Back in 1998, when not everybody had cable, TNT took a bunch of movie stars and threw them together with a B-list cross between Ryan Gosling and Ryan Reynolds for a film that turns out to be a rom-com hiding inside a legal procedural. “Legalese” stars James Garner (who, admittedly, is also a TV star) as a high-profile L.A. attorney asked to defend a movie star (Gina Gershon) accused of murder. Edward Kerr is Garner’s neophyte protégé. Mary-Louise Parker is Garner’s more experienced protégé and Kerr’s rom-com foil. The rest is dull-edged satire about lawyers, television, journalism and pop culture.
Archives for posts with tag: Kathleen Turner
One night, Stanley Tucci will be at a Manhattan cocktail party. All his frufru friends and New York Times execs will be telling him what a great artist he is. Then somebody’s boozy boyfriend will mention “Undercover Blues” (1993), where Tucci plays a version of Tony Montana that is more schtickup than stickup. He’ll think back to that awful movie, serving as slapstick foil to Dennis Quaid and Kathleen Turner. As he’s about to punch the drunk, he’ll suddenly feel a hand on his shoulder. “Fuck it,” Dave Chappelle, his movie hoodlum sidekick will say, “we’re still getting residual checks.”
A running gag in the 1991 movie “V.I. Warshawski” has detective Kathleen Turner being asked what V.I. stands for. I am sure the critics had a field day. Vaguely Interesting? Vastly Inferior? Virtually Incomprehensible? Stop me!!! Actually, the movie isn’t that bad. Not that good, either. The plot could have been an episode of “Remington Steele” or “Jake and the Fatman.” The big, moussed-up 1990s hair (on men and women) is entertaining. But who cares if she solves the murder mystery if all the suspects end up dead anyway? Heck, Tony Soprano could have managed that in 29 fewer minutes.
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