| Domestic Disturbance (2001) Dir: Harold Becker Cast: John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, Teri Polo, Matthew O' Leary, Steve Buscemi, Chris Ellis Rated PG-13, Approx: 89 minutes Paramount Pictures Video and DVD |
| Matt's Rating: **1/2 (out of 5) |
| Reviewed by Matt Serafini 02/28/02 |
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| There's nothing worse than seeing a film reedited in an effort to make it more 'accessible' to various age groups. That's basically why Harold Becker's latest thriller Domestic Disturbance doesn't hold up to the director's superior work of the past (Sea of Love). Rumored to have been 'toned' down by Paramount Pictures in an effort to make the film more teenage friendly and obtain the much coveted PG-13 rating, it appears that the studio removed a lot of the 'meat' from this potentially interesting albeit standard genre effort's 'bones'. In the finished product we have a film that is entirely well made but at the same time frustrating and limp. Mainstream viewers will perhaps enjoy it the most, for it does boast some good performances headed by leading man John Travolta. More seasoned genre fans will probably want to avoid this entry entirely. It really brings nothing new to the table and even worse, manages to fizzle out in a completely unsatisfying climax. It's not an awful film but your enjoyment of it may just be a question of exactly how discriminating you are.
Travolta is Frank Morrison, a divorced small town boat builder and dedicated father. When Morrison's son Danny (Matt O'Leary), a young boy with an overactive imagination comes to him scared to death of his new stepfather Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn), Frank believes that it's just a ploy for attention. What Danny really wants is to see his father and mother Susan (Teri Polo) patch their relationship up and get back together making them one big family again. Both Frank and Susan agree that's why Danny is crying wolf but when Danny tells Frank that he saw Rick murder another man and incinerate his body, the paternal instinct in Frank surges and slowly but surely he discovers that there are some things terribly wrong with Rick Barnes. Where Frank runs into trouble however is in the fact that Barnes is a pillar of the local community and the local authorities have no interest in moving against him and in his own smug way, Barnes keeps Frank at bay by threatening Danny's life forcing Frank to somehow find a way to protect his family from the fatal danger lurking at home. This is the ultimate child's nightmare carried out in a very uneven fashion. Where the premise is excellent (although the somewhat similar film The Stepfather is far superior and should be sought out) and carried out very well for the first half or so, things being to fall to pieces when one realizes the film isn't going to explore an new avenues and things will conclude in exactly the same manner as you'd expect. By the time the end credits have begun rolling, one realizes that what they've just viewed amounts to very little more than a Lifetime television film. Vince Vaughn's Rick is a pretty evil guy and the first time he quietly threatens to hurt Danny if he doesn't keep is mouth shut is rather effective and creepy but this happens two or three more times thereafter (all in very similar fashions) and much of the impact is negated. More impact is denied at the shockingly anticlimactic finish where the inevitable confrontation between Frank and Rick occurs and is over before it begins. Apparently, several scenes had been removed from the film including a climactic fight scene between Frank and Rick in the water (clips can still be glimpsed in the film's trailer). Exactly why this was removed is anybody's guess as it could've only provided the end with some much-needed impact. To be fair, there are some good qualities to point out amongst the bad. If anything makes Domestic Disturbance work, it's the very solid performances from the two leads. As Frank, John Travolta turns in a very warm and believable performance. His character is rather well written (easy the most believable part in the film) and to see Travolta take on a heroic role in contrast to the several villains he's played in recent years is a welcome change. It's still a little depressing to see a great actor like Travolta wandering around such stale material. The actor whose great work includes Pulp Fiction, Get Shorty, Primary Colors and A Civil Action seems to be bucking for safer roles these days and it really is a shame. One can only hope Travolta will get around to taking edgier, riskier roles in the future. On the flipside, Vince Vaughn is appropriately menacing as Rick Barnes. While we never get to know this character especially well, Vaughn gives the part his all and lends to Rick a little kick which allows his role to rise above the presented material (looking at Vaughn's role here as opposed to his other starring role in 2001-Made we really get a sense of how versatile this guy is). Unfortunately, Teri Polo is wasted in the role of Susan, a mother caught between two men and not knowing which to believe. Polo is given too little do but makes the best of the part. Rounding out the cast it Matt O'Leary who plays Danny and makes a sympathetic character of the role and Steve Buscemi who pops up briefly as a shady character connected to Vaughn's past. This is a good example of such a talented cast rising about the ''been there, done that" material. While the familiar screenplay and horrendous studio cuts (look for the scene where Buscemi and Vaughn are driving and the expletive 'fuck' is obviously edited and replaced with the word 'screw') do much damage to the film (particularly in the final half as stated above), the performances kick this one up a few notches and really add more class to the film than deserved. Domestic Disturbance is frustrating notch in the belt of Harold Becker's career, a film that should've been suspenseful and scary emerges as timid and bland yet provides a bold example of how Hollywood's desire to make a film more 'economically sound' can tarnish the integrity once associated with it. |