"Baby Boom"
Starring Diane Keaton, Harold
Ramis and Sam Shepard
Directed by Charles Shyer
Rated PC
**y 2
“Baby Boom” has received
very favorable reviews from
several film critics so far. It is
difficult to understand why.
The movie is about thirty
minutes too long, moves very
slowly and tries to cover so
many issues that none of them
are covered properly. The
ending is predictable and the
writing shows little creativity.
The stars of the film, Diane
Keaton, Harold Ramis and
Sam Shepard, give
entertaining performances but
their acting skills are not
enough to keep this film
interesting.
Keaton plays J.C. Wiatt, a
graduate of Yale and Harvard,
and a very dedicated corporate
employee. Ramis portrays
Stephen, her equally dedicated
boyfriend with whom she
shares an apartment
When her cousin dies in an
accident overseas, Wiatt gains
custody of the surviving child,
Elizabeth. Wiatt’s first
inclination is to put Elizabeth
up for adoption, but has
second thoughts and decides to
keep the baby instead.
However, Elizabeth takes up
so much of Wiatt’s time that
her job productivity falls off,
Stephen leaves her and Wiatt
quits her job. She and the child
then move to Hadleyville, Vt,
a small town in the mountains.
As Wiatt tries to put her life
back together and cope with
the slower life style, she starts a
romance with the local
veterinarian, Sam Cooper,
played by Sam Shepard.
The movie takes a
humorous look at modem
parenthood and people trying
to climb the corporate ladder.
The main theme is that it is
impossible for a single parent to
balance a career and a child.
The story shows how
Elizabeth affects Wiatt’s
relationship with Stephen, her
boss, her fellow workers and
Cooper. To a lesser extent, the
relationship between Wiatt and
Elizabeth is analyzed.
None of these themes are
adequately covered, and the
movie would have been much
better had it concentrated on
how the baby affects Wiatt’s
work or how it affects her
personal life, but not both at
the same time. As soon as one
story line becomes interesting
the movie drops it and moves
on to another. Halfway
through the film this becomes
so frustrating that the movie
ceases to be interesting.
The movie does have some
funny moments and the acting
is above average, but the
writing presents nothing new or
creative and the film is
disappointing.
-Review by Tom Reinarts
"Less Than Zero"
Starring Andrew McCarthy,
Jami Certz and Robert
Downey, Jr.
Directed by Marek Kanievska
Rated PC
****
“Less Than Zero” is the kind
of movie that goes beyond
entertainment and borders on
education. You will not
necessarily enjoy this movie,
but once you see it, you will
never look at life quite the
same again.
The movie is based on a
Bret Easton Ellis novel, but
bears little resemblance to the
book — fortunately. Ellis’ style
resembles stream of
consciousness writing and
seems to go on and on and on,
with no recognizable
beginning, middle or end. The
movie, on the other hand, has
a definite starting point and
climax, though it still lacks a
resolution. But that’s the
beauty of it; real life problems
rarely have resolutions, either.
Jami Gertz, who plays the
leading female role in the
movie, said that the
contradictions between the
movie and the book were
completely intentional.
“We tried to touch on every
issue in the book, but we
definitely made a very different
movie than the book, ” she said
Thursday at a press conference
in St. Louis.
You may remember Gertz as
the abrasive Muffy Tepperman
in the television comedy
“Square Pegs.” In “Less Than
Zero,” Gertz plays Blair
Kennedy, a successful and very
wealthy model who is afraid to
go to college. Gertz’ on-screen
boyfriend, Clay Easton, is
played by Andrew McCarthy
(“Mannequin” and “St Elmo’s
Fire”), but the story actually
centers around Robert
Downey, Jr. (“Back to School”
and “Weird Science”), in his
role as drug addict Julian Wells.
Blair, Clay and Julian are
high school friends who are
reunited in Los Angeles over
the Christmas holidays. Blair
asks for Clay’s help in dealing
with Julian, who has gotten
himself in over his head in drug
usage, both psychologically
and financially. But Blair has a
drug problem of her own, and
the plot is complicated as she
and Clay struggle to renew
their romantic relationship.
All three actors give
commendable, and, more
importantly, very believable
performances. It is easy to
sympathize with their
characters, and they do a good
job of keeping the movie
moving.
“Less Than Zero” is a
realistic “slice of life” film that
explores the affluent lifestyle of
teenagers growing up in Los
Angeles. It focuses on
friendships, and how drugs can
destroy friendships — and
lives. It’s message is a powerful
one, but it does not hit the
viewer right between the eyes.
Instead, it hits you squarely in
the heart, just as the academy
award-winning movie
“Platoon” does. And, like
“Platoon,” “Less Than Zero” is
not a comfortable experience.
“We didn’t want to make a
‘Just say no’ commercial for an
hour and 40 minutes, ” Gertz
explained. “We just wanted to
show what drugs can do to
your friends... There’s
nothing glamorous about it. ”
Do not go see “Less Than
Zero” if you want to be
entertained. But don’t miss it if
you want to expand your
perspectives.
-Review by Karen Kroesche
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