Review
THE SINGING DETECTIVE
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Mel Gibson and Katie Holmes
Directed by Keith Gordon
Opens Friday, November 14
Globe Cinema
The Singing Detective is a wonderfully bizarre movie about Dan Dark (Robert Downey Jr.), a pulp fiction writer with a severe skin condition that leaves him crippled in a hospital bed with only his memories and hallucinations to keep him company. Thematically the film is the healing process this man goes through, leading him to choose whether or not he will eventually become a victim of the psychosis that has physically manifested itself. I have a feeling that some people might be turned off by this film, but I wasn’t. Not even a little bit.
This film takes place in the mind of the writer – and Dark is one of the most cynically profane protagonists ever put onscreen. The audience bears witness to Dark’s desires and his intent through a number of methods: musical numbers, a rolling narration of an unwritten detective novel, repressed memories and, most poignantly, through his therapy sessions with Dr. Gibbons (perfectly played by an almost unrecognizable Mel Gibson).
Even though he’s telling four different stories at once, director Keith Gordon never confuses his audience. He does this by giving each story its own visual and narrative style. For the musical numbers, Gordon chose to have the actors lip sync actual ’50s pop songs rather than sing them à la Moulin Rouge. As opposed to a performance for our benefit, the songs are used to simply illustrate what is going on in the mind of the protagonist. The Chordettes classic: "Mr. Sandman," during which Dan Dark tries extremely hard not to become aroused while recieving his daily administration of medicated body cream from the beautiful Nurse Mills (Katie Holmes) is both heartbreaking and hilarious.
The rest of the cast does a lot with very little screen time. Adrian Brody and Joe Polito chew up the scenery as thugs for hire and Robin Wright Penn hits all her notes perfectly as Dark’s frustrated yet patient ex-wife.
The Singing Detective is a great film and Robert Downey Jr. owns virtually every frame of it. It reminded me of an under-medicated version of Naked Lunch – another film about a psychologically damaged writer that I absolutely adored. |
Copyright ©2003 FFWD. All rights reserved.