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November 08, 2005
Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang: not your father’s detective story
A few weeks ago I scored some free tickets to a movie I had never heard of and come Tuesday night, I set my sights on a movie called Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang. Having no idea what to expect, clueless of the plot and the actors starring, I came armed to hate the movie. The kevlar vest of apprehension I wore, however, did not last as I left with an aching face and sore stomach because I had been laughing so hard for almost the entire film.
The whole movie, narrated wonderfully by Robert Downey Jr.’s character Harry, also unleashed a barrage of sharp wit.
Beyond the narrative, the cast ensemble was also great and served as more than nobodys who were made for pistol whipping. Harry’s sidekicks, Gay Jerry (Val Kilmer), a local private investigator, and Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a struggling actress, made a perfect addition to Harry’s quirky style.
The premise of the movie is simple. The story centers around Harry who is thrown into a role for which he is not situated. Previous to Harry’s leap into Hollywood stardom, he made his living “stealing stuff for money.” However, mid-gig, he is accidentally cast as the lead in an action movie, leading to situational comedy that is surprisingly unusual. Just enjoy the image of the piece he reads for the role: mourning over the loss of his partner during a shoot out, this after he just lost his partner by gunshot while fleeing from the
cops.
With that, Harry lands the role of a detective.
Having aced the audition, the film company flies Harry out to LA and we find him at a traditional Hollywood party. This is where we meet the other characters, Gay Jerry and Harmony. We soon find out that Harry and Harmony grew up together in some small town somewhere. Harry wants to impress his high school fantasy girl and tells Harmony that he is a detective. Harmony was the girl Harry always wanted but never got, and I don’t even need to mention more to tell you that what ensues is hilarious.
However it does bear noting that the situation quickly unravels when Harmony employs Harry to solve the murder of her younger sister.
To learn the part of his role as private detective, Harry is assigned to follow around Gay Jerry, a local private investigator. What could be funnier than a bad method actor who doesn’t know the first thing about his new job?
Beyond the plot humor, however, I feel that I need to mention one of my favorite gags. Now, while you may role your eyes at the joke premise of the recurring appearance of a mystery book series which Harry and Harmony enjoyed as kids, say what you will, I like running gags and in this case you’d like it too.
Moreover, in these books, the hero detective works on three cases at a time that always end up connected somehow to events happening to the characters.
The movie peaks with a to be a steamy and decidedly heroic kiss thatleads to another awkward situation.
So, in closing, I found my holsters without ammo and I had a good time. The cast of characters was great, the acting superb, and the man-on-man kiss, well, it was nothing short of fantastic as far as this writer is concerned. Even the plot twists, if a tad unoriginal, were still inventively presented.
Not that it really bears reiterating, but Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang was a delightfully funny movie.
-Allan Olvera contributed to this article
Posted by msveum at November 8, 2005 12:16 PM