10) A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM
Don't ask me how a movie with this this much talent (Michelle Pfeiffer, Kevin Kline, Stanley Tucci, et al) could go wrong, but it
surely did. We certainly can't blame the source material.
9) Ed TV
I had a hard time deciding which Rob Reiner movie I hated more this year, this one or The Story of Us. The Story of Us was merely
unbelievable; this one was unbelievable and stupid.
8) SUPERSTAR
I like Molly Shannon; I even like her Mary Katherine Gallagher character. But they'd stone Christ if he came back and did this
schtick for two hours.
7) THREE'S COMPANY
Will someone please tell Matthew Perry to give it up. It's just not working.
6) DANCING AT LUGHNASA
This was such a wonderful play--and such an awful movie.
5) trick
So what was I expecting from a title like this?
4) RUSHMORE
You've probably detected the theme of this list by now. The movies I dislike most are disappointments from people I like--in this case, Bill
Murray.
3) ILLUMINATA
Someone must have thought that John Turturro has a bright future ahead of him and was willing to indulge him in this inane vanity piece.
2) ROMANCE
The worst bit of drivel to escape from France in a long time. I predict the line "When a man screws a woman, he honors her," will go down
(so to speak) in history as one of the goofiest lines ever.
1) LE BARBIERE DU SIBERIE (The Barber of Siberia)
So there you are on the avenue des Champs-Elysees on a beautiful evening in May. The light over the Arc de
Triomphe was that beautiful not-quite-violet, not-quite-lavender color that you only see in Paris. It's sort of a
golden purple. Along with a happy throng of Parisian moviegoers, you file into the theatre to see the latest
sensation starring Julia Ormond and a bunch of Russians you've never heard of. The film opens with a ravishing shot
of a 50-star American flag waving over a beautiful beachfront encampment of tents set against sheer 100-foot
cliffs. The first title comes up: "Florida, 1907". Forget the fact that there were only 44 states in 1907 and that Florida is
not exactly known for it's precipitous cliffs. You've entered the Twilight Zone of Filmmaking. For the next three hours,
you sit horrified as more insanity fills the screen. This film was joint Russian and French production. You get the
impression that the governments of both countries had to approve the screenplay--and neither had a good translator. I
mentioned that Romance was the worst film to get out of France in a long time. Despite costing a gazillion dollars, I think thatnon-
French and Russian audiences are safe from this disaster.
DIshonorable Mention:
THE WILD WILD WEST. I only saw half of it, but that was enough. Also, I didn't see ANY GIVEN SUNDAY or MAGNOLIA until after the first of the year, so I've got twelve months to think of something bad enough to say about them.