atics, who're no doubt clicking No with some vehemence right about now). Every one of the three stars are worthy, however, and I snapped up this DVD with all haste because the film IS a campy, rollicking, fun little tale. Meat Loaf is a charmer as Travis W. Redfish, cuddly and sweet, inventive and wise, a memorable character in even his head-butting, brain-locking, ox-like other side. Kaki Hunter is less memorable as Lola Bouilliabase, though often just as sweetly naive as anyone who's had a brush with fan obsession (y'all CAN click Yes later on and change your vote, if you didn't know). Completing the Redfish clan, Art Carney is a hoot and Rhonda Bates purely delightful. Watch for Kurkwood Smith in a bit part.

A no-frills DVD package. The feature cleaned up nicely, but the original trailer shows wear. The Dolby 5.1 audio was a surprise, though, and plays well front and back.

ROADIE is a guilty pleasure, but such camp was fun sharing with unsuspecting friends -- we laughed 'til we cried. Chair dancing, the distinctive rattle of a beer truck, narcs snorting Tide. Some odd remembrances, too, of the brouhaha over cancelling concerts for energy conservation, often believed an excuse for censorship. Oddly enough, there's little or no swearing in ROADIE; Lola's quest for deflowering and a little substance abuse (and perhaps the close-up of Alice Cooper's codpiece) earned the PG rating.

"Everything works is you let it," a worthy sentiment.

good for laughs
i caught this film late night kinda flipping the Remote around&when I saw Meatloaf&Heard Don Conelious's Voice I had to watch&see what this was about.very much on a Rock&Roll Buzz&Vibe with all the folks in the film&the way the film goes down.alot of laughs as well.

Meatloaf rocks without singing a note
This is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. A great cast: Meatloaf, Khaki Hunter, Art Carney, Jos Spano, Alice Cooper, Hank Williams Jr., Roy Orbison, Don Cornelius, etc. Great musical performances by Blondie, duet of Hank Jr. & Roy, Blondie, Asleep At The Wheel. Some of the greatest lines of all time. Story gets a little trippy but makes sense and one of the all-time strangest endings. If you are a 70s rock and roll fan, this is the movie for you.

Wowsers!
I am a huge Alice Cooper fan- all the albums, videos, memrobilia, and I obviously have this. With suprisingly OK acting, four star cinematography, A+ comedy, a simple, somewhat innocent plot, and a massive cast of rock stars (Alice Cooper, Blondie, Meat Loaf, Roy Orbinson and others) lead the pack. Alice's resturant scene with the makeup, leather and Disco Sucks pin is a great example of Alice's career peak (this film came out in 1979, the year of his best tour: Madhouse Rock). Unfortunately, amazon.com can, supposedly, no longer order this version, but it is avalible elswhere: go to your local rental shop, Media Play; whatever, and ask them to order Roadie...they can order it, you can buy it and you can have it! Some harmless, comedic drug content, a little violence and innocent mature content are harmlessly included in this perfected example of good rock 'n' roll.

Very Very KEWL....Fun!!!
"Roadie" is one of those wonderful movies that can either "take you back" or give you an insight into a time you otherwise would just read and hear about! Meat Loaf is absolutely wonderful...there's nothing else to say about that really...except for the classic scene where he falls off the scaffolding at the Blondie concert and his stunt double weighs about 100 pounds compaired to his 300!!! (a classic moment)..Also, seeing Debbie Harry talk to herself ..."I've been on the road a long time"...and seeing Alice Cooper rubbing his hands together anticipating "future fun" with the "I hate Apple Pie" Lola...it was all just amazing. If you want a great ride into the past, for whatever reason....this is the train to take!!! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Alan Rudolph's "screwball film noir" (his definition) is a bitlike Choose Me cast with buffoons--a handsome, smoothly directed,shaggy-dog mystery populated by thoroughly offbeat characters. Emily Watson plays malaprop-spewing, gum-chewing Trixie Zurbo, a security guard who wants tobe a private detective. It's kind of like Gracie Allen trying to play LaurenBacall in a Bogey film with a babble of mangled clichés and screwy punchlines. A shaggy, small-time thug wannabe (Dermot Mulroney) drags her into amystery involving a smarmy, double-talking senator (Nick Nolte), a boozy past-her-prime showgirl (Lesley Anne Warren), and a blackmail scheme that endsup in murder. As a mystery it's less hard-boiled than over easy, but theperformers go to town with the material. Nolte brilliantly rants an incoherentbrand of political doublespeak, and Nathan Lane is patter perfect as asmall- time entertainer delivering one-liners with a weary, wounded smile. At almosttwo hours it's a long road with meanders and detours, offering little payoffbeyond the time spent with Rudolph's endearing out-of-time characters. This mayprove mystifying and insubstantial to viewers who like a little more shape totheir stories, but fans of Rudolph's quirky brand of filmmaking will find itwell worth the trip. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (5)

quirky but entertaining
"or to put it in terms you might understand,
'The sword of damocles is hanging over pandora's box'..."

This film is more proof that Wisdom and Intelligence are not the same thing. Trixie isn't very bright or well educated, but what she lacks in book-learning she makes up for in street smarts and good morals. She's not unnattractive, just rather plain.
Cute, but not beautiful. Chews gum alot.
Sort of a female "Columbo" but even dimmer.
Just judging from her looks on the box cover
of the VHS cassette, I don't know why, but I just assumed
she was British. She looks stereotypically British,
and I was surprised to hear a sassy Chicago accent come
from those lips and not some kind of Cockney or other London accent...then again, the last feature film I watched was
THE LIMEY, so maybe that's still in my head subconsciously.

You have to get used to the title character's dialogue...I found it rather painful on my ears...and you will start talking like Trixie if you're not careful, with all the mangled metaphors!...I'm not sure it's really believable someone could talk that way so consistently, regardless of educational background...I'm sure the actress had to spend a lot of time working on her lines to get them so perfectly screwed up...sounds more like a foreigner whose first language is not English speaking that would be more believeable.
Some of it is mildly amusing, I'm sure some people howl with laughter the whole way through...but I didn't. I think Trixie would have been/could have been just as good a movie without the speech impediment...a "female Columbo" is not a bad idea for a movie, but they could have done it more effectively by studying Peter Falk's methods. Or if they insisted on the language schtick...I still say what dissapointed me most is that Trixie just looks so BRITISH. If Zellweger can pull of a Brit accent and Aussies can pull of US accents, this film would have worked nicely in London..."Trixie" could have taken lessons from Brad Pitt's Irish gypsy character in SNATCH, for instance.

Nick Nolte does a good job playing a bad guy. The female actress in the supporting role, the 16 yr old vixen, was
a positively disturbing character.

still, this was worth the cost of the rental.

Great dialogue
Trixie is a uneducated and seemingly naîve, but surprisingly effective cop, who basically speaks in mangled metaphors and expressions.

"I believe in taking the bull by the tail and staring him right in the eye."

"No, you can't have a drink, you are not drinking yourself into Bolivia."

Wonderful film, one of Rudolph's best
Like all of Rudolph's films, this was overlooked and poorly released. That makes perfect sense, as most critics have a hard time with movies that are hard to define/summarize and audiences want a lot of big dramatic moments, even if they exist in the absence of true, human moments. Rudolph is one of the best movie writers out there and if we could only get the serious literary crowd to see his movies, he might get the recognition he deserves. Anyway, if you're a fan of Rudolph or the actors, they're all at their best here (great comic performance by Watson, can't wait to see what she does in the new Paul Thomas Anderson movie). PS The world would be a better place if all of Rudolph's films were released on DVD (with a commentary). Somebody, anybody, take action, please.

Weak story with numerous funny lines
One needs a certain warped sense of humor to enjoy this film. Trixie (Emily Watson) is a self proclaimed "Private Defective" whose butchery of English is nothing short of cleavacle. Her command of idioms is not as bad as it is worse. She is Norm Crosby taken to the tenth powder. She mixes semaphores with a high-speed blender. Her malapropriations are so funny they border on historical.

The writing of Trixie's dialogue by Alan Rudolph is extremely clever, but the story that surrounds it is very quirky, constantly meandering off point. I'm not a big fan of Rudolph's wry style of directing, but this film actually has its moments. Some of the things that pop out of Trixie's mouth are priceless. I found myself tolerating the boring story to hear what she would say next.

Emily Watson's performance is excellent. She gives Trixie a naïve charm and gritty determination that is fun to watch. It is hard to fathom how she is able to say her lines with a straight face. Her Chicago accent is horrendous though. Nathan Lane also gives a tragically droll performance and Nick Nolte is absurdly humorous in his caricature of the corrupt state senator.

This film was pounded by almost everyone, but I like this kind of word gymnastics, so I enjoyed it despite itself. I rated it a 6/10. If you can appreciate a punny character without much of a story, it might be worth a try.

Quirky characters don't make up for a lack of plot
Trixie is the kind of movie that you want to love. It contains characters who are more interesting than the people most of us meet everyday. Each is unique in a depressing way. Is Emily Lloyd's Trixie on target? Who knows? You've never met anyone like her before. Does Nathan Lane overact? Yes, he always does, but never before in such a small movie so you usually don't notice it. How did Nick Nolte come up with his sleazy politician ? Well, haven't most of his roles in other films benefitted from his sleaziness? Everyone in this movie is overdrawn but your heart is touched by them nonetheless.

But quirky, touching characters don't make a movie. The plot, script, directing and sets all seem to be offhand as if they were occuring in a dream you might have when you are sleeping with the television on. No one--not the actors, not the writers, not the director--seems to know where this movie is going. And, so, it doesn't go anywhere.

If you like showcases for quirky acting, you'll find much to smile at in Trixie. If you don't care about meeting the man mumbling to himself behind you on the supermarket checkout line, you won't want to meet Trixie either. ... Read more

Reviews (18)

Another reason why Julie Christie should continue to perform
Here's Julie Christie more beautiful, more enchanting, sexier than she has been since her role in Doctor Zhivago thirty years ago. She's an ageless wonder, delicate and sweet while also being smart and tough. Her performance as Phyllis Mann, a washed up B-Movie actress is entrancing, so much so that when viewing the film, I found myself ignoring the other actors while she was on screen. I couldn't take my eyes from her for a moment, though that's no slander at her co-stars. Nick Nolte is as watchable and likable as ever as Christie's philandering husband. Lara Flynn Boyle and Johnny Lee Miller have never really been my cup of tea, but perform complex parts with admirable skill. They are a young couple with all the material possessions in the world but separated by an emotional iciness between them. Boyle wants a child while Miller does not, so she turns to handyman Nolte. Miller happens to meet Christie and becomes fascinated by her while she allows herself to be seduced as much out of revenge as curiosity. The film is stylishly directed by Alan Rudolph and I give special credit to cinematographer Toyomichi Kurita for his excellent camera work, though I envy him for getting to stare through his lens every day to see Julie Christie before him. A touching film with fine performances all around, with Christie the standout(yet again).

An smart odd film about Romance.
When a Key Repairman (Nick Nolte) cheats on his Attractive Wife (Julie Chrsitie in a Oscar Nominated Role), a has been actress for a younger woman (Lara Flynn Boyle) but when his wife cheats on a handsome young man (Jonny Lee Miller), who dates the younger woman and the Realationship gets Complicated.

Written and Directed by Alan Rudolph (Mortal Thought, Breakfest of Champions) shows a Strong Dramatic Comedy about Love and Redemption. Julie Christine gives a Strong Role gives the film:Best Asset. Grade:A.

Old Roses, Young Weeds
A fading light that illuminates the day, when it's too late to change anything about it, is the Afterglow. In the gray city of Montreal, two couples prance in its dim daze, uttering writer/director, Alan Rudolph's highly stylized dialogue: Lucky (Nick Nolte) and Phyllis Mann (Julie Christie) have been married for over twenty years. He is a philandering fix-it man, she is wittily morose ex-B-movie actress. They have an arrangement about his philandering that goes back to a painful incident in their past, one that is clear in the present's Afterglow. More upscale, and younger, are the Byrons, Jeffrey and Marrianne, a miserably rich yuppie couple. He entertains his suicide fantasies by stepping out onto his high-rise office ledge, sticking his knee into the air, waiting for a strong wind to push him off. She is a semi-hysterical, insatiate housewife, who is building a baby room for a baby her husband promises they will never have.

The plot mechanics of what follows would be farcical if it weren't for the pace. In the yuppie's lavish house (similar to the one Al Pacino called "post-modernistic bull#*%^" in Heat), Lucky goes to build the frustated housewife nursery for the phantom infant. Given their respective marital status, an affair, especially in film with jazz dominating the soundtrack, is mandatory. By sheer coincidence, or by the writer's desire for contrast, Jeffrey and Marrianne meet. Suicidal he maybe, but as his well complemented secretary would attest, he does have an attraction, albeit non-sexual, to older women. This is their first exchange:

Phyllis: I noticed your wedding ring.

Jeffrey: Its removable.

Phyllis: Does your wife know that?

Jeffrey: If we find her, we'll tell her.

Rudolph is so fond of such rhythmical gesticulation of dialogue that instead of the above standing out, it could be a random selection from his script. The whole thing is written this way, hence defeating any dramatic aspirations the film might have had; if these people talk like this ALL the time, then what planet are they from?

This is that part where I'm supposed to say why I thought the picture is not what it might have been. It is true that the actors, with the exception of the Oscar nominated Christi, struggle to create anything special under the director's pretense; Miller is fun in role that is virtually opposite to his Sick Boy in Trainspotting, but the character is one note. Boyle brings nothing new to frivolity and neurosis. And Nolte is just Nolte. But if you were familiar with the films of Alan Rudolph you'd know that he hasn't failed here. Afterglow is, probably, exactly what he wanted it to be. A small scale drama with a slightly skewed sense of reality. He is the patron saint of the slightly off-key film (his underrated 1990 murder mystery Mortal Thoughts was realistic only because every other murder mystery was not). So Afterglow is no surprise, just another part of the man's repertoire. The only thing that might make Rudolph's oak-lined, smokey, booze drenched creation worth visiting is a jewel of performance by Julie Christi. She is able to sell Rudolph's silly non-jokes, as when she calls her husband Lucky Mann (which is his real name, ho ho), without letting on if she is loving, mocking, hurt or disgusted by him. She is the enigmatic, fascinating mystery the rest of the film only thinks it is.

Afterburn
Christie and Boyle sink their teeth into great parts but this love rectangle unfolds too slowly to be that entertaining. Rudolph's attempts at screwball comedy are ill conceived, but his direction is good. Too bad his male characters do nothing but think with, uh, you know.

Great Acting, Great Story
I thought the movie was great overall. The story is very deep and moving, nicely woven, and even though Nick Nolte might not have had the 'sexy' look required for his part, I think he more than compensated for it with his aura. The movie engages you from start to finish and Julie Christie was amazing. Rent it, especially if you're in the mood for something romantic, yet different in its take from a lot of what is out there today. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

A one of a kind movie....
In my earlier review of another one of Alan Rudolph's movies, "The Moderns", I cited this film as being the ONLY movie to cover what life was like in the weird period in western pop history between 1975 and 1982. This was a period when David Bowie's bizarre influence permeated just about everything having to do with American and Western European night life and sexual rebellion. NOBODY sought to document this strange footnote in the 20th century timeline other than Rudolph, and he does an excellent job!

This is one of a trilogy of movies Rudolph directed when he was "hot", just after he had developed his own style, apart from Robert Altman, his mentor. "Choose Me" and "The Moderns" were the other two. (To appreciate the difference that eventually set the two apart, rent Rudolph's "Welcome To L.A", which could have EASILY been an Altman movie, and compare it to any one of these three.) Unfortunately, since these three movies, Rudolph hasn't done much that could be considered landmark, with the exception of "Mrs. Parker and The Vicious Circle". A damned shame, really.

The story centers around Kris Kristofferson, starring in one of his few really good movies, as a disgraced cop who gets paroled back into Seattle society after serving time for murdering a crime lord for harassing an old flame of his, Wanda, played by Genevieve Bujold, whom he reunites with after he gets out. Wanda owns a popular diner haunted by weirdos and hangers-on over which Kristofferson takes an apartment she offers to him out of gratitude. Into this mix comes Coop, played by Keith Carradine, a young married with the requisite financial problems all working class young marrieds face: New baby, new expenses, a wife to support....After finding out that jobs are hard to come by, (this IS after all, set in the late 70s and early 80s,) Coop soon turns to crime after meeting with a strange, black habitue of Bujold's diner, played by Joe Morton. Coop soon transforms from an average Joe to something resembling a cross between the Joker from Batman and Bowie's Thin White Duke, turning off his young wife, played by Lori Singer. This drives her into the arms of Hawk, Kristofferson's character. Hawk happens onto her right after Coop comes home late one night from one his first forays into petty crime with his newfound friend, Morton, and Hawk just happens to be passing by their shabby motor home after the fight between the two younger people ends.

Eventually, Coop and his friend try to deal with Hilly Blue, a fey crime lord played by the well-known, late transvestite actor Divine, and nobody's life from there on in is quite the same again.

This movie captures the neon world of the late seventies new-wave/punk era near-perfectly and is unique in the fact that it is the ONLY movie to do so! The acting, specifically Carradine, Bujold and Morton, is top-notch, the music, by Mark Isham, is moody, jazzy and noir-perfect and humor abounds throughout.

One of the oddest portions of the movie is a latter part involving Coop and Morton and yet another crime lord of the city named Nate. Nate is, quite frankly, a sissy with an eye for VERY young ladies. However, he's powerful enough to make life very rough for the two punks.

Buy this movie, and I assure you, it will stay in your OWN mind for quite a while.

A real Noir sleeper
Very atmospheric film, that deserves a DVD. A real sleeper with some very real dialogue. Check the scene when Kristoferson's character explains to Singer the way it would be living with him. Just brilliant writing, one of my favorites

Rain City Blues
Alan Rudolph has created a fascinating off-beat look at America, through the eyes of a cynical ex-cop, Kris Kristofferson, who goes by the name of Hawk. The setting seems to lie in a no-man's land between the past and the future, as Seattle is transformed into a bleak, dreary city under martial law. Hawk reluctantly finds himself as a guardian angel for a young woman, Lori Singer, and her baby, who have been abandoned by her erstwhile husband, David Carradine, who rather absurdly gets drug into the dark underworld of Rain City. Hawk's old flame, Genevieve Bujold, provides most of the emotional punch in this movie, running a diner inhabited by local rif-raf, which serves as Hawk's hideout. The story is cartoonish, but that is part of its charm. The dead-pan performances carry the movie through its rather predictable twists and turns, highlighted by a comicly nuanced performance by the great Divine as the kingpin of the Rain City underworld. The Mark Isham score is given haunting refrains by Marianne Faithfull. Rudolph seemed to have fun with this movie. It moves along well with a perfectly inane closing scene in which Hawk brings the proper forces back in order.

Why no DVD - the market's out there.
Here's a taste of bittersweet that will leave you wanting more.

A slightly different future. Devine as a man. Kris Kristofferson almost showing emotion. Lori Singer's best ever imitation of Darryl Hannah. Genevieve Bujold in her best role since King of Hearts. A great soundtrack. What's not to like.

They pressed a laser, where's the DVD? ... Read more