User Reviews

This National Lampoon's movie was supposed to be a comedy. After the finished filming it in Greensboro, they took it out to L.A. to try and "humorize" it, adding a camel in the beginning and replacing a few lines. Jon Bon Jovi, as much as I love him, was so awkward in the role of Frank. The color of his outfits were all wrong, his pants too tight, his smile (and quite possibly his best feature) was barely used, and just seemed like a giant trying not to step on little kids, scrunched over and brooding. Nora Dunn as Frank's sister was limited to her badgering him the entire film. The entire time. Did I mention it was the entire time? Frank's nephew (Leona's son)Jonathan Furr was precious and funny and truly the sunshine of comedy in the scenes he was in. Jonathan Furr was a small young quiet boy in the 40's in Two Soldiers- to see him in this role, where he cusses and somewhat resembles the young nephews in The Wedding Singer, is quite a turn for him. He will only continue to shine as he gets older. Pat Kilbane from MadTV was hilarious as Elvis. He really brought a lightheartedness to the role (as him playing a homeless man who refused a sandwich because he as a vegetarian). His comedic timing saved the scenes he was in. Estella Warren has a big part, mentioning all 5 times that she was on screen how much she thought Frank "used to be a great lawyer". Funny, the script didn't seem to have her repeat that one line over and over, but that's how it came out. Cary Elwes didn't have a chance. While he elicited a few laughs trying to cross examine a poodle, only to get bit, and making a child cry, all one can say after watching him is "At least he tried". David Faustino narrating the story was droll, but his acting in the film was probably the most believable and the most likable. He will always be recognized as Bud Bundy, and probably will always carry a bit of that character in all performances because of that, but he seemed more the main character than Frank because of his ability to express more than one emotion and his trials of dating Wendy. Wendy. Dot Marie Jones playing Wendy was fantastic. She not only had the best lines, but was truly the best actor and character in the movie. Everything from the introduction of her (as a woman), to crying over her ex cheating on her, to wearing her plant as a necklace, to baring all for Carl, to supporting Carl and carrying him off the ice, this woman was the shining laugh in an otherwise slow drama. There is more nudity than I expected (besides Wendy baring all, there are 2 locker room scenes with 1/2 or fully naked women). While the Swans and Foxes were always looked at as a way to sell the film, there either wasn't enough, or was too much of them to make them seem like an integral part of the story. I also expected more comedy. Unfortunately, films aren't always what they appear, or are supposed to be.

I found this film very confusing, because it didn't seem to be about anything, except possibly that Jon Bon Jovi thinks that he or anyone he plays can get away with anything. The character he plays (sort of, he really isn't an actor, but an attitude), seems to sleepwalk through life expecting everything to work out to his advantage, and by god, it does. I really like Estella Warren as an actress, because she knows how to convey dignity and emotion without becoming a cartoon, but even she seems annoyed and disinterested in this film.

David Faustino (best known as Bud Bundy) basically narrates the film, which means that it comes off as an unfunny and weak episode of Married With Children. There is even the obligatory scene where Faustino is taken by a large and presumably unattractive woman. Oddly in this case the premise is that he then falls for this woman, which makes sense, because she (Wendy) is one of the more appealing characters in this film. This relationship makes a lot more sense than the one between Bon Jovi's Frank and Estella Warren's Jessica, which seems based on her conflicted feelings about his irresistibleness and his irresponsibility. Warren is one of the more attractive and appealing actresses around, but she seems to have difficulty working up any enthusiasm for this romance. They have a sex scene that really isn't one, which is odd because this film has lost of shots of bare breasts, but they aren't related to any of the romances.

The title of the film comes from Frank's dream of a female hockey league, but it really ends up being about how easy it is to obtain credit cards in 21st century America. Maybe they should have named the film "Overextended". It would make more sense than "Pucked". Spoiler Alert: If this film really was a cautionary tale about the trouble you can get in using credit cards it might have some redeeming social importance. Instead after acting without concern for anyone, Frank is both redeemed and saved by an absolutely unbelievable deus ex machina, so there appear to be no consequences to the way he acts. In fact the scene where Jessica, who is supposedly a brilliant lawyer, tells Frank how brilliant he is because he is so original, stuck in my craw. It apparently stuck in Warren's as well, because she plays the scene like she is being forced to apologize for something that she doesn't want to feel.

If you are like me, and enjoy watching Estella Warren, and want to see her play a three dimensional woman figuring out relationships, rent Her Minor Thing, which is a much better, and funnier, film.

What you say after seeing this movie, Pucked, depends on what you'd expected beforehand, I guess. I for one had hoped for a light comedy, not an Oscar-nominee but simply an easy watch. And that's exactly what I found. Jon Bon Jovi did a real decent job as Frank, I think, and I laughed -a time or two- through the movie and that's okay. After all, I didn't expect more so I wasn't disappointed at all. I heard comments about this movie saying that it was not realistic and that Frank wouldn't have been that lucky if it were real life. Well, who said this is a documentary, anyway? Of course it's not reflecting real life, it's just criticizing people's problems with credit card and mis-used cards and I think the message's transferred successfully through the comedy.