Word: plot
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...answer is indeed foggy. While Catherine Walker's Bacchae offered interpretive dance and a unique lesbian twist, the A.R.T.'s grandiose production boasts less interpretation and more explanation of the central plot. Gender roles are returned to their original forms (i.e. Dionysos is male again), which adds intriguing complexities to the play's already-exuding eroticism. There are even a few--gasp--humorous moments found in the new version of this ancient tragedy...
...plausibility in the story is a concern that Coppola doesn't seem worried by. Indeed, he has done something unforgivable with Rainmaker. He has made John Grisham--the king of popcorn thrillers--lethally boring. There is no shameless entertainment here, no chance to be swept up in random plot twists or instant thrills. Instead, what we get is two hours of disjointed storytelling--without a touch of drama...
Coppola's screenplay changes little of the book's simplistic plot. Matt Damon, following in the footsteps of Matthew McConaughey, is Rudy Baylor, a recent law-school grad with a soft spot for people in need. With the help of his diminutive mentor (Danny DeVito), Rudy evolves into an ethics-driven Superman--a lawyer with a heart, out to save the world from evil. First, there is his bold attack on a gargantuan insurance company that has a method of denying claims until policyholders give up. Rudy is astounded by the corruption of such a company that refuses...
There are a few redeeming qualities for Coppola's effort. Because of the absence of an engaging plot, the actors are forced to carry the entire burden. Danny DeVito, for the first time in ages, gives a remarkably understated performance as Rudy's counselor. His subtle enthusiasm and energy makes his character the most likeable in the film. In fact, whenever he is absent from the screen (far too often), the other performances (and the film) begin to sag. Claire Danes gives a strong performance as a battered wife, transcending the underwritten role by adding shades of complexity...
Keillor's charmingly lucid writing, however, cannot hide the gaping flaws of the plot and main characters in Wobegon Boy. Almost halfway through the novel, a magazine with a front-page picture and article appears one day, depicting John as a "portly Lutheran Lothario" who "tried to 'psychologically seduce'" women at the public radio station where he works. However, up to that point in the book, readers are lead to believe that John is kind, quiet, in love with his girlfriend Alida, and not coming close to stepping on anyone's toes along the way. This sudden, almost violent disclosure...