Ever wonder why the suicide rate among dentists is so high? I'm convinced it's because they spend all day rooting around in people's mouths – I know I ‘d be looking at my gun collection a little differently. Now imagine that you are Nick "Oz" Oseransky: in addition to being a mouth spelunker, you are trapped in a loveless marriage with a chain-smoking-money-sucking-leech-of-a-wife, you have a live-in mother-in law who you're convinced knows Satan on a personal basis and you're struggling to pay off debts left by your good for nothing ex-partner and father-in-law who bailed on you and left you holding the bag. Just when Oz thinks he's hit rock bottom, he discovers he has a new neighbour, but not just any neighbour: he happens to be Jimmy “The Tulip” Tudeski, the infamous contract killer who ratted out his former employers. Fresh out of prison he wants a change a scenery and a little peace and quiet. And he wants to be friends. It would be enough to make anyone jump in front of a bus
It’s kind of hard to classify this movie, but I’ll give it a try: it’s a decidedly dark, slapstick romantic comedy that falls somewhere in between "Prizzi's Honor" and "Analyze This" with a bit of "Say Anything" thrown in for good luck. Matthew Perry is hilarious as Oz, the stressed out bumbling schmuck who finds himself in an impossible situation. Perry nailed the physical comedy in this film and this is still far and away (in my opinion anyways) the best work that he’s done on the big screen to date.
It was also refreshing to see Bruce Willis return to the wise cracking tough guy character that he does so well (especially after the numerous bombs that he got saddled with) and I continue to appreciate his ability to surprise me. Jimmy proves that just because you kill people for a living, you can still be a romantic – or else. The supporting cast also worked well - Kevin Pollack was good for more that a few chuckles as the verbally dyslexic Hungarian gangster and Amy Peet positively glowed as the quirky dental assistant with alternate career aspirations. It was interesting to watch Michael Clarke Duncan as a remorseless killer having seen him only weeks earlier as the docile giant in - "The Green Mile".
My sole complaint would have to be Rosanne Arquette's character. Don't misunderstand me, I have nothing against scheming evil women (as long as they’re not in my life that is), but her Quebecois accent was positively dreadful. I don't know if this was meant for comic effect, but every time she started to talk I couldn't wait for the scene to come to an end.
That quibble aside, I found the Whole Nine Yards to be amusing, dare I say cute, and engaging, and definitely worth the price of a rental. Let’s hope they don’t mess up the sequel.
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