ree Enterprise follows the dating and career escapades of two
devoted SF fans, Robert (Weigel) and Mark (McCormack of the
TV sitcom Will and Grace). They are best friends who share common
obsessions: a love of movies and television (science fiction in particular) and a
lifelong devotion to their hero, William Shatner. And as they rapidly
approach their 30th birthdays, these fans are well aware of the
Logan's Run significance of that milestone: the end of youth.
Though Mark has managed to turn his love of pop culture into a steady job
editing a genre magazine, Robert is more of a wayward soul. Robert's
commitment to toy collecting comes before his commitment to relationships. In fact,
as the film begins, his current girlfriend is on her way out of his
life, although Robert is more concerned with her threats of taking back the
Isis doll she gave him.
Down but not out, Robert and Mark set out to meet new women, and to
realize their dreams of making their own motion picture. They definitely
feel their luck has changed for the better when they run into their
idol, Bill (Shatner playing a comically skewed version of himself),
while he's browsing the pornography section of a bookstore. Bill befriends these
two young wannabes, hoping they'll help him make a musical version of
Julius Ceasar in which Bill will play all the parts.
As Robert, Mark and Bill play the field in the L.A. nightclub scene,
Robert meets Claire (Audie England), a beautiful fan herself who just
may be Robert's equal. But can Robert grow up enough to balance love, sex
and fandom? Perhaps not, especially if he follows Bill's example.
Eventually the Free Enterprise duo learn that they might just be able
to teach their hero as much, or more, than their hero can teach them.
A fresh take on fandom
Free Enterprise is a surprising, funny and well-made first effort
by filmmakers Burnett and Altman.
SF fans might remember them for their past contributions to the
genre as a film critic and the editor of Sci-Fi Universe
magazine, respectively. And those familiar with their work know it was always their quest to
bring a sense of hipness to science fiction. Well, they've certainly
accomplished that with Free Enterprise.
Using characters named for themselves, Burnett and Altman are clearly writing what they know. The characters' passion for fandom, while struggling to have a "real life," is something every hardcore
fan can relate to. Yet Robert and Mark manage to be both geeky and
cool at the same time. Weigel and McCormack are well cast, and their easy use of SF references gives their dialogue a
hipness comparable to that of the film Swingers. The pair also find
themselves in sexy situations, not as nerd outsiders, but as in-the-know
participants, a welcome relief from the Trekker-equals-nerd cliche so prevelant in
modern movies.
And then there's Shatner, who often steals the show. Clearly not the real-life Shatner, Bill is much more mixed-up and wacky. Shatner infuses his character with vulnerability and pathos. Where the real Shatner ends and the character Bill begins is
hard to say, which says a lot for Shatner's acting chops. Free
Enterprise even allows Bill to show off his ability as a rapper,
something no Shatner fan will want to miss.
The relationship between Robert and Claire may not be entirely satisfying
in the end--her ability to forgive him no matter what seems a bit
forced--but overall the film delivers lots of laughs, and Shatner's performance is
one of a kind.
The DVD release contains many nice extras, including
Burnett and Altman's witty and informative commentary on the making of the
film, more than 30 minutes of deleted scenes and a "Making Of" documentary. There
are even subtitles available to explain some of the more obscure
references. Now that's a special feature.
I had the good fortune of seeing Free Enterprise for the first time
at the AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles, with the filmmakers and William
Shatner in attendance. And I was thrilled when it actually won several of
the top prizes. Trekkers of the world, rejoice. This one's for you.
-- J.P.
trange as it seems, George Orwell's classic fable Animal Farm has been filmed only once before. That 1954 animated feature wowed audiences at the Cannes film festival, but it looks flat and uninspired now. Worse, it turned Orwell's devastating allegory of Soviet-style tyranny into a cautionary children's tale.
Flat and uninspired this Animal Farm is not. Harnessing the skills of Jim Henson's Creature Shop to the acting talents of (among others) Postlethwaite, Grammer, Stewart and Ormond, it attempts to bring Orwell's satire to life as written: for adults. Liberties are taken, notably by framing the story as a flashback narrated by the dog Jessie (Ormond), but the world within the frame remains largely Orwell's.
The animals of Manor Farm, long abused by their drunken owner, Jones (Postlethwaite), are exhorted to rebellion by the prize boar, Old Major (Ustinov). Humanity, he oinks, is the oppressor of animals. But one day, animals will throw off the yoke of humankind and live among themselves in peace, freedom and equality. When Jones kills the revered porker, the animals rise up, led by pigs Snowball (Grammer) and Napoleon (Stewart). Jones is run off, his attempt to retake the farm thwarted. Manor Farm becomes Animal Farm.
While Snowball plans for future prosperity, Napoleon grabs power. After rousting Snowball with canine storm troopers, Napoleon and his cronies methodically subvert Old Major's ideals. The pigs move into Jones's house, drink his liquor, sleep in his bed, even trade with humans--activities all forbidden by the laws of Animalism painted on the barn door. Or are they? The original commandments have been altered. "All animals are equal," reads one, famously amended, "But some are more equal than others."
As in Orwell's novel, the pigs and the humans become indistinguishable. The novel concludes on that bleak note, but the film continues, veering sharply from its source to provide a happy ending as Jessie shows viewers a bright future in which humans return to manage the farm under the eyes of animals who--to quote that Orwellian rocker, Pete Townshend--"won't get fooled again."
A missed opportunity
What makes this film most worth watching is its amazing technical sophistication. First-time director and special effects wizard John Stephenson gives Animal Farm the same seamless blend of live action and animatronics that delighted audiences in Babe. These techniques add a powerfully realistic--and surrealistic--dimension to the story.
The vocal characterizations are marvelous, with Ian Holm, as Napoleon's sly sidekick, Squealer, a standout. The propaganda films produced by the animals to glorify Napoleon's increasingly blood-drenched rule are brilliant parodies of Nazi and Soviet efforts, at once chilling and hilarious. Particularly noteworthy is an homage penned by "a grateful duck" that brings a whole new meaning to the term "goose-stepping."
But despite its virtues and astonishments, overall the film disappoints. The unflinching harshness of Orwell's vision is lost in the Hallmark-card sentiments imposed--no doubt with the best intentions--on this production. The use of a narrative frame to insulate viewers from the immediacy of the horrors depicted by relegating those horrors safely to the past is fundamentally misguided. To have Jessie--who does not survive in the novel--state at the movie's end that "there are always survivors" is a bit like having Anne Frank give Scarlett O'Hara's "tomorrow is another day" speech from Gone with the Wind while standing on the ashes of Auschwitz. The filmmakers had it in their grasp to make the definitive Animal Farm. Alas, they lacked the courage of Orwell's convictions.
Parents beware: despite a happy ending, this film may be too intense and violent for young children. Watch it for the special effects. Then read--or reread--the book.
-- Paul
ree Enterprise follows the dating and career escapades of two
devoted SF fans, Robert (Weigel) and Mark (McCormack of the
TV sitcom Will and Grace). They are best friends who share common
obsessions: a love of movies and television (science fiction in particular) and a
lifelong devotion to their hero, William Shatner. And as they rapidly
approach their 30th birthdays, these fans are well aware of the
Logan's Run significance of that milestone: the end of youth.
trange as it seems, George Orwell's classic fable Animal Farm has been filmed only once before. That 1954 animated feature wowed audiences at the Cannes film festival, but it looks flat and uninspired now. Worse, it turned Orwell's devastating allegory of Soviet-style tyranny into a cautionary children's tale.
