| The
Review: |
Stereotypical
characters, convoluted logic, and an abundant absence of intelligence
abide in "Domestic Disturbance," a thriller that wants to
be naughty, but ends up playing nice. What begins as a somewhat
interesting film tailspins into an unending chasm of unbelievable
plot twists and aggravating characters who make all the wrong
choices. Here is a movie that covers familiar ground, yet
it fails to spark much interest once things go awry. ***
John Travolta
stars as Frank Morrison, a boat builder whose ex-wife Susan
(Teri Polo) is on the brink of remarrying. This, of course,
is unacceptable to their 12-year-old son, Danny (Matthew O'Leary),
whose outbursts against his parents' divorce have led to being
picked up from the police station on numerous occasions. Like
any good father, Frank advises Danny to accept that which
he cannot change, and to give his new stepfather, the wealthy
and popular Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn), a warm welcome. ***
Now anyone
who knows their thrillers can guess that if there is money
involved, then there's usually a tainted past here and there;
this film is no exception. The wedding goes off without a
hitch, despite the presence of Ray Coleman (Steve Buscemi),
a former acquaintance of Rick's who is set on collecting a
large sum of money from his old pal. One thing leads to another,
contrivances appear, and Rick has a murder on his hands, unaware
that Danny witnessed the deed from the backseat of the car
in which it occurred. ***
This is
the first in a series of several scenes that look promising,
but hold little intensity or surprise. Judging from Danny's
"Boy Who Cried Wolf" syndrome, it is easy to foresee that
no one will believe him when he reveals what he saw, save
for Frank, who must hold a grudge against his son's aggressor
if there is to be any action or energy in the story. There's
a little bit of cat-and-mouse going on, as Frank searches
for the missing Ray and possible clues to take to the police,
but it goes virtually nowhere. ***
The movie
seems more interested in showing us just how stupid people
can be in such situations, however unbelievable they may be.
From the start, Susan stands by her man, defending him against
Danny's accusations. Does it ever occur to her that when a
strange event happens, Rick was out of the house at that same
time? Does she ever stop to think about how her disbelief
in her son's statements is affecting him, rather than the
old song-and-dance about her marriage to Rick? Even the police
are completely clueless, ignoring everything until the end
when it hardly matters. ***
My big
complaint with "Domestic Disturbance" is its editor, who has
chopped the movie down to a mere 88 minutes, too short for
a thriller and too long for a documentary on vengeful stepfathers.
Paramount's advertising campaign for the film hit us with
a slew of pre-release television commercials, as well as a
lengthy and revealing theatrical trailer. There are scenes
in both of these, one of which involves a car chase, the other
involving a discussion between Rick and Frank in which Rick
tries to buy him off. These and others glimpses are not even
included in the final cut, and perhaps may have been more
interesting than what we see here. ***
The climax
is standard fodder, but it has the ability to generate more
intensity than the rest of the film altogether. Travolta turns
in a good performance, convincing us of his status as a loving
father; Vaughn fails to generate a sense of menace, while
Polo does little else except look completely clueless. For
all its attributes (which are few), "Domestic Disturbance"
adds nothing new to a worn out genre; its lack of lucid plot
could be overlooked if not for its failure to generate any
level of suspense. ***
Note:
The film was shot on the eastern coast of North Carolina,
in Southport, yet in one scene, Ray mentions his locating
Rick was from a childhood memory of Rick's about a family
vacation in Maryland. Your thoughts, Mr. McNally?
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