A
few year's back, I was completely delighted by a little film called Zero Effect.
The quirky character study was the debut of writer/director Jake Kasdan (son of
Lawrence). I admired it's offbeat sense of humor and well drawn characters. His
new film Orange County benefits from his quirky sensibility, making the picture
work even though it really shouldn't.
All
Shaun (Collin Hanks, son of Tom) wants out of life is to escape the confines of
Orange County, and prepare for a career as a writer by attending Stanford University.
Of course his eccentric family seems hell-bent on stopping Shaun from reaching
his goals.
As
the commercial spots suggest, Jack Black steals the show as Shaun's slacker of
a brother. Strangely, those hilarious TV spots are missing from the picture. I
thought at the very least, they would appear as outakes during the end credits.
To my dismay, they were nowhere to be found. This does hurt the film. Though Black
still brings alot to this party, the video really suffers from a lack of consistency.
What
you may not be aware of, is how great a cast Kasdan is working with. Somehow,
he managed to round up Catherine O'Hara, John Lithgow, Ben Stiller and Kevin Kline
just to name a few. All are endearing in their own special way. Sadly, Kasdan
isn't working with the best of screenplays. Much of the video plays like Better
Off Dead but not as funny. Thankfully, the video isn't a total loss.
Hanks
has a breezy, likable way about him. It must be in the genes. Black is everything
you could hope for. And O'Hara is an absolute delight as Shaun's depressed mother.
You also have to love a movie that makes fun of Crazy Town's tune Butterfly. I
couldn't get enough of that.
I
had really high hopes for Orange County, and though it didn't live up to expectations,
I found myself laughing enough to recommend it. One thing is certain-- Jake Kasdan
is going to be a chip off the old block. I can't wait to see what he does next.
