Review of Speechless

Also shallow and predictable-very predictable. This romantic comedy about speech writers in opposing political camps is fluff and cotton candy, kind of like something from Neil Simon without the bite and with only a quarter of the wit. The candidates and the issues are trivialized and made into clichés. (But that's good.) Must have been written by a speech writer! She's a liberal Democrat and he's an amoral Republican hired gun. It might have been more interesting if they had switched them around. It's all surface and sound bite mentality including the performances by the leads, Geena Davis and Michael Keaton, who together produce enough chemistry to rival cold dishwater. If you're really, really bored and it's a choice between, say, a rerun of "Suddenly Susan" and this, flip a coin. Or better yet, go scrub the kitchen floor. This is the sort of mush that will turn your brain to cottage cheese.

Some observations: Christopher Reeve is sadly miscast: he makes a very soft heavy. Geena can smile and smile and smile and occasionally frown. Big deal. Poor Bonnie Bedelia. They made her look so dowdy, so as not to up stage Davis. It must be frustrating to know that not only are you more talented than the star, you are even better looking; but for an actress in Hollywood, younger always wins out.

Uh...Michael Keaton, next time, so as not to look like the leading lady's younger brother, try elevator shoes.

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