Review: Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold

Reviews

Lucky Number Slevin

Just another Pulp Fiction wannabe

By BRETT MICHEL | April 5, 2006

2.0 Stars

ELABORATE MISDIRECTION: Lucky Number Slevin.

“It all starts with a horse,” begins wheelchair-bound Mr. Goodkat (Bruce Willis), describing a “Kansas City shuffle” — hipster slang for elaborate misdirection, this film’s MO. Josh Hartnett’s Slevin is a cocky victim of mistaken identity and (contrary to the film’s title) cosmic bad luck. Trapped in the middle of a gang war between the Boss (Morgan Freeman) and the Rabbi (Ben Kingsley), Slevin has three days to pay someone else’s $96,000 debt or else kill the Rabbi’s son, the Fairy. Lucy Liu’s convenient coroner wanders in as an amiable love interest; Mr. Goodkat — now on two feet — manipulates everything. Once the inevitable face-off between the Boss and the Rabbi finds them facing in opposite directions, Jason Smilovic’s too-clever script overexplains the obvious, exposing director Paul (Wicker Park) McGuigan’s fitfully entertaining “Kansas City shuffle” as just one more Pulp Fiction pretender.

Related: Best left alone, Bruce Willis lets loose, Heroes of our time, More

Best left alone
Wshould offer a tax break to a group described by an authoritative source as “generally more intelligent, better looking, imaginative, and multi-talented” than the majority of the population: Left-handed people.
Bruce Willis lets loose
I n the middle of my conversation with Bruce Willis at the Four Seasons, the lights inexplicably go out and we’re plunged into darkness.
Heroes of our time
In interviews promoting The Bourne Ultimatum , Matt Damon has argued that his Jason Bourne has supplanted James Bond as the hero of our time.
Hairy Potter
Whatever else it may be, the Harry Potter Edda is surely the most popular narrative about the dawning of pubertal awareness ever created.
The Bucket List
Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman do a lot of mugging in Rob Reiner’s new comedy.
Tangled web
Those behind the franchise appear to have decided they had to cram as many sequels as possible into Tobey Maguire's last movie.
The Holiday
A reminder to all producers: alluding to iconic romantic comedies in a bid for legitimacy can be a dangerous game, even when you have appealing stars. Watch the trailer for The Holiday (QuickTime)
New to DVD on January 17, 2006
With the possible exception of the days of Soviet Social Realism, people have gone to the movies to escape the daily grind, not relive it.
Factotum
On first look, Matt Dillon would seem too clean-cut to play booze-fueled Charles Bukowski’s alter ego, Henry Chinaski, in Bent Hamer’s adaptation of the author’s job-hopping ramble. Watch the trailer for Factotum (QuickTime)
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
A Disney “franchise” that began as an Oscar-nominated showcase for Johnny Depp seems to have walked the plank, but has it jumped the shark? Watch the trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (QuickTime)
The Libertine
Although he enjoyed the patronage of King Charles II (John Malkovich) and the respect of the London theatrical world, the Restoration author John Wilmot (Johnny Depp) was better known for “the emptying of bottles and the filling of wenches.”
Less

Topics: Reviews , Celebrity News, Entertainment, Culture and Lifestyle, More

| More

More Information

Watch the trailer for Lucky Number Slevin (QuickTime)

ARTICLES BY BRETT MICHEL

REVIEW: FOR GREATER GLORY | May 29, 2012
Bring coffee, because director Dean Wright's dramatization of the 3-year-long Cristero War (1926-9) seems to last longer than the Mexican conflict itself.

REVIEW: GIRL IN PROGRESS | May 15, 2012
As rites of passage go, Girl in Progress is a step backward for the genre.

REVIEW: FIRST POSITION | May 10, 2012
While not the most probing look at rising stars, Bess Kargman's documentary focuses on six aspiring contestants preparing for the prestigious Youth America Grand Prix competition (a proven entry point into the world of professional ballet) who demonstrate dazzling talent.

REVIEW: THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL | May 03, 2012
Filled with Indian (and British) clichés, it is nonetheless a pleasant diversion that doesn't involve special effects or 3D glasses.

REVIEW: BLUE LIKE JAZZ | April 12, 2012
A faith-based film directed by Christian recording artist Steve Taylor, adapted by Taylor and Donald Miller from the latter's 2003 memoir, this micro-budgeted indie tries to appeal to everyone by not offending anyone . . . except those who like movies.