Joel Siegel's Summer Movie Report Card
June 5, 2002 -- So far, not only has Hollywood's summer been its best ever at the box office, it's been awfully good for those of us on the other side of the screen. Here are the summer's first hits, still in wide release. Even the worst of 'em are still pretty good.
Spider-Man: No wonder it's one of the biggest hits of all times; it's terrific fun. The last 20 minutes get a bit too cartoonish, but the setup captures the awkward humanity that make the comic book character so amazing — testimony to Tobey Maguire and director Sam Raimi. When we watch Spidey discover his powers, it's a piece of genius. And, powers or no, he still can't get the girl . Grade: A-
Star Wars: Episode II — Attack of the Clones: Here it's the last 20 minutes that save the film from too much visual information (though it is state-of-the-art awesome) and too much exposition (without the humor that made episodes IV-VI three of the best films ever made). Time it right, catch the first half of Spider-Man and the last bit of Star Wars, and you'll be in movie heaven. Grade: B-.
About a Boy: Taken from the excellent Nick Hornby novel (he also wrote High Fidelity). Hugh Grant has a deep, sorrowful character to play his schtick around — and he's never been better. It's funny, but serious-funny. Directed by the brothers who did American Pie. Who'd a thunk it? Grade: A
The Importance of Being Earnest: On their turf, with their accent, Reese Witherspoon proves herself an acting peer to a cast of Brit all-stars, including Dame Judi Dench. The director's text changes and bravura flashes hurt the Oscar Wilde original, but Wilde was so original the piece is still delicious fun. Grade: B
Insomnia: More cat and mouse than the suspense thriller it's billed to be, it's even better than its billing because the cat and mouse are played by Al Pacino and Robin Williams (who sometimes play mouse and cat). Directed with a dash of unnerving skill by Christopher Nolan, the guy who kept you on your toes with last year's Memento. Grade: B+
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron: Simple, straightforward storytelling and hand-drawn animation with just enough computer-generated effects to take your breath away. Like a great children's book come to life, it's also a paean to the American West and the American values of freedom and family. Grade: B+
Sum of All Fears: In the Tom Clancy novel, the villains were Native Americans, East German Stalinists and Arab terrorists who blew up Denver. In the movie, they're neo-Nazis who blow up Baltimore. Ben Affleck is pretty good as Jack Ryan — good enough to make a dozen more of these films. Morgan Freeman is great as the CIA head. He won't appear in a sequel — he dies in this one, along with a few hundred thousand other folk when Baltimore gets nuked. After Sept. 11, that's something I didn't want to see. A very good film that history has just taken the joy out of. At least for me. Grade: B
Undercover Brother: I was hysterical. The guy sitting in front of me flapped his arms when he laughed, and I was afraid he was going to take off and fly. This film makes merciless fun of stereotypes on both sides of America's racial divide. The message here: We're all silly. It's never demeaning, never mean and almost always funny. Grade: A-