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Y2K?
This is a question every movie junkie seems to be asking themselves
this year. Why, at the cusp of the new millennium, can't Hollywood
put out a |
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film
that stays in your mind longer than a Russian nuclear submarine can
stay afloat?
Do
we really need to see Tom Cruise flying through the air in
Australia? Who jumped the fence at the asylum and handed Madonna
another script? What kind of cruel trick is it to release a PG-13
rated film with five way-hot babes holding nightly wet T-shirt
contests in a bar they own?
The
fact is, if we, the simpler of the species find this stuff dull and
loquacious then what are our dates to think when we say to them,
"Hey babe, let's go drop 15 bucks to watch Jennifer Lopez's ass
in a skin tight outfit for a couple of hours." It's no wonder
why many of us are placing our arms around empty seats these days at
the multiplex.
But
now, a mere nine months into the new year, a film has emerged with
enough wit, charm, wisdom and dexterity to please you, your date, the
chaperone and your potentially new sister-in-law. It's called
"The Tao of Steve."
You
may ask, "Who is Steve?" when the more appropriate
question should be, "What is Steve?"
"Steve"
is Steve Austin, none other than the coolest six-million-dollar man
around. "Steve" is Steve McGarrett, the hippest 5-0 Hawaii
has ever had to offer. And finally, "Steve" is the mac
daddy of mac daddies, Steve McQueen. And to be a Steve you need only
to listen and learn from the film's leading man, Dex.
Dex
isn't your typical leading film star. He's about 100 lbs.
overweight, he holds a part-time job as a kindergarten teacher and
his method of transportation breaks down early in the film. Dex is
what many would think of as a loser. Instead we come to learn Dex was
once the big man on campus in his college days. He was a thin,
intelligent philosophy student with a never-ending supply of women
beckoning for his attention.
Ten
years and a few hundred Whopper combo meals later, we find Dex's
appetite for women and food have only grown exponentially. We find
him at his 10-year college reunion where he picks up and later beds
the attractive student barmaid. With a heavy dose of charisma and a
pinch of intelligence it seems he can land dates with the best of
them. However, none of this is by coincidence. Dex has and lives by
three rules that constitute being a "Steve."
The
plot centers around what happens when our hero finds the woman of
his dreams and finds himself breaking all the rules he and his
friends have adhered to for so long. Throughout the film the rules
are explained, explored and finally exorcised. It's through this
journey of self-discovery that Dex finds who he is and what life is
truly about. It's done in a way that makes the audience feel
satisfied and not at all cheated, something Hollywood has not been
very successful at all year.
Along
the way we're treated to a couple of good pick-up lines, some fun,
sexually tense moments and a few instants where every guy in the
audience finds himself going through some introspection of his own
days as a "Steve" wannabe.
Donal
Logue as Dex plays his part and holds his extra weight well. He
carries a certain air of confidence that is rare even in the most
handsome of leading on-screen men. For this, Logue won the Best Actor
award at the Sundance Film Festival this year.
See
this movie! It's sure to be a hit with you and the many dates you
find as a result of "The Tao of Steve."
Written
by Sandro Galindo
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