The Devil's Advocate Review
by Edward Champion (edchamp AT slip DOT net)December 30th, 1997
MOVIE REVIEW: THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE
Review by Edward Champion
RATING: * (out of four stars)
Yes, I plunked down eight bucks for this turkey. Why, do you ask?
Well, it's something that my friends and I call cheese value. Many of you know what I'm talking about. You get talked into seeing a bad movie with the hope that you'll get something so ridiculously awful that the filmmakers may or may not have intended. For all of the horror of watching an awful movie, cheese is the single thing that keeps us going, which is something Hollywood seems to be catching onto these days. And very often you get the reward of seeing an experiment that failed. Then, at least, you have to appreciate the filmmaker for trying behind closed doors.
And, let's face it. How often do you get to see Al Pacino play the Devil? And Pacino acting alongside Keanu Reeves, probably the worst A-list actor of our generation?
Sadly, however, THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE is devoid of anything even remotely interesting. It is a two and half hour borefest that makes one wonder how writers Jonathan Lemkin and Tony Gilroy (the latter, having adapted DOLORES CLAIBORNE for the screen!) and director Taylor Hackford failed to dig up something original from the intriguing premise.
Keanu is a hotshot attorney who has never lost a case that's gone to trial (in itself, a wholly improbable occurrence) living in Florida with wife Charline Therzon. He gets an offer from John Milton (Pacino, aka the Devil) to do two weeks of pre-trial work and gets offered a job with the firm. Keanu takes the stint and begins defending murderers, goat sacrificers and other wonderfully psychotic people. As you might guess, the inevitable occurs.
Cheesephiles, take note: There is not one iota of cheese in this movie, save the following exchange of dialogue:
Keanu: "Are you Satan?"
Pacino: "Call me Dad."
And that's THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE in a nutshell.
Keanu attempts a Florida dialect that sounds more like a bad Gomer Pyle impression and is absolutely unconvincing as an attorney. In a suit, he looks more like a confused beanpole, not far off from his terrible performance in JOHNNY NMUEONIC. The trademark Keanu acting style is in place here: the blank, perplexed stare, followed by the hitting of random inanimate objects.
Pacino chews up the scenery as John Milton, rivaling his embarrassing, Oscar-winning performance in SCENT OF A WOMAN and his role in REVOLUTION for the nadir of his career. I've never seen an actor of such talent keep his eyebrows raised for so much screen time. One almost expects Pacino to shout "Hoo yah!" at any moment.
There is a cameo by Don King, which could have been amusing and perhaps pursued a cheese-entailed direction. But it's there for a stupid scene that establishes Milton's credentials. It's almost as if King happened to be on the set one day and begged the crew to be in the film. I'd settle for Ving Rhames any day.
What sinks this movie is Hackford taking this material so seriously. Any director with a brain in the unfortunate position of having to make a movie like this would have at least gone for the cheese factor. But Hackford, as quoted in interviews, actually believes in the premise. And, visually, he has nothing to offer us except gratuitous nudity and flat production design sprinkled throughout the film.
However, Charline Theron gives a remarkable performance as Keanu's wife. Despite the lack of character, she somehow manages to give a performance, taking ridiculous lines and somehow making them convincing. She'll be someone to watch in the future. But even she cannot save this travesty.
If you truly have to see this movie, I'd bring one of those pocket poker games that seem to be popular these days. Or, hell, maybe you could start talking to someone else who got suckered into seeing it and make a new friend.
Then again, you could always rent PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE.
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