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| Directed by Les Mayfield; Starring Martin Lawrence, Luke Wilson, Dave Chappelle, William Forsythe, Peter Greene, and Nicole Ari Parker |
Over the last few years no actor has gained more respect from me at such pace than Luke Wilson. I was not the greatest fan of Bottle Rocket (written and directed by the team behind Rushmore, Luke’s friend Wes Anderson and brother Owen Wilson), but I liked the stars, especially Luke. Then when I saw Scream 2, I found his cameo to be a laugh riot (though I doubt it would be half as enjoyable for anyone who did not know Scream as well as I did). With the release of Home Fries, I was introduced to the charming Luke, showing much more acting prowess than he had before as he did a much darker comedy than one expected. But the point in which Luke Wilson became a neo-favorite was with his small role playing Peter, a threat to Max Fischer’s chances with Mrs. Cross in Rushmore. The hilarious delivery of his lines made each scene he appeared in a special treat (“I saw your plaaaayyyy, it was reaaaalllly coooool”). Now I’m just happy to see him in something even if it is the awful looking Dog Park and the less than enthralling Blue Streak.
I must admit that I had some fun in this farce about a criminal that takes the front of being a cop to help recover the diamond he hid in the LAPD building when it was still being constructed, but the fun did not really sit well. There were many points in the film where I thought I had a good film on my hands, only to be disappointed moments later. I did like Martin Lawrence in the film as the criminal, quite an achievement considering that I have never really liked him in anything before. I, of course, enjoyed Wilson as his dim-witted partner, always pronouncing things in a funny way (“Viva Laaasss Mexicooo”). The biggest problem with the film was in its subplot and antagonist. With Peter Greene attempting to get the diamond away from Lawrence, I was less than interested, especially since Greene is such a terrible actor (weird that such a bad actor has appeared in two films that topped my year end lists in 1994 [Zed in Pulp Fiction] and 1995 [Redfoot in The Usual Suspects]). The film is not awfully directed, quite a step up from Mayfield’s Encino Man, but the entire climax seems rushed and uninterested. It seemed like he and the screenwriter just needed some action to end with and this was the only thing they could come up with. However flawed, I still had somewhat of an affinity for Blue Streak, though not enough for a recommendation.
