Subject: Review: Men In Black (1997)

From: [email-masked] (Chad Polenz)
Date: 4 Nov 1997 06:08:01 GMT

Men In Black

Chad'z rating: *** (out of 4 = good)

1997, PG-13, 98 minutes [1 hour, 38 minutes]

[comedy/satire/science fiction]

starring: Tommy Lee Jones (Agent K), Will Smith (James Edwards/Agent J),
Linda Fiorentino (Dr. Laurel Weaver), Vincent D'Onofrio (Edgar - The Bug);
written by Ed Solomon; produced by Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes;
directed by Barry Sonnenfeld; based on the comic book and characters created
by Lowell Cunningham.

Seen Sunday, November 2, 1997 at 3:15 p.m. at Crossgates Cinema 12 (Albany,
NY), with my brother John for $5.

Movies geared towards massive audiences tend not to be that complicated or
have that much intelligence to them. Americans especially don't like to watch
things they don't have to think too much about. What's good about "Men In
Black" is that, technically, it's another lightweight, mass-market
comedy/adventure, but it's also a very clever satire. It appeals to both the
child and the adult in us.

It's difficult to make a film that is intended for the family and can be
enjoyed by all members.  But this movie starts off well by displaying its
ability to do just that. The first scene depicts a truck full of illegal
immigrants which is stopped by highway patrolmen, until two men in black
suits show up and take over. Agent K (Jones) singles out one of the
immigrants and brings him back into the desert where his true identity is
revealed. He's an illegal alien all right - but he's from another planet and
he doesn't have a passport. 

The dialogue between K and the alien is cartoony, but witty, in a
"Simpson's" sort of way. Even though there's a slimy sight gag, it was built
up through satire, which shows how the comedy succeeds on many levels.

Satire derives its power from great acting. Anyone can write a joke, but it
takes talent to make subtle comedy funny. Tommy Lee Jones is fantastic here
as the Joe Friday-like Agent K. His sense of timing is perfect and his
deadpan delivery makes everything he says or does seem both serious and
funny. Then there's his counterpart, the always hyperactive Will Smith as
James Edwards - an NYPD officer who is asked to join "Men in Black" (the
secret agency K works for), because of an encounter he had with an alien.
 Many consider Smith a typecast actor who always plays characters like
himself - but it doesn't matter because he's hilarious! It seems like he
improvises every joke and gag, yet he never repeats himself.

The actual plot of the film involves some kind of pending inter-galactic war
with Earth in the middle. Agents J and K's job is to find a "bug" (D'Onofrio
as "Edgar") whose ship crash-landed on a farm in upstate New York. He has
made his way to NYC and wreaks havoc like a zombie in an Ed Wood movie, and
if they don't find him something terrible is going to happen. 

There's a lot of detail and attention given to the MIB operation, which not
only makes the satire even funnier and more clever, but shows how the film
doesn't cop-out where most others would. Everything the characters do has a
purpose, and there's actually a real sense of mystery here. At times I wasn't
quite sure what was going on, but because the story is so lighthearted I
never felt confused.

There's actually not much more to say about the film because the comedy is
so broad. It would be difficult to list even a few examples without
describing, in detail, the context in which they take place. Everything's
just plain fun, and the ending is a real hoot.

Special mention must be given to Linda Fiorentino as Dr. Laurel Weaver, the
sexy coroner who never plays the role of the damsel in distress nor the
butt-kicking, "strong-willed woman" stereotype. 

"Men In Black" is epitome what the summer blockbuster movie should be: it's
just plain fun.

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(C) 1997 Chad Polenz