“Blind Date”
Reviewed August 2009 by Ted Faraone
3 stars out of five; $8.00 ticket on a scale of $0 to $12.50.
REALLY, THE CREDIT GOES TO DESI ARNAZ
“Blind Date,” the English-language remake of Theo Van Gogh’s 1996 eponymous Dutch film, which bowed stateside in September 2009, is a stylish descent into an unspeakable Hell. Directed by Stanley Tucci, its press materials make much of its seven-day shooting schedule, made possible by a three-camera simultaneous shoot allegedly pioneered by Van Gogh. In fact the credit goes to Desi Arnaz who talked the legendary cinematographer Karl Freund to develop the technique for “I Love Lucy” in 1951. The technique, known as the Desilu method, has been used by nearly every situation comedy ever since.
Unfortunately, “Blind Date” is not nearly so engaging as “I Love Lucy.” It is a compelling story about a tragic end to a marriage due to the death of a child. Don (Tucci) and Janna (Patricia Clarkson) are an estranged married couple. He owns a bar. There are very few patrons. One wonders how the bar can stay open. In an effort to revive their marriage, they go on a series of blind dates, each putting personal ads in the newspaper and playing roles up until the thing repeatedly falls apart. Eventually it is revealed that Don raped Janna in frustration over her refusal to have sex with him after the child’s death.
Sam Shepherd did variations on the same theme far more successfully in “Fool for Love.”
The most depressing aspect of “Blind Date” is the degradation. Don seems to live in his bar. Personal hygiene is accidental. He screws his barmaid. Well, he’s not getting it anywhere else. Every blind date ends in disaster. Janna walks out.
Eventually, “Blind Date” has nowhere to go but down the tubes. A
The disaster, initiated by Clarkson’s Janna pushes Tucci’s Don over the edge. It’s a statement about her despair and his undying love. A final scene showing the happy family of three together before the tragic accident drives home the point.
What comic relief “Blind Date” has comes largely from the skill of the stars. It’s not enough. “Blind Date” will send auds running for their anti-depressants. It has no rating, but it is most certainly unsuitable for children, who anyway won’t understand it. It’s 80 minutes more or less fly by. Tech credits excel.
Van Gogh was murdered in 2004 by a Moslem extremist angered over the depiction of Islam in a short film he made. Other filmmakers decided to honor him with a trilogy of his films remade in English. It’s a worthy effort, but “Blind Date” is an exercise in depression, exquisite though it may be.
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