Friday, August 31, 2007

Balls of Fury

I really hadn't planned to review Balls of Fury, but a) it was really funny, so you should see it, and b) it actually has a kickass heroine in it, so it's the sort of thing I like talking about here.

Regarding the funny: no, you didn't see all the best parts in the trailers. The ads do spoil some moments that would've been funnier if you hadn't known they were coming, but there are still plenty of surprises. That said, the ads also do an excellent job of letting you know whether or not this is Your Kind of Movie. If you don't think it looks like Christopher Walken's Best Role Ever from the commercials, it might not be for you. But then, I pity you for your no-sense-of-humor-having. Throw in Lt. Dangle from Reno 911, Oswald from The Drew Carey Show, Lo Pan from Big Trouble in Little China, George Lopez from, well, George Lopez, John Doggett from X-Files, Ross' girlfriend Charlie from Friends, Mowgli from that '90s live-action Jungle Book, and Maggie Q from Mission: Impossible III and Live Free or Die Hard... you've got a lot to look at and laugh at.

I was particularly impressed with Maggie Q's role. She's a butt-kicker, but not at all your usual spy-comedy heroine. She doesn't do Damsel-in-Distress, but she also doesn't do Annoying, Over-Compensating Man-Hater. She's annoyed with the students in her ping-pong school who paw at her, but she quickly kicks their asses and moves on. She doesn't seem to hold it against all males and she certainly doesn't seem like she has anything to prove to anyone.

I don't want to make too much out of her though. She's certainly not the focus of the film; I just liked her and wanted to point her out. I will say though that her change-of-heart towards the main dude (she starts off disliking his slovenly self, but ends up falling in love with him) is completely forced and unbelievable. It happens because it's supposed to happen.

The critics aren't liking Balls of Fury very much, but screw 'em. I had a good time with it. But then again, I had a good time with The Last Legion last week, so what do I know?

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