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Stain-less
Went to the Formula One race last weekend. Wow! Seeing a live race is unbelievable. Everyone needs to see that at least once in their life. Working on a few stories for the next columns. I've finished an hilarious interview with Joshua Sternin, one of the screenwriter of Surviving Christmas. It should be posted in this column fairly soon. Today, we have my review of the script to The Human Stain.
The Human Stain Script Review
I make it my priority to get my hands on the script to every movies shooting in my hometown, Montreal. I had the chance to read Beyond Borders, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind and Timeline. I began hunting for a copy of The Human Stain screenplay. A few weeks ago, it finally got dropped off at my door. It's based on the 2000 novel by Philip Roth, adapted by Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek VI) and directed by Robert Benton (Kramer Vs. Kramer). The movie has almost wrapped and there's an excellent chance it will be released at the end of this year for Academy Awards consideration.
Dr. Coleman Silk (Sir Anthony Hopkins) has been forced to retire from Athena College for uttering racist comments in his class. Unfortunately for him, his remarks were taken out of context. It sets off an mind boggling chain of events in his life. Coleman's downward spiral is accelerated when he meets Faunia (Nicole Kidman), a somewhat strange young woman. We discover that both of them have secrets about their past. His story is narrated by novelist Nathan Zuckerman (Gary Sinise), Coleman's only remaining friend.
Nicholas Meyer wrote a superb script. The drama and story is properly written and it flows perfectly. Sinise's voice-over is excellent and does not slow down the tale. I wouldn't consider this a spoiler, but you've been warned. The script begins with a fatal car accident in which Dr. Silk and Faunia die. The rest of the story deals on how they got to that point. It also shares a few similarities with About Schmidt. Like Jack Nicholson's character, he loses his long-time wife early on in the movie. Both get depressed and fall into self-destruction, not caring about themselves anymore. While Schmidt's salvagation is a road trip, for Coleman is his relationship with Faunia. The film does dwelled into flashbacks every once in a while. It's exceptionally well written and it pushes the story forward.
COLEMAN
I'm here to give you the unofficial version, the truth about how some bulls**t notion of political correctness - an oxymoron if there ever was one - took this woman's life instead of mine.
Ever thought you would see Anthony Hopkins horny? We'll you're just about to witness that. Coleman pops Viagra like its candy and he's a sex machine with Faunia. Never thought I would see Sir Tony play that kind of role. Extremely different from everything he has done of late. His character reminds me of Kevin Spacey's part in American Beauty. Very dramatic and a full emotional arc for both roles. Hopkins could be a very strong contender for acting awards with this role.
FAUNIA
It's a great new day, let's see what the paper has to say. S**t. S**T. Why did I f**king stay over? F**king Whores know better: 'Men don't pay you to sleep with them. They pay you to go home.'
Never has Nicole Kidman played a more vulgar character on screen. The woman spits more curse words then Andrew Dice Clay. It's a strong departure from the very sweet roles she had the last few years. I'm very curious to see her on-screen chemistry with Sir Tony. Her character's past still haunts her and it's going to be fascinating if she can show it in her performance. Not to repeat myself, but if she pulls it off nicely, she could get another Academy Award nomination. I would love to see more actresses stretch their skills like Nicole.
NATHAN
What's the moment called in Greek tragedy - you know, the one where the hero learns that everything he knows is wrong?
COLEMAN
Peripeteia
NATHAN
That's me. I've come to the woods to lick my wounds.
I've been a long-time fan of Gary Sinise and he surely won't disappoint me with this role. He's the narrator and he appears in a dozen scenes. Nothing too extravagant but his character is the backbone of the story. A definite walk in the park for Gary. Another strange persona of this picture is Les (Ed Harris). He's the ex-husband of Faunia and a messed-up Viet-Nam vet. I can't remember seeing Harris playing such a strange bird on-screen before. I'm intrigued to see if he can do it.
A friend of mine who has also read the script pointed out something interesting. 'It's going to be great but if the movie is forgotten by the Globes or the Oscars, it won't make a dime.' He's right. This movie will live and die by the performances of this fine cast. That, in my opinion, is a no-brainer. This film will definitely be a critically acclaimed film and will win some awards. Remember next March, I was the first one to mention it.
Stay tuned...
That's all folks...
Jean-François Allaire (aka DeadPool)
Questions, comments, praise etc. Email me at deadpool@tnmc.org
Jean-François Allaire is TNMC's first columnist. At only 24 years old he has become a respected entertainment journalist, with his columns appearing in Corona's Coming Attractions and Scr(i)pt magazine. He also writes a monthly column in Screenwriters Monthly entitled 'The Last Word.' Hailing from Montreal this young writer is determined to dig up all the details on the movies before they hit your local theater. If you're part of a movie production then you really need to be talking to him.
