Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996)

From: [email-masked] (Michael Redman)
Date: 23 Jul 1996 15:22:19 GMT

PHENOMENON
                       A film review by Michael Redman
                        Copyright 1996 Michael Redman

**1/2  (Out of ****)

In this unlikely combination of "It's A Wonderful Life" and "The 
Twilight Zone", John Travolta is Gomer Pyle turned super smart.

George Malley (Travolta) is celebrating his 37th birthday in a quiet 
little backwater in northern California by getting wasted with his 
buddies in the local bar. Wandering outside and looking up into the 
heavens, he is blasted with a white light from the sky (Shazam!) that 
knocks him off his feet and leaves him unconscious in the middle of the 
highway.

When he comes to and makes his way back inside the tavern, of course no 
one believes him. They catch on that something is different during the 
next few days as good ole boy George becomes a chess wiz, learns 
Portuguese in 20 minutes, invents a super-grow fertilizer, sets out to 
read virtually every book in the library and moves objects with his 
mind.

The townsfolk begin to fear the changed auto mechanic and he is shunned 
by everyone except his closest friends the town doctor (Robert Duvall) 
and Nate (an extremely likable Forest Whitaker). George's only bright 
spot in his social life is that his secret love, divorcee Lace (Kyra 
Sedgwick) is becoming more interested albeit still reluctant to jump 
back into the pond.

The first half of the film is enticing although remarkably laid-back 
(read "slow"), but then it drifts off into a dozen different directions 
-- none of which are very interesting or well explored. The military are 
after George because he has broken a secret code. George wants to help 
mankind with his new knowledge, but the scientists at the university 
ignore him. Doc is concerned about George's health. Lace may or may not 
want to become involved. There are a number of philosophical questions 
about knowledge. What's the meaning of the good life? 

When the reason for George's sudden increase in intelligence is 
revealed, I felt cheated. Although it was unclear what, up until that 
point, the movie had hints of talking about something greater than man. 
Then it becomes mundane and maudlin. Heading towards the end, the film 
begins to feel like a cheap tear-jerker with beautiful scenery.

First rate acting from the principals, but something feels strange about 
each of them. We are so used to Hollywood mega-productions that when 
something like this comes around, it's difficult to tell if the people 
seem weird because they're realistic or because they _are_ weird.

[This originally appeared in "The Bloomington Voice", Bloomington, 
Indiana, 7/18/96. Michael Redman can be reached at [email-masked]]