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Catwoman
I must confess that I sincerely enjoyed it!
2004
Director: Pitof
Starring: Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt
Sure, why not?
THE SETUP:
Some meek ad agency chick is killed, brought back by a cat, decides to become a CGI superhero with a tragic hairdo to achieve superficial “Girl Power” self-esteem, and uses it all to stop a corporation from distributing an evil face cream.
DISCUSSION:
As soon as I saw that catsuit, I thought "This is going to be the camp classic of the year!" Then as the reviews started pouring in and I heard things like "Halle slurps tuna out of cans," "Halle is given mouth-to-mouth by a cat," and "Halle says insipid lines like 'cat got your tongue?'" I knew I HAD to see this. I went on opening night for the express purpose of laughing at it, hoping that the entire audience would be with me. Imagine my shock and horror as I found myself actually enjoying it.
Don't get me wrong, this is by no means a GOOD movie. The plot in particular hinges on one ludicrous conceit on top of another, and many developments don't stand up to the SLIGHTEST scrutiny, but you know, the whole thing is just so over-the-top ridiculous that you stop caring after a while. Even all the ridiculous elements (i.e. tuna cans), in the context of the movie, don't stand out as glaringly, and since they play it off as Halle is in effect possessed by her cat side, all these compulsive things she's doing sort of work in that context.
I didn't like the CONSTANTLY moving camera (and I was sitting in the 3rd row, so it really was nausea-inducing) and the CHEEEEEEEESY digital effects work, but I felt that his idea was to create this entirely pop fantasy comic book universe, so at least it was an IDEA. It didn't work that well, but it was an IDEA.
I think it's clear that the Sharon Stone part of the storyline was inspired in large part by THE WASP WOMAN, a 50's horror film in which a woman is the owner of a cosmetics company, and was once the lead model, but is now growing older and has to step down as model. She experiments with wasp royal jelly [though I am pretty sure that wasps don’t make royal jelly] in order to hold on to her youth... and of course it turns her into a vicious wasp woman! Sharon Stone in this film follows the same storyline except that the face cream turns her face indestructible. Until it destructs, of course, but let’s not quibble.
All of the Spice Girls-level “feminism” this movie supposedly espouses—the usual shtick about how a woman is “empowered” by dressing in outrageously skimpy outfits and becoming a walking product placement for Revlon—is undone by the ending, in which Sharon Stone, her face finally [and inexplicably] cracked, decides that it is better to die than live life as an unattractive person.
I can't say I recommend it, but I will say I had a MUCH better time watching this than I did at Hellboy, Chronicles of Riddick, or the Matrix sequels... You know, bad movies just aren't what they used to be.
SHOULD YOU WATCH IT?
While it seems it would be a bit of a hoot to watch this with a group of people (and a few bottles of liquor), it seems sad to think of someone watching it alone.
RELATED MOVIES:
THE WASP WOMAN [1960] is a cheesy B&W Roger Corman film with fun elements that this movie lifted part of its storyline from.
