| The
Review: |
As far
as superficial movies go, "Perfect" is top notch. Its basis
on realistic events could easily be an afterthought in the
midst of the film's ogling of physically fit bodies, their
owners throwing limbs into the air and pelvises from side
to side in their futile attempts to achieve the utmost perfection
in their appearance. This brandishing of the human form threatens
to spell certain doom for James Bridges docudrama about 80's
health clubs, but luckily, the story is more interesting than
it has any right to be. ***
The premise
is derived from articles written for Rolling Stone magazine
about health clubs becoming a new hotbed for singles in the
mood for hooking up with other physically fit nymphomaniacs.
At the center of this is Adam Lawrence (played by John Travolta;
the character's real life basis is the script's cowriter,
Aaron Latham), a reporter who is sent to California to try
and persuade felon Joe McKenzie to give him a face-to-face
interview before his trial. As insurance in case he doesn't
make his goal, his editor gives him the assignment of infiltrating
the health clubs and digging up the dirt for a juicy story.
***
He finds
himself at The Sport's Connection ("The Sport's Erection,"
he later calls it), a classy fitness center swarming with
people who appear flawless and wear endless smiles that make
you wonder if they're pumping methamphetamines through the
ventilation ducts. Is is here that he meets Jessie (Jamie
Lee Curtis), the center's top aerobics instructor who refuses
his fervent requests for an interview, but agrees to have
lunch with him. The two begin a relationship of sorts, one
that is put in jeopardy when she finds out what he's really
up to, thus leading to that subplot where he has an epiphany
and realizes the error of his ways. ***
The film
is pretty routine as far as the romance goes. It hits the
usual high and low points, though a scene involving their
initial clandestine encounter is supercharged with sexual
intensity. We know upfront that things are going to get rocky
because the script requires it, so any surprises down the
road are immediately disposed of before the first hour is
up. ***
That we
know so much isn't that great a detraction, considering the
above average acting on the parts of Curtis and Travolta,
and the overall upbeat nature of the material. Travolta actually
shows some depth as Adam, giving us a reason to believe in
what would otherwise be a routine change of heart for his
character. Curtis excels as a woman unwilling to trust those
around her, and exposes the raw, unstable nature of Jessie
quite nicely. And when the actors aren't busy exchanging dialogue,
they're getting in shape during one of the expertly-staged
aerobics sequences, which are supercharged with eroticism
and heat as the camera takes more than just mere glimpses
at gyrating bodies, hips, pelvises, arms, shoulders, legs...
you get my drift. ***
The only
thing that's missing from "Perfect" is a sense that these
characters, not just Adam and Jessie, go through some sort
of change as a result of the article published in the magazine
in the film's final third. Adam rewrites his original article
to reflect his own thoughts, though his publisher orders a
second rewrite to revolve around the original premise. Those
mentioned in the article see it, are stunned and apparently
hurt by "Adam's" remarks, but then the movie drops this for
the insertion of the beginning subplot involving McKenzie,
which is used to provide a purpose for Adam and Jessie's inevitable
reconciliation in the end. Do the gym bunnies and nymphos
ever go through a process of reevaluating themselves? Do they
even care? Could it be that they truly believe that beauty
is only skin deep? ***
If this
is so, then we have no reason to care for them at all. This
lack of deeper thought ultimately renders "Perfect" a work
of pure superficiality, but on that level, it works more than
it should. The gym scenes are nothing short of a fetish feast,
the acting surprisingly potent, the overall experience mildly
enjoyable, though it could have been more. --
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