Samuel L. Jackson and Eugene Levy: it just doesn't seem right. Judging solely on its cast, "The Man" is going to need an enthralling plot or plenty of sidesplitting scenes to keep audiences interested.
Unfortunately, it has neither.
Jackson has become a respected actor by playing roles like Jules Winnfield in "Pulp Fiction" and Ordell Robbie in "Jackie Brown."
After reaching critical success in the mid-90s for his demanding roles and energetic delivery, his career has taken a nosedive. Similar to acting legend Robert De Niro who has tragically decided to waste his talent on less demanding roles, Jackson has degraded his reputation as a first-class actor. "The Man" is not a step in refurbishing his reputation.
Eugene Levy, on the other hand, has just recently broken out as a recognizable comedic actor. He was a perfect choice for the dad in "American Pie" and his roles in Christopher Guest movies like "A Mighty Wind" warmed him up for his first starring role since "Armed and Dangerous," with John Candy, who has been dead a long time.
Despite the actors' potential, the chemistry between the two is nonexistent.
After such creations as "Flubber," the 1994 remake of "Miracle on 34th Street" and "Encino Man," it is no surprise that director Les Mayfield has once again created a disappointment that falls short of reaching whatever menial potential it had.
Special Agent Derrick Vann (Samuel L. Jackson) has a tough exterior and an attitude that would send anyone running. Andy Fidler (Eugene Levy) is an overly friendly dental supply salesman that can't keep quiet. Together they must pull off an undercover operation to find the truth behind Vann's partner's death.
The mismatched pair is forced together through a case of mistaken identity. Vann's stern and unforgiving personality is wasted on coercing an unsuspecting bystander, Fidler, to convince criminals that they are on the same side.
As with many of today's movies, the plot lacks originality. "Taxi" and "Rush Hour 2" have already told the amusing story of unlikely partners solving mysteries.
The black-man-white-man-one-of-them-is-a-cop comedy hasn't been done the right way since "48 Hours." De Niro and Eddie Murphy scored a few of their career-enders in the mix. And Martin Lawrence seems to have tried to make a career out of them.
Mayfield tries to put a unique spin on the humor of his interracial pairing by making Vann's personality almost impenetrable. He isn't successful.
Other than a slight glimpse into Vann's and Fidler's home lives, the rest of the cast remains undeveloped. Gaping holes are left in the storyline when no reason is given for the heist and all background information on the villain, Joey (Luke Goss) is missing. Mayfield attempted to add unexpected twists but did so in a sloppy manner that made the movie seem more thrown together at the last minute than shocking.
Many movies with a weak plot must rely heavily on humor to entertain, but in "The Man," the moments of silence during what are supposed to be comedic spats outnumber the moments of laughter.
"The Man" is not a funny movie and the scenes that are able to produce a chuckle are sparsely thrown in only to wake the audience from either a dull plot or a mid-movie nap. Fidler's na??ve and happy-go-lucky personality does create some laughs when thrown into a world of guns, murder and crime.
However, most of the laughs are from scenes completely unrelated to the actual plot or are just one-liners that catch the audience off-guard. For example, Fidler's gas after eating red meat is a desperate attempt in a movie struggling to make the audience laugh.
The action scenes are largely not exciting. One of the more engaging moments involves a chase scene in which Agent Vann steals a car from an innocent driver in order to chase after his own car, which Fidler has stolen. Even while attempting to track down and arrest a group of criminals the movie is lacking in thrills.
As a self-proclaimed action-comedy, "The Man" disappoints in both categories.
