OUT OF SIGHT
[Film stats: Earned $37.5M domestically. Got 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 74% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
Given the fact that the last two recommendations [especially yesterday’s pick] are fairly steeped in reality, today’s film is a bit of a palate cleanser – a fun flick that is the kind of escapist fare everyone needs at some point or another. Luckily, OUT OF SIGHT isn’t just escapist fare; it also happens to be a really clever flick that features the best on-screen chemistry between its two leads since Bogie and Bacall shared the silver screen… and maybe even better. Really.
The plot, per the IMDB, is as follows: “A career bank robber breaks out of jail, and shares a moment of mutual attraction with a U.S. Marshal he has kidnapped.”
If you scoffed at the premise, I’m not surprised. The setup does sound contrived, but the source material from Elmore Leonard is translated perfectly to screen both by a solid script as well as very good direction by Steven Soderbergh. While Soderbergh seems at certain points to be a little overly enamored of his own direction, it never gets in the way of telling the story, and certainly doesn’t keep George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez [as the aforementioned bank robber and U.S. Marshal, respectively] from having absolutely dynamite chemistry together. It’s beyond weird that the chemistry between these two far surpasses what was on-screen between real-life lovers Ben Affleck and “J Lo” in GIGLI, but that’s definitely the case.
The trailer doesn’t do that on-screen dynamic justice, nor does it tell an awful lot about the film, but it’s embedded below all the same:
“I’ll just take your car.” That line is emblematic of the kind of sharp writing you see throughout this film. Interestingly, the supporting cast barely gets any attention at all in the trailer, and that’s a little strange given how great they are in the film. Michael Keaton, Luiz Guzman, and especially Steve Zahn do great work in their somewhat limited screen time, but Albert Brooks, Ving Rhames, and Don Cheadle are just great. Naturally, the film is primarily about the quasi cat-and-mouse game that Clooney and Lopez are playing, but the subplots are every bit as enjoyable [and ofttimes fun] as the main storyline. This film is every bit the crowd pleaser that the revisited OCEAN’S ELEVEN films were, but without the self-indulgent in-jokes. If you watch it, you won’t regret it.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you don’t want to miss Quentin Tarantino’s take on Elmore Leonard, JACKIE BROWN. You may even want to watch Soderbergh’s breakout film SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE.
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER; Day 16 - SHORT CUTS; Day 17 - THE SALTON SEA; Day 18 - A SIMPLE PLAN; Day 19 - MOON; Day 20 - CHEF; Day 21 - TRIANGLE; Day 22 - WIND RIVER; Day 23 - BLUE THUNDER; Day 24 - HOPE AND GLORY; Day 25 - LORD OF WAR; Day 26 - ONLY THE BRAVE]
[Film stats: Earned $37.5M domestically. Got 93% on Rotten Tomatoes and 74% on Flixster.]
Hello, all!
Given the fact that the last two recommendations [especially yesterday’s pick] are fairly steeped in reality, today’s film is a bit of a palate cleanser – a fun flick that is the kind of escapist fare everyone needs at some point or another. Luckily, OUT OF SIGHT isn’t just escapist fare; it also happens to be a really clever flick that features the best on-screen chemistry between its two leads since Bogie and Bacall shared the silver screen… and maybe even better. Really.
The plot, per the IMDB, is as follows: “A career bank robber breaks out of jail, and shares a moment of mutual attraction with a U.S. Marshal he has kidnapped.”
If you scoffed at the premise, I’m not surprised. The setup does sound contrived, but the source material from Elmore Leonard is translated perfectly to screen both by a solid script as well as very good direction by Steven Soderbergh. While Soderbergh seems at certain points to be a little overly enamored of his own direction, it never gets in the way of telling the story, and certainly doesn’t keep George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez [as the aforementioned bank robber and U.S. Marshal, respectively] from having absolutely dynamite chemistry together. It’s beyond weird that the chemistry between these two far surpasses what was on-screen between real-life lovers Ben Affleck and “J Lo” in GIGLI, but that’s definitely the case.
The trailer doesn’t do that on-screen dynamic justice, nor does it tell an awful lot about the film, but it’s embedded below all the same:
“I’ll just take your car.” That line is emblematic of the kind of sharp writing you see throughout this film. Interestingly, the supporting cast barely gets any attention at all in the trailer, and that’s a little strange given how great they are in the film. Michael Keaton, Luiz Guzman, and especially Steve Zahn do great work in their somewhat limited screen time, but Albert Brooks, Ving Rhames, and Don Cheadle are just great. Naturally, the film is primarily about the quasi cat-and-mouse game that Clooney and Lopez are playing, but the subplots are every bit as enjoyable [and ofttimes fun] as the main storyline. This film is every bit the crowd pleaser that the revisited OCEAN’S ELEVEN films were, but without the self-indulgent in-jokes. If you watch it, you won’t regret it.
Enjoy!
P.S. For those of you who give this one a shot and enjoy it, you don’t want to miss Quentin Tarantino’s take on Elmore Leonard, JACKIE BROWN. You may even want to watch Soderbergh’s breakout film SEX, LIES, AND VIDEOTAPE.
Other films recommended:
[Day 1 - BARTON FINK; Day 2 - CENTURION; Day 3 - THE BABADOOK; Day 4 - RISEN; Day 5 - CHOPPER; Day 6 - ZERO EFFECT; Day 7 - IN BRUGES; Day 8 - HOUSE OF GAMES; Day 9 - DREDD; Day 10 - THE MISSION; Day 11 - WARRIOR; Day 12 - ANNIHILATION; Day 13 - THE FISHER KING; Day 14 - GOOD KILL; Day 15 - THE HITCHER; Day 16 - SHORT CUTS; Day 17 - THE SALTON SEA; Day 18 - A SIMPLE PLAN; Day 19 - MOON; Day 20 - CHEF; Day 21 - TRIANGLE; Day 22 - WIND RIVER; Day 23 - BLUE THUNDER; Day 24 - HOPE AND GLORY; Day 25 - LORD OF WAR; Day 26 - ONLY THE BRAVE]
