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A Buena Vista release. Written and directed by Daniel Algrant; starring Al Pacino and Kim Basinger. Released to DVD on August 22, 2004. Al Pacino’s character in The Godfather series once famously exclaimed, "Just when I thought I was out, they pulled me back it again." In light of Pacino’s recent script preferences, that line should be tweaked to, "Just when I finally got out, somebody came and killed me in order to highlight my character’s truly tragic situation." Pacino also happens to star here in director Daniel Algrant’s film, People I Know, as New Yorker, Eli Wurman. Wurman is a self-loathing personal publicist to the stars (apparently even they don’t like themselves), who, entering his sixth decade on this planet, is beginning to feel like he hasn’t ever done anything positive for society. To make matters worse, Wurman’s one remaining client, Oscar winning actor, Cary Launer (Ryan O’Neal), is beginning to clash with him, his old school style, his frank demeanor and the importance he puts on loyalty. Called upon in the middle of the night to deal with the ‘awkward’ that arises when Launer’s young girlfriend, Jilli Hopper (Tea Leoni), is arrested, Wurman heads downtown to bail her out and get her on a plane to Los Angeles. Over tired and over medicated, Wurman wakes up the next morning with little recollection of what happened the previous night. This takes on an even greater importance when he learns that Hopper mysteriously died before ever reaching the airport. While on the outset it might seem as though People I Know is a mystery–the script does contain all the prerequisite elements including murdered starlets, shadowy references to the underworld and some juicy behind-the-scenes Hollywood drama–Algrant barely acknowledges that portion of the plot in the final cut of his film. In a blatant attempt to get critics singing the praises of Pacino’s performance, the entirety of Algrant’s camera is pointed directly at the fishbowl that is Wurman’s life; yes, there might be dead bodies floating around and it’s true that there might be an extremely interesting look into Manhattan’s most affluent opium den/brothel, but it’s Wurman’s emotional and relationship failures that take center stage. For what it’s worth, Algrant succeeds completely in this endeavor, as Pacino is on-screen and emoting furiously in every scene in the movie. I’ve never been a particular fan of movies that are designed to showcase one actor’s talents; generally, I find that the plot, pacing and texture of said film are often sacrificed to include more dialogue and hyper emotional scenes (or the very traits that drew the actor to the project in the first place). People I Know fits in perfectly with this genre of movies. Playing the aforementioned successful yet supremely unsatisfied publicist, Pacino creates in Wurman an almost thoroughly defeated man. Grumbling incessantly, stopping only when he sleeps, walking with quick, hunched jab-steps that look somewhat borrowed from his character in Dick Tracy, Big Boy Caprice, and downing pills by the handful, Wurman is a mess. He hasn’t quite come to grips with his brother’s death three years earlier and still isn’t sure how to deal with his brother’s widow, Victoria (Kim Basinger), and her blatant attempts to seduce him. Not to worry though, Wurman somehow comes to terms with his inner demons and comes to terms with them in smooth fashion over the course of the next 24 hours. The truly sad element of People I Know is that it seemed as though with a different focus–off of the decay of Wurman’s soul and onto the huge political conspiracy he stumbles into–this movie could have succeeded as a genuinely intriguing and atmospheric mystery. Of course, with that in mind, what A-list actors would want to star in a well-written independent film about crime and deceit that goes all the way to the top of the political world? Judging from The Usual Suspects, not many. Algrant deserves a significant amount of credit for creating a dark and atmospheric tone for People I Know and for luring Pacino to his independent project, but the accolades stop there.
Chris Neumer yes, it's true: At one point in time, Kim Basinger owned an entire town in Georgia. |
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