BURNING ANNIE A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2003 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2
Van Flesher's BURNING ANNIE is a brightly written and handsomely filmed movie about a guy with an ANNIE HALL fixation. Starring Gary Lundy and Sara Downing, who look a bit like a younger Matt Damon and Elizabeth Hurley, the movie has its moments of comedic brilliance -- just not quite enough of them. The lead performances are strong even if the support cast isn't of the same caliber.
"I'm the only guy I know who ends up being insulted in his own fantasies," Max (Lundy) complains. Max, who was force-fed Woody Allen by his parents, says that he hates the guy. Nevertheless, Max spends most of his free time watching ANNIE HALL, a film that he thinks answers most of life's questions. One of Max's friends thinks that the movie is Max's heroin and suggests that he switch to MANHATTAN as a form of methadone. Max can't stand MANHATTAN and rejects the suggestion.
Although Max has been seeing Beth (Kim Murphy), he becomes attracted to Julie (Sara Downing, TUMBLEWEEDS), a woman who "invades his privacy" by actually listening to his 3 a.m. radio program on the small station on the campus where they go to school.
"If our lives were a movie, it would suck," Sam (Jay Paulson) tells Max. They then go on to discuss how critics would pickup on that line and use in it reviews against the film. Well, their movie never sucks. I just wish it were more consistently successful.
BURNING ANNIE runs 1:39. It is not rated but would be a PG-13 for brief language and drug usage and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film was shown recently as part of San Jose's Cinequest Film Festival (www.Cinequest.org), which ran February 27 to March 9, 2003.
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