Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, November 27, 1993 TAG: 9311300096
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: C-12 EDITION:
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
In the opening credits, the camera moves through a pop-up proscenium arch, warning viewers that the film is never going to leave the theater. It's the worst of both media. The immediacy of a live presentation is lost, and the camera is trapped in the narrow limits of the stage.
Worse still, the action is slow, darkly lit and poorly acted. Voice-over narration by Kevin Kline was added to make the thin storyline comprehensible for young viewers who won't care anyway. While much has been made of the appearance of Macaulay Culkin - and the squabbles between his father and the studio concerning his billing - the alleged star has nothing to do.
For the most part, he simply watches everyone else. He doesn't speak a word and isn't even called upon to dance. In a couple of scenes, he walks funny and waves his arms around, but that's it. The heavy lifting is left to the professionals. Though they're recognized as some of the best in their field, this film does them no favors.
The style of acting, with its exaggerated facial expressions and gestures, is made for the stage not the movies. The same is true for the glittering costumes, the sets and even some of the special effects. The uninspired direction by the late Emile Ardolino (he died last week of AIDS) reflects the handicaps he was working under. In "Dirty Dancing," he showed that he could capture the excitement and vitality of dance on screen.
The same could be done with ballet, but not in this film. Without question, it's the most boring children's movie of the year.
George Balanchine's The Nutcracker: Bomb
A Warner Bros. release playing at the Valley View Mall 6. 88 min. Rated G.
by CNB