Change Your Image
evanhitc
Reviews
The Shrink Is In (2001)
Why Has This Movie Been Dismissed?
I am tired of discovering movies that I appreciate only to look them up on the internet and discover that I am alone in my appreciation. The Shrink Is In is an example. Rottentomatoes.com didn't even have enough reviews of this movie to give a score. It is nicely written, acted an directed. Predictable in its outcome--yes. But this is a comedy in which the viewer is supposed to root for the predictable outcome. And this had a cute conclusion.
It may say much about me that when I go to the video store I pick titles--and often actors--I have never heard of. Invariably (unless Ben Affleck has anything to do with them) they are entertaining movies. Perhaps only the independent films appeal to me. I like good dialogue. If a movie can be easily fast-forwarded and nothing important is missed, nothing was there to miss. To prove this to yourself, try fast forwarding one of the Charley's Angels movies. (Maybe this is a bad example as the confusion you may encounter with these movies is that there is no believable or discernible plot.) Next, try fast forwarding any of the early Woody Allen movies, Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy for example. You'll get the picture.
Da wan (2001)
Big Shot's Funeral is commercialism run amok.
Years ago my high school economics teacher held up a tin toy car with wooden wheels. It was the typical Japanese product of its day. "Beware of people who can do this," he told us. The class did not understand his words until he turned the car over to reveal that it had been made from a Schlitz beer can. The rest of Japanese ingenuity and production is history.
The movie Da wan (Big Shot's Funeral) carries a similar message. Though they may be behind, the Chinese can catch on quickly, particularly to the world of Madison Avenue as illustrated by this hilarious movie where hype and commercialism run amok. This movie reminds me of the 50's si/fi novel "Space Merchants" (Gravy Planet) by Pohl and Kornbluth in which an ad agency gets the exclusive rights to advertise products on the planet Venus. The unconscionable excess on both Venus and in China say much about us as consumers who would rather be entertained than informed.
Sutherland, always good, is excellent here. I am confident the low rating for this film is because of its subtitles, but they are not a bother and are part of the humor.