THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 2, 1996 TAG: 9607020071
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 55 lines
IT'S CONFESSION time.
I laughed several times in ``Striptease.'' There were several moments that were hilarious.
This is the movie that critics were waiting to stomp on faster than a flamenco dancer spotting a waxed floor. The reasons, as with several other movies lately, has more to do with the film's marketing and the star's salary and ego than with the movie itself.
On the other hand, the film is pretty silly.
At its best, the silliness is permeated with wry, mischievous moments that let us know that writer-director Andrew Bergman knows better and that star Demi Moore is just enjoying being a star. Moore, coming off the critically trounced ``Scarlet Letter,'' has a special stigma to bear - she is the highest paid actress in films and earned $12 million for this effort. This and her obvious love of fame made her a target for derision even before this movie opened.
Would Meryl Streep do this type film if she suddenly became the highest paid actress in the land? Is this a PC choice? Surely not, but Demi takes no prisoners in her assault on the public consciousness. In her ``don't care'' stance, she's a thin version of Roseanne.
She plays a divorcee whose daughter (played by her own daughter, Rumer Willis) is taken away in a custody battle. She once was a secretary for the FBI, but now she makes ends meet, so to speak, by working at the Eager Beaver, a Miami strip joint.
U.S. Congressman David Dilbeck, a Bible thumper in public but an old lecher in private, takes one look at her and proclaims that she is his ``angel.''
The sugar industry needs him re-elected and wants the stripper out of the way. The redneck ex-husband shows up and starts yelling for his ``young 'un.''
Moore, whose stripping is buffed but at a minimum, is actually a supporting character. She reacts to all the eccentric characters around her. Ving Rhames, as a burly bouncer who has a protective air toward Demi, fairly steals the film. Burt Reynolds, in a self-deprecating and hammy performance, is the ditzy congressman.
The film is adapted from Carl Hiaasen's novel.
Anyone expecting flesh, or erotica, will be sorely disappointed. On the other hand, ``Striptease'' does promote its eccentric characters in a viably comedic way. ILLUSTRATION: MOVIE REVIEW
``Striptease''
Cast: Demi Moore, Burt Reynolds, Ving Rhames, Robert Patrick,
Rumer Willis
Director and writer: Andrew Bergman
MPAA rating: R (topless dancing, some language)
Mal's rating: ** by CNB