Fluke Review
by Steve Rhodes (rhodes_steve AT tandem DOT com)January 6th, 1997
FLUKE
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 1997 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
The 1995 movie FLUKE takes the premise that humans can be reincarnated into animals. Its lead is a dog named Fluke who used to be a human named Thomas Johnson (Matthew Modine).
Thomas dies in a dramatic and realistic car accident in the opening. He appears to have been forced off the road by his business partner, Jeff Newman (Eric Stoltz). The story then switches to Fluke when he is a newborn puppy. As Fluke grows up he will remember the accident in terrifying flashbacks. He will also conjure up good old memories of his wife Carol (Nancy Travis) and his son Brian (Max Pomeranc).
The show has two parts. In the first, it is mainly the animals' story. Here Fluke runs around with a streetwise dog named Rumbo (voice by Samuel L. Jackson). In all of the show the animals talk to each other, but without the mouth movements popularized in BABE. In the second part of the show, Fluke goes back to live with his old family, and the humans take over more of the narrative.
The story has an interesting premise, but second time director Carlo Carlei does not know how to craft an involving movie out of it. A pleasant enough film, but never a compelling one.
FLUKE has high quality production values, but that is about it. The cinematography by Raffaele Mertes is more impressive than the sets. Similarly the music by Carlo Siliotto is much more touching than the script by Carlo Carlei and James Carrington, based on a book by James Herbert.
All of the cast, especially Stoltz and Modine, have talent, but none of it is demonstrated in FLUKE. There is one consistently good part, the acting by the dogs. They perform many antics and behaviors that you do not normally see in movies. Too bad they could not have inspired the Homo sapiens.
The low point of the film occurs when the dogs are taken to a cosmetics company so they can do research on them. This segment is little more than sensationalism masquerading as comedy, and not very funny comedy.
There are many better animal pictures out there. Rent one of them instead of FLUKE.
FLUKE runs 1:36. It is rated PG for a few bad words and some very scary scenes of a vicious dog attack, a person dying, and two dramatic car accidents - shown again and again. Young kids are likely to be frightened. My son Jeffrey, age 7 1/2, gives it a thumbs sideways because of the bloody parts. He said it was an okay movie except for the dogs who were really good actors. I found it a well made, but mediocre film that I cannot recommend. I give it **.
______________________________________________________________________ **** = One of the top few films of this or any year. A must see film. *** = Excellent show. Look for it.
** = Average movie. Kind of enjoyable.
* = Poor show. Don't waste your money.
0 = One of the worst films of this or any year. Totally unbearable.
REVIEW WRITTEN ON: January 1, 1997
Opinions expressed are mine and not meant to reflect my employer's.
Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
