NEVER AGAIN (director/writer: Eric Schaeffer; cinematographer: Thomas Ostrowski; editor: Mitchel Stanley; music: Amanda Kravat/Julius Robinson; cast: Jeffrey Tambor (Christopher), Jill Clayburgh (Grace), Caroline Aaron (Elaine), Bill Duke (Earl), Sandy Duncan (Natasha), Michael McKean (Alex), Suzanne Shepherd (Christopher's Mother), Lily Rabe (Tess), David Bailey (Chad), Peter Dinklage (Harry Appleton), Eric Axen (College Girl-Boy), Dan'l Linehan (Leather Go-Go Boy); Runtime: 97; MPAA Rating: R; producer: Robert Kravitz; USA Films; 2001)
"... Never Again is as shameless a love story as anything that Hollywood has ever done."
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
Never Again is indie filmmaker Eric Schaeffer's ("Wirey Spindell"/"Fall"/"If Lucy Fell") inexpedient project, where he not only directs but writes the script. The film tries, though boorishly, to separate itself from the pack by having its stars, Jeffrey Tambor and Jill Clayburgh, on a continual rant of speaking dirty and by having both these lovers who are in their 50s not be afraid of confronting their sexual needs. One would think, at last, a rare romance film for the mature set. Unfortunately, what we get is an immature film that thought of itself as bold only because it was so perverse. Other than these nods toward pushing the envelope away from mainstream films, "Never Again" is as shameless a love story as anything that Hollywood has ever done. It's an Erich Segal type of Love Story for the cynics who prefer to laugh than cry when watching an unbelievable romance, knowing that all is fake anyway --so the thinking is why not go for some cheap laffs. The pic has nowhere to go but downward because the script is a lazy one, as every scene was either contrived or too phony to have any impact. It goes from being uninvolving at its onset and slowly moves in unnecessary gross ways onto its middle part, and then becomes plain terrible by its finale -- an utter embarrassment. It resolves its woeful love story in the most unimaginative and unbelievable way possible, by having one half of its love duet run down by a horse right smack in the middle of the Big Apple.
This mostly insulting pic nevertheless managed to come up with a few moments it can be proud of, as the lovebirds bring about some raunchy yuks from their messy affair. They tried hard to be sweet charmers and zany characters, but everything about them had sitcom formula written all over their banal dialogue. They could never generate real interest in their situation or real concern about them as lovers, as the pic was all about going for the canned laffs it programmed its audience for. It was one tired situation after another, all on the low end of the comedy evolutionary scale. Naturally, that brought predictable laughter from those in the audience who don't require any measure of wit to tickle their funny bones and seem to not mind getting down in the gutter with the film's use of odd sex toy shop props, such as an S&M outfit equipped with a strap-on dildo that can't be taken off by Grace when Christopher pops over unannounced to introduce his mom to her. These props are used to encourage bawdy laughter, and generated the loudest laughs at the theater I was at.
But it's the script that did this film in. It is so much lacking in taste, credibility, scope, and wit, that the actors are left to hang out to dry no matter how hard they try to be likable lovers who get beyond their initial fears and their sexual hangups to form a lasting relationship.
Even the film's title "Never Again" could be considered as crass, as it could be construed as a trifling of the Jewish credo after the Holocaust, even though the film was devoid of any political content or, for that matter, anything that had gravitas. In the film's case, the title refers to a Talking Point made by one of the film's lovers and agreed to by the other. He is the balding, grubby looking, paunchy, grouchy, 54-year-old, divorced, exterminator/jazz pianist, Christopher (Jeffrey Tambor). His love interest is Grace (Jill Clayburgh), who is of the same age and is also divorced. She works as a field executive for a mentor group, like Big Brother or Big Sister. On the Talking Point of "never again," she agrees -- that they never intend to fall in love again or even talk about it. Well, you can see right away where this film is going with that premise and it would be safe to bet your NYC subway token fare on the script having these reluctant lovers falling in love despite their credo. In how many other Hollywood romantic comedies have you seen that plot line?
The tired camera action goes back and forth for the entire film between the daily lives of Christopher and Grace, both stuck without a partner and both with a grown child who does not live at home. She seems traumatized that her daughter Tess is off to an out-of-town college leaving her alone, while he's grown used to being alone as his married thirtysomething son raises cows in Montana. Christopher after years of one-night stands becomes impotent with his last date, a 25-year-old blonde who tells him not to worry about his failure -- he must be bisexual. That night he has a dream that he got aroused by a man as a lover. He tells his best and only friend, his jazz musician colleague he plays with in the Village, Earl (Bill Duke), that he would like to explore a change in his sexual orientation and experience a man. Answering a sex magazine ad, he has an unsuccessful encounter with a transvestite (McKean). Meanwhile Grace's two yenta friends, Elaine (Aaron) and Natasha (Duncan), go on the Internet to get the lady who has been divorced for ten years and hasn't slept with a man for the last seven years a date with a younger man. When they meet in a bar, she's disappointed that he's a midget (Dinklage) even though he's charming and articulate. Then the gruff and overweight Christopher and the emotionally reactive Grace meet in a contrived manner in a gay bar, where he wants to try his luck again with a gay man but turns off a would-be partner dressed in leather (Linehan) by acting crude. She goes with her two nosy girlfriends to the nearest bar from the one she just left her bad blind date, in order to unwind from that heavy experience. It turns out to be the same gay bar Christopher is in. After they chat and clear up that they are both straight -- she tries to make up for lost sexual time by using him to experiment with new sexual techniques. While this is happening he falls in love with her and is so frightened of that, that he tries to pull out of the relationship. Their crucial discussion over handling love comes in the same gay bar where they met, as she gets out of control and starts shouting obscenities at him. So much for age meaning maturity.
The film asks the heart stopping question -- Is their "never again" credo a self-fulfilling prophecy? My problem was I could care less about them, I found the humor crass rather than funny, and was put off by how the film was so tasteless and pointless.
Also, if you're going to make an independent film, don't make a mainstream one and try to put some crude cosmetics over it to hide what the film really looks like and pretend that you're out there when you're not.
REVIEWED ON 8/30/2002 GRADE: C-
Dennis Schwartz: "Ozus' World Movie Reviews"
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED DENNIS SCHWARTZ
http://www.sover.net/~ozus
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