Splendor
by Gregg Araki
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DVD details
Actor: Eric Mabius, Johnathon Schaech, Kathleen Robertson, Kelly Macdonald, Matt KeeslarDirector: Gregg Araki
Brand: Sony
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Spanish (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; Portuguese (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 93 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1999-11-23
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures
DVD Reviews of Splendor
DVD Review: What's that you say Ms. Robertson
Summary: 4 Stars
I was not conscious of "Splendor" being a Gregg Araki film when I started watching it but after the first two sequences I was thinking: "this is great directing-who did this"? While the technique screams "Araki", as does the casting of Kathleen Robertson, the narrative is so conventional that you find the combination hard to reconcile. I loved an earlier comment that "Splendor" is like a John Hughes remake of "The Doom Generation.
Although Araki is paying homage to the great screwball comedies of the 1930's: "Topper", "It Happened One Night", "The Awful Truth", and "Bringing Up Baby"; the style and substance of "Splendor" is closer to Mike Nichols' "The Graduate" (not to mention an amusing parody of the "Graduate's" climatic wedding scene).
Kathleen Robertson has the Rose McGowen part in this version of "The Doom Generation" and is generally well suited to the role. I have not decided yet if Robertson is in McGowen's class as an actress, or in the class of her fellow Canadians Mia Kirshner and Sarah Polley. Robertson was excellent in "Maniac Mansion" and "Beverly Hills 90210", but these were similar roles that appear to mirror her own cool and detached personality. One thing that is clear is that she was a great choice for Ariki's trademark close-ups. Anyone perceptive enough to close the camera to face distance when shooting McGowen, Robertson, and most recently Michelle Trachtenberg has a eye for breathtakingly beautiful visuals.
The premise does not really have enough substance to sustain a feature although it might work as a half-hour television sit-com (see "Three's Company"). When the premise becomes tired the story brings in a new character, Eric Mabious; and the film self-destructs, killing time until a decent ending sequence. A tip-off that a screen writer has limited life experience to draw from is having cast and crew occupations for the characters. Robertson's character is an aspiring actress and Mabious is directing her in a made-for-television drama. His character is so hopelessly one-dimensional and painfully pathetic that I was convinced that he had a sinister side (what was with those blue contact lenses) that would eventually manifest itself. But this does not happen, maybe Araki had something interesting in mind and abandoned it in re-write. Mabious becomes a non-factor (see totally irrelevancy) and his scenes were simply inserted as padding to get this thing up to feature length.
The bottom line is that Araki fans will be a little disappointed with "Splendor". It is very conventional, it isn't much of a story, and the good banter is limited (although Kelly MacDonald has fantastic dialogue in all her scenes) . But if your Araki appreciation is more for his directorial talents (casting, mise en scene details, camera movement and placement) and his post-production originality, you will find "Splendor" measures up very well to his prior work. The morning after scene early in the film simply blows away anything similar from any director.
Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
Description of Splendor
You might expect a ménage à trois movie called Splendor to be some sort of steamy, soft-lit sex romp, but it is, in fact, a witty, sassy romantic comedy. Writer-director Gregg Araki set out to make a '30s screwball comedy with a modern twist, and he's mostly succeeded. Splendor is brisk and funny, and if it seems a bit convenient that two guys could love (and sleep with) one woman without killing each other, it's all in the service something bigger--the story of a woman forced to choose between love and security. Kathleen Robertson has a certain impish charm (which unfortunately wears thin at times), Johnathon Schaech and Matt Keeslar are fun as the rivals who ultimately become best buds, but it's Eric Mabius who quietly steals every scene he's in as a TV movie director who's so thoughtful and kind, yet self-absorbed, that he might comfort his bride-to-be on their wedding day by sweetly telling her, "Honey, Amazon.com says I stole every scene I'm in, isn't that great?" --Geof MillerBestsellers in DVD
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