THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, September 14, 1996 TAG: 9609130068
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: 59 lines
YOU'LL EITHER cringe or guffaw at ``Feeling Minnesota,'' another one of those dark, scroungy comedies that walks in the wannabe gutter footsteps of Quentin Tarantino's ``Reservoir Dogs'' and ``Pulp Fiction.'' These are comedies about lowlifes who are so low they make every audience feel superbly superior.
Coming after the mischievous ``Fargo,'' (one of this year's best films), ``Feeling Minnesota'' will suffer from comparison but it has its own zoo of over-the-top, oh-so-dingy characters. I'll have to admit that I laughed through most of this film. I felt a little guilty about it, but no more guilty that when I laughed at the characters in ``Pulp Fiction.''
There's something to be said for excess.
A miscast Keanu Reeves plays a down-on-his-luck younger brother who returns to his ugly Minnesota hometown to find his no-good brother's wedding in progress. Vincent D'Onofrio, an actor who will never achieve stardom because he's so different in every role, plays Sam, a small-time crook who is marrying a girl named Freddie. She's presumably no kin to a boy named Sue, but she does know her way 'round a peroxide bottle.
Freddie dreams of nothing more than getting to Las Vegas, where she feels life will be beautiful. She's being forced into the marriage. In no time flat, she seduces the younger brother. Freddie is played with gusto by soaring new star Cameron Diaz, who thaws the iceberg she created in the romantic comedy ``She's the One.'' The two-picture knockout punch proves that Diaz is an actress with some range, not just another blonde.
Younger brother runs off with the bride and dumb older brother follows. A dead body shows up and a surprise twist, or two.
It's the directorial debut of writer Steven Baigelman who clearly has an eye for going too far. He will surely not be a favorite with the tourism bureaus in Minnesota. The state looks like a disaster area.
Tuesday Weld, a bona fide cult actress of the '70s, plays Keanu's mom. She's now reached Zsa Zsa proportions but she is still a flirtatious presence. It's a brave comeback for the actress who was the love of Dobie Gillis' life, as well as the star of ``The Cincinnati Kid'' and curiosities like ``Lord Love a Duck.'' Dan Aykroyd is a crooked lawman and, as the only cast member who insists upon trying an accent, is more irritating than threatening.
Keanu is a bit too exotic to be cast as a fugitive good ol' boy. He seems uncomfortable throughout.
The wandering soundtrack features such varied sounds as Bob Dylan with ``Ring of Fire,'' The Replacements' ``I Will Dare'' and Son Volt's ``Looking at the World Through a Windshield.'' The title comes from Soundgarden's song ``Outshined,'' which referred to ``looking California but feeling Minnesota.''
Go ahead and laugh. You won't be any more embarrassed than I was. ILLUSTRATION: MOVIE REVIEW
``Feeling Minnesota''
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Cameron Diaz, Vincent D'Onofrio, Tuesday
Weld, Courtney Love, Dan Aykroyd
Director and Writer: Steven Baigelman
MPAA rating: R (language, violence)
Mal's rating: *** by CNB