Jeremy-Piven Movie Reviews

Those fears vanished as soon as Mojo's rugged and familiar face greeted me again. "Elvis Stories" is in fact better than I remembered it. The writing and acting is all really good and really funny, and it's great to recognize so many people in the video, especially because I had no idea who any of them were when I first saw it. But the lasting appeal of "Elvis Stories" comes from the way it is presented, as a documentary in which an interviewer and cameraman we never see roam America to preserve these stories like Smithsonian people travel to the backwoods of Appalachia to preserve songs and folktales. This totally deadpan style of delivery lets the lunacy of the characters really come through, and Stiller works it really well. Sometimes I laughed harder at the way the camera went from character to character than I did at what they were saying. John Cusack's performance is absolutely brilliant and shouldn't be missed by any fan; Jeremy Piven shows why he's graduated from stand-up to full-time employment; Mike Myers shows up in one of his funniest bits ever; and Stiller's and Dick's skit is absolutely fabulous, and features a wonderful psychiatrist who, if I remember the credits correctly, may be John Cusack's brother. But as we scoot from story to story and watch a protean Elvis change from supermarket shopper to semi-gaseous state, in this shlockumentary we also see the quirkier and funnier side of American culture that strengthens the comedy and my conviction that belief in Elvis-after-death is a phenomenon worthy of celebration, and I'm ecstatic that Stiller decided to preserve it when and how he did.

"Say Anything" is really two movies in one. The 'main' story is of sensitive, would-be-underachiever Lloyd Dobler's (Cusack) pursuit of beautiful overachiever Diane Court (Skye) after graduating from High School together. The story of how their relationship develops is quite realistic and the acting from Skye and Cusack is very subtle and effective. The other storyline in this film is between Diane and her father, played incredibly by John Mahoney (from TV's "Frasier"). Having chose to live with her father after her parent's divorce, Diane is incredibly close with him and is her only real friend before she meets Lloyd. However, her father's questionable business practices are called into question and her faith and trust in him are put on the line. This part of the movie, in my opinion, is more interesting than the love story between Lloyd and Diane if only for how realistic and fresh it seems compared to the typical "overbearing" fathers of movies that involve teenagers. John Mahoney really puts in a remarkable performance as the father. If you're a fan of his work, or even only casually familar with him, this is a movie worth checking out.

When I mentioned "Say Anything" to someone recently, they were kind of uncertain as to why it had achieved the 'classic' status that it has. Apart from being a very good movie, it really closed out the era of 80s teen comedies/dramas nicely. Kids that were in high school in the 80s watching and laughing at everything from "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" to "The Breakfast Club" to "Ferris Bueller's Day Off", were growing up and entering a new decade. Released in 1989, "Say Anything" reflected high school kids graduating and taking that next step towards the future, as well as dealing with serious everyday problems. Its accuracy and tenderness in displaying this is what makes it so enduring.

But the answer to what the best teen movie in the 80s is has to be the 1989 Cameron Crowe directorial debut "Say Anything" starring John Cusack and Ione Skye. This film gives us characters to really care about and situations that are realistic. The actors respond beautifully, Cusack is perfect as the nerdy "athlete" (Kickboxing- the sport of the future) who simply decides to ask out school valedictorian/goddess Diane Court (Skye) right after graduation. His conversations he has with himself while trying to get the nerve to ask her to a post graduation party are classic and sound real familiar to my high school years.

Skye (a relative unknown before this film and since) also turns in a flawless performance as the beautiful brain who has always wanted a taste of high school life, but has had to turn it down repeatedly to focus on grades. She reluctantly agrees to go with Lloyd (Cusack) to the party and has the time of her life because for the first time, she is seen as just a high school girl and not the unreachable perfect standard. We remember people like that in high school. They probably had the exact feelings Skye shows us in Diane Court.

The plot really is not very intricate or complex. Diane's father (John Mahoney) runs an old folks home and is very protective of his daughter. It's obvious he has sacrificed a lot to give his daughter all the chance to go to England to study next semester. Perhaps he has even done some things that were not all together ethical. He does a great job with his character as well, especially at the end, when the situation spins out of control and he is forced to sit back and just watch.

Crowe's approach here is to give us real people as characters and let us identify with them. Unlike so many of the teen movies today, which are unnecessarily raunchy and stupid, this film cares about the characters and what matters to them. When Skye gives Cusack the pen mentioned in the title of this review, it is at a time where she is crushed emotionally and is almost manipulated into action. Anyone who has felt the pain of love lost or the joy of love found will appreciate the reality of this film. By the way, the most well known scene, pictured on the DVD cover, is Cusack holding up the boom box while Peter Gabriel's "In your Eyes" plays on the radio. One of the best songs in the decade of the 80s, this one captures the mood of the entire film perfectly. All in all, this is possibly the best teen movie of all time.

First, the movie has a very bizarre framing device: Law's character is asked to help deliver a baby when he is five years old. Aside from the discomfort of seeing a child reach into Brenda Blethyn's womb, the young actor must then look sweetly at the new baby and say "I'm going to marry her." This is not only bizarre, it's creepy-bizarre. Still, I tried to forgive this oddity and get on with the movie. Second, this is a great cast that is SO wasted -- Blethyn, Martha Plimpton, Jennifer Tilly and many others in this large under-utilized cast are given a number of quirks but there are so many subplots that you never get to know any of them, or why they are the way they are. Didn't someone once say, "Quirks do not a character make"? Well, that person was not this screenwriter. You just jump from one goofy but endearing mannerism or device to another. There are enough charcters here to make three romantic comedies but instead we get one overcrowded mess. Third, Jude Law is incredibly talented, but he's miscast here as a young man so in love that he affects his love interest's entire family. Law is more a button-down quiet guy, who might inspire passion but not necessarily of the exuberant, romantic variety. Fourth, the chemistry between Law and Gretchen Mol is nonexistent -- two nice actors who are NOT good together. Fifth, the music is pretty bad, intruding on the film more than accentuating the emotions. Finally, the DVD features are: the movie trailer. Whooppee!

If you want to see a fun romantic comedy that you haven't heard of, check out Happy Accidents. This film is lame despite its great cast, and one wonders why all these talented people signed on to this goofy project.

Brief summary of the plot: Danny (Jude Law) helps Anna (Gretchen Mol) into the world when he's just five years old, then claims in a cute little way, 'I'm going to marry her'. Twenty-five years later, Danny meets up with Anna again 'by fate' and becomes infatuated with her. However, she has a boyfriend, one of a few obstacles standing in the way of a possible romance between the two. The movie basically revolves around Danny's attempts to pursue Anna, as well as a few incidents with her family.

To end this review, this is a brilliant movie. It didn't do nearly as well as it should have at the box office, but luckily, you can catch it on video, so go rent it now! :)

First, the movie has a very bizarre framing device: Law's character is asked to help deliver a baby when he is five years old. Aside from the discomfort of seeing a child reach into Brenda Blethyn's womb, the young actor must then look sweetly at the new baby and say "I'm going to marry her." This is not only bizarre, it's creepy-bizarre. Still, I tried to forgive this oddity and get on with the movie. Second, this is a great cast that is SO wasted -- Blethyn, Martha Plimpton, Jennifer Tilly and many others in this large under-utilized cast are given a number of quirks but there are so many subplots that you never get to know any of them, or why they are the way they are. Didn't someone once say, "Quirks do not a character make"? Well, that person was not this screenwriter. You just jump from one goofy but endearing mannerism or device to another. There are enough charcters here to make three romantic comedies but instead we get one overcrowded mess. Third, Jude Law is incredibly talented, but he's miscast here as a young man so in love that he affects his love interest's entire family. Law is more a button-down quiet guy, who might inspire passion but not necessarily of the exuberant, romantic variety. Fourth, the chemistry between Law and Gretchen Mol is nonexistent -- two nice actors who are NOT good together. Fifth, the music is pretty bad, intruding on the film more than accentuating the emotions. Finally, the DVD features are: the movie trailer. Whooppee!

If you want to see a fun romantic comedy that you haven't heard of, check out Happy Accidents. This film is lame despite its great cast, and one wonders why all these talented people signed on to this goofy project.

Brief summary of the plot: Danny (Jude Law) helps Anna (Gretchen Mol) into the world when he's just five years old, then claims in a cute little way, 'I'm going to marry her'. Twenty-five years later, Danny meets up with Anna again 'by fate' and becomes infatuated with her. However, she has a boyfriend, one of a few obstacles standing in the way of a possible romance between the two. The movie basically revolves around Danny's attempts to pursue Anna, as well as a few incidents with her family.

To end this review, this is a brilliant movie. It didn't do nearly as well as it should have at the box office, but luckily, you can catch it on video, so go rent it now! :)

First, the movie has a very bizarre framing device: Law's character is asked to help deliver a baby when he is five years old. Aside from the discomfort of seeing a child reach into Brenda Blethyn's womb, the young actor must then look sweetly at the new baby and say "I'm going to marry her." This is not only bizarre, it's creepy-bizarre. Still, I tried to forgive this oddity and get on with the movie. Second, this is a great cast that is SO wasted -- Blethyn, Martha Plimpton, Jennifer Tilly and many others in this large under-utilized cast are given a number of quirks but there are so many subplots that you never get to know any of them, or why they are the way they are. Didn't someone once say, "Quirks do not a character make"? Well, that person was not this screenwriter. You just jump from one goofy but endearing mannerism or device to another. There are enough charcters here to make three romantic comedies but instead we get one overcrowded mess. Third, Jude Law is incredibly talented, but he's miscast here as a young man so in love that he affects his love interest's entire family. Law is more a button-down quiet guy, who might inspire passion but not necessarily of the exuberant, romantic variety. Fourth, the chemistry between Law and Gretchen Mol is nonexistent -- two nice actors who are NOT good together. Fifth, the music is pretty bad, intruding on the film more than accentuating the emotions. Finally, the DVD features are: the movie trailer. Whooppee!

If you want to see a fun romantic comedy that you haven't heard of, check out Happy Accidents. This film is lame despite its great cast, and one wonders why all these talented people signed on to this goofy project.

Brief summary of the plot: Danny (Jude Law) helps Anna (Gretchen Mol) into the world when he's just five years old, then claims in a cute little way, 'I'm going to marry her'. Twenty-five years later, Danny meets up with Anna again 'by fate' and becomes infatuated with her. However, she has a boyfriend, one of a few obstacles standing in the way of a possible romance between the two. The movie basically revolves around Danny's attempts to pursue Anna, as well as a few incidents with her family.

To end this review, this is a brilliant movie. It didn't do nearly as well as it should have at the box office, but luckily, you can catch it on video, so go rent it now! :)

If you have not seen this movie then get it...and watch it over and over again.

If you want to know what this movie is about...well I will tell you...Portchest University, Preps, Party Animals, and just about every other type of person you meet at college. They all hate something and do a great job at expressing it!!! However, Jeremy Piven's character does a great job to party, go to school (ha ha ha) and make everyone get along.

Jeremy Piven leads a cast of semi-normal college students in a sea of caricatures in this movie. He does all the stuff we wish we could do against all the people we wish we could do it to--the overly sensitive, "cravenly PC" crowd. Normally, his cookie-cutter adversaries would make for boring subject matter, but after spending my time at college, I've seen that there really are people out there that are this bizarre. Piven really carries this movie, and Jon Favreau is also pretty good as Gutter. The potheads are hilarious, as are the Womynists. David Spade's character and his organization are also pretty good. The one thing that you'll begin to notice if you've been on a college campus lately, is that you'll see a character in this movie, and realize that you know someone like that or have seen something similar.

Who wouldn't want George Clinton to play their party?

If you have not seen this movie then get it...and watch it over and over again.

If you want to know what this movie is about...well I will tell you...Portchest University, Preps, Party Animals, and just about every other type of person you meet at college. They all hate something and do a great job at expressing it!!! However, Jeremy Piven's character does a great job to party, go to school (ha ha ha) and make everyone get along.

Jeremy Piven leads a cast of semi-normal college students in a sea of caricatures in this movie. He does all the stuff we wish we could do against all the people we wish we could do it to--the overly sensitive, "cravenly PC" crowd. Normally, his cookie-cutter adversaries would make for boring subject matter, but after spending my time at college, I've seen that there really are people out there that are this bizarre. Piven really carries this movie, and Jon Favreau is also pretty good as Gutter. The potheads are hilarious, as are the Womynists. David Spade's character and his organization are also pretty good. The one thing that you'll begin to notice if you've been on a college campus lately, is that you'll see a character in this movie, and realize that you know someone like that or have seen something similar.

Who wouldn't want George Clinton to play their party?

With one exception: Grosse Point Blank.

The theme here (a hit man with a burgeoning conscience decides to go to his 10-year high school reunion but has to deal with a hit man union out to get him at the same time) sounded promising, and as with most Cusack movies has a great soundtrack plus some pretty interesting lines. You may and probably will have a very hard time believing that Cusack is a hit man.

It is a black comedy, hence pretty violent, and they weren't kidding about the "grosse". The ending is particularly unsettling, with Cusack and his snappy patter blowing away the bad guys.

But that's not to say that there aren't good points. Dan Aykroyd is interesting, Alan Arkin is always welcome, and Minnie Driver pitches in some of the movie's high points of humor. The saving grace really has to be the music if you care about 80s tunes.

A decent watchable movie, perhaps even comical in some predicaments, but not something I'd be seen raving about.

One of the most well-written scripts of the 90's, in my opinion, doesn't work without John Cusack being cast as Martin Blank. He sold the role perfectly, and shines throughout the film, alongside a witty, phenomenal supporting cast of Minnie Driver, Jeremy Piven, Dan Akroyd and Joan Cusack.

Often mistaken as completely morbid, the film takes on not only a tone of humor, but that of vengance and morality. You must see this film.

The DVD, on the other end, [stinks]. Yet another incredible film thrown out there on DVD with a poor transfer and a trailer for an extra. The film sounds fanastic though, and scenes such as the Akroyd/Cusack gunfight and the destruction of the mini-mart can be greatly enjoyed with a good surround sound setup.

His childhood home is now a quickie-mart, where there is a massive shoot-out (I love that the bullets hit a cut-out of the stars of "Pulp Fiction", a movie rife with shoot-outs.) When Martin asks the store clerk is all right, he yells "NO! I'm scared, I'm hurt and I have to find a new job!"

Minnie Driver is excellent as Debi, the jilted date and current radio DJ, who gets back at him on-air. The soundtrack is great, with Bowie's "Under Pressure", the Violent Femmes "Blister in the Sun", and great 1980s songs for their big reunion.