Subject: Retrospective: Contact (1997)

From: [email-masked] (Steven Bailey)
Date: 13 May 2000 00:18:34 GMT

After seeing Jodie Foster wasted in piffle such as Sommersby and
Maverick, I worred that the gloriously intelligent actress from The
Accused and Little Man Tate might be gone for good. But she's back, in a
vehicle worthy of her extraordinary gifts: Robert Zemeckis's Contact, a
movie that also marks the return of ideas to a junk-food summer of
cinema.

Based on Carl Sagan's novel, Contact sports the latest special effects
(including a visit from President Clinton a la Zemeckis's Forrest Gump.)
But it hardly matters, because as Ellie Arroway, Foster is the movie's
best special effect. Whether she's in a love scene or on a trip to outer
space, there's not a moment where you don't believe Foster is really
living it.

Ellie has been sending radio signals into space since she was a
kid--first on ham radios, then later on satellite dishes. She's not sure
where or why she's sending them--she's just driven to do it. But as an
adult astronomer, she's thwarted at every turn by David Drumlin (Tom
Skerritt), her former mentor. When Ellie's work yields nothing, Drumlin
shuts off her funding; when Ellie's signals start getting replies, he
hogs all of the credit.

We've read for years about smart females who know the answers in math
class but, when they raise their hands, are overlooked in favor of the
male students. Those males grow up to be David Drumlin. Drumlin is
dashing, knows just enough to get by, and has all of the smart answers
(just not the right ones). And for a while, the story appears to be a
contest between the outspoken woman and Mr. All-American.

But Contact never gets that cliched--its twists are fresh and entirely
plausible. It even takes on some philosophical issues, and happily, it
does not cop out on any of them. Suffice to say, the outcome is a
refreshing antidote to no-brainers such as Men in Black, where anything
alien exists only to be zapped.

And for once, Zemeckis's ensemble work overshadows his effects stunts.
Foster, Skerritt, Matthew McConaughey (who, if there was any doubt left
about his star power, erases it here), James Woods, and Angela Bassett
all shine. The best surprise is an unheralded actress named Jena Malone.
As the young Ellie, she makes you see how the ache is this inquisitive
child's heart turns her into the ultimate stargazer.

Contact makes you believe in its miracles--or at least, in the miracle
of Jodie Foster's intuitive acting. Pragmatic Ellie comes to experience
a revelation, and thanks to Foster, so do we.

Contact is rated PG for a few unfortunate swear words. I say unfortunate
because other than that, there's no reason any thoughtful youngster of
school age shouldn't be encouraged to see this wonderful movie.

Submitted by: Steven Bailey
http://pages.hotbot.com/movies/skad13

Steven Bailey, a movie reviewer for The Beaches Leader newspaper in
Jacksonville Beach, Florida, has movie reviews posted in The Internet
Movie Database at:
http://www.imdb.com/M/reviews_by?Steven+Bailey

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