Review of The Interpreter (2005) by Ted C — 17 Dec 2007
Sean Penn and Nicole Kidman give fine performances in what is otherwise a muddled and not very believable story.
Penn can go too far, as in Mystic River, but his performance here is nicely understated. You see the pain in the character not from Penn's emoting but from his eyes, from the sag in his shoulders. Kidman's character is not nearly as well written - Sydney Pollack admitted that there was no script when the film began shooting, and it shows - but her developing relationship with Penn is unforced and natural, and the best part of the movie.
Katherine Keener, a quirky actor if ever there was one, is wasted as Sean Penn's dour but otherwise uncharacterized partner (they're Secret Service agents). Had the script been well worked out in advance, it could have given her part some weight without detracting from the "stars," but unfortunately not in the film that actually got made.
Anyway, a mediocre film, but worth seeing for Penn and Kidman.
This review of The Interpreter (2005) was written by Ted C on 17 Dec 2007.
The Interpreter has generally received positive reviews.
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