Tweet
Released by: MPI Home Video
Released on: 9/14/2010
Director: Duncan Ward
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Heather Graham, Gillian Anderson, Alan Cumming, Christopher Lee
Year: 2009
Purchase from Amazon
The Movie:
This is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek look at the art scene in London, England with an ensemble cast. There are lots of characters, with many, if not most, connected in one way or another. Still sound interesting? Okay here's the plot. An elderly and ailing man named Alfred Rhinegold (Christopher Lee) has in his possession a painting called “Boogie Woogie†that he bought from the artist decades ago that has caught the attention of some art dealers and collectors who are offering him a lot of money for it. Money his wife Alfreda Rhinegold (Joanna Lumley) wants to accept (we're talking millions here), but he refuses. Art Spindle (Danny Huston) is an art dealer who wants the painting so he can resell it for a lot more. His assistant Beth Freemantle (Heather Graham) is screwing his best client, Bob Maccelstone (Stellan Skarsgí¥rd) and decides she wants to branch out and have her own gallery which money-bags Bob offers to fund. She meets an artist named Joe (Jack Huston) and screws him too. Meanwhile, Joe is banging Bob's wife Jean (Gillian Anderson) who is as big an art enthusiast as her husband, but using his money. Beth also meets another artist named Elaine (Jaime Winstone) whose medium of choice is video and they hit it off, which includes a lesbian romp. Elaine's friend, a struggling promoter/agent type named Dewey (Alan Cumming), becomes jealous of her budding success and hurt by her no longer paying attention to him and keeping him out of her new circle of art people. And then there's Paige Prideaux (Amanda Seyfried), a young and pretty lady who decides she wants to be involved in the art world. She replaces Beth as Art's assistant and gets hit on by everyone, including Bob. All the while the painting is sitting at the dying old man's house just waiting for something to happen to it.
So everyone is porking everyone else, greed and back stabbing is the way of life, and no one, not one single character except for the old man is likable…at all. It would seem this film is pointing fingers in some way at this way of life, because Boogie Woogie certainly does not paint a pretty picture as to how things are in the world of the art enthusiast, collector, dealer, and the artists themselves. Every one is out for his or her own interests and pleasures and in the end (no scratch that…through the whole movie) almost everyone is revealed as shallow and egotistical.
Now then, as said, the characters are for the most part loathsome. But that's because most of the performers do such an excellent job here. It's hard to single out any one performance as the standout one because the main players all are in top form. Heather Graham is still her sweet usual self, but she plays a calculating manipulative type who will seemingly sleep with whomever to get to where she wants. Gillian Anderson is quite stunning looking here and she's great as a selfish and privileged back-stabber. Danny Huston always plays a great schemer, and here he does it here with humor and is fantastic. Alan Cumming is also at the top of the ensemble heap as a nerdish, wimpy art groupie and as with so many others in the movie, deserves what he gets. But he's really impressive in his role. And of course there's fan-favorite Christopher Lee. What more needs to be said about him? The man is 88 years old and STILL demands the attention in any scene he is in.
But despite the great performances, the movie itself leaves an empty taste on one's palette. The plot seems a bit thin when you really take a look at it. As mentioned, most of the characters are not likable and there's no reason to care about what happens to any of them, save one or two maybe. Also, with such a big cast of popular actors no one gets a lot of consistent screen time. With that in mind it's difficult to have any vested interest in anyone in particular which makes for a bit of a slack-jawed viewing experience. Yes, the painting “Boogie Woogie†is the central character, but an inanimate object as the main character is a tough sell.
There are stabs at humor, a decent amount of nudity, and overall it's not a bad movie. It's just not anything noteworthy.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Shown here in 1.77:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, Boogie Woogie has a consistently pleasing picture throughout. The color stands out, the darks are deep, and it conveys a nice, clear image. No noticeable compression, and nothing by way of glitches to report. It's a fine example of DVD quality.
The audio leaves nothing much to remark about. The 5.1 Dolby Digital track sounds great without imperfections of note. The balance between the dialogue and music seems consistent and is without peaks and valleys. Nice job.
The only extras on this one is the trailer and a “TV spot†trailer. That's all.
The Final Word:
Great acting but not a very intriguing movie; nice picture and sound, but no real extras. This formula results in a recommendation to watch it on IFC if nothing else is on. At least you can see Heather Graham's boobies again.
