'Delirious' accurately depicts insanity of show business

Becky Kinder
Issue date: 8/27/07 Section: Diversions


At one time or another everyone dreams of having the excitement of the entertainment industry and the fame that can come with it, right?

Well, it is not all glitz and glamour, and the road to fame and success from a career in entertainment can be paved with hardship and loneliness. Writer/director Tom DiCillo's new film "Delirious" depicts how a pair of men entrenched in the show business life depend on each other as they seek fame and fortune.

In "Delirious," celebrity photographer Les (Steve Buscemi) and aspiring actor Toby (Michael Pitt) meet and join forces, each wanting to reach their goals on their own two feet while also seeing that the other can give them a leg up as they build a bizarre friendship along the way.

Buscemi plays a role he was born for as Les, who can be viewed as either a sleazy paparazzi nobody or a man with enough heart to earn sympathy. Buscemi's performance shows hints of a strong, self-assured man (though his physical appearance begs to differ), and we see Les' true self-loathing seep out.

Unfortunately, Pitt does not give much of a standout performance as Toby, though his character ends up catching the eye of many, including film and pop princess K'harma (Alison Lohman) and sexy, older casting director Dana (Gina Gershon).

Pitt's baby face and bad-boy image (through DiCillo's stereotypical-but-funny use of unkempt hair and a scar) lend him a mix of innocence and street-wise drive, characteristics that draw the other characters to Toby.

DiCillo's outstanding script takes the realities of the entertainment industry and shows the audience how truly ridiculous, hilarious, painstaking and heartbreaking it all can be.

Making fun of almost every industry issue and cliche out there while remaining realistic is tricky, but DiCillo is masterful. We see the homeless actor get his big break and the famous beauty who feels alone even though she always has people around her. We even get a scene with a charity event called "Soap Stars Against STDs" in which they give out "Beat STDs" grab bags.

"Delirious" is very funny with its realistic extremes, but it also shows the more serious side of partaking in the odd world of Hollywood. Touching, romantic, and heartbreaking moments give this movie less of a feeling of a satire and more of a feeling of a dark comedy about life in the entertainment industry.

"Delirious" is now playing in select cities.

'Becoming Jane' does justice to Austen's life

Becky Kinder
Issue date: 8/2/07 Section: Diversions


Exquisite shots of a misty countryside open the visually breathtaking new film "Becoming Jane."

The film is loosely based on the few letters left between Jane Austen (Anne Hathaway) and her sister Cassandra (Anna Maxwell Martin). The script builds a torrid romance based on the letters in which Jane mentions only a few times a Mr. Tom Lefroy and a flirtation between the two.

The film, regardless of how accurate it may be to Austen's real life, takes us through the real constraints women faced at the time and admits that men faced certain social expectations and family obligations as well. Each sex found that societal and family ties can be detrimental to forming and continuing personal relationships.

In "Becoming Jane," we find that Jane and Tom (effectively played by James McAvoy) are an unlikely match at first. The simultaneous unraveling of their personal lives and blossoming of their romance is quite humorous at times.

The love and deep connection expressed so clearly and tenderly by Hathaway and McAvoy is a beautiful testament to what love and romance can look like in real life. The battle for each other's love, not to mention the battle for the support of their families, builds a tension in the story that wins over the audience's heart.

Each character is played quite well, and the portrayals are clearly based on English society's constraints in the 1700s and the emotions that flow from situations of loveless marriages, women who think and speak for themselves, and the responsibilities people have to their families.

Other notable performances were given by James Cromwell, Maggie Smith, Leo Bill and Julie Walters. Even the subtlety of Laurence Fox's performance as Mr. Wisely is quite worthy of mentioning.

There are times in the film when a minute or more can go by without any dialogue or storyline progression. The audience, however, is given frame after beautiful frame of the society and country in which Jane lived. These views, many times shot as though the audience is a living participant within the film, help create a greater connection to the audience and the experiences that may have come from life in 18th-century England.

Some scenes, such as the one in the barn between Jane and her father (Cromwell), are shot with a handheld camera. The slight jostle of the camera and the angles it gives are contributing factors, giving a more realistic sensation of being a fly on the wall in Jane's life.

The editing connects this period film to modern audiences. The script and direction also help the audience relate to a lot of the exchanges among the characters. Indeed, the hardships they faced centuries ago can still be applied to situations we run into today.

A romantic film with bouts of comedy and action as well as a hint of surprise, this film's romance and storylines are definitely focused on dramatic and serious themes that can lead to the heartbreak of the characters as well as the audience.

Incandescent performances, script and direction make "Becoming Jane" a must-see. After seeing the imagined story of Jane and Tom's romance, it is up to you whether you agree with a line from the film that says emotion or passion "is absurd."

"Becoming Jane" will be released in theaters Friday.

This review can also be found posted on the following websites or pages:

http://www.pbs.org/weta/washingtonweek/voices/200708/0802edit1.htm

http://becomingjane.blogspot.com/2007_08_01_archive.html