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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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Head
Over Heels
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Reviewed
by: |
Kyra
Kirkwood |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Video: |
Anamorphic
Widescreen 2.35:1 |
| Audio: |
Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround (English and French), DTS 5.1 Surround (English) |
| Language: |
English and
French |
| Subtitle: |
English |
| Length: |
1 hour, 27
minutes |
| Rating: |
PG-13 |
| Release
Date: |
July 31,
2001 |
| Studio: |
Universal |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
|
None |
| Featurettes:
|
"Spotlight on Location,"
which is a featurette on the making of this movie. |
| Filmography/Biography:
|
None |
|
Interviews: |
Yes, in the
featurette |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Theatrical trailer |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
|
DVD-ROM features,
cast and filmmakers bios, production notes |
| Cast
and Crew: |
Freddie Prinze
Jr., Monica Potter, Sarah O'Hare, Shalom Harlow |
| Screenplay
by: |
Ron Burch
and David Kidd |
| Produced
by: |
Robert Simonds |
| Directed
By: |
Mark Waters |
| Music: |
Randy Edelman and Steve
Porcaro |
| The
Review: |
We've got
an uptown apartment filled to its ritzy rafters with gorgeous
supermodels. We've got a sweet "yes girl" who just found her
two-timing boyfriend in bed with another woman. And we've got
Jim, or maybe that's not his name. And he's a murderer. Or maybe
he's not. "Head Over Heels" tries to be one of those romantic
comedies fashioned in the flavor of the vintage 1940s comedic
stints mixed with a bit of "North by Northwest" and "Rear Window"
for good measure. But in the end, this film isn't any threat
to true Hitchcockian fare. Keep that in mind, because it explains
a lot of the physical, slapstick comedy and pseudo-mysterious
moments liberally sprinkled throughout this Mark Waters' film.
Monica Potter, the Julia Roberts look-alike, plays Amanda Pierce
and she does quite a decent job as the movie's main character.
Teen heartthrob Freddie Prinze Jr. is fashion executive Jim
Winston, the neighbor boy who seems about as charming as can
be. But one night, while spying on this chunk of eye candy with
binoculars, Amanda sees Jim commit a crime and she-along with
her runway-maven roommates-try to solve the mystery of "who
is Jim?" Is he a thug? An undercover agent? A gay fashion designer?
That's the main thrust of the film: a bunch of diva detectives
searching for the meaning of Jim. The film has its ups and downs,
but overall it's a decent flick. Don't expect too much mental
work while watching this; there aren't many deep, meaningful
themes to ponder. Of course, in the featurette, one of the supermodels
(and these actresses who play models are really models, which
may account for some of the jagged acting styles) says the film
is about looking beyond appearances, but I didn't really catch
that. Neither did I catch the ending. Totally unbelievable and
hoaky. It was as if the powers that be decided they wanted to
wrap up all lose ends using every Hitchcock theme possible-and
with Prinze Jr. wielding a gun and saving the day. I told you
it was hoaky. |
| Image
and Sound |
The image
looked great, just what a DVD viewer would expect to see. Flesh
tones were natural, outdoor and indoor scenes looked perfect.
And with all the gloriously flamboyant outfits draped on the
models-and Shalom Harlow's ruby red lipstick-the image quality
was really put to the test. No bleeding of colors, no pixelization,
no grain. The sound mix is 5.1, and sounds decent. Dialog is
clear, dog barks are crisp and screams are ear piercing. Again,
it's what DVD viewers expect of a recently released theatrical
film now on disc. |
| The
Extras |
Not too
much here, folks. Sorry. There's a decent featurette entitled
"Spotlight on Location" and it features interviews with all
of the main stars. It's one of those fluffy, studio-adoring
pieces. All the cast and crew gush about how much fun it was
to make this movie, how close all the stars became, what a sorority-type
environment the set was. The best part of the featurette is
during the ending credits. I won't spoil it for you, but it
does involve three old ladies in a cat fight. Quite funny. |
| Commentary |
None |
| Final
Words: |
Final Words:
"Head Over Heels" is a decent movie. It's definitely one of
those Friday night flicks you pop in the DVD player because
your mind needs a break from the hectic week just completed.
The men will enjoy ogling the scores of gorgeous women in the
movie and the women, of course, have Freddie. Potter, who gained
attention in "Patch Adams," puts forth an applaudable performance
in her first comedic role. So take the disc for a spin. It's
not the worst thing you could do with 87 minutes of your life.
Just don't expect to walk away knowing anything more about life-or
the lives of supermodels. |
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