8A - The Michigan Daily - Monday, February 7, 2005 ARTS Oh it's fun watching rich people be naughty! Unfunny comedy a 'Date' to be missed By Amanda Andrade Daily Arts Writer Credit the magic of the Valentine's Day spirit, or maybe the lack of a suit- able market-exploiting alternative, but it seems a true miracle that "The Wedding Date" has ever seen the inside of a multiplex. This straight-to-TV fare is romantic com- edy stripped bare and constructed The Wedding Date At the Showcase and Quality 16 Universal by a director who makes movies as her male escort hero makes love: with profit- minded indifference. That's not to say "Date" won't find its fans among those who love roman- tic comedies. All the elements are here: single gal - good-looking, suc- cessful and neurotic - meets arrogant stud. In this case, Kat (Debra Messing, TV's "Will & Grace") hires hooker, Nick (Dermot Mulroney, "My Best Friend's Wedding") to be her date for sister Amy's wedding. Next comes the highly contrived crisis that pulls them apart, the inspirational pep talk where she realizes he's the love of her life and finally the madcap dash to tell him before he leaves forever. That the film is a huge lumbering cli- ch6 would be forgivable, given the genre, if not for the laziness with which Clare Kilner ("How to Deal") directs. Every plot twist necessary to advance the story relies on a cooperative and uncritical audience rather than anything on screen. Nick flips from consummate profes- sional to shameless romantic with the resistancesofha light switch and with no discernible motivation beyond the next act requiring it. The movie is also mired in an inex- plicable assault of cheesy pop music. Maybe the onslaught is utilized to fill time, or possibly to set the tone or per- haps someone was simply under the woeful impression it sounded great. The logic isn't really clear, but the effect is indisputably annoying. Also irritating are the running attempts to inject the film with meaning - "every woman has the exact love life she wants," etc ... - the attempts ring ludicrously irrelevant and add a tinge of pretentiousness to a movie that would have survived much better as unabashed fluff. Still, some of the performances are noteworthy. Messing gives a highly cred- ible leading lady turn, all the more aston- ishing considering her superficial weekly gig as a grating sitcom stereotype. Supporting work from the dependable Jack Davenport (BBC's "Coupling") as Amy's fiancee is unsurprisingly top notch. Unfortunately, it's Mulroney who has to carry the romantic weight, and he fails miserably. It's hard to imagine a blander actor in the role, and his perfor- mance is remarkable only in its dispas- sionate indifference. Cinematically, "The Wedding Date" simply has very few redeeming quali- ties. It's a generic and uninspired little blip on the romantic comedy radar - a forgettable cliche that fails to bring a single new idea to the genre. JAZZIN' JUNE COLLABORATIVE DANCE PERFORMANCE HEATS UP POWER CENTER By Lynn Hasselbarth Daily Arts Writer The School of Music's "Jazzin,' " a collaborative music and dance performance featuring the Univer- sity Dance Company and Jazz Ensemble, electrified audiences this weekend at the Power Center. The event transported audiences from a smoky jazz bar to a swing dance club and even the banana _ plantations of Latin America , with works by the Department of JaZZin Dance faculty. UM School of Syncopated rhythms and Music/ University improvisation typically mark Dance Co./ UM jazz music, yet this performance Jazz Ensemble traversed a wide variety of At the Power Center moods and social experiences. The evening's first piece pre- sented a more classic jazz image with an impressive tap solo by Music freshman Jarel Waters. Dressed in a relaxed, collared shirt and jeans, Waters danced up and over a prop staircase, leaving the audience on edge as he slid down the steps without skipping a beat. In this self-choreographed piece, Waters reflected the grace of Fred Astaire and the modern flair of Gregory Hines. Gay Delanghe's "Dancin' Fats" was the first com- pany piece, drawing on the spirit of great jazz musician Fats Waller and the stylish "jazz babies" of the 1930s. Dressed in black and white outfits with stripes, polka dots, frilly tutus and feathered hats, dancers moved to sharp and flirtatious choreography. Both Sandra Torijano's "Bella" and Bill DeYoung's "Dance You Monster to My Soft Song" featured more. ominous music, threatening the notion of more tra- ditional jazz. Torijano chose to frame the strengths of each "bella" in her piece, highlighting a variety of personalities - sassy, patient, playful and aggressive. DeYoung developed a series of interweaving solos and duets amid a furious large ensemble piece. While Tori- jano chose romantic dresses in wine-colored crushed velvet, DeYoung created a dangerous mood with danc- ers dressed in sleek red and purple unitards. Alexandra Beller's "Reasons for Moving" decon- structed the genres presented earlier in the performance with the evening's most disorienting and deeply layered piece. At first glance, the dancers seemed indifferent to each other's motions, but it was clear that the piece presented a more nuanced form of improvisation. Beller's piece progressed from dull pedestrian move- ment to spastic confusion as the dancers' street clothes intensified in color. Video collage of urban life separat- ed each of the three parts of the piece. In each section, the emergence of pastel colors and then vibrant shades of blue, coral and violet suggested the act of stretching beyond imposed limitations. Both the music and the stage environment reflected raw life experiences with a DJ spinning to a funky club beat alongside a screeching electric guitar and an exposed stage revealing cinder blocks, cables and light panels. Movement themes were repeated: Bodies bent over, incessantly tapping the air, standing dancers pounded their forearms against an invisible box and a supportive community of dancers circulated the stage together. In contrast to Beller's raw depiction of urban life, Bob Fosse's "Rich Man's Frug" highlighted an elit- ist smoking lounge, the comedic height of the per- formance. "Ponytail Girl," danced by Akemi Look, epitomized Fosse's sexy, quirky choreography. Robin Wilson's "Lovejoy Suite" featured another delightful piece. Wearing twirling floral sundresses and burgun- dy zoot suits, dancers swung to the big band music of Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. The evening closed with Sandra Torijan's "Suite Latin Jazz," which depicted the passionate lives of dis- enfranchised banana harvesters in Costa Rica. Among several movements were a flirtatious afternoon break, a passionate evening pas de deux and a poignant piece with four male dancers set to the voice of Cuban poet Jose Marti. This fully developed narrative, addressing themes of social injustice, community and self-expres- sion was the most emotionally satisfying work of the evening. While much pf the performance reflected jazz as a form of sophisticated entertainment or complex social commentary, Trijan depicted experiences of survival and untainted devotion. Akemi Look as the "Ponytail Girl" in Bob Fosse's "Rich Man's Frug." p U Free C'Yot1f g it :z az E:?. t .l 3 t wth n cinqe chas f t k tf9.0or i more. ? :E Michigan Book & Supply 317 S. State St 665-4990 EP£i 1 :iw'P N l :: W . c ' w ',' i S NE e ,I 1IP~