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 "'Simpatico'
Saddled Down"
by Scott Mantz
"Simpatico"
Jeff Bridges, Nick Nolte, Sharon Stone
Directed by Matthew Warchus
It's one thing
to watch a bad movie, but it's another thing entirely to watch a
bad movie with good actors. Not only is it a complete waste of time
and money, but watching the actors go through the motions can be
a truly uncomfortable experience. Well, it sure didn't take too
long for the new year to bring us one of these movies. "Simpatico"
is a classic example of a film that has a promising beginning, only
to have a payoff so disappointing that it effectively destroys the
entire movie.
Carter (Jeff
Bridges) is a successful Kentucky horse breeder in the middle of
a big sale. He gets a frantic phone call from his down-and-out buddy
Vinnie (Nick Nolte) in Los Angeles. He needs Carter's help, or events
from their shady past will be brought to the surface and destroy
their lives. Carter drops everything and flies to LA, only to have
Vinnie turn around and leave him there. When Vinnie travels back
to Kentucky to confront Carter's depressed wife (and his ex-girlfriend)
Rosie (Sharon Stone) about this allegedly devastating secret, everybody's
lives are thrown into a tailspin.
"Simpatico"
has a remarkably intense and powerful buildup, which makes its convoluted
conclusion all the more frustrating. Vinnie must be hiding something
pretty serious for Carter to drop everything and fly to LA on a
moment's notice. However, when the big secret is finally revealed,
it doesn't seem like such a big deal after all. That's where the
film takes a giant nose-dive. From this point on, the characters'
actions become ludicrous and don't make much sense.
Looking like
he just stepped off the set from "Down and Out in Beverly Hills",
Nick Nolte has the desperate look down to a science. He's on a mission
to screw up everybody's lives, but what I can't seem to figure out
is, why? What's his motive, and why did he wait all these years
to do it? As for Jeff Bridges, he becomes more paranoid as the film
progresses. Over the course of a few days, he goes from his palatial
estate in Kentucky to hiding out in the hills with Nick Nolte. How'd
that happen? He's got money. Couldn't he figure out a better way
to straighten everything out?
At least "Simpatico"
doesn't totally suck, thanks to a heartfelt and sweet-natured performance
from Catherine Keener. After mastering the bitch-on-wheels persona
that made her so memorable in "Being John Malkovich" and "Your Friends
and Neighbors", she proves she's just as effective at playing the
innocent and caring type. She's too naive to realize that she's
in over her head, and instead of turning her back on Bridges, she
tries to help and genuinely thinks she can make a difference.
As disappointing
as the film is, there's still a lesson to be learned--you can run,
but you cannot hide. It's better to face your problems dead-on and
resolve them, rather than have them reappear down the line and haunt
you. Having said that, you're better off running and hiding from
"Simpatico". Otherwise, you'll be haunted by the fact that you actually
paid good money to see it.
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