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Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
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Since 1996 |
Your Gateway to Music and More from a Christian Perspective Slow down as you approach the gate, and have your change ready....
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The Merry Gentleman Stars: Michael Keaton, Kelly Macdonald, Tom Bastounes and Bobby Canavale Director: Michael Keaton Scriptwriter: Ron Lazzeretti Goldwyn Films Rating: R for language and violence Running Length: 97 minutes Michael Keaton looks lean and mean in this dark comedy. From Batman to trimly trim, he portrays a hit man who is on the verge of self-destruction. The story is set in Chicago during the Christmas holidays. The uneven pace, from slow moving to slower moving, is disconcerting at times. We start with a man getting ready for work (a sinister Bobby Canavale) while in bed, pretending to sleep, is his bruised wife, Kate (Kelly Macdonald with an accent so thick you could put butter on it) Then, there is the hit on a businessman in an office building. Afterward, the hit man, Frank (Keaton) is almost ready to jump off the building when a woman's scream breaks his concentration and he disappears. The police begin to guess that although the woman (Kate now living in Chicago) did not see the man, he saw her and is probably the shooter. One of the police officers (a bumbling Tom Bastounes) thinks Kelly is sweet and tries to date her. In the meantime, she has met "the nicest man" (Frank) and a slow, budding romance is taking shape. However, to her disappointment the husband re-appears. There are some poignant moments in this film and they are when Kate simply looks at people. It is with such innocence that you can't help but be captivated. Men fall for her and she acts shy and naive at the same time. Frank can't seem to figure her out and neither can the policeman. When he is frustrated he goes off the wagon, drinks whiskey and chain-smokes, to the consternation of his partner. The landscape is bleak at this Chicago Christmas and even though Frank has to help Kate take an enormous tree into her apartment, we don't see it. I, for one, was disappointed. These policemen are smart, but without diplomacy. It's like hunting a butterfly with a baseball bat. Eventually, everyone has to come to terms with their situation and I think the script failed the cast. Some characters could have used more dialogue, while others had too much. This "Merry Gentleman" wandered off course, but Keaton directed himself quite well. Copyright 2009 Marie Asner
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