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The Man Who Cried 2000 |
Review by Jonathan Cornwell |
Directed by Sally Potter
R, 100 min. (sexuality) |
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Starring: Christina Ricci, Johnny Depp, Cate Blanchett, John Turturro, Oleg Yankovsky, Harry Dean Stanton, C. Lander-Duke
Producer: Christopher Sheppard
Screenplay: Sally Potter
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Released: 5/25/01 (Limited) |
Rating:
 (out of ) |
As disappointing as The Man Who Cried is, its complete misuse of its characters, considering the amount of talent on hand, is
unforgiveable. I've rarely seen a film with such promise simply deflate and wimper away without much of a fight. It's difficult
to remember a film with so little going on, to the point where you begin to wonder what exactly director Sally Potter is
trying to achieve. Sure, the backdrops are nice and the characters are pleasing to look at, but the lack of any remarkable
dialogue quickly results in disinterest from the audience - something that's the kiss of death for any film. About the only
solace one can take in the film is that its end credits arrive around the 90-minute mark.
A young girl, Fegele (Claudia Lander-Duke), is abandoned when her father (Oleg Yankovsky) leaves her for the promises of
America (intending to bring her over once he's settled) and her grandmother sends her away during a Soviet raid in 1927.
She lands in a foster home in England, only interested in one day traveling to America to find her father. A decade later,
we find her renamed Suzie (Christina Ricci) dancing in Paris for money. Her roommate, Lola (Cate Blanchett), befriends
her until she meets a famous opera singer named Dante Dominio (John Turturro). Once again abandoned, she begins a
relationship with the mysterious Cesar (Johnny Depp), a gypsy who works in the opera house with her. When the Nazis
march on Paris, Suzie is forced to leave since she is Jewish, and finally begins her long-awaited trek to America.
The film is based on mood, images, and a sense of wonderment at what the characters are thinking. It was nearly impossible
to detect what Suzie was thinking or feeling, since there's rarely any emotion on her face at all. One would think she's merely
a walking object to look at with nothing more to do. Cesar is also strange - is he really interested in Suzie or just passing
time by appearing in dark clothing and providing blank stares? Dante is quickly an irritating figure, selfish and nothing more
than a cowardly brute. You begin to get the picture, right? I mean, what's the point? At least Lola is somewhat sympathetic,
although it takes a while to figure her out. On the whole, this is a complete waste of time.
To be fair, there is some merit to the way Potter presents her film. It's intelligently filmed, with many shots clearly studied
to achieve the perfect atmosphere for each scene. Unfortunately, the story cannot keep pace with its visuals, leaving us
with merely a collage of pictures that would make a successful photographer proud.
Usually a film like this needs strong performances and an enchanting storyline to be effective, something A Man Who Cried
is sorely lacking. The relationships are poorly developed, and most surprisingly, there is no real chemistry between
Suzie and Cesar. Maybe, had that pairing been believable, the film could be mildly interesting.
Although we're supposed to care about Suzie's journey to America, by the time she's there we don't really care if she
finds her father or not. Ironically, the film's best scene occurs at the end, too late to salvage any redeeming facet to an
otherwise forgettable picture.
© 2001 Jonathan Cornwell
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| Masterpiece - Classic; Movie perfection |
 | Excellent - A Must See; One of the year's best films |
| Good - Highly Recommended |
| Fair - Worth seeing |
| Average - Viewable, but not recommended |
| Below average - View at own risk |
| Poor - Avoid at all costs |
| Very poor - An embarassment to the film industry |
| Zero | Awful - One of the worst films ever made |
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