| Review:
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A goofy satire about Hollywood production inner circles
and the outsiders who infiltrate, The Deal is also a cut
above most of those other Hollywood productions about these
backroom cons in question. And while audiences tend to be
a whole lot more interested in what's going on in front
of the cameras than the shady schemes transpiring behind
them, The Deal delivers in terms of creating equal fascination,
not to mention comical frenzy, at both ends.***
William H. Macy has co-written and stars in The Deal
as Charlie Berns. He's a cranky bottom feeder Hollywood
producer whose suicide in progress is interrupted one day
when his ditzy nephew Lionel (Jason Ritter) shows up on
the doorstep of his seedy hovel, with a high minded script
in hand about esteemed 19th century British parliamentarian,
Benjamin Disraeli. At wit's end in his depressing life,
Charlie schemes, not only to secretly transform the screenplay
into a Jewish action thriller, but to devise elaborate ploys
to grab the attention of reigning black action superstar
Bobby Mason - who has by coincidence recently converted
to Judaism - to play the lead.***
This born again con man extraordinaire also manages
to attract a major studio and big bucks for the production,
simply by spreading false rumors and innuendos throughout
Hollywood. Along the way, he butts heads with the assigned,
no nonsense pathological workaholic studio executive, Deidre
Hearn (Meg Ryan), and he eventually cons her into bed through
an elaborate menu of sexual harassment moves, don't ask.
The never disappointing no matter what Elliott Gould also
turns up, as Rabbi Seth Gutterman, a befuddled recruited
producer who strangely bonds in Yiddish with LL.***
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Final Words:
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Directed and co-written by Steven
Schachter, The Deal could have landed a more solid impact
with fewer subplots and a leaner script shaving off some of
those many narrative detours. And can we drop those lewd courtship
seduction routines in these movies already, may we remind
you that women have come a long way baby, and are not in the
mood for hearing any of it these days. But Macy's wit and
knack for genius moves, whether as a character or screenwriter,
provide the exceptionally impressive mastermind treatment
here. |
