A Romantic Comedy That's Isn't (Thank God) Conventional
I tend to avoid romantic comedies, especially recent American-produced ones. Not because I'm single, but also I don't relate to the hunky guy, the object of affection for the high-strung, lonely lady, who desperately seeks Mr. Right, in a so-called humorous fashion. I'm not a boorish or a nebbish, but I feel what guy would date a woman who feels she's needs a man to be happy? Guess I'm too logical. However, there's a cute oasis called "Watching The Detectives", an indie film that charmingly destroys the conventions of courting. It also shares its title with the Elvis Costello tune, but didn't have the budget to secure the song's rights to put it on the soundtrack. Fair enough.Neil Lewis (a lively Cillian Murphy of "Red Eye" and "Batman Begins") is the owner of Gumshoe Video, a hole-in-the-wall video rental store that's a haven for VHS tapes. The man loves movies, but the types that won't be playing at the local multiplex: Cult. Exploitation. Grade-B. Foreign. Film Noir. In the shop, cinephiles discuss a movie, a genre or what scene did some unsatisfied renter stop a movie on a tape, unlike in the nearby corporate, sugar-filled rival "Media Giant" (a sub for Blockbuster).
Problem is Neil's too much of a fantasy junkie, instigating pranks so life won't be so boring. That turns off his current girlfriend (Heather Burns), who ditches him. What to do now? Sunshine enters the store as Violet (the cooler than cool Lucy Liu of "Lucky Number Slevin", "Rise" and "Dirty Sexy Money") a quirky dame, who drags Neil into her eccentric atmosphere. He's enamored but she gets him into some very risky antics. You'll wonder who nuttier than a squirrel's winter stash but won't care while seeing two kindred spirits have chemistry.
A member of the comedy troupe, Broken Lizard, Paul Soter ("Super Troopers") helms his script with the same raw courage that infested the indie films of the previous decade. I think Kevin Smith (the View Askew saga) was lurking about somewhere as two video clerks converse about which's better: Japanese death anime or Korean snuff cartoons.
Murphy and Liu, who slyly echo Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn from "Bringing Up Baby" (a favorite of mine), look like they're slumming, but with most of the scripts masquerading as good material nowadays, who could seriously blame them, and their performances are too sweet for words. Jason Sudekis ("Saturday Night Live" and some "30 Rock" episodes) and Michael Panes are durable as the aforementioned clerks.
The only snag is the film's lack of promotion by its' distributor, Peacearch. Sure, "Watching The Detectives", the second film Ms. Liu starred in that debuted at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival, along with "Rise", is unconventional, but that's what gives this underdog gem some giddy, honest warmth. See this film, and you'll thank yourself.
score 9/10
madbandit20002000 11 August 2008
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw1928025/34943
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