directed by Phil Alden Robinson
This is a remake of the Israeli movie The 92 minutes of Mr. Baum. It has a perhaps unintentionally elegiac feel to it as it was one of Robin Williams' final film roles. It was released the year of his death via suicide. Watching it you can't help but wonder how much art was imitating life. The film tries to be a black comedy. It doesn't quite make it or rather I should write that it wasn't as funny as it thought it was but Williams convinces as the titular character, a Jewish real estate/estate planning lawyer named Henry Altman whose moods range from acerbic to choleric to furious. Henry is never in a good mood, not really. There are reasons for that.
Despite his wealth and success Henry doesn't think that life has been good to him. It is an easy thing to say that the essence of life and love ought to be to treat others as you would wish to be treated and enjoy the short time you have on this earth. That's advice that is saccharine, simplistic and often found in greeting cards. However, such bromides also happen to be true. If you've lost anyone you loved chances are quite good that you didn't get to say everything to or do everything with them that you wanted to do. If you're fortunate enough not to have had that experience yet just wait a few years. It happens to everyone. And perhaps some day people will in turn mourn our passing. As a passage from the Book of Common Prayer reads :
"Man that is born of a woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery.
He cometh up, and is cut down like a flower;
he fleeth as it were a shadow, and ne'er continueth in one stay."
Henry is a man who is deeply unhappy and always on the verge of attacking someone verbally or physically. He has a doctor's appointment which he's been putting off and can't put off any longer. He's angry about that. He's angry about the traffic. He's angry about the accident that a foreign born taxi driver caused. He's angry when he finally reaches his appointment only to discover that his normal male doctor has transferred him to a younger female doctor Sharon Gill (Mila Kunis). Henry thinks that his regular doctor is just playing hooky. Henry assumes that Sharon is incompetent because of her youth, gender and retiring nature.
Sharon discovers that Henry's usual doctor Fielding (Louis C.K.), with whom she is having an affair, hasn't gotten around to informing Henry of a serious life threatening condition which Henry has. When Henry hears this he hits the roof. Henry refuses Sharon's advice to go see a specialist. Henry demands to know how much time he has left, verbally abusing Sharon until she panics and tells him that he only has 90 minutes to live, just to get him out of her office.
Frightened and believing that he won't be on the planet in a little less than two hours, Henry embarks on a frantic quest to try to make amends to many of his loved ones and friends, such as his supportive partner and brother (Peter Dinklage), his crusty independent wife (Melissa Leo), old school friends (Richard Kind), and most especially his estranged son (Hamish Linklater). Feeling guilty about lying and worried about her job, Sharon starts searching for Henry hoping to convince him to go to the hospital. Other actors of note include James Earl Jones, Jerry Adler, Isiah Whitlock, and Bob Dishy.
This is a quite predictable movie. I happened to be in the mood for something that was both melancholic and wry but this is not a movie that is going to have many surprises for the viewer. It lacks the energy or humor or even intent to be a truly drop dead laugh out loud film but it does have its moments, nearly all of which come courtesy of Williams. If you appreciate Williams' manic approach to comedy, here mixed with some sadness , you might like this movie. There is voice over from certain key characters speaking of themselves in the third person and explaining some of what was going on in their mind. The film doesn't overstay its welcome but some of the narrative could have been tightened up a bit. Overall decent, not great. This is not a cynical film.
CLIP
Sharon discovers that Henry's usual doctor Fielding (Louis C.K.), with whom she is having an affair, hasn't gotten around to informing Henry of a serious life threatening condition which Henry has. When Henry hears this he hits the roof. Henry refuses Sharon's advice to go see a specialist. Henry demands to know how much time he has left, verbally abusing Sharon until she panics and tells him that he only has 90 minutes to live, just to get him out of her office.
Frightened and believing that he won't be on the planet in a little less than two hours, Henry embarks on a frantic quest to try to make amends to many of his loved ones and friends, such as his supportive partner and brother (Peter Dinklage), his crusty independent wife (Melissa Leo), old school friends (Richard Kind), and most especially his estranged son (Hamish Linklater). Feeling guilty about lying and worried about her job, Sharon starts searching for Henry hoping to convince him to go to the hospital. Other actors of note include James Earl Jones, Jerry Adler, Isiah Whitlock, and Bob Dishy.
This is a quite predictable movie. I happened to be in the mood for something that was both melancholic and wry but this is not a movie that is going to have many surprises for the viewer. It lacks the energy or humor or even intent to be a truly drop dead laugh out loud film but it does have its moments, nearly all of which come courtesy of Williams. If you appreciate Williams' manic approach to comedy, here mixed with some sadness , you might like this movie. There is voice over from certain key characters speaking of themselves in the third person and explaining some of what was going on in their mind. The film doesn't overstay its welcome but some of the narrative could have been tightened up a bit. Overall decent, not great. This is not a cynical film.
CLIP
