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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
If you like Flockhart like Harrison Ford likes Flockhart, May 22, 2008
Jane Doe is a star vehicle for Calista Flockhart, and if you find her cute, adorable, and irresistible, like her boyfriend Harrison Ford does, you will like this film, at least the first part, before she begins her inevitable downward spiral.
If you liked Ally McBeal, and wondered what would happen if you incorporated her quirkiness onto an alcoholic street waif, look no further. Flockhart has always walked that tightrope between annoying and extremely annoying. Lately she is playing a sort of Ann Coulteresque character, Kitty Walker, on the TV Drama, Brothers & Sisters. But Jane Doe, or Pictures of Baby Jane Doe, is a chance to see Calista perform calisthenics, as it were. A young unknown actor flexing her thespian muscles in an indie (Not an Indiana Jones) film.
They meet "cute" in a tranny bar, where the young protagonist is a bartender. "Who do I have to **** to get a cream soda around here?" is her memorable opening quote, and when they immediately start making out, you have to wonder why, given the circumstances, he didn't kick the tires first, or at least glance under the hood. But after what could be a one-night fling, he asks her to move in.
This genre of film kind of reminds me of Woody Allen films. A writer, or some other creative individual, meets a woman who is much too pretty for him. Her desirability index is way off the charts, and his barely registers. But he is a writer, and she is crazy, and that is the great equalizer. The trouble with these thinly veiled autobiographical films is that the writer can resist every temptation, except the one to give into his wish fulfillment impulse, and also the impulse to make himself the hero, and instead of seeing the (at least) two sides to every relationship, we see only the self aggrandizing one where the long suffering hero does everything he can to save and succor the sweet young thing, but she is crazy, ungrateful, and in spite of his efforts to save her, she is drawn to tragedy like a moth to a flame.
This movie was written and directed by Paul Peditto, but he cast what I assume was his younger, better-looking brother, Christopher as "himself."
I have a few qualms and quibbles with this film, but if you are anything other than a die-hard Flockhart fan, you have no business watching it in the first place.
There is a toy duck that is a ham fisted symbol for Jane. OK, I got it, but how do you get down off a duck's back? Then, there is a tattoo of the word "urgent" and the phrase "handle with care" tattooed onto Jane's torso. Some photos that Horace, the film's leading man, has plastered on his wall also feature this tattoo, but on a different model. Horace looks and notices this, but this loose end is never tied into a convincing bow.
In the beginning he types the paradoxical Zen koan: "Chaos is the rule. Predictability is the exception." He never really develops this philosophical view point, or shows any evidence that he is capable of an original thought. How then, was he able to write the script for the film and obtain the financing, and direct it? Maybe younger brother better-looking Christopher had the looks, but not the brains, and was not able to convincingly portray a character of that mental magnitude. The movie starts in the gritty streets of New York, but then migrates to Atlantic City, New Jersey. There is a scene where he takes Craps lessons, and the Craps instructor is a very compelling character, but nothing is made of it. This plot twist offered a whole league of possibilities, but it was dropped like a hot potato. His philosophy of chaos, also never followed up on. It does lead to the inevitable Einstein quote about "God doesn't throw dice." This is part of Vince's (Joe Ragno) Craps class. This would be a good epiphany, but we don't see Horace pursuing a career in the casinos.
There is a good scene of high infidelity when Lucinda (Elina Löwensohn) comes to stay for a few days. But it suffers from the aforementioned temptation to skew the situation so every sin on the writer/director's part is exculpated and mitigated by extenuating circumstances. His character's excuse, that he did it to get her attention, falls flat.
The opening title sequence (Cinematography by Toshiaki Ozawa), a night shot of the Atlantic City, New Jersey neon set to cool jazz complete with a Miles Davisesque muted trumpet (music by Bill Wandel) foretells a movie that unfortunately fails to materialize.
Breakfast at Tiffany's: Truman Capote wrote this, and you would think he injected his self into the persona of the "writer," but he actually saw himself as Holly Golightly, the character portrayed by the stellar Audrey Hepburn.
Barfly: In this movie, Micky Rourke portrays writer Charles Bukowski, and you would think he would be entirely too ugly to get even an alcoholic and crazy Wanda, played by Faye Dunnaway, but he makes a bee line and sweeps her off her still-sexy legs.
Husbands and Wives: Woody Allen & Mia Farrow are a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. Sound familiar? Released at the height of the Woody/Mia/Soon Yi standoff, the courtroom controversy fueled curiosity, and this film did better at the box office than any other film from the sizable Allen oeuvre.
Annie Hall: Dianne Keaton is Woody's Calista here, and this is the zenith, but that wouldn't stop him from making this movie several more times, with Mia, and other muses, but never quite as good.
Subteranneans: If this book were made into a movie, it would surpass all the others I have mentioned in this genre. Jack Kerouac. I met the woman who inspired this years later at a poetry reading, and she was still milking it for all it was worth.
Ally McBeal - The Complete First Season: This quirky show featured not only Calista Flockhart, but also Lucy Liu as Ling, and a whole cast of wonderfully whacky characters. Catch the cameo by Wayne Newton as a shock jock who comments that Ally is a spinner.
Brothers and Sisters - The Complete First Season: Calista is a Republican, and so is Rob Lowe! At least her character Kitty Walker is, and Raw Blow plays a Senator who may run for President. Kind of like West Wing in the Bizarro World, which was the Bizarro World of the so-called Real World.
Atlantic City: This movie tried to capture the crazy quilt casino boardwalk world of Atlantic City, only much better than Jane Doe.
Atlantic City: Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack: Michele LeGrand did the soundtrack, by the way. So I am sure that it is superb.
Leaving Las Vegas [Region 2]: Nicholas Cage won an Oscar for this gritty portrayal of an alcoholic writer trying to kill himself with booze. It avoided the trap of trying to make himself look like a good person. Unrepentant and unrelenting--it made no excuses.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
She is not always Alley McBeal, November 3, 2006
If you like Calista Flockhart you need to go here. I first saw her in "Birdcage" and fell in love with her. This film, while not magnificent, provides a glimpse into what Calista Flockhart will be come. Maybe the most skilled actress in the business who keeps within herself and makes you want to see how far her range will become.
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DVD ~ Elpidia Carrillo
DVD ~ Calista Flockhart
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