Dummy

"Excellent"

Dummy Review


Just before Adrien Brody delivered his Oscar-winning performance as an isolated and frightened Holocaust survivor in The Pianist, he played a whole different kind of isolated and frightened. As Steven, a lonely underachiever in Greg Pritikin's fantastic indie comedy Dummy, Brody finds solace not in piano music, but in the twisted art of ventriloquism.

It's an offbeat concept that might fit in a chop-'em-up horror movie or a sad, pathetic character study -- yet writer/director Pritikin finds his own niche with the idea, producing a creatively eclectic tale. Dummy is full of exciting surprising laughs, true heart, and enough dysfunctional characters to fill a Wes Anderson film.

Nearing 30, jobless, and living at home with his lunatic Jewish family, Steven is a wimpy soft-spoken schlemiel who devotes all his time to becoming a working ventriloquist. He keeps constant company with his newly purchased wooden friend, dealing with issues of self-loathing while clumsily practicing his routine. The dummy (who is unnamed because he doesn't like any of Steven's choices) becomes more than just Steven's alter-ego -- he becomes Steven's conscience, letting him know during private conversations that he should act like a man, get off his ass, and get on with life.

That opinion is shared by Steven's close friend Fannie (Milla Jovovich), a punked-out wannabe singer with no direction, no future, and a seriously huge temper. When Steven expresses mild interest in his employment counselor, Lorena (the instantly likable Vera Farmiga), Fannie organizes a commando-style stalker session at the girl's house. Fannie believes that pushing the meek Steven into this demented action displays a level of passion that he needs to feel. She's probably right.

The idea of "making things happen" is central to Pritikin's story, and it provides his characters with a sad nobility, a humble level of self-respect that comes with possessing unfulfilled dreams. The filmmaker then places this collection of unrealized ambitions into absurdly comic settings. Steven's sister Heidi (Illeana Douglas) tries to be a successful wedding planner, but her only client is a Jewish princess with no taste and a weight issue. Fannie is dying to become a punk-rock star, but dives into an unbelievable alternative when it becomes available. Lorena confides in Steven about a traumatic traffic accident; his immediate reply: "I always look both ways when I cross the street."

That sort of naïve sincerity gives Dummy a strong tenderness, one completely anchored by Brody's daring and dedicated performance. He always keeps Steven hopeful but not terribly ambitious, strange but not dangerous. It's delicate, well-plotted acting topped off by Brody's fairly competent ventriloquism abilities.

The rest of the cast is completely worthy of being in Brody's company. Veteran actors (and real-life couple) Jessica Walter and Ron Leibman get big laughs as Steven's parents: she, the typical Jewish mother feeding everyone; he, a retiree building model war vessels and watching porn. Jovovich is a lethal combination of raw firepower and inner warmth, and Farmiga absolutely glows as a woman who's just as hesitant as the rest, even if she is saner.

Dummy has some final act issues that seem to be the mark of an unpracticed filmmaker -- Pritikin's confident direction and creative, spot-on editing take a bit of a beating -- but that early mention of Wes Anderson is appropriate. Like Anderson's work, Dummy has a crazed surreal surface with a soft warm center. And it's blessed by a lead performance of occasional genius.

Reviewed at the 2003 Independent Film Festival of Boston.

Now who's the dummy?



Facts and Figures

Run time: 91 mins

In Theaters: Thursday 21st February 2002

Distributed by: Shoreline Entertainment

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 4 / 5

Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
Fresh: 23 Rotten: 10

IMDB: 6.9 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director:

Starring: Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Danny, Thomas Grant as Jack, as Zoe, as Elsa, Moira Brooker as Social Worker, Jack Pierce as Club Promoter, Jerome Blake as Night club bouncer, Andrew Havill as Doctor, Michael Palmer as Undertaker, Aidan Stephenson as Vicar, Morgan Symes as Undertaker, Leo Wringer as Form Tutor

Contactmusic


Links


New Movies

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

Star Wars: The Last Jedi Movie Review

After the thunderous reception for J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The Force Awakens two years ago,...

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Daddy's Home 2 Movie Review

Like the 2015 original, this comedy plays merrily with cliches to tell a silly story...

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

The Man Who Invented Christmas Movie Review

There's a somewhat contrived jauntiness to this blending of fact and fiction that may leave...

Ferdinand Movie Review

Ferdinand Movie Review

This animated comedy adventure is based on the beloved children's book, which was published in...

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Brigsby Bear Movie Review

Director Dave McCary makes a superb feature debut with this offbeat black comedy, which explores...

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

Battle of the Sexes Movie Review

A dramatisation of the real-life clash between tennis icons Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs,...

Shot Caller Movie Review

Shot Caller Movie Review

There isn't much subtlety to this prison thriller, but it's edgy enough to hold the...

Advertisement
The Disaster Artist Movie Review

The Disaster Artist Movie Review

A hilariously outrageous story based on real events, this film recounts the making of the...

Stronger Movie Review

Stronger Movie Review

Based on a true story about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing, this looks like one...

Only the Brave Movie Review

Only the Brave Movie Review

Based on a genuinely moving true story, this film undercuts the realism by pushing its...

Wonder Movie Review

Wonder Movie Review

This film may be based on RJ Palacio's fictional bestseller, but it approaches its story...

Happy End  Movie Review

Happy End Movie Review

Austrian auteur Michael Haneke isn't known for his light touch, but rather for hard-hitting, award-winning...

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Patti Cake$ Movie Review

Seemingly from out of nowhere, this film generates perhaps the biggest smile of any movie...

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

The Limehouse Golem Movie Review

A Victorian thriller with rather heavy echoes of Jack the Ripper, this film struggles to...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews