Some movies which have had title changes are in trouble. Others are a product of studio politics. And sometimes, as in the case of Cop Tips Waitress One Million Dollars, a title is changed simply because some studio executive was certain it would help. In the cast of that movie, however, It Could Happen to You was not a title that drew many fans. Towelhead, a new drama, is the title of a movie originally called Nothing is Private, but no matter what its name, it’s a disturbing, uncomfortable film. It stars American born, Saudi Arabian and Bahrain-raised debuting actress Summer Bishil. She portrays Jasira, the thirteen-year-old daughter of an American mother and Lebanese father whose divorce, before the movie begins, was acrimonious. When her self-absorbed mother, played by the fine actress Maria Bello, finds raising her nearly impossible, she ships the girl off to live with her strict father in Houston.
Lebanese-born Peter Macdissi, seen recently on TV in Six Feet Under and before that 24, plays her short-tempered father. He’s determined to impose strict rules of conduct on his terrified, lonely child. Unused to such discipline, she rebels by wearing makeup and this begins a downward slide. She soon catches the eye of her next door neighbor, a National Guard reservist soon to be called up for duty in Iraq. He’s superbly portrayed by busy actor Aaron Eckhart whose character wastes little time in seducing the frightened girl. This is painful stuff to watch. Only the fine performances by the cast, especially Macdissi’s insufferable persona, are what give the film any validity. Toni Collette, the Australian star turns in her usual fine work as a caring neighbor, determined to save the girl from further abuse and from the demonic father. But the drama is relentlessly depressing. Powerful yes. But to no point.
Stealing America, Vote by Vote is a chilling documentary narrated by the noted actor and Henry Fonda sound-alike Peter Coyote. It shows how the national elections of 2000 and 2004 were, quite plausibly, stolen by the Republican party. Before you dismiss this as a partisan film, know that extensive interviews with the Secretary of State of Ohio, responsible for election procedures, investigative reporters with no axes to grind, computer experts, poll watchers and others present a sobering case in an evenhanded way.
College students at Kent State, for example, say they counted some 200 voters entering the polling place—after hours of delay, and then report that only two votes were recorded! Exit polls, which have always been a reliable predictor of the outcome of the election were routinely skewered in many states with the official vote count having little or no relation to the polls. Even more bizarre are interviews with computer experts who show how easily electronic machines can be altered. Oh, that Secretary of State from Ohio? He’s a Bush supporter who is also a vice president of one of the companies which manufactures voting machines! Just a coincidence. Of course.
If you haven’t seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Woody Allen’s best film in years, what in the world are you waiting for? In part an homage to Pedro Almodovar, Spain’s greatest filmmaker, the chatty and breezy Allen screenplay deals with two American tourists summering in Barcelona, one of the most exotic of all of Spain’s diverse cities on the Costa Brava.
British born Rebecca Hall, speaking with a perfect American accent, is rather conservative, engaged to a nice but stodgy Wall Street type back home; he calls her every few hours. Her friend, portrayed by Scarlet Johansson, believes true love involves suffering, trial and error, is the more daring and outgoing one.
Together they meet Javier Bardem, a bohemian Brazilian painter who tries to seduce both of them. Penelope Cruz, also in the superb drama Elegy, is his fiery ex wife, who probably knows him better than anyone. The narration, which is in Woody Allen’s familiar breezy but incisive style, moves the story along and all four stars take us on a dizzying journey that will mesmerize you. Patricia Clarkson and Kevin Dunn ably portray their American hosts. This movie will rivet your attention with its rich characters and Woody Allen’s superb use of Barcelona as a gorgeous backdrop. It’s the movie of the year so far.
Finally, Uma Thurman stars in The Accidental Husband, a rather lame comedy evocative of those tepid Doris Day romantic love fests of the ‘50s which seem terribly tame nowadays. She’s miscast as a radio talk show host named Emma Lloyd. She’s got a self-help book coming soon and intends to marry a man she thinks she loves. Her stuffy fiancé is portrayed by Colin Firth, last seen in Mama Mia as one of three putative fathers of Meryl Streep’s daughter. Then she finds out she may be married to a fireman and has to search for a way to get an annulment. What passes for a plot begins to entangle the lives of the advice-giving radio yakker and the Joe Sixpack fireman.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who could be Javier Bardem’s long-lost American brother, was last seen in the sappy romance P.S. I Love You. He’s cast as the fireman and delivers an earthy, convincing performance. But the comedy is strained, the movie tries too hard to be cute and the result is bland pabulum.
Jeffrey Lyons has been a film critic since 1970 and has reviewed nearly 15,000 movies and 3,000 plays. He is the son of Leonard Lyons, whose Broadway column, “The Lyons Den,” was the most respected of its day (1934–1974). Lyons is the critic at WNBC-TV, is seen on 200 NBC stations, and also co-hosts Reel Talk, NBC’s new nationally syndicated movie show.
His “Lyons Den” radio reports are heard on more than 100 stations nationwide.
