Directed by: Harald Zwart
Starring:
One Night at McCool's is a dark quirky comedy that starts strong with a funny, macabre story that gradually unravels as it nears it's predictable climax. Still, the first 3/4's of the movie contain some genuinely funny moments and even the last quarter is never boring, despite the fact that the very last scene of the film has been shown countless times, in every preview and ad shown in the theater and on
TV.The movie tells the story of a beautiful young woman, played by the hotter than hot Live Tyler, looking absolutely gorgeous, and the three men whom she wraps around her fingers. It's sort of a cross between Wild Things, There's Something About Mary, with a dash of the quirky comedy of Drowning Mona thrown in for good measure.
There is Matt Dillon, the bartender she seduces so she can rob him, but ends up moving in with him instead. Paul Reiser, Matt's cousin, the lawyer, who lusts after her and wants to be dominated by her. And finally, John Goodman, the police officer investigating the murder of Liv's old boyfriend, played, in an amusing cameo, by Andrew Dice Clay.
What makes the first 3/4's of the movie so good, is that it is all told in flashback by the three male leads. Each confessing their affair with Liv to different people. Reiser tells his story to his psychiatrist, Reba McIntire. Goodman tells his priest in a semi-confession. And Dillon tells his story to Michael Douglas's character for reasons which don't become apparent until later. Each of them have a different view of what Liv is and how the other's behaved and the way the three stories are blended together makes for the funniest moments in the movie.
Unfortunately, when the events catch up to the real time of the movie and we are presented with events as they happen, the movie loses it's originality and events play themselves out pretty much the way you expect them to.
The most interesting character in the movie is Liv's character, Jewel. As the murderous beauty, in search of home, who will use anyone, especially any man, to find a home, she is captivating, but her character isn't delved into deeply enough, and she is left playing simple eye candy. And what eye candy she is!!! Just watching her walk in a tight dress was worth the price of admission. If this movie was made in the fifties, her role would have been played by Marilyn Monroe, but Marilyn never played a character with such edge.
Despite the ending, this is still a good movie and a quite funny dark comedy.
Photos © Copyright USA Films (2001)