What’s on at the Tropic
By Phil Mann
WHATEVER WORKS brings the indie favorite Woody Allen back to the Tropic, not on screen this time, but as writer-director. His persona is assumed by Larry David, of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm fame.
Woody Allen is a genius, but he’s got a schtick – a beleaguered, insecure narcissist -- and we mostly love it. Larry David is also a genius with a schtick – an obnoxious, overbearing narcissist -- and we mostly love it. (If you don’t, best to skip this movie.) So what have we got? A beleaguered, insecure, obnoxious, overbearing narcissist. For a while, it’s a little much to take, but in the end, the genius shows through.
When I saw the movie, at a theater on the Upper West Side of New York, the audience was laughing all the way -- especially when Patricia Clarkson and Ed Begley, Jr., join the action as a couple of Southern Baptists about to lose their innocence. And the full house was clapping at the end. If skewering religion and homophobia, condoning a relationship between a dewy-eyed charmer (Evan Rachel Wood) and an old fart (Larry David), and treating attempted suicide with a light touch, is your cup of tea, this is the movie for thee. (Note to Liberty and Brigham Young Universities: Protect your students from this film. Note to Key West: Come on down!)
TULPAN comes from a place where cups of tea are the norm, Kazakhstan. This is the vast, landlocked former Soviet republic, which was satirized in the movie Borat. It’s refreshing to see something of the real thing. Asa has returned to his homeland after a stint in the Soviet Navy, bent on finding a wife and settling down. But there’s only one eligible woman, the lovely Tulpan (Tulip). Asa’s an upbeat fellow and pursues his traditional courtship, which involves passing muster with the woman’s parents and negotiating a bride price, with enthusiasm. The result, sort of “Borat meets Mongol” is a joy to watch. “I swear to you that if you live in a place where this film is playing, it is the best film in town. You'll enjoy it, not soon forget it, and you’ll tell your friends about it and try to persuade them to go,” says Roger Ebert, echoing the universal praise for Tulpan. Winner of Best Picture awards at the Tokyo, India, and Montreal International Festivals, among others, this has got to be a must-see for anyone except slow readers who can’t deal with subtitles.
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