The central character of Robinson Devor's debut feature is a would-be filmmaker whose first effort is a thriller, "The Man Who Got Away", about a truck driver who runs down a child and is pursued by a gallery of policemen. This film within a film is described as running a mere 63 minutes, and in its brevity and subject matter, sounds a whole lot easier to sit through than this film noir spoof, the latest entry in an increasingly exhausted genre.
For some reason known only to the selection committee, "The Woman Chaser" was recently showcased at the New York Film Festival, where it was the only world premiere in the lineup. Commercial prospects don't look promising.
The most entertaining aspect of the film -- adapted from a novel by Charles Willeford ("Miami Blues") and set in Los Angeles during the 1950s -- is the lead performance by Patrick Warburton, best known for his hilarious comic turns on "Seinfeld" and "NewsRadio". The beefy actor plays the title character, Richard, a used car salesman and womanizer who dreams of being a moviemaker.
When his dotty mother (Lynette Bennett), with whom he shares a bizarre, almost Oedipal relationship (the pair ballet dance together), marries a washed-up former director (Paul Malevich), Richard sees an opportunity to break into the business.
Against all odds, he gets his movie made, only to find himself losing artistic control. At the same time, Richard has a series of misbegotten amorous liaisons with his sexually inexperienced new stepsister and his emotionally desperate secretary.
This wacky, offbeat tale is gussied up by many all-too-familiar stylistic devices: black and white cinematography; predictably hard-boiled dialogue and deadpan, voice-over narration; and a '50s era, jazz and lounge music soundtrack. What's lacking is any true wit or purpose to the proceedings. Its only saving graces are its handsome visual style and Warburton's delightfully sly, low-key comic performance.
THE WOMAN CHASER
Presented by Definitive Films
in association with Tarmac Films
Director-screenwriter: Robinson Devor
Producer: Soly Haim
Executive producer: Joe McSpadden
Photography: Kramer Morganthau
Editor: Mark Winitsky
Music: Daniel Luppi
Production designer: Sandrine Junod
Black and white/stereo
Cast:
Richard Hudson: Patrick Warburton
Used Car Dealer: Eugene Roche
Bill: Ron Morgan
Laura: Emily Newman
Leo: Paul Malevich
Mother: Lynette Bennett
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
For some reason known only to the selection committee, "The Woman Chaser" was recently showcased at the New York Film Festival, where it was the only world premiere in the lineup. Commercial prospects don't look promising.
The most entertaining aspect of the film -- adapted from a novel by Charles Willeford ("Miami Blues") and set in Los Angeles during the 1950s -- is the lead performance by Patrick Warburton, best known for his hilarious comic turns on "Seinfeld" and "NewsRadio". The beefy actor plays the title character, Richard, a used car salesman and womanizer who dreams of being a moviemaker.
When his dotty mother (Lynette Bennett), with whom he shares a bizarre, almost Oedipal relationship (the pair ballet dance together), marries a washed-up former director (Paul Malevich), Richard sees an opportunity to break into the business.
Against all odds, he gets his movie made, only to find himself losing artistic control. At the same time, Richard has a series of misbegotten amorous liaisons with his sexually inexperienced new stepsister and his emotionally desperate secretary.
This wacky, offbeat tale is gussied up by many all-too-familiar stylistic devices: black and white cinematography; predictably hard-boiled dialogue and deadpan, voice-over narration; and a '50s era, jazz and lounge music soundtrack. What's lacking is any true wit or purpose to the proceedings. Its only saving graces are its handsome visual style and Warburton's delightfully sly, low-key comic performance.
THE WOMAN CHASER
Presented by Definitive Films
in association with Tarmac Films
Director-screenwriter: Robinson Devor
Producer: Soly Haim
Executive producer: Joe McSpadden
Photography: Kramer Morganthau
Editor: Mark Winitsky
Music: Daniel Luppi
Production designer: Sandrine Junod
Black and white/stereo
Cast:
Richard Hudson: Patrick Warburton
Used Car Dealer: Eugene Roche
Bill: Ron Morgan
Laura: Emily Newman
Leo: Paul Malevich
Mother: Lynette Bennett
Running time -- 96 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 11/8/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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