THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507130012
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
WHEN SAMUEL FAULKNER, a child psychiatrist who hates children, learns that his girlfriend is - uh-oh - pregnant, he's so shocked that he wrecks his car.
``Nine Months'' is that kind of movie. Every possible serious emotion is played out broadly. Sophistication is not its game, even though it does have a leading man with a British accent - Hugh Grant.
Writer/director Chris Columbus has made his reputation on broad slapstick, and he lays it on here. Some jokes deal with pain (as did his ``Home Alone'' films), others with mugging (as did his ``Mrs. Doubtfire''). Seemingly aware that surprise child-bearing is not as sure-fire as a man in a woman's dress, Columbus trots out a group of lively set pieces that go directly for the funny bone.
There is the scene of Grant getting artificial respiration from Tom Arnold. There is the scene of Grant and Arnold beating a Barney lookalike to a pulp. (Some adults may appreciate it.) Finally, there is a hilarious rush to the hospital as Grant and his girlfriend (Julianne Moore) keep picking up stricken passengers along the way.
``Nine Months,'' of course, is getting released after Grant made headlines with a hooker on Sunset Boulevard. His recent act of contrition before Jay Leno hardly seemed necessary, but it does lend superfluous insight to some scenes, such as when Faulkner begs his girlfriend for forgiveness.
Grant's off-screen escapades aside, the film should have an identity all its own. In that sense, ``Nine Months'' is likable but forgettable, a synthetic, colorful, summer date flick.
In his first American-produced flick after the successful British comedy ``Four Weddings and a Funeral,'' Grant sometimes overdoes his standard tricks - stammering, acting befuddled, fluttering the eyelids - but mainstream audiences may not have seen the routine yet. One suspects, though, that it may wear thin quickly.
Debonair, extroverted and, above all, funny, Grant makes ``Nine Months'' seem classier than it is. All the comparisons to Cary Grant are appropriate. He has a way with self-deprecating humor that goes a long way in taking the tweed out of the British.
Julianne Moore effectively offers a serious balance to the proceedings. The redheaded actress seems on the brink of becoming the new Meryl Streep but keeps getting sidetracked into undemanding roles such as this one. (``Vanya on 42nd Street'' proved she can act.) Here, her story is largely ignored in favor of Grant's frustrations.
Adding to the couple's doubts is the fact they are associated with the parents-from-hell - Tom Arnold and Joan Cusack. Cusack loves having children. Arnold is boisterous and loud, which is all he's required to be. Jeff Goldblum, playing Grant's playboy friend, encourages him to get out of the trap.
As added insurance, Moore's obstetrician is a Russian (Robin Williams in a cameo role) who until now has delivered only animals. He calls for Anastasia rather than anesthesia and says, ``You have a girl - unless I cut the wrong cord.''
It's all set in photogenic San Francisco and based on a French movie called ``Neuf Mois,'' which was released in the United States. Reportedly, it dealt more seriously with its subject.
The American version is highly enjoyable, in a decidedly unimportant way. Grant is debonair. Moore is radiant. It's not a must-see; on the other hand, there is no real reason to drive by it. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
PHIL BRAY/20th Century Fox
A father-to-be portrayed by Hugh Grant, left, gets advice on
parent-ing from a dad-from-hell played by Tom Arnold in ``Nine
Months.''
Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Nine Months''
Cast: Hugh Grant, Julianne Moore, Tom Arnold, Joan Cusack, Jeff
Goldblum, Robin Williams
Director and Writer: Chris Columbus
Music: Hans Zimmer
MPAA rating: PG-13 (no sex or nudity, but the language could have
netted it an R).
Mal's rating: Three stars
Locations: Chesapeake Square in Chesapeake; Circle 4 in Norfolk;
Kemps River, Lynnhaven Mall, Pembroke, Surf-N-Sand in Virginia
Beach
by CNB