Men in Black . Newcity Chicago . 10-27-97

Men in Black

DIRECTED BY: Barry Sonnenfeld

REVIEWED: 10-27-97

Sonnenfeld's amiably surrealist sf-detective comedy -- think "Ghostbusters" directed by former cinematographer Sonnenfeld's old bosses, the Coen Brothers -- is best enjoyed if you lower your expectations. Don't expect the world. (Don't expect other worlds.) And don't let anyone give the jokes away. Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith are strong as the mismatched duo of detectives who keep track of the aliens living in our midst, or more precisely, on the island of Manhattan. Everything's less than a shrug to the characters. Wouldn't it make sense if your weird neighbor turned out to be from another planet? Aliens live amongst us and some of their faces turn out to be very familiar. The broadest reactions come from the pair's boss, in the form of the national treasure that is Rip Torn's left eyebrow. Rick Baker's featured creatures are smoothly integrated into their scenes, and Bo Welch's inspired production design is a consistent delight, mingling recognizable, comically abused New York City locations, with sets of a cool retro-futurist look, able to suggest steely contemporary office design, 1960s Scandinavian furnishings in the style of Eero Saarinen and the iconography of flying saucers, all at once. What could be more logical, for instance, than an alien seeking shelter to run into the dizzyingly involuted whorls of the Guggenheim Museum? While Ed Solomon's script, based on the comic book series of the same name, is less inspired after a terrific first forty minutes or so, this is still slick, enjoyable stuff. 95m.

--Ray Pride

Full Length Reviews
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Other Films by Barry Sonnenfeld
Get Shorty
Wild Wild West

Film Vault Suggested Links
Tremors
The Truman Show
Orgazmo

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