STEPHEN HEREK
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BB.
USA, 2002. Regency Enterprises, Davis Entertainment, New Regency Pictures, Epsilon Motion Pictures, Atchity Entertainment International, Monarchy Enterprises S.a.r.l.. Story by John Scott Shepherd, Screenplay by John Scott Shepherd, Dana Stevens. Cinematography by Stephen H. Burum. Produced by John Davis, Toby Jaffe, Arnon Milchan, Chi-Li Wong. Music by David Newman. Production Design by Bill Groom. Costume Design by Aggie Guerard Rodgers. Film Editing by Trudy Ship.
Angelina Jolie plays a Marilyn-blonde television reporter who is informed by an uncannily accurate, homeless soothsayer (Tony Shalhoub) that she is going to die before the week is over. At first she doesn’t believe it, but when the prophet’s other predictions about the weather and football games come true, she starts to believe that she too only has a few days left of her life, and suddenly decides to change directions. Naturally, you’d think that her main realizations would come in the form of her no longer living her shallow, TV-personality life, but really all she does is dump her airheaded fiance and find love with the granola-grungy cameraman (Edward Burns) with whom she is constantly having 1930s screwball comedy-style fights. Is that supposed to be the meaning of life? It also doesn’t help that Jolie, despite giving excellent effort, is never for a minute believable in the role. It’s not a lack of talent as much as a lack of credibility, for who would believe her as such a dipstick? The viewer is constantly aware that a complex, intelligent and fascinating actress is having a field day pretending to be dumb. Features a terrific cameo by Stockard Channing.