| Reviewer Roundup |
| 1. |
 | Dustin Putman |
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| Steve Rhodes |
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Review by Dustin Putman
3 stars out of 4
Following a pair of tonally lighter films (2000's "Nurse Betty," 2002's
"Possession"), Neil LaBute, a writer-director more famous for exposing
the bleaker, more disturbing sides of human nature (1997's "In the
Company of Men," 1998's "Your Friends and Neighbors"), returns to
his old stomping ground with the challenging and wordy "The Shape
of Things." Originally conceived for the London stage in 2001, LaBute
has transferred his four original actors (Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz,
Gretchen Mol, and Frederick Weller) for this mostly successful cinematic
adaptation, and their close familiarity with their roles is apparent from minute one.
Adam (Paul Rudd) and Evelyn (Rachel Weisz) meet by chance one day
at the museum where Adam works and Evelyn is about to deface a nude
sculpture that has been needlessly censored with a fig leaf. Both
are graduate students at Mercy College, where Evelyn is preparing
her art thesis, but otherwise do not really seem suited for one another.
Whereas Evelyn is outspoken and beautiful, Adam is a little pudgy
around the edges and has no seeming fashion sense. Nevertheless, when
Adam questions their relationship, Evelyn responds, "Don't worry about
'why' when 'what' is right in front of you." Pretty soon, as Adam
begins to fall for Evelyn, he willingly takes her advice to change
his physical appearance and strengthen his self-esteem. In the process,
two more characters become unintentionally embroiled in their questionable
relationship: Adam's engaged friends Jenny (Gretchen Mol) and Phillip (Frederick Weller).
What begins as an offbeat, rather lighthearted romance brutally segues
in the second half into something far more dark and unsettling. "The
Shape of Things" raises several thought-provoking topics within its
quick 96 minutes, including the value of art, the importance society
places on materialism and conventional beauty, and the effect one
individual can have on another within a love relationship. As Adam
is subtly egged on (but not forced) by Evelyn to lose weight, change
his clothes and hair, and even get a nose job, Adam goes through a
transformation that makes him feel better, but at the potential cost
of his longtime best friend Jenny, who has loved him for years. She
and fianc‚ Phillip are visibly jarred by Adam's changes, and wonder
why someone like Evelyn would be interested in him. All of this is,
indeed, a setup for a key discovery in the third act that is almost
shocking in its unblinking depiction of human cruelty.
With the camera steady on long, unbroken shots, the actors are let
loose to further explore their characters without the hindrance of
unnecessary edits, and each one of them delivers an exceptional performance.
As total opposites Adam and Evelyn (all biblical allusions intentional),
Paul Rudd (1999's "200 Cigarettes") and Rachel Weisz (2003's "Confidence")
are so convincing it's scary. Rudd brings such an empathetic vulnerability
to his role that what happens to him in the crucial last twenty minutes
is almost difficult to watch. And Weisz is alternately alluring and
mystifying, perfectly embodying the headstrong Evelyn, who may or
may not be exactly whom she appears. As counterparts Jenny and Phillip,
Gretchen Mol (1999's "The Thirteenth Floor") and Frederick Weller
(2001's "The Business of Strangers") add unusually strong support
to a technically sparse film with not a single other speaking part.
As audacious as Neil LaBute's attempt to open things up is, he is
not always able to overcome the notion that this started off as a
stage play. With a total of only about twelve elongated scenes, the
dialogue exchanges occasionally go on a little too long and feature
some stilted passages, while the blocking feels slightly too stagy
at certain points. This is the movie's one debit, significant enough
to be mentioned but not so much that it destroys everything else that is so very good.
"The Shape of Things" is grim in its look at what one person is capable
of doing to another, but it is not heartless. The characters are sympathetic
without having to compromise their flaws, and the literate, knowing
dialogue is oftentimes exquisite. As for the centerpiece of the film,
a climactic confrontation between Adam and Evelyn, Rudd and Weisz
play it to brilliant effect, and LaBute handles it with meticulous
skill. The final moments are particularly heartbreaking, offering
no false pretenses or easy answers even as the viewer is led to believe
there may still be a glimmer of hope for these characters yet. "The
Shape of Things," warts and all, is a motion picture not easy to shake.
Copyright © 2003 Dustin Putman
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