Boxoffice-June.1989

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MAJOR LEAGUE starring Tom Berengcr, Charlie Sheen, Corhin Bemsen, James Gammon and Boh Decker Produced by Chris Chesser and Irby Smith Written and directed by David S Ward A Paramount Pictures release Comedy, rated R Running turn: 107 min Screening date: 4/4/89 That committee in Hollyuood which decides brilliant things like "Nobody wants to see baseball movies" once again finds itself red-faced. The first 10 days earned a whopping $18.5 million. "Major League," the only entry in the current baseball movie glut which really aspires to only be a baseball movie, is a fantasy about the Cleveland Indians, the most dismal team in major league history (sorry about that, Cleveland fans). As scripted by director David S. Ward, the fortunes of the team are only going to get worse, because the team's owner has died and his conniving widow (Margaret Whitton) has decided that if she's going to be saddled with the hopeless Tribe, she'd rather have them playing in the sunny climes of Miami. She comes up with the inspired idea of filling the team's roster with a group of over-the-hill veterans and undisciplined rookies, all in attempt to create a team so bad that the good folk of Cleveland will all but escort their beloved Indians to the town line. A ragtag group of players is quickly assembled, including Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger), a former star with bad knees, and Ricky Vaughn (Charlie Sheen), a jailbird pitcher with a comic control problem. A colorful squadron of losers, these misfits play with an expected lack of success, until they get wind of their new owner's scheme. Determined to not be used by her — and knowing that their careers will be over if she gets her wish — the team pulls together and stages an improbable rally which ultimately wins them the Eastern Division pennant. Major League's" whole story is built on the silly premise that if a team really wants to win, it can (does this mean that the real-life Indians just don't want to win enough?). So long as audiences can accept this unsophisticated theory, they will find a bawdy story that is intermittently funny but populated by an uneven group of colorful characters. Berenger and Sheen are fine as the rough-edged leaders of the revitalized team, but Corbin Bemsen, as a prissy, over-paid veteran, gives a predictable and two-dimensional reading of this pampered superstar. James Gammon and Bob Uecker are terrific as, respectively, the minor league manager who reluctantly takes control of the team and the beleaguered sportscaster who is the last to believe the Indians' resurgence, but the scheming team owner is nothing but a comic movie tyrant, painted in loud, grating strokes by Ward. Maybe it's just that the sophistication of "Bull Durham" and "Field of Dreams" has prompted us to expect more from baseball-themed movies, but the good-natured nonsense of "Major League" ends up seeming childish (the film's treatment of women shows a distinct lack of maturity). Those who know the game will no doubt find a lot of humor in these shenanigans, but beyond that core group it's questionable how much business this "Bad News Bears" for grownups will do. Rated R for language and sexual situations. Tom Matthews — SAY ANYTHING Starring John Cusack, lone Skye and John Mahoney Produced by Polly Piatt Written and directed by Cameron Crowe A 20th Century Fox release^ Romantic comedy, rated PG-13 Screening date: 4/10/89. "Say Anything" is a charming, if somewhat insubstantial romantic comedy which represents Hollywood in an uncommonly good-natured mood. Its messages may be a bit vague, and the going might get a bit melodramatic in the third act, but writing this sharp and acting this affecting go a long way to overshadow whatever shortcomings this delightful movie inight have. The story is a very simple one: Lloyd Dobler (John Cusack), a stridently optimistic teenager who has just graduated from high school, develops a killer crush on Diane Court (lone Skye), a beautiful and brilliant classmate who has one summer to kill before she moves to England on a fellowship. The likes of Diane rarely gives the time of day to the likes of Lloyd, whose only career plan is a possible future in kick-boxing ("The sport of the future"), but Lloyd pursues her with unwavering determination. Its story is low concept and its stars are not household names, but audiences were clever enough to find this smart romantic comedy. Its first weekend grossed a promising $4. 1 million. Diane, smart enough to recognize pure charm when she sees it, slowly falls for Lloyd, but their mismatched natures soon begin to clash. He is fueled purely by impulse and guided by whatever feels right at the time, but she, far too intelligent for her own good, over-analyzes everything. She spends all her time dissecting her feelings for Lloyd and for her father (John Mahoney), with whom she shares an unusually open and adult relationship, and she comes to the conclusion that it would be more logical for them to part company. When her father is accused and ultimately jailed for fraud, she becomes convinced that her life has simply become too complicated, and she shuts Lloyd out of her life for good. The well-intentioned and thoroughly decent young man must then find a way to win her back. Although the script is perceptive and funny, and the performances are smart throughout, the highlight of "Say Anything" is unquestionably John Cusack, one of the most unique and natural young perfomiers in the business. All actors make decisions when they are forming the personas for which they will become known, and in all of Cusack's best work ("The Sure Thing," "Eight Men Out"), his decision has been to portray his characters as being unfailingly, almost intensely normal and straightforward (his screenwriters, of course, had something to do with this). In "Say Anything," Lloyd stands out as an oddball simply because he sayfe what he thinks, and because he expects his thoughtfulness to be accepted in kind. When it's not — when Diane allows herself to be ruled by her head instead of her heart — the bemusement and torment he feels is genuinely touching. It's a sensational performance, and it makes us long to see what Cusack will appear in next. R-31 BOXOKFICE
— — — "Say Anything" is feather-light material, although the dark subplot involving Diane's father becomes unexpectedly heavy. Critical support will be strong, but it will take some boldness on the part of ticket-buyers to turn this small gem into the sleeper hit it deserves to be. Rated PG-13 for sexual situations and teen drinking. Tom Matthews THE DREAM TEAM Starring Michael Keaton, Peter Boyle, Chrititophcr Lloyd, Stephen Furst and Dennis Boutsikaris. Produced by Christopher W Knight Directed by Howard Zieff Written by Jon Connolly and David Loucka A Universal Pictures release. Comedy, rated PG-13 Running time: 113 min Screening date: 4/30/89 This Bsh out of water comedy (actually four nuts out of their pen) is a riot, although it could stand a trim. Audiences were driven mad with laughter, leading to a healthy 10 day gross of $11.6 million. Now that "Rain Man" has sensitively and astutely portrayed the plight of the mentally ill, why not do a wild and justfor-laughs comedy that derives humor from a group of disparate and desperate mental patients? That's what "The Dream Team" does, and while right-minded individuals have balked at the very premise of this movie, we found it to be hilarious and thoroughly good-natured. As far as pure, "anti-message" comedy goes, this is the funniest thing yet released this year. In a page torn from "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," the story is about a day trip for four unbalanced men who have rarely strayed from the safety of their hospital grounds. Billy (Michael Keaton) is a schemer and a liar who also has a hot temper; Henry (Christopher Lloyd) is an obsessive control freak; Jack (Peter Boyle) is a former ad exec who now believes he is the Son of God; and Albert (Stephen FurstJ is a child-like individual who speaks only in baseball terminology. These four don't like each other, but Dr. Weitzman (Dennis BoutsikarisJ likes them, and he decides that the five of them should go see a Yankees game, just for the fun of it. The problem is that Weitzman stumbles upon a murder and is beaten senseless by the killers almost as soon as they enter the big city, and the four loonies are left alone to fend for themselves. First individually and then as a team, they use their unique traits and their recently unearthed wits to survive, and to ultimately save Weitzman from the villains who are determined to kill him. Although the film ultimately suffers from being about 30 minutes too long, "The Dream Team" succeeds through some sensational comic writing and through one of the funniest ensemble casts in recent memory. Between serious gigs ("Clean and Sober" and "Batman"), Keaton proves once again that he is one of the most ingratiating wiseguys going; Lloyd gets his fullest and most consistent starring role to date; and We know, we know. In these enlightened times, we're not supposed to find humor in somber topics like the mentally impaired. But we lau.ghed, so sue us, along with everyone else who is laughing. Based on how well this film is doing, the courts could be tied up for years. Rated PG-13 for language and brief nudity. Tom Mat thews SLAVES OF NEW YORK Starring Bemadette Peters, Madeleine Potter, Mary Beth Hurt, Adam Coleman Howard and Nick Corri Produced by Ismael Merchant and James Ivory Directed by James Ivory. Written by Tama Janowitz A Tri-Star release Dramatic-comedy, rated R Running time 121 min Screening date: 4/12/89 Merchant and Ivory, those creators of such period pieces as "Room With A View" and "Maurice," have given us a costume piece for now: "Slaves of New York," based on Tama Janowitz's bestseller. In fact, this stylish film's difficulties may arise from the Merchant Ivory-Janowitz connection; Janowitz' screenplay is as determinedly, and self-consciously, shallow as her characters, while Merchant and Ivory bring a studied sincerity to their films. ..a sincerity that is as out of place in New York's Lower East Side as Birkenstocks. What IS in is a desperate, narcissistic clawing towards fulfilling Warhol's "15 minutes of fame" dictum. Those who are enjoying their quarter-hour in the sun are smug, like Stash (Adam Coleman Howard), a whiny, immature appropriation artist whose chief joys in life are eating pizza, painting Donald Duck, and verbally abusing his live-in girlfriend, Eleanor (Bernadette Peters). Eleanor is a would-be hat designer, a sweet, klutzy, unbelievably insecure woman who stumbles over her words in a sort of frenetic glossolalia. Acquaintances (never friends) whirl through the couple's life like wind-tossed leaves, never really connecting unless they want to ask a favor. There is Marley (Nick Corri J, a manic young artist who dreams of building a cathedral next to St, Peters, and Daria (Madeleine Potter), a social-climbing sculptress who carries her own caviar and sleeps with up-and-coming artists (like Stash and Marley) in an effort to have her own work shown in galleries. When Eleanor finally gets up the guts to leave philandering Stash, she's commissioned to make hats for a trendy designer's show and has a smashing success. Despite Bemadette Peters' funny characterization of Eleanor, one fails to feel truly overjoyed at the hat-maker's success; the characters in "Slaves" are so underdeveloped, selfabsorbed and unlikable that it's almost impossible to feel any involvement with them. And, in a truly self-serving touch, Tama Janowitz has been cast as Abby, a woman so insecure she spends an entire party hiding in the bathroom, reading "How to Make a Man Fall In Love With You." While "Slaves of New York" is an acute indictment of the 80's art scene, its merits are those of a good mannequin: visually appealing and utterly vacant. Rated R for language and sexual situations. Lesa Sawaha- DISORGANIZED CRIME Starring Fred Gwijnnc, Ruben Blades, William Russ, Lou Diamond Phillips, Ed O'Neill and Corbin Bemsen Produced by Lynn Bigelow Written and directed by Jim Kouf A Buena Vista release Comedy, rated R Running time: 99 min Screening date 4/11/89 Disorganized, it is. If it ends up making money, it'll definitely be a crime. This botched action-comedyjust ain't funny, and it grossed a deservedly weak $2.8 million its opening weekend. Boyle simply does the best work he's done smce "Young Frankenstein" (anyone who enjoyed his monstrous inangling of "Puttin' on the Ritz" in Mel Brooks' classic will enjoy his similar treatment of Ray Charles' "Hit the Road Jack" in this new movie). Only Furst is stuck with a familiar and weaklywritten "babe in the woods" role, but it's a benign performance which certainly doesn't distract from all that is right with this movie. Taking everything into account, "Disorganized Crime" could very well be the worst thing that Touchstone Pictures has yet produced (and we remember "Off Beat" and "The Rescue"). If they are able to turn a profit on this loud, amateurish and aggressively unfunny action-comedy, then it will be proven once and for all that they're using black magic over there to achieve the astounding success they're enjoying.
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Page 39 and 40: " "Suspect," " such as the accessib
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Page 49 and 50: SNEAK PREVIEWS The following films
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