Conspiracy Theory Review
by Hanson Yoo (hanson AT ntr DOT net)August 11th, 1997
Conspiracy Theory
A film review by Hanson Yoo
Copyright 1997 Hanson Yoo
Yet another Donner/Silver/Gibson team-up with Julia Roberts thrown into the mix, Conspiracy Theory really does little to go beyond the formula of the Lethal Weapon series - the set-up, the funny middle, and the sagging, auto-pilot, guns-a-blazing ending. The difference? Gibson is partnered with a woman and there aren't any big explosions. My theory is that anteing up for both Gibson and Roberts didn't leave enough budget left over to blow things up.
The story sets up a bit slowly - Gibson is Jerry Fletcher, a cabbie with a mind grounded solidly in conspiracy theories. Julia Roberts is Alice Sutton, a Justice Department lawyer and the object of Jerry's affections. Jerry seems to have made a habit of gaining entry to the Justice Department offices to meet with Alice and apprising her of his latest conspiracy theories (you know, it’s impossible to recap the plot without constantly mentioning the title. Do you think it's all a… nah). She humors him, although grudgingly, because he saved her from a mugging six months prior. Alice has an obsession of her own - she's still investigating the murder of her father, even though the case is officially closed. And Alice hasn't ridden her precious horses since her father’s death. Will Alice find out who really murdered her father? Will this all tie in with Jerry? Will she ever ride again? Take a wild guess.
There are some nice touches besides the kooky conspiracy theories (there's that title again). Jerry never enters his apartment the same way twice in a row, and he leaves toothpicks in strategic places to ensure that his apartment hasn't been entered without his knowledge. His refrigerator and it's contents are all locked up to ensure nothing is tampered with. And metal lines all his walls (although we later find out that it's not just to block out CIA mind control transmissions). In short, Jerry's not only sees conspiracies around him, but he's also one paranoid puppy. Of course, Alice doesn't believe a word of it until...
Well, you'll have to see the movie to find out. But it's not really all that clever nor is it original. Pretty soon, the movies runs rampant with shadow ops baddies (including Patrick Stewart) and doubts about who's telling the truth and who's in on the conspiracy (not that the film leaves any doubts). Sure, the second act is well made - it's both funny and interesting with a couple of very good performances from Gibson and especially Roberts (who hasn't been this fetching since Pretty Woman). Stewart seems to waver between a passable American accent to full Jean Luc-Picard mode. Note to Patrick - you’re supposed to be sinister. Go with the English accent. Who cares about plausibility in a film like this?
About the time the duo hits Connecticut, the movies loses all it’s charm and steam. Right about then you can see the ending coming from a mile away because you've seen it about a hundred times before. It's as if the filmmakers reached for a box of "Instant Action Movie Ending" and just added water without even bothering to stir (which may be another reason why there weren’t any explosions). Not that the movie was great up until that point, but at least it was entertaining. The last act is so generically blah that there's hardly a reason to watch it - most of the audience can connect the dots at this point.
As if the ending isn't perfunctory enough, stick around for the credits - there's yet another seemingly obligatory hip-hop remake of an older song (this time it's the Frankie Valli standby, Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You). And like My Best Friend's Wedding, people singing the song in unison are used for cheap laughs.
Conspiracy Theory is another one of those "starts interesting, ends formulaic" Hollywood movies that coasts more on the charms of it's stars than anything else. In other words, yet another summer action flick.
Grade: C+
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