Author(s): Al
Location: NY
“His or Hers?"
Directed by Barry Levinson
Written by Zach Helm
Original Score by Theodore Shapiro
Edited by Pamela Martin
Costumes by Wendy Chuck
Principal Cast:
Sam Walsh: Kevin Spacey
Kerry Walsh: Marcia Gay Harden
Kirk Allan: Alec Baldwin
Jack Helsing: Rip Torn
Allison Helsing: Amy Adams
Gary Helsing: Aaron Eckhart
Bradley Kaminsky: Stanley Tucci
Tagline: "In business, there can only be one winner. In divorce, there's two losers”
Synopsis: Sam Walsh is the COO at Helsing Motors, the leading U.S. car company headed up by the hot-headed CEO Jack Helsing. Though the company has always stayed in the hands of the Helsing family, Helsing's son Gary is too inexperienced for the job. Once Jack retires, Sam expects to beat out Gary and take the job of Jack, who has always treated Sam like another son. Sam's wife Kerry is the CIO, and they are consistently touted as the business world's "#1 power couple", though in reality Kerry largely works under Sam, and longs for something more. Their marriage begins to deteriorate under the constant strain of the business world, and finally they decide to divorce. Their good friend Bradley agrees to mediate.
Kerry, no longer wishing to stay at the same company as her ex-husband, jumps at the offer to head up Burton Automotive, Helsing's biggest rival. When Jack retires a little later, sure enough Sam takes his job, and he and Kerry find themselves in fierce competition both in the business world…and in the divorce mediations.
Kirk Allan, Burton's temperamental COO, is outraged at what he feels was a betrayal. He thought he had the CEO position in the bag, but instead the board decided to go with an outsider. He decides that he can get close to Kerry and direct her towards a monumental screw-up that will deliver the job into his hands. He begins dating Kerry, who genuinely falls in love with him. Sam, meanwhile, is having romantic exploits with Jack's young daughter Allison. However, her motives are less than pure as well. Her brother Gary is gunning for Sam's job, one that he thought should have stayed in the family. He and Allison plot to unseat Sam.
Meanwhile, Kerry and Sam are furiously working to get ahead of the other. Though Helsing has always been the country's premier auto company, Burton is pushing past it under Kerry's innovative leadership. Their divorce also heats up, as tensions escalate over their possessions-and their whole lives. Will competition kill these two, or will they learn to agree to disagree?
What the press would say:
I still can't stop thinking about this movie. Days later, and I'm still thinking about "His or Hers?" I'm a critic, and critics are trained to watch a movie, write a review, and then forget about it to review the next one. But this film is sticking with me like a wine at a tasting that no amount of crackers will cleanse. In a good way. You see, I'm still recalling lines that made me laugh. Or moments that made me ponder. Or scenes that made me say "oh yeah, that happened to me once". The screenplay by Zach Helm, of quirky "Stranger than Fiction", is both socially insightful and hilarious. The modern culture of "be the best, no matter what" is reflected in Helm's writing. We cringe when the characters go head-over-heels to beat each other, but then realize that those kinds of actions are commonplace in our society. In addition, "His or Hers?" is also a commentary on the institution of marriage. Or should I say the institution of divorce. The film plays off both the absurdity and the human side of divorce, making us shake our heads while simultaneously feeling for the people trapped in it. To make a movie about divorce without being cliché is a huge challenge, and it was overcome by the brilliant direction of master filmmaker Barry Levinson. Levinson adds a humanity to these otherwise unlikable characters, and shows us different sides of every person.
However much they may make mistakes and be nasty, we never lose sympathy for our two main characters, who are magnificently fleshed out and played amazingly by Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Marcia Gay Harden. The two have such hilarious chemistry with each other. The quick-witted barbs they exchange meld together almost gracefully, and their delivery is on-the-dot. Whoever knew that these two were so comedically talented? Also noteworthy are Rip Torn as a cantankerous boss, Amy Adams as a "nice young girl" with hidden motives who seduces Sam, Stanley Tucci as the patient and uptight facilitator of Kerry and Sam's divorce, and Aaron Eckhart as a scheming but brain-dead heir. But the real highlight of the movie is Alec Baldwin. Baldwin's Golden Globe-winning role on the sitcom "30 Rock" calls for Baldwin to deadpan brilliantly and deliver hilarious lines with a straight face. Baldwin carries that experience over to a wonderfully hilarious role as Kerry's plotting love interest. His scenes with Marcia Gay Harden are great, as the two play off each other brilliantly. But then when Baldwin is in bad-guy mode, he's so deliciously evil that you're attracted to him. I loved this performance, and I hope Alec gets more opportunities in the future to do comedic roles like this.
With hilarious writing, brilliant direction, and a cast that can't be beat, "His or Hers?" is one of the best movies of the year, and though it's not the kind of movie the Academy usually digs, don't be surprised to see it upset and pick up a few golden boys next February. And dammit, I still can't get it out of my head!
Best Picture
Best Director-Barry Levinson
Best Original Screenplay- Zach Helm
Best Actor-Kevin Spacey
Best Actress-Marcia Gay Harden
Best Supporting Actor-Alec Baldwin
Best Supporting Actor-Rip Torn
Best Supporting Actress-Amy Adams
Location: NY
“His or Hers?"
Directed by Barry Levinson
Written by Zach Helm
Original Score by Theodore Shapiro
Edited by Pamela Martin
Costumes by Wendy Chuck
Principal Cast:
Sam Walsh: Kevin Spacey
Kerry Walsh: Marcia Gay Harden
Kirk Allan: Alec Baldwin
Jack Helsing: Rip Torn
Allison Helsing: Amy Adams
Gary Helsing: Aaron Eckhart
Bradley Kaminsky: Stanley Tucci
Tagline: "In business, there can only be one winner. In divorce, there's two losers”
Synopsis: Sam Walsh is the COO at Helsing Motors, the leading U.S. car company headed up by the hot-headed CEO Jack Helsing. Though the company has always stayed in the hands of the Helsing family, Helsing's son Gary is too inexperienced for the job. Once Jack retires, Sam expects to beat out Gary and take the job of Jack, who has always treated Sam like another son. Sam's wife Kerry is the CIO, and they are consistently touted as the business world's "#1 power couple", though in reality Kerry largely works under Sam, and longs for something more. Their marriage begins to deteriorate under the constant strain of the business world, and finally they decide to divorce. Their good friend Bradley agrees to mediate.
Kerry, no longer wishing to stay at the same company as her ex-husband, jumps at the offer to head up Burton Automotive, Helsing's biggest rival. When Jack retires a little later, sure enough Sam takes his job, and he and Kerry find themselves in fierce competition both in the business world…and in the divorce mediations.
Kirk Allan, Burton's temperamental COO, is outraged at what he feels was a betrayal. He thought he had the CEO position in the bag, but instead the board decided to go with an outsider. He decides that he can get close to Kerry and direct her towards a monumental screw-up that will deliver the job into his hands. He begins dating Kerry, who genuinely falls in love with him. Sam, meanwhile, is having romantic exploits with Jack's young daughter Allison. However, her motives are less than pure as well. Her brother Gary is gunning for Sam's job, one that he thought should have stayed in the family. He and Allison plot to unseat Sam.
Meanwhile, Kerry and Sam are furiously working to get ahead of the other. Though Helsing has always been the country's premier auto company, Burton is pushing past it under Kerry's innovative leadership. Their divorce also heats up, as tensions escalate over their possessions-and their whole lives. Will competition kill these two, or will they learn to agree to disagree?
What the press would say:
I still can't stop thinking about this movie. Days later, and I'm still thinking about "His or Hers?" I'm a critic, and critics are trained to watch a movie, write a review, and then forget about it to review the next one. But this film is sticking with me like a wine at a tasting that no amount of crackers will cleanse. In a good way. You see, I'm still recalling lines that made me laugh. Or moments that made me ponder. Or scenes that made me say "oh yeah, that happened to me once". The screenplay by Zach Helm, of quirky "Stranger than Fiction", is both socially insightful and hilarious. The modern culture of "be the best, no matter what" is reflected in Helm's writing. We cringe when the characters go head-over-heels to beat each other, but then realize that those kinds of actions are commonplace in our society. In addition, "His or Hers?" is also a commentary on the institution of marriage. Or should I say the institution of divorce. The film plays off both the absurdity and the human side of divorce, making us shake our heads while simultaneously feeling for the people trapped in it. To make a movie about divorce without being cliché is a huge challenge, and it was overcome by the brilliant direction of master filmmaker Barry Levinson. Levinson adds a humanity to these otherwise unlikable characters, and shows us different sides of every person.
However much they may make mistakes and be nasty, we never lose sympathy for our two main characters, who are magnificently fleshed out and played amazingly by Oscar winners Kevin Spacey and Marcia Gay Harden. The two have such hilarious chemistry with each other. The quick-witted barbs they exchange meld together almost gracefully, and their delivery is on-the-dot. Whoever knew that these two were so comedically talented? Also noteworthy are Rip Torn as a cantankerous boss, Amy Adams as a "nice young girl" with hidden motives who seduces Sam, Stanley Tucci as the patient and uptight facilitator of Kerry and Sam's divorce, and Aaron Eckhart as a scheming but brain-dead heir. But the real highlight of the movie is Alec Baldwin. Baldwin's Golden Globe-winning role on the sitcom "30 Rock" calls for Baldwin to deadpan brilliantly and deliver hilarious lines with a straight face. Baldwin carries that experience over to a wonderfully hilarious role as Kerry's plotting love interest. His scenes with Marcia Gay Harden are great, as the two play off each other brilliantly. But then when Baldwin is in bad-guy mode, he's so deliciously evil that you're attracted to him. I loved this performance, and I hope Alec gets more opportunities in the future to do comedic roles like this.
With hilarious writing, brilliant direction, and a cast that can't be beat, "His or Hers?" is one of the best movies of the year, and though it's not the kind of movie the Academy usually digs, don't be surprised to see it upset and pick up a few golden boys next February. And dammit, I still can't get it out of my head!
Best Picture
Best Director-Barry Levinson
Best Original Screenplay- Zach Helm
Best Actor-Kevin Spacey
Best Actress-Marcia Gay Harden
Best Supporting Actor-Alec Baldwin
Best Supporting Actor-Rip Torn
Best Supporting Actress-Amy Adams
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