The Singing Detective
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Movie Reviews of The Singing Detective
Movie Review: Should have been so much better...What were they thinking
Summary: 1 Stars
I've never been much of a Robert Downey Jr. fan. All I heard was praises for him in this film, and I must say I was disappointed when this movie never came to theater when I first heard about it over a year ago. You would have thought with a movie with this kind of cast including Downey, Mel Gibson, Katie Holmes Wright Penn, and Adrien Brody would have made this movie shine. It's anything but that.
Dan Darko(Downey) is an author. He's in a hospital for some kind of skin condition that they never explain how he got. He is stuck in the hospital and he hates every minute of it. He starts to hullicinate and live out the novels that he's written. He's not sure what is fake and whats not except for the visits from the few people he sees.
Dr.Gibbons(Gibson) is the closest thing that Darko has to a friend. He really does want to help him out, and the two really do play some interesting mind games out with each other. Gibbons is trying to help him overcome his illusions and get himself back into the real world.
The real world isn't what Darko likes. His nagging ex-wife(Wright Penn) is hanging around with ulterior motives. He does however enjoy his daily rubs with skin cream from Nurse Mills(Holmes).
However it's up to Darko to overcome his problems. He's living out painful memories from his life and he must make the descion to solve the problems and get back to reality or stay in the dream world he hates.
The worst part of this movie is the organization of it. It's really messy at times. You don't know what is going on and the jump to reality and fantasy is non stop. It's to much of an effort to try to keep up with it. It's not thats it to complicated but it's boring and stupid.
I enjoyed parts of the script. I loved some of the conversations between Darko and Gibbons. Gibson and Downey are both great in those situations. The rest of the script is a waste.
The acting isn't bad in the movie, but it's nothing to write home about. There is so much wasted talent in this picture. This movie is really a waste in something that could have been so much better. I really only enjoyed one part of the movie and that is the scene and dance sequence with Katie Holmes. The rest of the movie really is crap to me.
You definetly want to rent this one before you buy it. Not even hardcore fans of these actors can enjoy this one.
Movie Review: Profoundly Disappointing...
Summary: 1 Stars
I was all set to really enjoy this movie after watching the mini-series of the same name for the 2nd time (a rare thing for me). I thought the original was one of the finest works ever to grace the TV. However, the movie was a real disappointment.
I knew going in that the story had been changed somewhat to a different time & place with different music. But unfortunately, the differences between this movie and the mini-series were all for the worse.
The story has been changed in some subtle and not-so-subtle ways. One big difference is that the lead character is in a private hospital room, which takes away much of the give-and-take dialog and atmosphere of the original. The original's use of sex scenes, while provocative for the TV, was quite mild compared to the much more flagrant incestuous and Oedipal scenes in the movie. The movie is much more dark and unredeeming in general. Finally, while I like R. Downey, he was a very poor substitute for Michael Gambon in this part. He was really completely unbelievable as a frustrated author - not that a better acting job would have made this a decent movie - I got the sense he was reading his lines off a teleprompter.
The cast in general looked good on paper, but again, they weren't enough to save this stinker.
I don't know exactly why this version was so much worse than the original. Whether the author's rewrite, the shorter format, the director, or Hollywood in general are to blame. But it is hard to imagine anyone liking this version anywhere near as much.
I actually had to stop watching this movie before the end (another rarity) - it was painful. I'm using the time I saved to write this review and try to help others avoid my mistake. What Hollywood did to The Singing Dectective was a crime.
Movie Review: Oh God...please tell me this isn't happening
Summary: 1 Stars
Okay, I'm obviously in the minority here since the other reviews are glowing. They can't spell and they talk like shills for Gordon (director), but hey, everybody's entitled to an opinion. Point is... this is a bad movie. If you're some kind of wannabe film student who sits in Starbucks all day debating the state of Hollywood or how big bad corporations are ruining it for creative minds like yours...then you might like this movie. It is pretentious enough to appeal to your sense of "getting it" even though you don't, but for the rest of us... well, if you have no life then go for it. If your refrigerator needs cleaning, or your toenails need cutting...do that first! Your time will be better spent. The movie has an identity crisis... is it a musical? A noir? A neo-noir? Crime Thriller? A comedy? Black comedy? Here's the joke... Amazon has it categorized in just about every one of these! Nobody knows what this is. If you decide to watch this after all I've said, let me pass on a hint to enhance your viewing experience: Try watching it with the director's commentary on to see how seriously Gordon takes this, that is the best part.Movie Review: Robert Downey Jr with a skin rash.
Summary: 1 Stars
Adults Only! Contains sexual content. Hyper film noir.
I guess an actor must once in a while do a film that helps pay for the house and the therapist. Robert Downey Jr. did "The Singing Detective". Downey plays "Detective Dan Dark" who is in the hospital with a horrible skin condition all over his body that has lasted for three months. It is so bad he is losing his mind. he flashbacks to the land of 1950's film noir where he is a singer (lip-sync old 1950's tunes here). He also has written a book full of pictures which his psychotherapist (Mel Gibson) believes contains clues about his life.
He has a problem with women, especially his wife (Robin Wright). It goes back to when he was a child when adults would have sex in front of him of near him.
His wife has found his screenplay without him knowing about it. She plans on typing it herself and cashing in on it for herself while her husband is in the hospital.
That is Robert Downey Jr. singing "In My Dreams" during the end credits.
Some scenes were filmed east of Lancaster, California and north of Antelope Acres, California.
Movie Review: What's all the fuss about?
Summary: 1 Stars
This was no great movie. After suffering through the first half hour (but determined to see it through), I managed to do my ironing, balance my checkbook, and finish a crossword puzzle while this film droned on (and on, and on) in the background. Even the lovely Katie Holmes couldn't save this movie. I was disappointed, to say the least, after reading all the glowing reviews. The cuts between reality and musical/fanasy were handled much better in "Chicago." I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone as it it tedious and horribly uninteresting.