Review of Kansas City (1996) by Tyler M — 04 Dec 2007

How do you want him, in a box or a sack? ... Who cares, so long as Robert Altman never makes a film like this again.

Talk about a bad movie...

The Story: In 1930's Kansas City, a woman kidnaps a politicians wife in order to save her boyfriend from some mobsters...Not a genuinely original story, though, not an incredibly bad story...It's just the way it's told that makes it bad...The characters often times seem disconnected from the storyline, and the dialogue while appropriate for the time is just goofy, it's got a semi-stylish look to it, but overall nothing breathtaking, and it's just plane boring. Seriously, it's almost two hours and this movie drags like no other. It starts slow and never picks up the pace.

The Cast: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte...Jennifer Jason Leigh is Blondie O'Hara, a tough street smart dame, who only wants her boyfriend back. I love Jennifer Jason Leigh, I just don't love her here. Her performance sounds so forced here, it's unbelievable. Not for one minute did I feel a connection with her (or anyone else for that matter), and not once did I believe she was 1930's woman. She looks the part, she just doesn't play the part. Miranda Richardson is Carolyn Stilton, the politicians wife, used to the good life. Her character gradually gets more drunk as the story progresses, so her bad acting seems to become gradually more forgivable. Her performance doesn't sound quite as forced as Leighs but she's still pretty boring and lifeless. Harry Belafonte is Seldom Seen, the mob boss. A boring character with a lot of drawn out speeches. Once again, not as forced as Leigh but he's just as lifeless as Richardson. There's a few other characters and actors here, but they all play extremely minor parts that only take up time and contribute very very little to the story.

One to Five Scale: 1.

Boring characters, forced performances, and a bad story with bad story development. Even if you're a hardcore Jennifer Jason Leigh fan you won't find much value here.

Tyler.