Rick (2003)

Director:

Curtiss Clayton

Writer:

Daniel Handler (writer)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Envy, lust, murder...business as usual.

Plot:

"Rigoletto" retold at Christmas time in Manhattan's corporate world. Rick, an executive at Image, is a jerk to a woman applying for a job...

Plot Keywords:

Character Name In Title

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bill Pullman	...	Rick O'Lette
Aaron Stanford	...	Duke
Agnes Bruckner	...	Eve O'Lette
Sandra Oh	...	Michelle
Dylan Baker	...	Buck
Emmanuelle Chriqui	...	Duke's Long-Suffering Wife
Marianne Hagan	...	Laura
Jerome Preston Bates	...	Lobby Guard
Jamie Harris	...	Mick
Paz de la Huerta	...	Vicki
Marin Rathje	...	Mrs. O'Lette in Picture
William Ryall	...	Rick's Doorman
Daniel Handler	...	Perky Waiter
Dennis Parlato	...	BusinessTalk Anchor
P.J. Brown	...	Jack Lantern

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

Canada:100 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:100 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | USA:R

Company:

Big Boss LLC

Trivia:

Rick takes his daughter to dinner at Verdi's, a restaurant named after the composer of 'Rigoletto', the opera from which the movie is drawn. While they dine, the music playing in the background is "La donna è mobile", the Duke's aria from the last act of the opera.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Buck gives his business card to Rick, it has a '666' phone number, but when Rick uses the business card in Eve's bedroom to set up the hit, the phone number starts with '555'.

Quotes:

BusinessTalk Anchor: Facade's corporate status is no joke, either. Last year the Wall Street Journal reported the company's earnings at 140 zillion dollars.
[pause]
BusinessTalk Anchor: I'm sorry, that can't be right.

Movie Connections:

Features American Psycho (2000)

Soundtrack:

Great Wooden Bridge

This Reviewer Prefers "In Good Company" to Lackluster "Rick"

"Rick" is an example of a decent indie film that never realized its potential.

The premise of the film was great, especially the early sequence in which the greedy, callous, executive Rick O'Lette (Bill Pullman) is unbearably rude to a young woman named Michelle interviewing for a job (Sandra Oh). In the film's best scene, Michelle lays a "curse" on him, which he instantly recognizes will come to pass.

Unfortunately, the rest of film was predictable and one-dimensional. Apart from Pullman, Oh, and Agnes Bruckner (who plays O'Lette's daughter), the acting wasn't very good. Also, there was overkill on the scoring that called major attention to the music, as opposed to utilizing the sound to support the dramatic moments.

It was unfortunate that Sandra Oh's character Michelle was not developed throughout the movie. We needed to learn more about her background and the "curse" that was her design on the evil Rick O'Lette.

For a good film dealing with the theme of corporate greed and the personal toll it can take on a family, "In Good Company" succeeds in every area where "Rick" ultimately fails.