There’s a new romantic leading man in town, and the buzz is so strong that even before his debut pic’s opening weekend, the folks at Universal are in negotiations with the guy and his handlers (that's about a dozen brawny teamsters) to find a suitable follow-up vehicle for... the King.
First project pitched by Uni execs was a sequel to their big comedy hit this year, and Mr. Kong apparently likes the sound of The 40 Year-Old Virgin Gorilla ("Skull Island’s a lonely town, when you’re the only hairy manimal around!”). But the Big Fella is also intrigued by a variant on Russell Crowe’s pugilistic drama (Cinderella Monkey), despite some insiders’ misgivings that Kong as an underdog fighter might be a tough sell.
Capitalizing on Kong’s sex appeal, there’s been talk of a big romantic epic (think Gone Ape With the Wind), a crime thriller (Sexy Beast II), and a musical (Hair, of course). But at present, this superstar giant’s next step is still up in the air, so all we can say is, look out below.
Meanwhile, Kong did his share of serious partying on the eve of his opening. Reports from a certain fashionable downtown nightspot that Kong and his posse “tore the roof off the joint” and “closed the place” can be taken literally, as it’s merely a heap of debris this morning. And there are already rumors that the hype may have gone to his massive head, as Kong reputedly threw not a phone, but a phonebooth at an unfortunate desk clerk who claimed there was no room big enough for the gorilla at the Chateau…
Seriously, though -- Yes it’s too long, yes it’s got its share of clumsy moments, but Peter Jackson’s King Kong delivers the goods where it counts: you gotta love that ape. He really is a thing of beauty on the big screen, because Jackson and his collaborators have given him a truly endearing personality.
I know! How wacky is that! A protagonist who’s a fully-realized character?! Although some credit must go to Andy Serkis, who served as the motion-capture model for Kong’s animation (as he did for Gollum in Lord of the Rings), Jackson and co. have more than made Kong credible. You get that he’s an older beast who’s clearly seen better days, but he still has that fire in the belly. You see that he’s got a scary, hair-trigger temper, but he’s also got a playful, irreverent sense of humor, a deep-rooted sense of justice, and a romantic streak that’s a mile long.
In short, he’s a lovable guy, and believe it or not, the movie’s at its best and truly soars not only when there’s wrestling dinosaurs flying across the screen, but when the romance heats up between Kong and Naomi. Because you not only buy that he could fall for her, you understand how it is that she ends up, well… into him.
Best performance by a romantic couple, hands down, for 2005 goes to this perverse but perfect pair. There’s not much the big monkey can do with the poor girl, once he’s got her (and vice versa), but when these two are making eyes at each other, you really believe in it – so much so that the tragic finish is going to tear up a lot of eyes around the globe.
Two set-pieces worth a romantic comedy writer’s study. One: Heroine Anne Darrow (Watts), captured by Kong, becomes rebellious and takes an angry run at his big mug. He bats her down. She gets up to confront him – he bats her down again. Up -- down -- and Anne realizes that she’s not getting eaten, at least not yet. No, Kong is actually amused by her (she’s bringing out the inner chimp in him, see) and she guesses that the more she proves entertaining, the more likely he’ll let her stick around.
Since she’s a trouper, literally, and not long ago was cartwheeling across the boards in Vaudeville, Anne goes into her stage show shtick, juggling, mugging, doing handstands… and Kong digs it. He’s really taken with her, and as he’s enjoying her, in spite of herself and the danger and the madness of the situation… she starts to enjoy him.
What follows this brief respite is some state-of-the-art bravura action stuff that gives even Spielberg a run for his money, with dinos and reptiles and bats, oh my, as Kong proves himself to be majorly heroic, saving Anne’s life many times over. But throughout it all, the two of them establish a romantic dynamic as soul mates that’s more substantial than most of the two-humans-falling-in-love shtick we’ve seen on screen this year.
The second memorable romantic comedy set-piece I don’t want to spoil for you. Suffice to say it has to do with a frozen lake in snowy Central Park at night, and though it may be cornball as hell, dust off that hoary old shelf and slide “magical” out, because no other word will do when we go for a Kong-ride on the ice. It’s as exhilarating as a big, big love is supposed to be.
Along with Kong's inspired character work, writers Fran Walsh, Phillipa Boyens and Jackson have given Naomi Watts a fully conceived Depression Belle to work with, and she more than makes the most of it, so 1000-pound gorilla and disheveled slip of a thing somehow seem a logical match. While the special effects are spectacular, some of the film's most effecting moments are quiet ones, like when Kong and Anne, two oddly kindred spirits, enjoy a beautiful sunset together.
This King Kong signifies an interesting cultural moment. Maybe it’s because we’re starved for good old-fashioned meat-and-potatoes movie love, but gone is the easy camp and flip cynicism that the first Indiana Jones represented. Even though it has enough kitschy clunkers in it to qualify as a bonafide "B" movie, 2005’s big audience-pleaser is sincere: King Kong wants to be the real thing, and in moments and entire sequences along the way to its faithful-to-the-original finish, it is.
Strange are the days when the most memorable screen romances of the year are between a couple of cowboys and a girl and an ape. They're saying the Academy looks indie-prone, if the Globes are any indication. Still, call me kinky, call me crazy: I predict not just the expected Oscar noms for technical stuff, but a Best Picture nomination and an actress nod for Naomi.
And truly, were there any justice in the world, we’d see a special statuette on hand for the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood.
I don't know, to me he only has the look for heavy drama. I can definitely see him in The Iceman Cometh. That overbearing brow of his is perfect for all that O'Neillian brooding.
Posted by: JJ | December 15, 2005 at 05:21 AM
Billy,
I saw this movie last weekend with my family. We all loved it!
I agree Naomi Watts did a great job of acting. "King Kong," in my opinion is the best movie released in 2005.
Had a few gripes about the film about the film, but they we're minor. Didn't by Adrian Brodie as the hero/love interest. Din't like King Kong's nose or forearms. And Jack Black's character was missing something.
- E.C. Henry from Bonney Lake, WA
Posted by: E.C. Henry | December 25, 2005 at 02:12 PM