Fun for All Ages
Take a hotel (like in the TV series) and put an incompetent, but
diplomatic type (preferably also from a TV series) into the position of
manager. Let him have two kids, though, so that he remains more
loveable than pathetic. But let the kids be scoundrels and
mischief-makers right off the bat, but not too bad, so that they can wind up
helping to capture the villain of the piece. Better than the kids,
though, the title character turns out to be an orangutan; that's where
the monkey-shines really begin.
You know what they say about
animals and children? They're cheaper to feed. Add in one parody
of David Niven-as-jewel-thief-type and we're almost there. Put a
hard-headed, ruthless, but comical woman in as the hotel owner's
wife (Wonder who this could be based upon? Did anyone see the
mini-series?) and we're ready to go. Pity we can't set the Marx
Brothers loose in the building.
Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway, Glenn Shadix, Rupert Everett and
Paul Rubens are all notables who wind up within the walls of the
Majestic Hotel. (Glad to see ya again, Pee Wee.) Let me be the first
to say that Faye Dunaway looks fabulous all the way through, (be it in
a pink Chanel dress or pink cake with cream).
Director Ken Kwapis (responsible for TV's cult series Eerie, Indiana)
is so enthusiastic about the title star's talent and ability to improvise
('He's obviously the key to the whole picture') that he compares him
to Buster Keaton. Larry Madrid, his trainer, find a stronger
resemblance to Chaplin ('...he's breaking new ground in comedy.')
Can't you just go ape-shit about monkey-hype?
Worth a visit, especially if you don't want to think, but only to sit
back and relax. (By the bye, I wonder how many of our Dutch
viewers can spot the Paul de Leeuw look-alike in the film. There is
no prize for the right answer.)
© 1994-2006 The Green Hartnett
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