ARTS Thursday, September 27, 1984 The Michigan Daily Page 6 64 'All of Me' is Steve Martin's best By Joshua Bilmes ALL OF ME is probably the make it or break it movie as far as Steve Martin's movie career is concerned. It comes after The Man with Two Brains, which was probably his best work to date and was neglected by most everybody, and The Lonely Guy, which was just plain neglected. The good news for Martin, and for anyone who enjoys laughing at a good movie, is that All of Me is Martin's best, and it is more than just a good Steve Martin movie; it is a good movie, period. The comedy is a gimmick one. And like most comedies which have one gimmick, the biggest problems come in the period when the gimmick gets set up. That takes about twenty minutes in this film. In those twenty minutes, we are in- troduced to a very good cast of charac- ters. Steve Martin is Roger Cobb, a lawyer and musician. He always takes his dog to the office, and he very much wishes to become a partner in the firm. He gets his chance when Edwina Cut- water is finally on her death bed after a lifetime of flirting with it due to a heart condition. Cutwater (Lily Tomlin) is quite a schemer. She arranges with a far eastern mystic to have her sole put into another body, after she arranges to have her new body inherit her con- siderable fortune. But as Cutwater says, "I can't even die right." The bowl which is to tran- sfer her sould falls out the window and conks Martin on the head. Lily Tomlin ends up in Martin. That concludes the set-up, and the movie, which had been mildly amusing earlier, starts to gain steam. Simply put, Tomlin and Martin hate one another. Both are quire desperate to get her soul where she wanted it. But they run into more than a few problems. Terry Hoskins (Victoria Tennant) does not really want Tomlin's soul. All BE A ROAD SCHOLAR RENT FROM NATIONAL Get away and get a free T-shirt. she wants is the money. It is impossible to reach the mystic because he speaks no English and seems to think a ringing phone is related to a flushing toilet. Whenever the phone rings, he goes in- to the bathroom and flushes, instead of picking up the mouthpiece and saying hello. While this goes on, Tomlin and Mar- tin try to reach some form of peace, which is absolutely vital because Tomlin controls the right half of Mar- tin's body. The scenes when Martin is walking down the street or doing just about anything else are brilliant as Martin does his best comedy acting ever (Pennies from Heaven was better overall but cannot be compared). He manages to alternate from Tomlin's mannerisms to his own with wonderful control, and his body really does look like one with two different people in- side. The screenplay (by Phil Alden Robinson from an adaptation by Henry Olek of an Ed Davis novel) explores just about everything having to do with the situation. How can Tomlin handle a very important legal case when the Martin half of the body is sleeping? How can Martin have sex with a woman looking over his shoulder? What will people think when two voices, one male and one female, start to come from the same mouth? Martin's fiance concludes Martin is cheating on her,cand the two do not stay engaged for long. Slowly but surely, Martin and Tomlin begin to find love. And when that hap- pens, the quest to get her sole in another body becomes both more important to us and a great deal funnier. It is an im- portant part of the considerable momentum the film develops along the way. Director Carl Reiner (who also teamed up with Martin on his earlier comedies) gets a lot out of the entire cast. Tomlin's performance is perhaps the most interesting. 6 6 Getting away this weekend may be easier, more fun, and less expensive than you think. That's because National rents to 18-year-olds, and gives you clean, sporty cars at low prices. Absolutely no mileage charge. And now a free Road Scholar T-shirt will help make your week- end a great getaway. You can rent at any of the National locations below. All you need is a valid student ID and driver's license. Use a major credit card or submit a cash qualifying application 24 hours prior to rental. You pay for gas and return the car to the renting location. T-shirt offer good while supplies last. You deserve National National Car R attention. PER DAY NO MILEAGE CHARGE Rate available from noon Thursday to noon., '^ , f} Monday Certain daily minimums apply Ask for details. / "' ? ° Roger Cobb (Steve Martin) tries to restrain the accusing finger of Edwina Cutwater, whose spirit is, of course, trapped in the right side of his body. l At the start of the movie, when Ed- wina Cutwater is a very unsympathetic character, Tomlin's portrayal of her seems to be lacking. But as we get to know her character better, Tomlin's performance seems to get better, too. This is still probably not as good as her work in The Incredible Shrinking Woman, but it really does grow on you. Victoria Tennant is beautifully bitchy as she plays the woman who will go to any length to keep from having her body taken over by someone elses soul. Richard Libertini as the mystic Prahka Lasa does a fine job of playing dumb. His little gestures and wide smile throughout the movie are well worth watching. All of Me is definitely part of a film tradition. A so-so set-up leads to won- derful comedy as opposites begin to at- tract. The dancing as the end credits go by is a splended cap to a funny ninety minutes. And All of Me is the first comedy with Steve Martin that should appeal to anyone which should bode well for his future. i Soundstage: Thursday night alternative 3230 S. State St. (Briarwood Amoco) 769-8437 I- By Barb Schiele IF YOU ARE in Ann Arbor for the first time this fall, you probably already realize that there are major social ad- justments to be made. Possibly the first such adjustment is the realization that in this town, weekends begin on Thursday night. It is a major adjustment, but one that must be made if you intend on surviving socially in Ann Arbor for more than three weeks. Bombarded by choices between crowded bar scenes reeking of Eau de perspiration at Lauren, or cover charges that empty your wallet before Friday's happy hours, the adjustment could be tense. Relax social butterflies, there is an alternative. To fulfill and ac- comodate the every need of the student,. the University Activities Center provides Soundstage, an oasis in the desert of Thursday night Choices. There is even a glimmer of hope now as this student-operated production company, which sponsors a . wide variety of local bands every Thursday night at the U-Club, starts their hot musical season tonight. "Soundstage promotes a wide range of music each week," commented Carol Balluff, a co-chairperson of Soun- dstage. "Variety is emphasized." On Thursday nights, the U-Club will feature bands that do everything from singing the blues to boppin to pop originals. A few local favorites, such as Resistance Free, Johnny Jones and the Phones, and SLK will be featured this year as well as a few more new talented unknowns. NOT SURE OF YOUR COLLEGE MAJOR? o. " In a barrel because of debts? LOOK FOR WORK IN In one evening of entertainment both old and new talent can be enjoyed. In keeping up the image of Soundstages in the past, the first hour of the evening will be a coffee house set-up. One to three musicians play mellow tunes or jazz pieces as a warm up to the featured band. The variety of the U-Club's at- mosphere also sets it apart from the typical Ann Arbor bar. "Soundstage is different from other bars," said Rich Meyers, the other chairperson of the company. "It's a social place for frien- ds to gather-but people can also talk and not be overpowered by the music." Soundstage also provides for those who choose to dance rather than chat. Meyers said that the U-Club's dance@ floor and the upbeat bands can also set the dancing mood. The U-Club is a private club for the University students, faculty and staff and their guests. Therefore, "The en- tertainment is geared solev for the students, by the students," Meyers said. With the variety of bands, Soundstage should attract all types of bar-goers and' music listeners. The Evaders open the* season tonight with their neo- psychadelia revival. "This band is fiercely original," said band manager Frank Davis. The dan- ceable music by the Evaders gives an original Ann Arbor sound. Having played at Joe's and Rick's, this group of four musicians promises to be alot of fun. Warming up for the Evaders is the talented jazz duo of Steve Croley and Chris Duhamel. Later in the season Soundstage will sponsor special events such as The Dance Band Bash, which featured SLK in the Union Ballroom last year, a special Homecoming party, and the 'Battle of the Bands' during Michigras. Soundstage satisfies students not only with the variety in music and the com- fortable atmosphere, but also with the cost. Just because it is your new- founded weekend night doesn't mean_ Thursday nights have to be expensive. The cover is only $1.75, with weekly drink specials. So save yourself from the torture of Thursday night decision making and head to the U-Club. For musical entertainment, it could be where your weekends begin. Read THERE'S A COLLEGE OF PHARMACY RIGHT HERE. Americans hold Pharmacists in the highest eY in-- above all other professions-according to a recent Gallup poll. It's a career offering exceptional salaries. good career paths and an opportunity to be an impor tant member of the health care team--and there s a 1m m- - - -m -m m - -m - - -m - -m m-m 1 SNAM E I ADDRESS I Y _ STATE _ ZIP I i