Word: wits
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...womanizing buddy, a suave and sarcastic anthropology professor who admittedly prefers T-and-A over IQ: "I gave my last girlfriend a copy of Farewell to Arms--she thought it was a diet book." Lauren Bacall is also superb as Rose's mother Hannah, an aging beauty whose wit is matched only by her savvy. Hannah is exceptionally good at her principal hobby--that is, making Rose feel not-that-pretty--and the time-honored Jewish tradition of guilt and sarcasm extends even to the most minor conversations. During Gregory's first evening with Hannah, Rose asks her mother...
...production's success begins, as one would expect, with Catherine Ingman's stage direction. A constant, careful and oftentimes outrageous choreography of cast members supplements the humor of the script. Sir William Schwenck Gilbert's wit is very much couched in wordplay and innuendo, and Ingman creates--in effeminate prancing, mock-stealthy stalking and slapstick combat--a physical counterpart to the clever turns of phrases. While such physical comedy can compromise itself with too much zeal or too little precision, this seldom happens. The actors seem to understand the appropriate bounds for their movements and the script is never upstaged...
...Americanisms is only the tip of France's long-standing obsession with language. In the 18th-century court portrayed in "Ridicule," the skillful manipulation of language is the sole means of gaining and keeping social status. The world of Versailles is shaped by what they refer to as "wit." Lest one believe that this wit is based on the crass premise of merely producing amusement, one French noble dismisses disdainfully the "hew-mah" of the English as being far inferior to French wit. The use of wit is sadistic, funny only if you enjoy seeing people being cut down with...
...increasing involvement in the court. This also means involvement with the unofficial reigning queen of the court, the widow de Blayac (Fanny Ardant). The widow de Blayac is almost a spiritual twin of Dangerous Liaisons' calculating Marquise de Merteuil. Both of them rule with Machiavellian minds and Voltairian wits. She is the master player that Gregoire has to confront from whom he learns to play the game of seduction as well as the game of wit...
...charming new live-action remake of "101 Dalmatians" is more than a keen marketing ploy, although Disney is sure to accumulate plenty of doggie dollars. Director Stephen Herek has smartly chosen to remain faithful to the cartoon, maintaining the story's buoyant wit and inherent cuddliness. One hundred and one adorable Dalmatians are difficult to resist, and the film works well even without the luxury of canine dialogue. But the best reason to see "101 Dalmatians" is the wickedly entertaining performance of Glenn Close, who is perfectly cast at the dastardly Cruella...