Sappy farce/latent coming-of-ager about a man and his dummy. Shy outsider Steven (Brody), nearly 30 and still living at home with his parents, embarks on his dream career in ventriloquism. His wooden buddy, along with high-school friend Fanny (Jovovich), give Steven the confidence to woo his pretty unemployment counselor Lorena (Farmiga). Ranges from genuinely sweet to annoyingly cloying. Despite a decent turn from Oscar-winner Brody, who did all his own ventriloquism, lovable schmuck routine wears thin rather quickly. Supports are uniformly strong.
Pretty Good, Quirky Humor KHL at 2008-04-17 17:26:56
Yes, this movie does have its cliches and sappy moments, but I did enjoy the humor. Adrien Brody is great as the painfully shy Steven who lives at home, along with his dysfunctional family. Illeana Douglas is good as usual playing the high strung and sarcastic wedding-planner sister who has a stalker boyfriend. The highlight of the film is Milla Jojovich, playing Steven's hyperactive, foul-mouthed, tough, chick-rocker friend Fanny who sings in a local band - I guarantee you've never seen her this funny. She should do more comedy, she's very good at it. When Steven loses his job, he takes up ventriloquism and falls in love with his unemployment counselor. With the dummy and Fanny's help, he breaks out of his shell and learns to be less afraid of life.