Excess Baggage Review
by James Berardinelli (berardin AT cybernex DOT net)August 30th, 1997
EXCESS BAGGAGE
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 5.5
Alternative Scale: ** out of ****
United States, 1997
U.S. Release Date: 8/29/97 (wide)
Running Length: 1:41
MPAA Classification: PG-13 (Profanity, violence)
Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Alicia Silverstone, Benicio Del Toro, Christopher Walken,
Jack Thompson, Harry Connick Jr., Nicholas Turturro, Michael Bowen Director: Marco Brambilla
Producers: Bill Borden, Carolyn Kessler, Alicia Silverstone Screenplay: Max D. Adams and Dick Clement & Ian La Frenais Cinematography: Jean Yves Escoffier
Music: John Lurie
U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures
If you like Alicia Silverstone, you'll probably enjoy EXCESS BAGGAGE. This dubious road movie/romance/caper flick is clearly a vehicle for the spritely starlet, and her winsome charm is one of its strengths. Unfortunately, the other actors (including the underrated Benicio Del Toro and the always-solid Christopher Walken) don't keep pace with her, and she's saddled with a frustratingly ordinary and unambitious script. In the end, EXCESS BAGGAGE ends up playing like any other late summer movie destined to pass as quickly from memory as from the box office.
The film opens with a genuinely interesting premise: 18-year old Emily Hope (Alicia Silverstone), the attractive heiress to the multimillion dollar Hope fortune, decides to kidnap herself and demand a $1 million ransom. The reason: to get a little attention, and hopefully a sign of affection, from her cold and aloof father (John Thompson). In her words, "it was never about the money." After the ransom has been paid, Emily tapes her legs and mouth, handcuffs her hands, and dumps herself in her own car trunk. However, while she's waiting for the police and her father to "rescue" her, the unexpected happens: Vincent (Benicio Del Toro), a professional car thief, steals her car -- with her in the trunk. Suddenly, Emily finds herself really kidnapped, only the kidnapper doesn't know what to do with her.
The early portions of the film, which introduce a few interesting characters, relationships, and situations, are the best. Unfortunately, as things progress, the plot devolves into a series of fairly standard contrivances: the captor and willing captive bond, the police close in, gangster involvement threatens to turn violent over some missing money, etc. Director Marco Brambilla (DEMOLITION MAN) can't prevent EXCESS BAGGAGE's seemingly-inevitable journey along the path from reasonable freshness to over-familiarity. Relationships that are effectively set up are not pursued with the same diligence. The central romance between Emily and Vincent is developed in fits and starts, with a great deal of filler interrupting the scenes that really work.
Alicia Silverstone is a natural in front of the lens. She's not the most talented actress of her generation, but the camera loves her. To date, her best role was probably that of the vapid Cher in CLUELESS. She has also played a psychotic, obsessed Lolita (THE CRUSH) and a superhero (BATMAN AND ROBIN). Here, as a lonely, love-starved teenager, Silverstone's natural charisma filters through all the booze, smoke, and profanity that define Emily's dark side. Her characteristic mannerisms (the pout, the engaging smile) do as much as her acting ability to establish Emily as a sympathetic person. None of the supporting performers eclipses Silverstone's shine. Benicio Del Toro is low-key as the unwitting car thief who becomes a cog in Emily's plan, and, except in a few winning scenes (like a quiet moment on a lake shore), there isn't any strong chemistry or connection between the two. Christopher Walken does a walk-through of the kind of shady, semi-sinister individual that has become his bread-and-butter. Jack Thompson is suitably distant as Emily's father, and Harry Connick Jr. does a passable imitation of a weasel (or a snake) as Greg, Vincent's car- stealing partner.
EXCESS BAGGAGE's biggest problem is probably a lack of focus. There's so much going on that there's not enough to time to hone in on the film's two critical relationships: those between Emily and Vincent, and Emily and her father. Instead, unnecessary things like car chases, gunplay, and fist fights keep interfering. For that reason, the title is apt: this movie is indeed burdened by too much excess baggage. And, unless you're a fan of Silverstone, you can lighten your late summer load by skipping this offering.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli
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