Customer Reviews

The Deal

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"The Deal" is a light comedy with a bit of romance and satire thrown in. It follows the story of one Charlie Burns (William H. Macy, who also co-wrote the screenplay), a failed Hollywood film producer, who uses his nephew's period-piece script (about 19th century British writer and statesman Benjamin Disraeli) for his "comeback." While Charlie struggles to get what he wants (sometimes by cheating and lying), he meets a beautiful studio executive Deidre (Meg Ryan). I almost forgot to say that Charlie is a lady's man, too.

I am always interested in the "films about filmmaking" sub-genre. You know, there are so many of them - "Adaptation" "Bowfinger" etc - and some are great ("Day for Night") and some terrible ("An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn" ... what else?). Thanks to the cast (that includes Elliot Gould as rabbi and L.L. Cool J. as spoiled action star), "The Deal" is mildly amusing, but the film's satire is not sharp and the jokes are not very funny.

Don't get me wrong. I like Meg Ryan and William H. Macy. But somehow it seems they are not the right choice for the roles they are playing in "The Deal." There is no chemistry between the two leads to make me believe that they fall in love with each other. Besides, the story itself doesn't convince me. How can a down-and-out film producer like Charlie get a 100 million dollar action movie greenlit when everyone in Hollywood knows he has been unsuccessful so long?

All in all "The Deal" is not that bad, at least to me, but it has no originality either, except the location of South Africa. Perhaps this is the most convincing part of the film.

A thoroughly enjoyable romp into showbiz, The Deal exposes what must go on prior to the making of some films and explains why the indies rarely get made while stupid, overdone productions get a green light. The film contains what has become an almost signature role for William H. Macy - that of a loathsome, self-deprecating man who somehow is able to win the audience over by the end of the movie.

The Deal is a film that will be studied in film classes in the future. It is a comedy approach to how a film is made, (like Singing in the Rain without signing and dancing). Both of these movies were condemned by critics upon the making of them. The Deal is funning and to be seen as a joke on the industry and then how to make a film and get it produced. I liked it and say it is worth buying just laugh at a film in a film.

Although films about Hollywood, and movies about making movies, are always a difficult sell, "The Deal" with Meg Ryan and William Macy is better than most, and in fact is a fairly cute and entertaining Meg Ryan movie.

The film received poor reviews, and went straight to video. But it's surprisingly funny and well done. However, the problem that films in this genre always have is that they are, ultimately, about either the tragedy or the comedy, or both, of pimping and whoring.

People in the movie business, and some movie enthusiasts in the know, find this kind of backstage story great fun. But the audience doesn't seem to care for the implication that they are dolts and marks being gamed by various users and predators in the Hollywood system, who may just coincidentally have made films that the audience loves. In any case, it's worth a view, even if you have to deal with Meg's post surgery face -- she's so cute, can't she just be cute and older, instead of botoxed, lifted, implanted, stretched and embalmed. Evidently not...

I recently screened this film at the Sundance film festival. And even though i did not have high hopes for this film; the wit and comedy stylings of the cast really pulled through, and made this film very enjoyable. William H Macy and Meg Ryan oddly enough had great chemistry and succeeded at poking fun at the insiders in the film industry. Also LL Cool J is playing a Jewish Action star which is pretty much reason alone to check out this movie.
Enjoy!

I'm a huge William H. Macy fan. From Fargo to A Civil Action, from his days with Mamet to most recently, he is such a great character actor, so I went into this movie with high hopes. I was not disappointed. He plays a hilariously sarcastic screenwriter who dupes Hollywood while falling for Meg Ryan. LL Cool J steals the show as a rapper/method actor. I just wish he was in the movie longer. I recommend it for anyone who loves cinema satire.

I had high hopes for this movie. After Meg Ryan being off the scene for some some I thought she was better than this movie. It started off with the star wanting to commit sucide and the first five minutes were the worst part of the film - and depressing. The movie had no plot and certainly no substance. There was a LOT of profanity which could have been left out. I thought Hollywood and certainly Meg Ryan could have faired better. Don't waste your time and money on this one.

Pointless, dumb and self-indulgent is my synopsis to something that neither is a story nor contains a plot but does contain a hodgepodge of poorly, reworked comedic scenes found in countless films over the past 80 years. The film goes something like this: desperate people meet; try to sort things out through one dumb error after another (supposedly the funny parts); finally it all works out and they live happily ever after. There's suppose to be a quirky insider look at the movie making industry but, alas, nothing anyone born after 1930 doesn't already know. Add run-of-the-mill acting and fragmented directing/editing to make for a boring and tortuous viewing experience. Even the reviewers that gave it 5 stars (do they work for the studio?) consistently had little to say about the movie.

This star-studed film from Steven Schachter (director of the Emmy award winning TV film Door to Door) is an interesting film with a diverse combination of comedy and action. The Deal features many well known actors including William H Macy (Fargo), Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally), LL Cool J (Last Holiday), and Jason Ritter (TV's Joan of Arcadia). This film is a new inside look on the Hollywood scene and should not be missed. The DVD also includes a Free Digital Copy which is a neat addition as well.

I recently viewed a screening of this film and to be honest i did not have high hopes for this film, yet i was surprised by its wit and comedic appeal. William H. Macy and Meg Ryan have great chemistry and created a unique style of comedy that enveloped the audience at Sundance. LL Cool J also adds to the fun of the film when he converts to judaism as he plays an action movie star. I highly recommend this movie for those who are looking for an easy going comedy that has its own twists and turns. Also for those interested in seeing a live screening at a legit film festival, (which i highly recommend), the 19th Annual San Diego Jewish Film Festival is on Feb 14th. [...]

ENJOY!