How entertaining? ★★☆☆☆
Thought provoking? ★★☆☆☆ 11 April 2006
This a movie review of THE AMATEURS a.k.a. THE MOGULS. |
“Boris gives it to Bianca in the butt as she diffuses the bomb.”
That came from a scenario devised by the townsfolk of Butterface Fields as they decide to make the first amateur community porn film. Bridges’ Andy Sargentee is renowned by those around him for his hair-brained schemes. Not well off, and reeling from the wealth his son is now surrounded due to his ex-wife remarrying up, he decides to make his riches by joining arguably the most financially successful industry in the world (along with gambling and drugs). He musters all the sad-sacks, loners and social misfits that are his friends and they begin their hoped for ground-breaking masterpiece.
That came from a scenario devised by the townsfolk of Butterface Fields as they decide to make the first amateur community porn film. Bridges’ Andy Sargentee is renowned by those around him for his hair-brained schemes. Not well off, and reeling from the wealth his son is now surrounded due to his ex-wife remarrying up, he decides to make his riches by joining arguably the most financially successful industry in the world (along with gambling and drugs). He musters all the sad-sacks, loners and social misfits that are his friends and they begin their hoped for ground-breaking masterpiece.
|
|
This is a kind of family feel-good film believe it or not, or at least one in THE FULL MONTY vein. The plot for that film seems to have been re-tooled and Americanised with some polish, and hey presto we have THE AMATEURS a.k.a. THE MOGULS. The filmmakers seem to think that if the Brits can make an Oscar nominated global hit, so can they. What they seemed not to have factored in is THE FULL MONTY is overrated sentimental humourless offensiveness. The offence lies with the fact that the label “comedy” was slapped on it. THE FULL MONTY is actually a poignant social comment on the fall-out of globalisation wrapped up in trite two-dimensional characterisation.
The similarities between THE FULL MONTY and THE AMATEURS are that both: have the working class at their centre, have the coming-out of character(s), the focus of the film is divorced with a son he is trying to provide for, there is the putting on of a spectacle to raise the community’s spirits, and the gang trying to pull off the central conceit is portrayed as a bunch of losers (a word I dislike).
What astounds is why such a talented cast would be in this film. Bridges is usually a stamp that a film is worth watching – he picks interesting projects. There are great character actors, such as Nelson, Pantoliano, Washington and Fichtner. There are the stars of television past and present: Danson (‘Cheers’), Graham (‘Gilmore Girls’) and Hawkes (‘Deadwood’). Plus leading ladies that seemed to have dropped from the limelight, Headly (DICK TRACY) and Tripplehorn (WATERWORLD).
For all the movie’s flaws it has an undeniable charm. Porn is hard to romanticise but the players and filmmakers certainly attempt to do so. The script, though, lets down a talented cast with predictability and unabashed mawkishness, which had that been reined in would definitely have made a more satisfying film. For equally corny comparisons see ELIZABETHTOWN and ON A CLEAR DAY.
The ending, however, saves the film from being dire. It is surprising the way events are tied up. THE AMATEURS is one of those rare movies, like last year’s THE SKELETON KEY, which is cliché and predictable yet has an ending that almost resuscitates a film dead-on-arrival.