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Senseless film with Whitney as the only asset

posted 5 years ago by jasonmovieguy (182)
3 replies | jump to latest

My what a bittersweet movie this was. Overlong, overhyped and overacted. I'll get to the points why it fails as a film.

1. Kevin Costner. Playing the same character he did in Dances with Wolves, Costner never smiles, always looks stern- and makes Bill Paxton look alive. I never once believed he was in love with her. The film would have done better with him simply protecting Rachel. In fact, I'm glad the romance was cut after their first tryst at the beginning.

2. Rachel's Sister. The movie is about protecting the singer/actress from a killer. Turns out- her own sister hired the guy to do it. That's disgusting. Why would Rachel even give her a funeral? The woman was out to get you from the start.

3. The Academy Awards were WRONG. So many things. Let's start with "I Have Nothing" the song. It was PERFORMED by Rachel in her movie, and music video. But they pick some other gal to sing it? Would never happen at the real show. Red carpet was done at sundown? The Oscars always start at 8pm/5pm ET. It would be sunny in LA on the carpet. Rachel also wins an acting Oscar? For what? We never see her act in the movie, and the film comes across as a music video full of songs. So acting should have been switched to her winning Best Song.

4. The annoying British guy. A Jude Law rip off.

5. A stupid ending. So turns out, it's Kevin Costner's ex-bodyguard friend who wants to kill Rachel? What about the blonde nut that was sending her notes and getting in her bed? Then Costner is shot to death at the end. My older female friend and me turned off the movie when the planes are shown and Whitney gets out with her sunglasses. The funeral scene no doubt to tie everything together as a "tragedy".

The actress that plays Rachel was Whitney Houston. She wasn't in much in the 90s. Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife followed. Too bad. She was okay, and had a very pretty smile. I wonder why more casting directors never hired her for movies. As for her singing voice (if that was her and not a dubbing), it was great. She should have done more songs for movies after this one.

FINAL GRADE: D

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8309) 5 years ago

I remember seeing the promos for this film as a kid when it first came out and mostly I was just pissed that Costner wasn't doing another cool movie like Robin Hood or Field of Dreams. I avoided the film until last night, when I finally went ahead and gave it a watch.

And you know what? While it's not a film that I think I'll ever watch again, I actually found it to be an interesting watch and for the most part I enjoyed it.

To address your points:

1. Perhaps you misunderstood Kevin's character. He's a samurai--this point is made explicitly--and his life is all about maintaining discipline and being the best that he can be at his job. This fact is reflected in his austere apartment that contains little beyond the essentials to live. Also remember that he had seen the samurai film 62 times and seemed enamored with the idea of facing death head on in the stoic execution of his duties. So if he never showed emotion, this is why. Perhaps you'd rather him be a happy-go-lucky bodyguard, cracking jokes and slapping high-fives with everyone, but that's just not the character. And I think the character that was crafted is interesting.

2. I'll halfway agree with you here. Rachel having hired the hitman seemed far-fetched--and obviously it does make her unlikable--but it's not outside the bounds of reason. What is outside the bounds of reason however is the way Rachel handled it and how she seemed totally unaffected both by her sister's grave betrayal as well as her death.

3. I agree it didn't make sense for her to win Best Actress when clearly the award should've been something music-related, but it's a minor detail. And I don't care about any of the creative liberties they may have taken with the time of day on the red carpet or whatever. Who cares.

4. Didn't mind him.

(continued below)

[–] PrimeMinisterX (8309) 5 years ago

5. I thought the note-sender NOT being the guy trying to kill Rachel was a good twist. You might ask the question of why Costner's bodyguard friend continued to pursue his target even after his employer had been killed--or rather, after he killed his employer, which is never quite explained--but I think that goes back to the mentality of discipline or completing the job for which one has been paid. It's an honor thing. Maybe you shouldn't have turned the movie off though, because you clearly don't know how it ends. Frank does not die. He recovers, they have a big final kiss and he goes off to continue his work with another client.

Your final paragraph makes me wonder if your whole post is a troll job. Do you really think they would've dubbed Whitney Houston's voice with another actress? Are you genuinely not familiar with who Whitney Houston is?

The film is certainly not a perfect film, but I appreciated that it was something that felt a little different and it entertained me.

FINAL GRADE: B-

[–] [deleted] 4 years ago

"The actress that plays Rachel was Whitney Houston. She wasn't in much in the 90s. Waiting to Exhale and The Preacher's Wife followed. Too bad. She was okay, and had a very pretty smile. I wonder why more casting directors never hired her for movies. As for her singing voice (if that was her and not a dubbing), it was great. She should have done more songs for movies after this one."

Brilliant.

I see there is a good reason you didn't choose jasonmusicguy as your handle ;)