|
The Shape of Things
review by Dan
Lybarger, 23 May 2003
Neil LaBute's movies frequently
play better at home than they do in the theater. His first two films
In the Company of Men and Your Friends & Neighbors
have a humor that's often obscured by the hateful actions of the
characters. When the character says or does something funny -- like
when Ben Stiller clumsily seduces Amy Brenneman in Your
Friends & Neighbors -- it's awkward to acknowledge that
anything funny is going on because other filmgoers might stare back
in disgust.
LaBute's last couple of films, Possession
and Nurse Betty, allowed him to expand his palette and to
show he had more to offer than clever, sharply observed misanthropy.
Possession was especially noteworthy because it's a rare film
that makes literary research look sexy and exciting. With his
latest, The Shape of Things, LaBute is back in terra squirma.
The venom that ran through In the company of Men is back in
full force along with LaBute's snappy dialogue and skill with
actors.
In The Shape of Things,
LaBute gives Paul Rudd (Clueless) a chance to show he can
play more than handsome, generic nice guys. Reprising his role in
LaBute's stage play of the same name (the two have known each other
since both attended the University of Kansas), Rudd stars as Adam, a
literature student who works as a museum guard to pay bills. Portly,
bespectacled and socially maladroit, he seems strangely blessed when
an outgoing, free-spirited graduate art student starts taking a keen
interest in him. He catches Evelyn (Rachel Weisz, Confidence)
crossing the ropes at an exhibit and curiously winds up dating
instead of busting her. Initially flattered by Evelyn's attention,
Adam gradually discovers there are strings attached to the
relationship. Many of her demands seem rather helpful. Adam's weight
drops, he switches to contact lenses and his taste in clothes
improves.
Some of her requests seem weird and
less than benign. Evelyn likes to tape their lovemaking. She also
thinks little of alienating Adam's friends. Jenny (Gretchen Mol) and
Phillip (Frederick Weller) are rather conservative and don't take
kindly to Evelyn's more Bohemian outlook. Nonetheless, Evelyn has an
ability to get under their skins as well because Phillip and Jenny's
upcoming wedding is beginning to look less and less likely because
of Evelyn's influence.
It's not too far off to say that The
Shape of Things is In the Company of Men with a female
predator instead of Aaron Eckhart's eerily mesmerizing Chad. Like
Chad, Weisz's Evelyn has a paralyzing intelligence that subdues
anyone foolish enough to mess with her. Whereas Chad seemed to revel
in other people's suffering, Evelyn appears more blithely oblivious
to the damage she inflicts. It's almost as if being a heartbreaker
is a duty for her rather than an emotional joyride. LaBute, who took
some biting potshots at corporate culture in In the Company of
Men, seems to be indicating that being Bohemian can be just as
reprehensible.
LaBute and Rudd also draw Adam well
enough so that he's sympathetic but that his eventual collapse makes
sense. Adam at times begs for his misfortune. When Evelyn makes an
astute observation, he replies, "Those are wise words for
someone with such a great ass."
Sadly, The Shape of Things might
seem a little fresher if LaBute's earlier films hadn't covered this
territory so well. Like his first two flicks, The Shape of Things
is rather talky. It's predecessors, however, were written for the
screen and didn't seem quite as stiff or stagebound. It's an
interesting tradeoff because it's hard to imagine a regional theater
troupe doing as well with this material as the cast in the film
does. Still, with only four speaking parts, The Shape of Things
comes off as a little too artificial for its own good. Weisz's
treachery is admittedly fun to watch, but if you've seen any of
LaBute's earlier films, you wonder if he just needs to start hanging
out with nicer people once in a while. |
|
