Is Farce Funny? Not Altmanesque
Farce seems to be one of those forms of comedy that many have tried over the years and few have done well.
To me, farce is reality heightened so much that it verges on silliness. It becomes its own thing, which I'm not sure why it exists and why we are supposed to care. It's an artificially exaggerated thing that wants to take reality to absurd heights, a caricature of reality.
But it is so seldom done well, especially in recent times, that it's often painful to watch, as it is here.
Now, I love Robert Altman; he is his own artist with his own disctint style. I've seen everything he's done. He can do Satire well, and even absurdity. But "Beyond Therapy" is mostly just a sad, dead thing...
I saw it in '87 when originally released. How can you go wrong with this group?
Well, I found it awful then and just re-watched it to see if 23 years would change my appreciation of it. Nope. Still mostly awful. It looks like some zany, contrived edifice where the timing is supposed to be precise and the characters deliberately over the top.
I wanted a really smart film about Bi-sexuality and a detailed exploration of all the ways that is absurd and therefor funny.
..But all I got was Altman creating Artifice for its own sake.
Nice try, gang. Jeff Goldblum is always a delight to watch... His delivery is so natural and surprizing and nuanced...But WHO is his character and WHY is he Bi-Sexual?? How about some exploration of that?
A long time fan of Chris Guest, this was his first major role after his one glorious season on SNL, so I was passionately looking forward to that. (He and Jeff both shared the same screen debut in small roles in "Death Wish" in '74.)
Of course he was great, but who was this character? Give him more to do! The script made his character paper thin.
Julie Haggerty is a fine comedian, but her character was mostly unbelievable. When She and Jeff meet, she boldly states, "I hate gays", as though thats funny. Like someone who is allergic to turnips or the color purple...Is that Farce? Even if her character was a right wing jerk who is genuinely homophobic, ala Ann Colter, she would NOT have said that line out loud on a blind date. She would have disguised it, or at least attemped to fein politness... That line didn't resemble reality in any way and THAT was the problem with the film, based on a play, attempting farce. Maybe farce is hilarious performed live on stage with elaborate choreography and tricky wordlay, but film is a much more subtle medium.
...And the whole notion of the zany therapists was so broad that I can't imagine any smart people, let alone actual therapists finding it amusing. Tom Conti and the great Glenda Jackson were wasted. A pointless exersize in cornball slapstick.
Perhaps Altman was trying for a Woody Allen tone, or even a screwball comedy here... but He was so out of his element here..."McCabe and Mrs. Miller" was
thrilling in its authenticity, "The Player" was a razor sharp satire. Indeed, Bob Altman was such a pioneer that there was even a word for his type of filmmaking; "Altmanesque"....
...And with the possible exception of the thin, bald fellow at the cafe alone watching the madcap zaniness, "Beyond Therapy" was, decidedly, NOT Altmanesque!
Sam K