Sunday, Sep. 27, 2009

Hamilton's early days brought to life in stunning new movie

By Gary Wolcott, special to the Herald

Textbook teeth, gorgeous smile, perfectly coiffed, tan, fit and decent acting chops, George Hamilton had it all. Rave reviews for now forgotten 1960s movies got Hamilton a Golden Globe and some important nominations. Unfortunately, superstardom wasn't in the cards. No problem. Hamilton switched gears and became a professional pretty boy and celebrity. He didn't take himself seriously, so why should anyone else? Films like Where the Boys Are, the Hank Williams biopic Your Cheatin' Heart and Evil Knievel followed. So did my two personal favorites, the campy Love at First Bite and Zorro, the Gay Blade.

Readers under 40 are saying, "George who and he's famous for what?"

My One and Only is not so much about George as it is about his mom and their relationship and the unusual adventure that led to George becoming a star. Renee Zellweger plays Anne Devereaux, whose philandering band leader husband cheats on her one too many times. Still a real beauty, the ex-moneyed but pushing middle age Anne goes on the hunt for a wealthy new husband. Grabbing George and his brother, Anne visits several of her old stomping grounds thinking her connections will make it easy to replace the ex. Not so. The not so is what bonds mom and kids in unexpected, and most delightful ways.

Keeping her character a smidgen under over-the-top, Zellweger gives the complicated, puzzling and single-minded Anne a unique spin that perfectly balances coy, manipulative user and desperation. The chemistry between Logan Lerman, who does George, and Zellweger is so good that you'd swear they really are mother and son. Kevin Bacon, Chris Noth, Nick Stahl and the outstanding character actor David Hoechner (Thank You for Smoking) and Mark Rendall round out the cast.

While the target is the art house set and older adults, younger viewers are encouraged to give this a whirl. It beats the horror schlock and the redo of the 1980 hit Fame that open Sept. 25. Unlike Hamilton's B-grade film efforts, this is A+ material, thanks largely to Charlie Peters' superb script, director Richard Loncraine's sound storytelling and Zellweger's performance.

Barry Lyndon

Seeing 1975's Barry Lyndon again reminded me that skills like those possessed by writer/director Stanley Kubrick are rare. Only a handful of directors live in that league.

Kubrick died in 1999 just before the release of Eyes Wide Shut. What blows my mind is the impact Kubrick had on the industry considering he didn't make that many movies. Kubrick did just 16 in 48 years and only three in the last 19 years of his life.

But those three were incredible. The cinematography, the stories, the acting and the larger-than-life presentation make Kubrick's 16 films some of the most amazing movies ever done.

Barry Lyndon stars Ryan O'Neal as the 18th Century's Redmond Barry, who struggles to live the life of a nobleman. Believing he's entitled to a title, Barry has no values or morals and will do whatever is necessary to get there.

The story is pretty good. The real appeal is the sets, locations, the award-winning cinematography and costumes. They overwhelm O'Neal and the acting of his co-stars. That makes Stanley Kubrick the real star of Barry Lyndon.

Enjoy this one. It's a treat on a big screen.