American Gigolo (1980)

"What are you doing this evening?" my partner asked me.

"Watching a prime slice of sexy Richard Gere in glorious 4K," I replied.

"Ewwwwww, he's not sexy," she then said.

"Many would disagree with you. Especially in the 1980s," I told her. 

Whether you view Gere as a sex symbol or not, and it's hard to argue with his possession of that status for at least a number of years, American Gigolo is a film that has writer-director Paul Schrader firmly in the "he definitely is a sex symbol" camp. And the way he films his star, it's hard to disagree. Unless you're my partner, I guess.

It's embarrassing that I took so long to get around to this that I reviewed another Paul Schrader movie, The Walker, a few years ago, describing it as a film that may not be too similar to other Schrader films. The Walker is about a male escort who finds himself mixed up in a murder. I didn't really like it. American Gigolo, as many are already aware, is about a male escort who finds himself mixed up in a murder. I really liked it.

Gere plays Julian, a classy escort who wears all the right clothes, has all the right moves, and says all the right things to keep his clients happy. His life starts to get a bit complicated when he starts a relationship with Michelle (Lauren Hutton), the wife of a senator. It's complicated further when a client turns up dead, bringing him to the attention of Detective Joe Sunday (Hector Elizondo). But at least his life is soundtracked by Giorgio Moroder and a repeated Blondie track.

While it's obviously a bit dated nowadays, American Gigolo feels as if it was always a magical blend of the cool and the uncool. Gere is suave and sexy, his life is full of great accessories and treats, but he's also surprisingly emotionally available for many of his clients. He's shown as a very capable man, but is also rendered useless as he becomes more and more tangled in a web that could lead to him serving some serious time in prison.

A lesser film in comparison to the others that Schrader directed between the late 1970s to mid-1980s, it's still an interesting way to make use of some of his usual themes with material that feels more "sellable" than some of his other works. The runtime - just under two hours - passes by quickly enough, and the stars have enough fun to ensure that nothing ever gets too grim and unenjoyable. It's a bit lacking in depth, but that's in line with the world that viewers are shown around, which makes it a nice marriage of content and form.

Gere enjoys a few iconic moments, something that he did remarkably well in his biggest cinema hits, and Elizondo is an entertainingly tenacious, but generally polite, detective. There's also a fantastic turn from Bill Duke, playing a pimp named Leon. Hutton is lovely in the role of Michelle, Carole Cook and K Callan are two other women who get to enjoy Gere's company when the opportunity presents itself, and Nina van Pallandt is very good as the woman who connects our lead with the women who want to, well, connect with our lead.

The Moroder music helps, but the big plus is Gere being able to anchor the film with what would most commonly be referred to nowadays as BDE. It all depends on how you feel about him though. I'm a fan, especially when he's used as well as he is here. My partner, on the other hand, is not. 

8/10

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The Joneses (2009)

David Duchovny and Demi Moore head up this sharp comedy drama about a seemingly perfect family who move into a new neighbourhood and start convincing all around them of just what needs purchased to be living the American dream. The truth is that the family doesn't somehow keep buying everything that becomes the next big thing, they are paid to advertise everything that makes up their lifestyle to ensure that it IS the next big thing. Including their fake teenage son (Ben Hollingsworth) and fake daughter (Amber Heard), this family is out to prove just how great they are in this particular field of stealth marketing.

Written and directed by Derrick Borte (developing the whole thing from a story by Randy T. Dinzler), The Joneses may not be quite as sharp or clever as it could be, but it certainly tries to stand out from the pack with the mixture of sly wit, intelligence and thought-provoking ideas on display.

I'm a big fan of Duchovny, so the fact that his character was really the heart of the movie (he's an ex-salesman new to this particular way of shifting products) was a big plus for me. Moore can be good in the right roles, and this is a good role for her to play with. Heard and Hollingsworth are both just fine as the teenagers who start to upset the status quo with standard teenage turbulence. In supporting roles, there are fantastic performances from Gary Cole and Glenne Headly, as the neighbours most dazzled by the Joneses, and a solid turn from Lauren Hutton, playing the area manager keeping an eye on all of those sales figures.

While there are times when The Joneses seems unsure of exactly what it wants to be, as the plot develops and things move to an impressive third act, it becomes apparent that the film has been as honest and direct as the main characters have been secretive and slippery. It does dance around tonally, but it does so with great success, moving from lighter scenes to the darker material that makes up more of the second half. It's selling a seemingly ridiculous, but undoubtedly interesting, premise, and I happily bought it.

And, yes, I fully appreciate the irony of that last sentence.

8/10

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Joneses-DVD-David-Duchovny/dp/B003IVZRVA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389629172&sr=8-1&keywords=the+joneses