Review of Flight of the Phoenix (2004) by Alex P — 19 Aug 2007

Goddamnit, Giovanni Ribisi. Stop being so good. You stop it right now.

The film as a whole is a little over-written, a little under-directed, with a lack of character development and a glut of plot holes.

The acting is hit or miss:

Tyrese Gibson--Miss.

Miranda Otto--Miss.

Hugh Laurie--Hit.

Dennis Quaid--Bit of both.

But Giovanni Ribisi, an actor I now realize defies qualification. He is a chameleon, plain and simple. When he is asked to carry a film, like with "Boiler Room" and "Suburbia", he makes his leading men into intriguing, flawed human beings.

But he really shines when he gets to play a supporting role, like in "The Gift", or "Basic" or in this movie.

He makes choices that are so far from the norm of acting, that you just shake your head, and you say "Gio, you can't do that." And then he says, "Yes, I can. I'll prove it.".

And you watch the rest of the film and you realize that not only do you believe everything he says and does, but that this role simply could not be played any other way.

Someday somebody's going to give him the right role in the right film, and he's going to win an Oscar. It's just a matter of time.