The Amateurs (2008)

Confessions of a "Charm" Junkie

I confess -- I'll watch ANYTHING that has Billy Fichtner in it.

I also confess to having a real soft-spot for films and plays that are charming - "charm" is a much under-rated quality. We seem to get a lot of "manipulative" and "cloying," but we rarely get to see anyting "charming." This film is charming. It's also clever.

Another review compared it to British film and I concur -- it shares its tone with such sweet Brit films as "Millions" and the light comedies that came out of Ealing after WWII.

Is this a "great" film? Will it go down in the annals of film history? Probably not -- but does it have to? Can't it just be a "good watch"? I found it pleasurable just watching a great cast coalesce into a great ensemble -- celebrity actors working in tandem with non-celebrities for the good of the story.

And, of course, it has Billy Fichtner. July 12, 2008

Funny, Poiniant, Merits repeat watching

I'm sorry legal obstacles prevented national release of this little gem. Anyone who's ever heard of porn and is not a prude will find this hysterical. Some of the humor is "in your face" but not offensive. Some parts are subtle. Some very touching. I think or hope it will get the attention it deserves and develop a cult following. June 29, 2008

the amazon.com review is WRONG

i seriously don't get how hollywood blockbusters with their contrived plots and dusty old jokes get glowing reviews but stuff like this gets panned for not enough character development of the peripheral characters. give me a BREAK.
this is a great movie- great cast, great script and inspirational w/o hitting the cheese factor too hard. i really don't say it lightly bc i'm picky as hell.
for anyone looking for the inspiration to achieve the impossible, this is your movie. this, and 'my date with drew.' WATCH IT AND BE CONVINCED. June 12, 2008

Lovable Losers...who win

In 2004 Joe Pantoliano starred in a great little movie called "Second Best" in which he played the leader of a bunch of losers whose lot is never going to change. In 2005 he starred in another movie with a similar theme, but this time the losers win in the end. This second movie, originally released as "The Moguls", is now making the rounds of the video stores under its rechristened title, "The Amateurs," and it is a charming, disarming flick that will take you by surprise.

This time, rather than Pantoliano, the lead loser is Jeff Bridges, a guy for whom simply nothing goes particularly well. Unable to keep a job, divorced by his wife, in danger of losing the affections of his son and apparently completely beaten, he is nonetheless dogged in his belief that there must be SOMETHING he can do right in this life...and is inexplicably more than amply sustained in this fantasy by his own personal corps of loser, played notably by Pantoliano, Tim Blake Nelson, William Fichtner, and Ted Danson, as well as the rest of the town's fruitcake population, many of whom are losers in their own right.

Bridges' character, Andy, after much thought, finally comes up with an idea that he is absolutely positive will put them all on the map, and put much needed money into all their pockets. They should, he announces, make a porno film; what could be simpler?

The fact that this crew knows nothing about film, and worse, knows nothing about porn, sets the stage for what follows. As their Stranger in a Strange Land journey continues, Andy undertakes an academic study of the sort of scenes they'll need in their movie, Pantolaino is rendered speechless by a collection of sex toys, and, in a clear send up of his Sam Malone character on "Cheers," Danson proves not to be a ladies man at all.

One bit of pure genius occurs when, although played with a straightforward, small town earnestness, the film takes a Mel Brooks turn to absurdity as the stumbling, bumbling crew is amazed and tickled at their ability to find several more-then-willing local women to star in the film, but at the same time can't seem to find any well-endowed black males, or a single white male willing to play any part in the film at all, in spite of offers of payment and free sex.

This film was obviously a labor of love, as Hollywood stars such as Valerie Perrine, Eileen Brennan, Steven Weber, Brad Garrett and Judy Greer turn in marvelous, if extremely small performances, each adding a special something to the film.

Although this is a film about a sex film, there is literally nothing sexual about it, the small amount of nudity handled with wit and charm.

Although at times the film is downright silly, it is in the end uplifting, and simply a good movie. If you did not see it during its initial run as "The Moguls," by all means see it as "The Amateurs." You'll be pleasantly surprised.
May 20, 2008

This Movie is HORRIBLE

Big cast. Big Names. Big pile of dung.

This movie gets 5 Piles on the 'STINKY DOO DOO' meter. May 18, 2008

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