ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH, THE
Released: August 16, 2002
It cost more than $100 million to produce, was delayed from theatrical release by a couple years and was not given advanced screenings to critics. "Watching it is like watching 90 minutes of outtakes - deleted scenes randomly assembled by a drunken night watchman at the studio", wrote Lou Lumenick in the New York Post. Other reviews were LESS kind. I watched the movie in February 2003, long after the August 2002 release date and free of the critical fog that swamped it. Was it really that bad a movie? Eddie Murphy and director Ron Underwood ("Tremors") have certainly done much better work, of course, but "Pluto Nash" was far from the worst movie I've ever seen. While I'm not on a crusade to get people to go rent it, I don't believe the movie deserved the horrible reviews it received overall. Yes, it was an overblown concept driven sci-fi comedy that tried too hard but there are also a few laughs in there and a movie like this makes a totally undemanding and fun rental on a rainy night when your first or second choices are all rented. Murphy is joined by a long list of good actors - Randy Quaid, Rosario Dawson, Joe Pantoliano, Jay Mohr, Luis Guzmán, James Rebhorn, Peter Boyle, Pam Grier, John Cleese, Illeana Douglas and an uncredited Alec Baldwin. See it for the car crash it was reviewed as and see it for how bad it actually wasn't. That said, it is still an instantly forgettable piece of fluff.
95 Minutes
Warner Bros.