Catwoman – Leather and Grace
by Homer Yen
(c) 2004
It's hard to resist the guilty pleasure that
comes with watching a woman like Halle Berry
inhabit the role of a leather-clad,
whip-flailing, high-heel strutting, hip-shaking
night prowler. It's like watching a titillating
production of a Victoria's Secret television
commercial. Yes, if you've got it, flaunt it.
That in of itself gives this a passing grade.
Oh, but have I forgotten to talk about the film
itself? Well, it's not hard to see that
"Catwoman" is certainly not all that it or Halle
Berry could have been. If there were one scene
that exemplified how some might find this
offering goofy, you would only need to point to
the sequence with the malfunctioning Ferris
Wheel. It's a symbol of how many of the points
of the film seem forced and flawed.
Halle Berry stars as Patience Phillips, a
somewhat meek advertising artist who never really
summons up the courage to say what's really on
her mind. Instead, she kowtows to her
overbearing and obnoxious boss (Lambert Wilson).
She can't quite find the right things to say when
she chances upon the handsome detective, Tom Lone
(Benjamin Bratt). Her only link to normalcy is
her boon friendship with the sympathetic but
funny Janeane Garofalo-type Sally (Alex
Borstein).
These elements are the beginnings of droll
comedy. Images of
little-lost-girl-grows-up-to-be-mighty-woman
begin to immediately take shape. But, you
probably can't envision how Patience turns from a
mewing mess to a meowing dominatrix. It's just a
little too extreme, and thus as our heroine
undergoes a study in duality, so too does the
film as it tries to be simultaneously hip and
dark while trying to retain its soft side. The
mixture is rough, and it should've chosen a more
dedicated route to tell the story of Catwoman.
Sometimes, the effort misfires. The love story
that eventually emerges seems out of place. To
maintain the mystery, perhaps a mutual admiration
would have worked better. Sometimes, the effort
is timid. Let's just say that if Catwoman is
going to make love, let the film enjoy an R
rating to really explore the Dr. Jekyll and Mr.
Hyde in our heroine. Often, the result works
admirably. When the sun goes down and the focus
is on the Catwoman, there is feeling of edgy
coolness and MTV chic.
Despite it's drawbacks, I liked "Catwoman" more
than not. In particular, I credit it for its
marvelous look. The terrific set decorations and
the background art gives this a grunge-meets-Andy
Warhol-meets martini lounge look. Of course, a
nod must go to the costume designer too.
Although you may not be charmed with what you
hear on screen, you'll certainly be attracted to
what you see on screen.
If they could go back in time and revisit the
original storyboard, I would probably prefer that
a film like this follow the structure of a film
like "Blade". That one remains dedicated to its
environment and it's all about hurting the enemy.
This film tries to be more multi-faceted with
its romance, its statement of the nature of
woman, and it's summer-type action. It doesn't
quite get it right. Consequently, it is more
appealing than, say, "Daredevil." But, it's not
quite as fun as "Blade" or "Hellboy".
Grade: B-
S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
========== X-RAMR-ID: 38405 X-Language: en X-RT-ReviewID: 1303662 X-RT-TitleID: 1134224 X-RT-AuthorID: 1370 X-RT-RatingText: B-
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