From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Jul 3 11:51:45 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!solace!paladin.american.edu!hookup!lll-winken.llnl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!cbgw1.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: berardin@bc.cybernex.net (James Berardinelli) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 1 Jul 1996 15:07:55 GMT Organization: - Lines: 88 Sender: ecl@mtcts1.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: ecl@mtcts1.att.com Message-ID: <4r8pkb$1a3@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: berardin@bc.cybernex.net (James Berardinelli) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtcts2.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05537 Keywords: author=Berardinelli Originator: ecl@mtcts2 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4871 rec.arts.sf.reviews:994 PHENOMENON A film review by James Berardinelli Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli RATING (0 TO 10): 5.5 Alternative Scale: ** out of **** United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 7/3/96 (wide) Running Length: 2:03 MPAA Classification: PG (Mild profanity) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cast: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall, Jeffrey DeMunn, Richard Kiley, Brent Spiner Director: Jon Turteltaub Producers: Barbara Boyle and Michael Taylor Screenplay: Gerald DiPego Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael Music: Thomas Newman U.S. Distributor: Touchstone Pictures Presumably, PHENOMENON's film makers are aiming for the same audience that made 1994's FORREST GUMP a mega-hit. Unfortunately, this movie doesn't have half of FORREST's intelligence, and, opening opposite INDEPENDENCE DAY, PHENOMENON is likely to capture only a small fraction of GUMP's box-office tally. It's just as well. Although the current slate of releases cries out for something out of the action realm, a poorly written entry like PHENOMENON isn't the answer. Put simply, this movie is dumb. The promise of the premise is never realized. It's Happy Birthday #37 for George Malley (John Travolta), an average guy living in an average Midwestern town. George's friends, including his business partner, Nate (Forest Whitaker), and the local doctor (Robert Duvall), take him out for a drink. Later that night, as George wanders around outside, he sees a mysterious light in the sky. He's momentarily knocked senseless, and, after he comes around, strange things begin happening. He beats the doc at chess, starts reading two to three books per day, learns foreign languages, and spends all night toying with new ideas and inventions instead of sleeping. He develops telekinetic powers and can predict earthquakes. It's only a matter of time before the government takes notice, but George is more concerned with catching the eye of the woman he has fallen for, a single mother named Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), who has recently moved into a nearby farm with her two young children. Although John Travolta, taking a breather from playing two-bit gangsters and psycho criminals, imbues George with affability, the script for PHENOMENON is abysmal in every way. It's divided into two clearly-delineated sections. In the first, which is light, airy, and poorly-focused, we see George explore his new powers, express his undying affection for Lace, and help out anyone who needs his aid. In the second, which is maudlin and manipulative, George becomes the FBI's target, learns the true nature of his abilities, and must make some decisions about the rest of his life. PHENOMENON goes from a feel-good story to a tear-jerker by using a plot contrivance that makes the "brain cloud" of JOE VERSUS THE VOLCANO seem reasonable by comparison. A few potentially-interesting subjects are introduced, but little is done with them beyond what's necessary to advance the plot. After knowledge of George's powers becomes widespread, his friends and neighbors begin to approach him with uncertainty and fear. Although he tries to reassure everyone that he's still the same, George's differences make him a pariah. And, once the media learns of the story, they are tenacious in their pursuit of it. Eventually, these aspects of the film have formulaic outcomes, but they are at least briefly thought- provoking -- something that most of PHENOMENON isn't. This is the kind of movie that resolves conflicts by having Robert Duvall (doing his best to imitate Al Pacino) and John Travolta make speeches. I don't know if either writer Gerald DiPego or director Jon Turteltaub (WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING) is a member of the Church of Scientology (Travolta certainly is), but PHENOMENON's screenplay is loaded with the kind of doctrine that Scientologists preach. And, while suspension of disbelief is mandated for this sort of modern-day fable, PHENOMENON demands too much. The silliness and general lack of respect for the audience's intelligence exceeds reasonable levels. And, when it comes to manipulation to get the tears flowing, Turtletaub's handling of events is heavy-handed. With so many better examples of mindless entertainment floating around, it would be phenomenal if PHENOMENON achieves a significant box-office impact. - James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Jul 3 11:51:45 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!solace!paladin.american.edu!hookup!lll-winken.llnl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!cbgw1.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: dnb@mail.med.upenn.edu (David N. Butterworth) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 1 Jul 1996 15:09:32 GMT Organization: University of Pennsylvania Lines: 78 Sender: ecl@mtcts1.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: ecl@mtcts1.att.com Message-ID: <4r8pnc$1a8@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: dnb@mail.med.upenn.edu (David N. Butterworth) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtcts2.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05538 Keywords: author=Butterworth Originator: ecl@mtcts2 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4872 rec.arts.sf.reviews:995 PHENOMENON A film review by David N. Butterworth Copyright 1996 David N. Butterworth/The Summer Pennsylvanian Directed by Jon Turteltaub Rating: ** (Maltin scale) In "Phenomenon," John Travolta stars as George Malley, a big-hearted, small-town auto mechanic who goes from everyman to einstein overnight. This ersatz drama strives for depth and meaning but instead drips like corn syrup. There's a birthday party for George at the local watering hole. All his best friends are there. During a chess game, George steps outside for some air. It's late. He's alone. He's had a few to drink. There's a blinding flash, a starburst, some celestial bolt of energy. George is knocked flat on his back. When he comes to he wanders back into the bar. Checkmate! George's first miracle. From thereon, George acquires an insatiable appetite for knowledge. Suddenly he's a 2-3 books a day man. By the end of the film he's a 4-5 books a day freakshow. He can perform telekinetic party tricks with pens and pencils and other paraphenalia. He can break mirrors, predict earthquakes, and feel other people's pain, but he can no longer sleep at night. George's newfound skill set unbalances the equilibrium of the sleepy market town. He alientates his friends with his cosmic powers. They're scared of what he can do, but they're much more interested in what the UFO looked like than in his brilliant new ideas and inventions. Naturally enough, George is soon picked up by the FBI which considers him a security risk. They want to poke him and prod him, have him crack codes and name as many mammals as he can in sixty seconds (he does so alphabetically, which I suspect most people can). A Berkeley man is also interested. George might be able to unravel high-speed morse patterns but he can't decipher women. Lace (Kyra Sedgwick) is a case in point. It's clear she has some humongous bug up her butt. About men, generally. About her husband, specifically, who walked out on her. Sure, she has every right to spurn George's advances. Once or twice, maybe, or even a dozen times. But after about fifty or so you wonder if they had to make a **movie** about it! Sedgwick is pensive and furrowed and a little bit dour. Hers is essentially a non-part; we learn more about Lace's kids than we do about her. She makes artistically-challenged chairs but that's about it. Travolta's George tries to win her over with that irresistible teddy bear grin of his: "I'd love to get my hands on your carburetor" he tells her. Yes, he actually says that. Travolta is as darling as ever; Forest Whitaker (as George's pig-farming friend Nate, who carries a torch for Diana Ross) and Robert Duval (the town's crusty general practitioner) are typically solid in support; Sedgwick, as discussed, is wasted. "Phenomenon" is occasionally cute and mostly inoffensive but its soundtrack is truly grating. Not so much Thomas Newman's high fructose score, but more the preponderance of "hit" songs that conveniently punctuate the visuals just when the movie starts to drag. Peter Gabriel's "I Have the Touch," for example. Duh! Another bonehead ballad underscores a haircutting sequence that's about as close to "Ghost" as you're gonna get, with scissors and shaving cream standing in for potter's wheel and wet clay. Billed as a feel-good movie, "Phenomenon" coddles the viewer for near on two hours with picturesque scenes of rolling farmland, heartfelt human situations, poignancy, expectation and hope. It observes for long periods of time without muscling in on anything. It bides its time. Then, finally, it beats you about the face and neck with its message about the human spirit in some revelatory denouement that is at once flagrant and unnecessary. Cut the songs, beef up Sedgwick's role, don't sit the fence between fantasy and reality, and you've got yourself a better movie already. Failing that re-edit, "Phenomenon" should be avoided by anyone with an intolerance to saccharine. -- David N. Butterworth From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Jul 5 10:31:53 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!solace!nntp.uio.no!Norway.EU.net!EU.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!nntp-hub2.barrnet.net!news.PBI.net!cbgw3.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: legeros@nando.net (Michael J. Legeros) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 4 Jul 1996 09:50:28 GMT Organization: none Lines: 64 Sender: ecl@mtcts1.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: ecl@mtcts1.att.com Message-ID: <4rg454$d66@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: legeros@nando.net (Michael J. Legeros) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtcts2.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05569 Keywords: author=Legeros Originator: ecl@mtcts2 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4898 rec.arts.sf.reviews:999 PHENOMENON A film review by Michael John Legeros Copyright 1996 Michael John Legeros (Touchstone) Directed by John Turtletaub Written by Gerald DiPego Cast John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall MPAA Rating "PG-13" Running Time 123 minutes Reviewed at General Cinemas at Pleasant Valley, Raleigh, NC (29JUN96) == This crowd-pleasing melodrama is built around a nifty premise: popular George Malley (John Travolta), a small-town auto mechanic of average intelligence, undergoes a change on the night of his 37th birthday. He becomes smarter, devouring whole books in the evening because he doesn't want to sleep. He begin inventing things, like a manure-fueled motor that gets 90 miles to the gallon. He even acquires such mysterious metaphysical talents as telekinesis and the ability to predict when an earthquake is coming. Poor George. He's probably the sweetest guy in his small Northern California town and, yet, he's just as baffled as his doctor (Robert Duvall), his best friend (Forrest Whitaker), and the divorcee-with-kids (Myra Sedgwick) that he dotes upon. No extrasensory perception is required to predict how the rest of the movie plays out. PHENOMENON is designed to go down easy, with no sharp edges and nothing bitter about the taste. You know the drill: warm humor, smiling people, loud musical cues, and all of those oh-so-quaint, sun-baked surroundings. The whole thing is about 90% predictable and that's exactly how the director, Jon Turtletaub (WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING), wants it. He may not be another Spielberg-- a critical omission, here, is any genuine sense of wonder-- but he does know how to take a coolly calculated story and turn it into a satisfying and seemingly spontaneous product. (Sci-fi fans, however, may be disappointed to find that Turtletaub is much more interested in the story's romantic implications than the scientific.) Unfortunately, what develops into an honest and rather wholesome movie is all but negated in the last half-hour. PHENOMENON turns ugly somewhere around the ninety-minute mark. The plot begins taking odd, manipulative turns and, by the time that we've been subjected to yet another pop song-scored montage, the story is clearly, though slowly, spiraling out of control. These "extra" dramatics are hideous, entirely unnecessary, *and* suggest that neither the director nor the writer had any idea about how to end this movie. (The filmmakers should've quit while they were ahead.) There is enough emotion at the very end, though, to satisfy the movie's intended audience. They'll cry, leave, and be none the wiser. Grade: C+ -- Mike Legeros - Raleigh, NC legeros@nando.net (h) - legeros@unx.sas.com (w) Visit me in MOVIE HELL From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Jul 5 10:31:53 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!solace!eru.mt.luth.se!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!gatech!newsfeed.internetmci.com!nntp-hub2.barrnet.net!news.PBI.net!cbgw3.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: null@filmcritic.com (Christopher Null) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 4 Jul 1996 09:50:21 GMT Organization: Null Publishing Co. Lines: 59 Sender: ecl@mtcts1.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: ecl@mtcts1.att.com Message-ID: <4rg44t$d65@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> ~Reply-To: null@filmcritic.com (Christopher Null) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtcts2.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05568 Keywords: author=Null Originator: ecl@mtcts2 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4905 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1003 PHENOMENON A film review by Christopher Null Copyright 1996 Christopher Null John Travolta is one hell of a hairy man. More than any other movie I've seen him in, PHENOMENON features more of Travolta's bodily fur than anything else you're likely to come by. The trailers have been barraging us with this simplest of plots for months. George Malley (Travolta) is a simple man in a small town on the eve of his 37th year, and on his birthday he sees a mysterious light in the sky which knocks him down and, faster than you can say "plot device," turns him into a supergenius. He comes complete with telekinetic powers, limited mind-reading ability, earthquake sensor, giant veggie-growing ability, speed reading, cruise control, and automatic transmission. Because he is such an intellectual stud, he gains the love and fear of various people in the town. Among the lovers are Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), buddy Nate (Forest Whitaker), and local doctor "Doc" (Robert Duvall). Among the fearers are the type of hick yahoos that are omnipresent in movies about simple men in small towns. The film absolutely reeks of being a "pleasant" picture.... Long, drawn-out photography. Dogs, kittens, rabbits, and flowers everywhere. Precocious children. Really bad pop music. Your occasional FBI agent. You know, cute stuff. From the director of (vomit) WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, what else would you expect? Not that I mean to detract from the charms of PHENOMENON, because it isn't by any stretch a terrible film. Instead, it's just... *there.* It just goes on and on and never does much of anything. It's predictable to a scene and not very original, but at least the movie isn't insulting. The performances and direction are all fine, and there are some funny moments. Basically, it's "pleasant." As far as the social message of this film, I really couldn't begin to say. Most of the time it's a running Public Service Announcement for reading. The rest of the time it gives off something of a "don't be afraid of smart people" theme. You'd think in two hours they'd come up with better than that. A *real* George Malley could have. RATING: *** |------------------------------| \ ***** Perfection \ \ **** Good, memorable film \ \ *** Average, hits and misses \ \ ** Sub-par on many levels \ \ * Unquestionably awful \ |------------------------------| -Christopher Null / null@filmcritic.com / Writer-Producer -Visit the Movie Emporium at http://www.filmcritic.com/ -and Null Set Productions at http://www.filmcritic.com/nullset.htm From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon Jul 15 13:44:59 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!solace!news.kth.se!nntp.uio.no!Norway.EU.net!EU.net!main.Germany.EU.net!Germany.EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!vixen.cso.uiuc.edu!uwm.edu!lll-winken.llnl.gov!fnnews.fnal.gov!cbgw1.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: srenshaw@leland.stanford.edu (Scott Renshaw) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 1 Jul 1996 15:10:51 GMT Organization: Stanford University Lines: 86 Sender: ecl@mtcts1.att.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: ecl@mtcts1.att.com Message-ID: <4r8ppr$1ad@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: srenshaw@leland.stanford.edu (Scott Renshaw) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtcts2.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05539 Keywords: author=Renshaw Originator: ecl@mtcts2 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4919 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1006 PHENOMENON A film review by Scott Renshaw Copyright 1996 Scott Renshaw Starring: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall. Screenplay: Gerald DiPego. Director: Jon Turtletaub. Reviewed by Scott Renshaw. Opens Wednesday, July 3 in wide release. Jon Turtletaub has a quality as a director which seems to be fairly uncommon lately: patience. He had surprise successes with his last two films, 1993's COOL RUNNINGS and last year's WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, and generally those successes were attributed to the Disney underdog formula and Sandra Bullock's rising star, respectively. While those factors certainly played a significant role, I also believe that audiences appreciated a style which told simple stories simply. Turtletaub's direction gave you the impression that he felt he was doing his job best if he stood back, allowed his narrative to unfold, and didn't draw attention to himself. That is a refreshing perspective in an era of music video auteurs, but apparently it also can be taken a bit too far. PHENOMENON finds Turtletaub bringing his leisurely manner to a story which, somewhere along the line, needed a bit more energy. PHENOMENON stars John Travolta as George Malley, a simple auto mechanic in the small Northern California town of Harmon. On his 37th birthday, as he is leaving a party at a bar, George receives a rather unexpected gift: a flash of light from the sky which literally knocks him off his feet. When he rouses himself, he finds that he is a changed man. He devours book at the rate of three a day, begins experiments in agriculture and engineering and finds he is able to move objects with a thought. The town doctor (Robert Duvall) is unable to explain the phenomenon, and George's abilities begin to inspire fear and concern in the people of Harmon. Only George's best friend Nate (Forest Whitaker) and a woman named Lace (Kyra Sedgwick) seem able to accept the amazing abilities which have made George a threat in the eyes of many. I had feared that PHENOMENON would be yet another tiresome spin on "benevolent stranger among us" tales like E.T., STARMAN and last year's odious POWDER. The latter was an example of the worst kind, the kind of film whose sole purpose seems to be to make us feel better about ourselves for being so much more understanding than the oppressive, narrow-minded cowards in the film. There are whispers of that theme in PHENOMENON, but screenwriter Gerald DiPego's story is much more focused on George's reaction to the changes in himself than on the reaction of others to those changes. John Travolta turns in a strong, textured performance as George, a man whose mind has become so active that it risks overwhelming him. He is like a man who has awakened one morning to find that he now thinks in a different language; every attempt to communicate with the people who once were his friends becomes a frustrating ordeal. The moments when PHENOMENON does begin to feel like a "benevolent stranger" film are rare, but they are also rather telling. There are evil government types in PHENOMENON who want to study George or use him to gather foreign intelligence, there is an evil doctor (Richard Kiley) who wants to cut up George's brain while he is still using it, and there is a scene where a mob starts to turn on George, but Turtletaub only makes a nodding acknowledgment of these conventions. The villainous Feds and scientists are only bit players, not really serving to drive the narrative, and the "mob" is more like a rather insistent group of autograph-seekers. Turtletaub seems uncomfortable with such dramatic devices, and his sense of restraint is admirable. The problem is that he and DiPego really don't provide much in place of those devices to generate conflict. A love story between George and Lace eventually occupies a lot of time, and it is carefully developed, with Sedgwick playing an abandoned mother of two trying to recover her faith in men. It's a perfectly sweet romance, but it underscores the lack of passion in PHENOMENON; the big moment between George and Lace has her washing and cutting his hair. A film like PHENOMENON demands more moments of catharsis, opportunities to feel deeply for the plight of the hero. Turtletaub banks on the rosy glow of Phedon Papamichael's cinematography, Thomas Newman's jaunty score and the fine performances of his cast (including a lovably eccentric Forest Whitaker) to generate the good will needed to carry PHENOMENON across the finish line. They carry it remarkably far, but as PHENOMENON neared the two hour mark, I began to wish Turtletaub had gone for a bit less serenity and a bit more urgency. On the Renshaw scale of 0 to 10 genius species: 6. -- Scott Renshaw Stanford University http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~srenshaw From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon Jul 15 13:45:11 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!solace!paladin.american.edu!zombie.ncsc.mil!newsgate.duke.edu!godot.cc.duq.edu!newsfeed.pitt.edu!gatech!rutgers!cbgw3.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: mleeper@lucent.com (Mark R. Leeper) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 8 Jul 1996 14:52:39 GMT Organization: AT&T, Middletown NJ Lines: 78 Sender: ecl@mtgbcs.lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: ecl@mtgbcs.lucent.com Message-ID: <4rr7bn$18o@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: mleeper@lucent.com NNTP-Posting-Host: mthost1.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05596 Keywords: author=Leeper Originator: ecl@mthost1 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4925 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1011 PHENOMENON A film review by Mark R. Leeper Copyright 1996 Mark R. Leeper Capsule: John Travolta undergoes a brain-boost connected to a strange light he sees in the sky. As his intelligence increases he and his world each see the other in different ways. This is a film that draws heavily on Daniel Keyes's FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON. It is a gentle and often compelling film but it becomes muddled just when it should be getting to the point. To some extent it is a vanity piece for John Travolta. Rating: +1 (-4 to +4) George Malley (played by John Travolta) is someone who just gets by in life. He is a good auto mechanic and a decent gardener, but not a whole lot more and he has few friends. He would like to win the favor of a single mother of two children, Lace Pennamin (Kyra Sedgewick), but she is just as determined not to become involved with him. On the night of his 37th birthday he is looking at the sky and sees a bright flash of light that knocks him over. Suddenly the relationships of things become much more clear to him. He is able to play a winning game of chess for the first time. He finds that the Spanish he was trying to learn is suddenly very easy for him, he can read two or three books a day--whatever he tries is easy for him. Soon he discovers he has the power to feel the waves that foretell the coming of earthquakes and can even will objects to move. The one thing that he cannot do is win over Lace, the woman he loves. The more he tries to win her over the more stubborn and bewildered she becomes. George has two constant friends. Nate Pope (Forest Whitaker) is a similarly lonely friend whose lot, George tries to improve. The other is a local physician (Robert Duvall) who is like a foster father for George. With some of the strange new abilities and his innocent genius he has he is able to win over friends. He makes himself a hero, at least temporarily, but soon he finds that his new powers also breed a certain suspicion. To make matters worse he decodes a cryptic signal he hears on short-wave and responds with his own messages in the same code. This only brings him to the attention of the government who take him into custody to study his strange skills. In spite of his best efforts he finds himself becoming more and more of a freak in his own town. John Travolta carries out his role sufficient charm, though not as much as the script really calls for him to have. But for some minor descents into frustration and neurosis, he remains a simple, pleasant and likable genius. He is getting a little old for boyish, winning roles. Kyra Sedgewick is also likable but brings even less of an edge to her role than does Travolta. Travolta's unflagging devotion to this woman should presumably be endearing, but apart from a minor physical attractiveness there is little in her role that makes her seem so worth the effort. Robert Duvall is along playing a physician who is almost like a father to the Travolta character. He seems to be there often as only a sounding board and a script device. Duvall is too good of an actor not to give a good performance but there is little new for him to do. What carries PHENOMENON is the subject of human intelligence and writer Gerald DiPego's idea of what a big increase in IQ brings to a small man in a small town. George's ingenuity and his ideas of small projects and experiments are enjoyable, but toward the end of the film the point of what is going on becomes muddled. George seems to pop in and out of adjustment in ways that are not nearly as interesting as the well-developed Charly Gordon in Daniel Keyes's FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON. That novel set the standard to measure stories of intelligence increase by and this story comes a poor second. (Of course, the film version CHARLY also misses the potential of the story badly and tries too hard to be a 1960s mod film. A faithful adaptation of the novel might be a much bigger service to the viewer than this film had even the potential to be.) This is a story not without its interesting moments, but it needed less of a fuzzy edge and less of an admiration for good sweet old George Malley. I would give this film a flat +1 on the -4 to +4 scale. Mark R. Leeper mleeper@lucent.com Copyright 1996 Mark R. Leeper From rec.arts.sf.reviews Mon Jul 15 13:45:17 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!newsfeed.sunet.se!news00.sunet.se!sunic!news.sprintlink.net!news-stk-200.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!new-news.sprintlink.net!newsreader.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!news-pen-4.sprintlink.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.kei.com!nntp.coast.net!netnews.worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: e-jahiel@uiuc.edu (Edwin Jahiel) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 14 Jul 1996 15:24:38 GMT Organization: university of illinois Lines: 66 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <4sb3fm$nck@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: e-jahiel@uiuc.edu (Edwin Jahiel) NNTP-Posting-Host: mthost1.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05638 Keywords: author=Jahiel Originator: ecl@mthost1 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:4971 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1025 PHENOMENON A film review by Edwin Jahiel Copyright 1996 Edwin Jahiel PHENOMENON * 1/2 . Directed by John Turteltaub. Writen by Gerald DiPego. Phtography, Phedon Papamichael. Editing, Bruce Green. Production design, Garreth Stover. Music, Thomas Newman. Cast: John Travolta (George) Kyra Sedgwick (Lace) Forest Whitaker(Nate), Robert Duvall (Doc), et al. Released by Buena Vista. 124 min. Rated PG. Ignorance is bliss? Wait and see. In a cute, cute, grungily picturesque small town in the North of (you've guessed it, it's California again), people live in friendship and celebrate the 37th birthday of George Malley (Travolta, who is 42). Here you ask: Did you say George Bailey, Jimmy Stewart's name in Frank Capra's "It's a Wonderful Life"? Not quite but close. George is a good man and a fine auto mechanic whose best pal is Nate (Whitaker). He is secretly in love with divorcee Lace (Sedgwick) who has two cute kids and (once bitten) does not wish to complicate her life. On the night of his birthday, a mysterious light in the sky hits George. It must be the Bolt of Knowledge. Before you can spell "miracle" George, the common man. is transformed into a genius such as the world has never seen. He reads books by the ton, understands just about everything, learns foreign languages in minutes, has the gift of telekinesis, can beat anyone at chess, senses coming earthquakes, fixes organic and super-efficient fertilizer from common products, and more. In short he is a polymath of extraordinary, superhuman proportions. But while otherwise George remains his old, warm and friendly self, his new power begins to disturb others. Except his pal Nate, the kindly doctor (Duvall) - the most educated and sophisticated person in town, Lace's children (kids are wiser than adults) and eventually, after a slow, sweet courtship, Lace herself. There is a disturbing subtext of anti-intellectualism here. Or perhaps there is not. Hard to tell as the movie's myth seems uncertain as to where it wants to go, though surely it alludes biblically to the dangers of knowledge, clearly so when George and the kids take turns biting into an apple. As George is about to go to the University at Berkeley and speak to all sorts of savants, and awkward plot device has the FBI close in on him as someone who knows classified information. More troubles follow at the same as happiness of an ordinary kind comes, thanks to loving Lace. (She gives him what is supposed to be the most erotic, shampoo and haircut in movies, but is, in reality, a tedious timewaster for us). As troubles proceed, so does the sentimentality that steadily rises to 95 percent humidity tearjerker levels. The film, slow and a bit dull at first, remains slow and becomes very dull. This mega-intelligence of George's could have led the movie into any number of serious, funny or brainy directions. Instead, it opts for a peculiar solution that leaves everyone dissatisfied. I will not reveal it, in case you do see the film because of Travolta who is very good, a warm, unpretentious, lovable being. Duvall is,as usual, perfect. Whitaker is merely a necessary presence, as is Sedgwick. The photography, heavy on the lyrical, is good. The score is terrible, generic stuff of the connect-the-dots school. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Aug 4 02:43:18 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!liuida!newsfeed.sunet.se!news01.sunet.se!sunic!02-newsfeed.univie.ac.at!01-newsfeed.univie.ac.at!Austria.EU.net!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!news.be.innet.net!INbe.net!news.nl.innet.net!INnl.net!hunter.premier.net!netnews.worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: ram@mbisgi.umd.edu (Ram Samudrala) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 23 Jul 1996 15:21:47 GMT Organization: The Centre for Advanced Research in Biotechnology Lines: 37 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <4t2qmb$64b@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: ram@mbisgi.umd.edu (Ram Samudrala) NNTP-Posting-Host: mthost1.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05672 Keywords: author=Samudrala Originator: ecl@mthost1 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:5004 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1032 PHENOMENON A film review by Ram Samudrala Copyright 1996 Ram Samudrala When John Travolta compares pencils and humans saying that they're all made up of the same stuff, it's not Einstein's relation that came to mind. Rather, the images of Operating Thetans as described in the teachings of the Cult of Scientology (of which Travolta is a member) are invoked. The isomorphisms between the CoS teachings and some of the themes in /Phenomenon/ are a bit disconcerting, but I digress. /Phenomenon/ is a film about a simple man, George Malley (John Travolta) who begins to see life in a new way after a bizarre experience on his 37th birthday. In a way, Malley is reborn as a man who has an insatiable thirst for knowledge. Slowly his capacity for understanding things that were previously beyond his grasp grows. He then begins to grapple with understanding that which has been beyond understanding. However, he has no outlet for his new found knowledge. He is not college educated. The academic world does not take him seriously. Even the government, when they find out about his special abilities, feels threatened by him. Everything around him changes. The other members of his small California community begin to whisper behind his back. His "friends" question who the new George Malley is. The only ones who embrace Malley as he is are the woman he has a crush on, Lace Pennamin (Kyra Sedgwick), his best friend, Nate Pope (Forest Whitaker), and the town doctor/father figure played by Robert Duvall. The performances are generally brilliant, but lay it on a bit thick at times. The plot has been compared to /Forrest Gump/, but I think it is an incongruous comparison. While Gump made a virtue of being stupid, Malley makes a virtue of being brilliant. Ultimately he is ostracised for being so, and therein lies the moral in this movie. me@ram.org || http://www.ram.org || http://www.twisted-helices.com/th From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sun Aug 4 02:43:25 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!solace!news.stealth.net!demos!news1.relcom.ru!EU.net!howland.reston.ans.net!swrinde!tank.news.pipex.net!pipex!news.be.innet.net!INbe.net!news.nl.innet.net!INnl.net!hunter.premier.net!netnews.worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: mredman@bvoice.com (Michael Redman) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 23 Jul 1996 15:22:19 GMT Organization: ... Lines: 54 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <4t2qnb$64f@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: mredman@bvoice.com (Michael Redman) NNTP-Posting-Host: mthost1.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05673 Keywords: author=Redman Originator: ecl@mthost1 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:5003 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1031 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 mredman@bvoice.com] From rec.arts.sf.reviews Sat Aug 10 22:34:25 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!Zeke.Update.UU.SE!columba.udac.uu.se!news.mdh.se!news.seinf.abb.se!news.norconnect.no!troll.powertech.no!nntp-oslo.UNINETT.no!nntp-trd.UNINETT.no!online.no!Norway.EU.net!EU.net!newsfeed.internetmci.com!in2.uu.net!netnews.worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.att.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: rhodes_steve@tandem.com (Steve Rhodes) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 7 Aug 1996 14:58:41 GMT Organization: Tandem Computers, Inc. Lines: 83 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <4uaav1$3ku@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: rhodes_steve@tandem.com (Steve Rhodes) NNTP-Posting-Host: mthost1.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #05761 Keywords: author=Rhodes Originator: ecl@mthost1 Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:5113 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1044 PHENOMENON A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1996 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ** After seeing a bright flash of light in the heavens, George Malley (John Travolta) turns from an average auto mechanic to an innovative horticulturist. Although there are shades of CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, PHENOMENON is mainly FORREST GUMP-lite. Other than a ridiculous FBI subplot, the film spends most of its time with a hero whose chief passion is growing extra large tomatoes and wooing the new woman in town, Lace Pennamin (Kyra Sedgwick). As you can tell, I was extremely disappointed by this show which managed to bore me silly no matter how well intentioned the plot and how earnest the acting. On George's 37th birthday, he sees the light in the sky and after that his life is changed forever. He becomes fluent in Portuguese in 20 minutes just by reading a book. He turns into an instant chess expert. He can predict earthquakes. He can even do telekinesis and break mirrors as well. He does everything but leap over tall buildings with a single bound. What does he do with this gift? Mainly he applies it to ways to grow bigger vegetables. Now, in the real world, this would certainly be a worthy endeavor as schools from Texas A & M to The University of California at Davis would attest. As stimulating movie making, it left my entire family bored, fidgeting in our seats, and checking our watches. The script by Gerald Di Pego has lines that includes George's come on to Lace of, "I'd like to get my hands on your carburetor," and Lace's refusal to George of, "Your idle's too fast." My main fault with the dialog is not so much that it is trite as it is tedious. The direction by Jon Turteltaub (3 NINJAS and COOL RUNNINGS) has a glacial pace. Although the normally excellent Forest Whitaker as George's friend Nate Pope is not given much to do in the show, the only bad acting is Sedgwick's. Sedgwick has a highly limited acting range. She is always aloof and distant. If she has ever given a decent performance, I have not seen it, and I have had the poor fortune to have viewed her in many a picture. Travolta clearly had great fun making this film. He is bursting with joy. Although he does not demonstrate particularly strong acting, his enthusiasm for the role radiates good vibes. If the show were not so dull, his portrayal would have made the film into a classic feel good movie. The gem of the show and the best piece of acting is done by Robert Duvall as the local town doc. When he gets angry in a bar, it is the only scene in the show that had genuine emotion. The rest of the actors operate only on an ethereal plane. The movie is never involving and is content to be nothing more than a paean to the sweetness of a man blessed with a magical gift. I will give it this. Phedon Papamichael's warm and glowing cinematography is lovely. PHENOMENON runs quite long at 2:03. Tighter editing by Bruce Green could have improved the show dramatically. The show is rated PG, but I think PG-13 would have been much more appropriate. There are a plethora of cuss words, and none are necessary. Although the F word is not used, most of the others are. Do we really have to have Jesus Christ used as a frequent expletive in a PG show? There is no sex, nudity, or violence. I would caution parents not to take kids under say 10. We took Jeffrey (age 7) since it was rated PG. He was bored stiff as little happened for long periods of time, and he rated it "so-so." I liked some of the acting, but can not recommend it either. I give it **. ______________________________________________________________________ **** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it. ** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable. * = Poor show. Don't waste your money. 0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable. REVIEW WRITTEN ON: August 6, 1996 Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Nov 15 18:31:12 1996 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lejonet.se!linkoping.trab.se!malmo.trab.se!newsfeed.tip.net!masternews.telia.net!newsfeed.sunet.se!news00.sunet.se!sunic!news.sprintlink.net!news-peer.sprintlink.net!uunet!in1.uu.net!netnews.worldnet.att.net!cbgw2.lucent.com!nntphub.cb.lucent.com!not-for-mail From: inkpot@bizdir.com.sg (Sheri K. Goh) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: REVIEW: PHENOMENON (1996) Followup-To: rec.arts.movies.current-films,rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 10 Nov 1996 07:11:41 GMT Organization: The Flying Inkpot Lines: 73 Sender: eleeper@lucent.com (Evelyn C. Leeper) Approved: eleeper@lucent.com Message-ID: <563v7d$frv@nntpb.cb.lucent.com> Reply-To: inkpot@bizdir.com.sg (Sheri K. Goh) NNTP-Posting-Host: mtvoyager.mt.lucent.com Summary: r.a.m.r. #06287 Keywords: author=Goh Originator: ecl@mtvoyager Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:5708 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1107 PHENOMENON A film review by Sheri K. Goh Copyright 1996 The Flying Inkpot Director: John Turteltaub Writer: Gerald Di Pego Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael Music: Thomas Newman Cast: John Travolta (George Malley), Kyra Sedgwick (Lace Pennamin), Forest Whitaker (Nate Pope), Robert Duvall (Doc) Length: 123 minutes Theatre: Golden Village Cinemas Rating: *** out of ***** If you're a fan of happy-happy-joy-joy flicks of the working-class kind, and you watched FORREST GUMP fifty-three times while making your catch-phrase "stupid is as stupid does," then PHENOMENON is a movie you'll definitely enjoy. George Malley reprises the role of the lovable common guy, except this one walks out into the night on his birthday, stares at the sky and the brain explodes into activity, and his life is never the same again. John Travolta plays George Malley, a mechanic whose idea of wooing his lady love, Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), a really bad chair maker, is to buy the chairs she makes, just so she will make more chairs and keep coming back to the stand outside his garage where they are put for sale. He even gives them to his best friend, as he has so many chairs he doesn't know what to do with them. *gush* After he gets zapped by the light in the sky his brain is so energised he reads two or three books a day, learns Portuguese in 20 minutes, predicts earthquakes and experiments with solar energy. His long-time doctor (Robert Duvall) and conscience of the town tries to goad him for a medical checkup, as all this brain activity is so (duh) unusual, but of course George refuses till it’s too late. The ending is quire predictable once you realise why he’s suddenly become so smart. The plot kind of falls apart from that point onwards. Apart from being thoroughly impossible in a realistic setting, it fails because the characters take far too long to get going. Most of the film is spent in trying to wow us with the new-found prowess of George’s brain. Also, why Lace is such an absolute wet blanket remains a mystery. It is also never quite explained how someone’s accelerated brain activity occurs so suddenly, and even gives him the power to zap a dozen wooden beams off the side of a tree. HOW??!! They never tell us! Travolta's role as a SNAG (sensitive New Age guy) is a mark of how versatile an actor he is, and that his success as a Ah Beng exterminator in PULP FICTION wasn't just a one-off comeback. It is a shame, however, that he does not get to exhibit much of an acting range in this soppy tear-jerker. Also, Robert Duvall spends most of his time looking rather perturbed, as he ponders the mysteries of George's brain and acts as his surrogate father. Very two-dimensional characters here. But, as the trend goes in movies nowadays (cf. A TIME TO KILL, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME, FORREST GUMP) the issue of prejudicing those who are different from us is addressed. Rather than accepting George's change, the townsfolk are crude and critical - they make up stories about how he had probably seen a UFO and maybe the aliens altered his brain, as well as media-bashing the insensitive press. Makes a point, thought rather un-subtly. The Flying Inkpot Rating System: * Wait for the TV2 broadcast. ** A little creaky, but still better than staying at home with Gotcha! *** Pretty good, bring a friend. **** Amazing, potent stuff. ***** Perfection. See it twice. _____________________________________________________ This movie review was written for THE FLYING INKPOT: The Singaporean Zine That Dares To Say "Bok." For a spanking good time, come visit us at http://webvisions.com.sg/inkpot. Bring money!