THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, July 5, 1996 TAG: 9607050309
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E9 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 68 lines
SOMEONE COULD have made a great, or near-great, movie on just how comfortable people feel with mediocrity and how they are threatened by anything extraordinary, much less high intelligence.
That person is obviously not Jon Turteltaub, the director of ``Phenomenon,'' a movie that takes several very important themes and throws them away. It becomes no more than maudlin sentimentality. This is a movie that tries so hard to be nice that it ends up being bland.
Its star, John Travolta, is indeed likable. It will take all his grinning vulnerability and gosh-gee regular-guy qualities to sell this muddled scenario. This should have been the ``serious'' movie that we need as an alternative to all the action flicks of summer. As it is, it's a major disappointment.
Travolta is everything the part requires. He plays George Malley, an auto mechanic who is a regular guy, closely akin to the James Stewart character in ``It's a Wonderful Life.'' He's a little worried that he hasn't done more with his life. Then he's zapped by a light from an alien space ship, or something, and becomes a genius.
Suddenly, the townsfolk are intimidated by him. They don't like him now that he can speak another language and memorize books in minutes.
The motto seems to be: Stay dumb and stay likable.
There's something close to profundity in the premise - especially in a society that seems to be aiming at the lowest common denominator.
There's a great idea for a movie in this premise. We remember how Mozart's rival in ``Amadeus'' bemoaned the fact that genius was bestowed upon that young composer while others worked harder but had less talent. You might remember, too, how the movie horse Phar Lap had to be stopped because he won all the races.
``Phenomenon'' is muddled because - like ``Powder'' - it goes for way-out powers that would be questioned by the small-town folks. For example, the Travolta character has telekinetic powers to move objects (just like ``Carrie'') and he can predict earthquakes.
Cued by Thomas Newman's loud and unsubtle music score, we are informed when we should be happy and when we should break into tears. This director isn't about to let his story stand on its own.
Most unlikely is a romance between Travolta and a harridan played by Kyra Sedgwick. For most of the movie, she puts him down at every chance and greets his courtship with near derision. Out of the blue, they have a would-be sexy scene. The immediate changes in mood, and romance, are as unlikely as they are sudden.
At over two hours, ``Phenomenon'' is much longer than its sparse, sentimental contradictions will support. In spite of Travolta's charismatic presence, it's a great movie idea gone awry. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
TOUCHSTONE PICTURES
John Travolta, left, plays a man who receives extraordinary powers,
and Robert Duvall portrays his friend in ``Phenomenon.''
Graphic
MOVIE REVIEW
``Phenomenon''
Cast: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert
Duvall, Richard Kiley, Brent Spiner
Director: Jon Turteltaub
Music: Thomas Newman
MPAA rating: PG (sweet tragedy, little that is offensive)
Mal's rating: Two stars by CNB