Stars: 4 of 5.
Running Time: 70 minutes.
Notable Cast or Crew: Tim Curry, Diana Rigg, Fairuza Balk
Tag-line: "Things never go right for Mildred Hubble..."
Best one-liner(s): "You see, you're not the worst witch anymore..."
"Any-thing can happen on Hallo-ween. Your teach-er could become a sardine, your dent-tist could turn into a queen, HAS ANY-BODY seen my TAM-BOR-RINE? I might start playin' 'Begin the Beguine,' craziest night I've ever seen..." Submitted for your consideration, Tim Curry. Portrait of a broken artist. The faux-silk pink cape. The sad little felt bat bowtie. I think his entire costume might have been purchased at a Jo-Ann Fabrics for under $20. His performance is oddly sincere, yet there is an underlying sadness in his eyes. Maybe he knew that the producers didn't trust his interpretation of the lyrics and would feel the need to show an image of every word he sang, as he sang it. Maybe he knew a deluge of 1970's music video FX would be used in this 1986 film.
Maybe he hated himself for dragging his broken body to the set just for a measly paycheck. (Little could he have known CONGO was on the horizon in 1995.) But I salute you, Tim Curry. I salute your workaday courage. Your 'grin and bear it' attitude. Your ability to deliver a sincere performance while wearing a felt bat bowtie. And for that I award you four shining stars. Not five, Tim. Let's not push it.
-Sean Gill
I am a Fairuza fan. I knew she was in this and want to see it. I didn't know she was in Bad Lieutenant. I barely even recall that film being released.
ReplyDelete