Reviews

Well, you know you've done something right when the multitude either really loves or really loathes your work. Reading the other IMDB users comments, that certainly looks like the case with Billy Madison.

I'll say this: you really have to have a particular sense of humour to appreciate this film. And, unlike some people would have you believe, it's not the lowest-common-denominator kind of sense. Billy Madison is not Tomcats, nor is it one of those bad Chevy Chase movies. It is not purile, it is absurd. When Billy looks at the nudie magazines, it's not funny because boobies are funny. It's funny because it is so absurd, because it's so stupid. Who drives around in a golf cart singing "Nudie magazine day" over and over? No one, it's ridiculous, and that's the fun. Other films that get lumped along with the Sandler oeuvre think that it's funny when a girl has her clothes torn off, when some fat kid eats a poop sandwich, or whatever lame piece of crap the writers think the audience will swallow ('scuse the pun). Madison makes no such mistakes, it's laughter with, not laughter at. Context is all, Sandler creates magnificent context in which his jokes have life and laughter. No one makes me laugh like him, and I'm not the lowest common denominator.

The world is divided into two kinds of people - those who can find someone chasing an imaginary penguin funny, and those who can't. I'm happy to say I can.

This is probably one of my favourite Woody films, along with "Hannah" and "Aphrodite," on the strength of its charm alone. Responsible for much, if not all of that charm, are Penn and Morton, who were able to keep me more or less glued to the screen, despite a somewhat directionless plot. I like that Allen didn't assume that he knew enough about Emmet Ray to create a seamless narrative of his life, and instead let the movie deal with what people knew or, in some instances, did not know. There was a wonderful sense of nostalgia as I watched the film that let me into the characters of Emmet and Hatty, which is a really nice place to be in. All the characters are vivid and enjoyable, as they all tend to be when Woody's name is on the script, and this quite detracted from the fact that in 140 minutes, not really a lot happened. Extremely enjoyable, I gave it a 7.

BNF is one of those films that meanders, and dawdles, and you either notice it or you don't. If you do notice it, you could, and probably will, be turned off by the film. If you do not, however, I'd think it's because you've been captivated by the incredible cinematics of Schnabel's camera. The somewhat weak and unstructured narrative of the plot was smoothed out for me by the amazing look of the film. Having disparaged the narrative, however, I have to say that it is, indeed, not that bad. Overall, BNF is an incredible cinematic experience, one that lets you melt in your seat. I gave it an 8.