I know, I know. Seems a bit
of a queer choice for the old ER site, eh?
Well, heck... perhaps after all these years
of watching stuff like NAKED
OBSESSION and JOSIE
AND THE PUSSYCATS I'm ready for some
more challenging, adult cinema.
Nah, I've just become a big
Alan Cumming fan of late, thanks to turns
in such diverse fare as the aforementioned
JOSIE and SPY KIDS. Plus, it co-stars Jennifer
Jason Leigh, whose brilliant performance
in SINGLE WHITE FEMALE has me convinced
that she's certifiably crazy. And we all
know that crazy chicks make the best actresses.
Look no further than Brittany (CHERRY
FALLS, DRIVE)
Murphy.
As the party for their sixth
wedding anniversary approaches, Hollywood
couple Joe (Cumming) and Sally (Leigh) seem
to have it all. She's starring in a new
flick directed by Mac Forsyth (John C. Reilly)
while he's getting ready to helm the big-screen
adaptation of his wildly successful novel.
But appearances can be deceiving.
Seems that sexually ambivalent
Joe's movie features starlet Skye Davidson
(Gwyneth Paltrow) in a role Sally thinks
should've been hers and the couple is warring
with nearby neighbors over the barking of
their dog. Throw in problems on the set
of her movie with Forsyth and co-star Cal
Gold (Kevin Kline playing Kevin Kline, perhaps?)
and you're just starting to scratch the
surface of this engaging flick.
Unfortunately, to tell you
much more in the way of details would ruin
and remove the surprise from this tale.
Frankly, there isn't a wrong note, blown
chord or line of dialogue that sounds forced
or out of place. Writers are often told
to write what they know, which sounds easier
than it is. With THE ANNIVERSARY PARTY,
writers/directors/stars Cumming and Leigh
deliver a tale whose characters and situations
certainly seem drawn from true life.
