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jane6952
Reviews
Groucho: A Life in Revue (2001)
A remarkable transformation
Watching Frank Ferrante become Groucho Marx was an amazing experience, especially for old and crotchety Marx Bros. fans like I am. I was worried that he was going to come across with a stereotyped Groucho impression, the kind you might see Bugs Bunny do, or even Alan Alda's (or, rather, Hawkeye Pierce's) impersonation on M*A*S*H*. You know who they're parodying, but it's not really Groucho. Ferrante, however, captures so many of Groucho's mannerisms and speech habits, from subtle eye rolls to sly grins at the audience, that you soon forget you're watching an impersonation. It's a masterful performance. Here's hoping it comes out on video or DVD.
The Hole (2001)
Should call it "The [Massive] Hole in the Plot"
Okay, so it's a little insulting to have the director and screenwriter believe I'm so stupid that I won't notice how lame their plot is. The students hide out in an abandoned war-era bunker, right? It just "happens" to have electricity and running water. Right. And that's just the first of many howlers in a plot that's as inconsistent as Thora Birch's upper-class Brit accent. [Not that I'm knocking her talent, but a few more days with the accent coach would have improved her chances of passing off as an English schoolgirl.] Next time hire a script editor -- someone who can tell you "Hey, you know, if you go to all the trouble of having the bad girl successfully pin the crime on the school geek, it doesn't really make sense for her to make a full confession immediately after." As for the hole, it's what this movie needs: six down and three across, with the earth firmly stamped down on top of it.