The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, September 18, 1996 - 9 Reeves ,freezes In ~sens ess -new flick By Kristin Long Daily Arts Writer So you want to see a good love story one that will make you laugh and cry; one that even your date will enjoy because it touches that sensitive side in --just the right way? If you thought "Feeling Minnesota" would be the per- fect flick, keep looking because it isn't. It may have good-looking stars like :Keanu Reeves and Cameron Diaz, but it lacks a decent story and any chemistry between its actors. The film is set in none other than Minnesota where one might think the sky is always gray and Jthe people are always bitter. REVIEW Feeling Minnesota At Briarwood and Showcase Reeves stars as Jjaks, a man who can- jaot seem to live his life free of crime. .~Jjaks (pronounced Jacks) has not led the most prosperous of lives, consider- ing his mother (Tuesday Weld) chose to raise his brother instead of him. As a result, he spends most of his time in and out of jail. Out of prison, he returns to his home- town to attend the wedding of his broth- ,,er Sam (Vincent D'Onofrio), for whom he has never felt much endearment. The two fought a great deal when they were ,.younger, as many brothers do; however, most boys mature and stop throwing things at one another sometime in the * adolescent years. Unfortunately for these two, childhood dilemmas have not .,been resolved, and the two spend half the movie wrestling and heaving rocks at each other's head. When Sam marries Freddy (Diaz), the devilish babe who actually loves Jjaks, things only get 'Heavy' stands firm under pressure By Prashant Tamaskar Daily Arts Writer A beautiful young woman whisks into town, and as a result, everyone's life changes significantly. Think you've seen this one before? You probably have - since it's been done countless times prior to James Mangold's "Heavy." Nevertheless, Mangold's incomplete, yet thoughtful and poignant film man- ages to succeed as more than just a vehicle for rising star Liv Tyler. Tyler plays Callie, a recent college dropout who finds work as a server at a restaurant in typical small-town America. She is hired by Dolly (Shelley Winters), the owner of the establish- ment, whose son Victor (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is the cook. Vic is enamored of Callie, but alas, he is reticent, overweight and RI slightly balding. Basically, he stands no chance with the lovely waitress, who, to make matters worse, also has a boyfriend. A character film, "Heavy" deals primarily with all of the relationships between Callie, Vic, Dolly and Delores (Deborah Harry), who has been working at the restaurant for 15 years. Victor is smitten with Callie for obvi- ous reasons. Her beauty and exuber- ance breathes a little life into his other- wise stagnant existence.'She is kind to Vic because he is caring and sincere, in contrast to her moody, insensitive, gui- tar-playing boyfriend. However, it is apparent from the beginning that noth- ing will probably amount between the two. In fact, the film focuses more on how their interactions serve to shape them, as opposed to featuring a fairy- tale romance. We also learn a lot about Victor from the way that he deals with his oppressive mother. Dolly is by no means tyrannical; however, she coerces Victor into believing that working at the restaurant his whole life is what he was meant to do. And, too worried about displeasing his mother to object, Victor has quashed most of the dreams he once had. In a nice touch, the director documents all of this over an extended time, allowing the viewer to piece together the puzzle of the character. Although no one at the restaurant seems content with the way life has E unfolded, Delores seems the most dis- satisfied of all, especially after Callie arrives. Stricken with the handicap of middle age, Delores despises Callie because the young waitress is the rein- carnation of what she used to be Moreover, there is a great deal of ten- sion between Delores, Dolly and Victor that, although unexplained, seems to have resulted from an adulterous sce- nario involving Dolly's late husband. As mentioned before, the characters in the film are not partaking in the most satisfactory existences. Their moods are well reflected in the cinematogra- phy. Many of the scenes are shot in the cold, lonely night, or during a gray, rainy day. But when Victor is in contact with Callie, the photography appears to be slightly brighter. These VIEW techniques are used in modera- Heavy tion, and thus, *** manage to be At Ann Arbor 1 & 2 more effective. Despite all of this, "Heavy" does have numerous shortcomings. Due to the strained relationships there is not a comfortable moment through- out most of the film. Yet as it plods toward an ending, the tone begins to change. Staying constant would have better served the movie. Also, many of the events that take place seem a bit contrived and are used as artificial mechanisms to advance the film. However, this is not too disas- trous, since plot is not the real focal point. Finally, although the film devotes most of its time to its characters, some- thing is missing. That is, we leave the movie theater not completely under- standing their respective psyches, as if some crucial information was withheld from the audience. This can be frustrat- ing, although in many ways it con- tributes to the realism. An intelligent, ambitious, yet flawed work, "Heavy" had a difficult time finding nationwide distribution - despite the presence of Liv Tyler, who has been overexposed since the Cannes Film Festival. And in all probability, most of those who do see the movie will be watching to see why someone with such limited experience was on so many magazine covers this summer. Upon viewing "Heavy," they will man- age to see a pretty decent film with a pretty decent actress. "Hey Cammy, my career is going down the tubes. Please hold me." worse. These psychotic individuals lead rather corrupt and indecent lives; even the initial love scene between Jjaks and Freddy is a bit on the provocative side. The two meet at her wedding reception, and following the introductions, they make their way to the bathroom to meet each other a little more. Granted, Freddy only married Sam because she owed money to the town gangster, but still - perhaps a little decency! When Jjaks (who got his name as a result of a typographical error on his birth certificate) finally has had enough grief from his older sibling, he decides to leave town - but not alone. He and his lover take to the open road headed to Las Vegas - where Freddy can live out her dream as a showgirl in the Vegas night scene. Their only problem, however, is Sam, whose twisted mentality adds the excitement to the dull drama. The plot attempts to imitate a peculiar assort- ment of films, such as "Pulp Fiction" or "Get Shorty," but lacks the innovative style and techniques of Quentin Tarantino and Barry Sonnenfeld. "Feeling Minnesota" also lacks qual- ity in the acting category. One has to wonder why Reeves turned down offers for "Speed 2" to make this film. And then we wonder why he did not forget acting altogether and stick to his band. After her impressive role in "She's the One," Diaz does nothing extraordi- nary. She fits her role as a street-smart woman, who always manages to find trouble.. This flick also features Dan Aykroyd as Ben, the sinister town cop with a secret lust for Freddy. He has a heavy Minnesota accent, which one might think extends from somewhere in Canada, and it does not match well with his role. Many of the other characters also carry local dialects, except Jjaks and Freddy, who sound as if they grew up in the land of sunshine instead of the land of a thousand lakes. The highlight of "Feeling Minnesota" is more in its soundtrack than its plot. With songs by Minnesota natives like Bob Dylan and The Replacements, the ballads are the only aspects of the film that actually fit the locale. It is written and directed by Steven Baigelman, who found the title for his feature film debut in a Soundgarden song. The song has a line about a man who is so disappointed by what he sees in the mirror, he says he's "looking California and feeling Minnesota." With weak acting and an even weak- er plot, "Feeling Minnesota" does not have the emotion to make a success. The characters do not fit the scenery, and the scenery does not fit the actors. "Feeling Minnesota" makes you feel nothing but anger for wasting good money and precious time. Did you miss our mass meeting last night? Do you still want to write for the Daily? Don't worry. Our final mass meeting for new staffers will be held tomorrow at 7 p.m. in the Student Publications Building, 420 Maynard St. Courtney Love and Vincent D'Onofro star in "Feeling Minnesota." I * Lecture Notes * Course Packets * Resume Services * Copy & Bindery " Fax Services R BOOKSTORE Resume Package $29.99 Includes: 1-page resume typeset, 25 laserprinted copies, 25 matching blank sheets, 25 envelopes All resumes are kept on disk for future updates. Proofs are available next-day. $2.00 OFF Complete resume package with this ad. One per customer. Grade A Notes at Ulrich's Bookstore Second Floor * 549 E. University " 741-9669 SMASH YOUR WAY ONTO LATE NIGHT e e~ 1 Best Prices * Largest Men's & Women