E Page 8 - The Michigan Daily -- Monday, September 23, 1985 Whodunnitfickabounds in hokiness By Matthew Ben-Zeev excruciatny satisfying nur- der mystery? To be sure, it shol lure you into a labrynthine web of fac- ts, motives, and clues. Conflicting evidence accentuates the chaos. *Meanwhile, the unsinkable sleuth, whether a seemingly awkward and imperceptive Colombo or a dapper, ultra-confident Holmes, conjures up his trusty entropy-reduction skills and calmly eeks out a sublime and delicate balance. The truth manages to hit you upside the head, evoking awe of the sleuth and shame at your own utterly in- ferior logic muscles. It doesn't matter that you actually did not have a prayer to fuse the puzzle pieces - you still believe you did because .the sub- tlety of the illusion is so-confounding. Compromising Positions attempts to join this genre, but it lacks the necessary subtlety. The main problem is the film's overwhelming hokiness. Whodunnit- film techniques abound, particularly some of the most overused and cliched of the mystery-movie stan- dbys - like the old "Amateur sleuth pokes around at the scene of the crime only to find silhouetted police detec- tive ready to pounce"' routine. Even cheesier than the film 's methods are the characters them- selves. Susan Sarandon plays Judith Singer, the curious but naive housewife compelled "to get to the bottom of this once and for all." Raul Julia is the hard-nosed detective tur- ned to jello by the curious-but-naive housewife. Surrounding the protagonists are a bevy of other stereotypes (the insensitive husband, the gossipy friend, -the schlemiel suspect) so caricatured as to be Ifu thepretense of the film had been tongue-in-cheek black comedy, ridiculous situations and participants would seem appropriate. In this case, though, the silliness is just distrac- ting, because Compromising Positions wants to be a legitimate thriller. Worse yet, it indulges in tossing in a contrived and un- believable theme about the quest of suburban women to escape from their mundane lives. Granted, housewives can remain perpetually unfulfilled because they are trapped by their husbands and thieir lack of produc- tivity, but how (as the film expects us to believe) would they satisfy their desperate longings through the fon- dling hands of a tacky and unsubstan- tial dentist? In another context, Sarandon's per- j ournalism, and ther re general point that "women need something else" could have been more developed and more believable. Here, the theme merely detracts from a potentially original and even slightly whimsical plot. With more definition, a new twist could have been added to the traditional thriller, starring a bored homemaker as our cop-foiling Sherlock, utilizing a network of idle gossips as her magnifying glass. The point is that in a mystery story, the audience is obliged to abandon real logic and real common sense, but they cannot be expected to participate in the fantasy unless the characters and the scenario come off 'as somewhat believable. Like so many of life's unsuccessfulE ventures, Com promosing Positions tries to be too many things at once. The absurd personalities and 4im- focused moral detract fromr the ultimate aim of a whodunnit - to grab you offguard and force you to speculate who did it and why. Here we don't even care, and little speculation is needed anyway because the ciles are explicit rather than implied. In some ways, it is healthy to 2Ax- perience a rotten detective movies in order to appreciate the qualities o( a truly good one. After all, not all movies can be masterworks, and :s Chuckles the Clown would say, "A 1t- tie song, a little dance, a little seltzer down your pants." KEEP WARM, ACTVE MR1 J Slow pace kills laughs I (Continued from Page4 faired better. With her speaking voice, she was by far the more professional of the two. Alter probably would have been better with a different co-star, Krueger being too juvenile for her. What was most lacking from the leads was that they never developed a strong sense of at- traction between Anne and Paul. Without that, who cares if they sleep together or not. Director Cathy Foltin's biggest chalrenge was to create interesting ac- tion on a bare stage. There is not a lot to lean on in an unfurnished apar- tment. Though a good sense of Anne and Paul's nervousness was created, by the second scene the constant movement was distracting and often without motivation. The supporting players performed reasonably well - especially John Palenick who plays Eddie, the low-life superintendent and Diane Hall who plays a cranky old lady in the apar- tment neighboring the empty one. The production was not terrible, but with more energy and spontaneity to make the comedy work it could have been many times better. A comedy without laughter is much worse than a tragedy without tears. Too many times an actor would say something that was supposed to be funny, but receive no laughs. The problem was not Bob Randall's play, which despite its lack of substance was a hit cn Broadway, but the slow pace of the actors and the production as a wholE. With six performances left there's no reason why Foltin and her cast couldn't pick up the pace and make some of those potential laughs work. There's still hope. 6 Bins Rv Vu will run for the next two weekends at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre; dates are September 26-28 and October 3-5. All performances begin at 8 p.mr. Tickets are $5. P" Going insyl.. with awool melton S....~shell jacket. By Vaqo-. Desinedfor wearing ease and comfort. Sewn-down front .~ ~ ..~*...*cape and flange '~:.::: ..'.~".swing back. Two snap a pockets. Knit trim. With 2-oz. polyfill lning. Grey, navy, black, S-M-L-XL, $80. We welcome Jacobson's Charge Card or The American Express* Card. Shop until 9 p.m. on Thursday and Friday Until 6 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday MATH (MAJORS/MINORS! APTITUDE) .. . You're Needed World.* Ask Peace Corps Moth volunteers why their degrees are needed in the classrooms of the world's de- veloping nations. Ask them why igenuity and flexibilit r re a culture. They'll tell you their stu- dents know Math is the key to a solid future. And they'll tell you that Peace Corps adds up to a career experience full of rewards and accomplishments. Ask them why Peace Carps is the toughest job you'll ever love. *PEACE CORPS Spotlight on the Emmys Best Comedy Series - "The Cosby Show" (NBC) beat out "Cheers." Best Actress in a Comedy - Jane Curtin of "Kate and Allie" won for the second straight year. Best Actor in a Comedy - Robert Guillaume won for "Benson' (ABC). Best Directing of a Comedy --."The Cosby Show" (NBC). Best Writing of a Comedy - "The Cosby Show" (NBC). Best Drama Series - "Cagney and Lacey" (CBS) won the shootout with "Hill Street Blues" and "Miami Vice," both of NBC. Best Directing in a Drama - "Cagney and Lacey" (CBS). Best Writing of a Drama - "Cagney and Lacey" (CBS). Best Actress in a Drama - Tyne Daly, who plays Lacey in "Cagney and Lacey," won the award for the third straight year. Best Actor in a Drama - William Daniels who plays Dr. Mark1 Craig on "St. Elsewhere" (NBC). Best Supporting Actress in a Dramia -Betty Thomas of "Hill, Street Blues" (NBC) won the show's only asyard. Best Supporting Actor in a Drama - Edward James Olmos q9, ''Miami Vice'' (NBC) won the show's only award. .'a Best Music in a series - The pop music-soundtracked "Miami Vice" came up short to the composing abilities of John Addison for' "Murder, She Wrote." 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