“Dick Tracy”

Warren Beatty in “Dick Tracy” (Touchstone Pictures, 1990)

This week’s pic is the 1990 film adaptation of Chester Gould’s classic comic strip Dick Tracy. Starring Warren Beatty as the title character (Beatty also produced and directed the film), the film takes Chester Gould’s characters and puts them in a color-saturated live action setting. The production design is stellar and unique, created with a blend of CG graphics and good old-fashioned matte painting. All of the characters have makeup and prosthetics to match what they looked like in the comic strip (the film won an Oscar for Best Makeup along with Best Art Direction). It’s really a marvel to look at. The story and the acting, however, are all hit and miss (OK, mostly miss). Al Pacino’s performance of Big Boy Caprice is fun, but mostly just over the top. And Madonna as bad girl Breathless Mahoney looks smoking hot, but her acting is a hot mess (so what else is new). Also stars Glenne Headly, Mandy Patinkin, Dick Van Dyke, Paul Sorvino, James Caan and Dustin Hoffman, among others. I saw this film at an opening day midnight screening in 1990 along with many others across the U.S.A. (check out this article about it–although I’m not sure if I still have the t-shirt “ticket” or not) and my thoughts are still about the same–enjoy the gorgeous visuals, but don’t expect much beyond that. Original songs by Stephen Sondheim (who won an Oscar for Best Original Song). Soundtrack by Danny Elfman. Written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps Jr. Directed by Warren Beatty. “You don’t know if you want to hit me or kiss me. I get a lot of that.”

“Heaven Can Wait”

Buck Henry and Warren Beatty in “Heaven Can Wait” (Paramount, 1978)

Another movie I loved as a kid was “Heaven Can Wait” (Paramount, 1978). Warren Beatty stars as Joe Pendleton, a quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams football team who, on the weekend when he is about to get put in as a starter, gets pulled out of his body by his guardian angel escort (played by Buck Henry) just before an impending accident. When Mr. Jordan (played by James Mason), the supervisor in the afterlife, sees in his file that Joe was supposed to survive the accident and that he wasn’t supposed to die for many years in the future, they try to restore Joe to his original body, only to discover that it had already been cremated. Mr. Jordan makes a deal with Joe that they will find a suitable replacement body for him (mostly, one that can play professional football), but in the meantime, they will need to put him in a temporary body while they search. One option is the body of recently murdered (by his wife and his personal assistant, no less) Leo Farnsworth. Joe is unsure about going into Mr. Farnsworth body’s until he sees the lovely Betty Logan (played by the lovely Julie Christie), who has come to plead her case against one of Mr. Farnsworth business dealings. Crazyness ensues as Joe lives life through Leo’s body while “heaven can wait.” This is such a terrific, charming and hopeful romantic comedy. Highly recommended. I couldn’t find it on Netflix, but it was available on Amazon Instant Video. Also stars Jack Warden, Charles Grodin and Dyan Cannon. Written by Elaine May and Warren Beatty. Based on the play by Harry Segall. Directed by Bucky Henry and Warren Beatty. “There is always a plan.”