"Seven Girlfriends", has many moments of potentially inspired comedy each of which are dampened to the point of being merely ok by the TV-style direction of Paul Lazaras. Oddly enough, Lazaras also had a hand in the very screenplay he almost ruins with his mediocre direction (but before handing out the Pulitzer, it should be noted that the basic plot of this film--an immature man seeks out old girlfriends to find out why he is incapable of maintaining a relationship--is very, very similar to Nick Hornby's 1996 novel "High Fidelity", itself recently made into a superior film by Steven Frears).
In the hands of a director less hack-ified by his TV experience, and with a more interesting lead player than the similarly TV-bland Timothy Daly, the screenplay of "Seven GF's", as written, with its blend of heart-felt sentiment and gross-out humor, could have been a big, big, "Something About Mary" hit. And before anyone who's a fan of this film jumps me for comparing the tame final product "7GFs" became to a Farrely Brothers movie, lets not forget the scene in "7GFs" where a character creams in his pants during a mild good-night kiss. AND lets not forget how bland the director made the moment. I mean, really--how do you make that kind of thing bland?!
SO, time to do a remake. Get the Farrelys (or at least a director who hasn't been turned to mush by directing too many TV shows) and get a star who has some kind of...I don't know...charisma, or talent, or sense of humor, or light behind his eyes or something! I mean, nothing against Daly as an actor--for TV he's fine. But he's not an interesting person to watch; he gives a perfect reading of someone you would get bored with at a party. Give us Ben Stiller, or John Cusack--somebody with a spark. Somebody who can make us laugh, and think, and occasionally cringe with recognition.
At least when you see a really BAD movie made from a good screenplay, the script gets buried--you can't really tell there was any potential. But when you see a mediocre movie made out of a good screenplay, all you can think about as you watch it is--"man, that SHOULD have been good!"
This one should have been good.
In the hands of a director less hack-ified by his TV experience, and with a more interesting lead player than the similarly TV-bland Timothy Daly, the screenplay of "Seven GF's", as written, with its blend of heart-felt sentiment and gross-out humor, could have been a big, big, "Something About Mary" hit. And before anyone who's a fan of this film jumps me for comparing the tame final product "7GFs" became to a Farrely Brothers movie, lets not forget the scene in "7GFs" where a character creams in his pants during a mild good-night kiss. AND lets not forget how bland the director made the moment. I mean, really--how do you make that kind of thing bland?!
SO, time to do a remake. Get the Farrelys (or at least a director who hasn't been turned to mush by directing too many TV shows) and get a star who has some kind of...I don't know...charisma, or talent, or sense of humor, or light behind his eyes or something! I mean, nothing against Daly as an actor--for TV he's fine. But he's not an interesting person to watch; he gives a perfect reading of someone you would get bored with at a party. Give us Ben Stiller, or John Cusack--somebody with a spark. Somebody who can make us laugh, and think, and occasionally cringe with recognition.
At least when you see a really BAD movie made from a good screenplay, the script gets buried--you can't really tell there was any potential. But when you see a mediocre movie made out of a good screenplay, all you can think about as you watch it is--"man, that SHOULD have been good!"
This one should have been good.