DVD Review: Whole Nine Yards, The (D+)

The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
Directed by Jonathon Lynne
Starring Matthew Perry, Bruce Willis and Roseanna Arquette
MPAA: R
Grade: D+

Review by Scott Standish

Like the recent Steve Martin vehicle Novocaine, The Whole Nine Yards tells the story of a likable dentist who gets caught up in a murder yarn and finds his life totally changed overnight. The Whole Nine Yards is sillier than Novocaine as it desperately tries to milk Matthew Perry for all the "oh my gods!" it can.

Here's the basic plot: Matthew Perry has married an evil Canadian girl (yes, the Canada bashing in this film is totally out of line) and a hitman (played by Bruce Willis) moves next door. His wife tries to hire the hitman to kill him, as Perry gets caught up in a scheme to "rat" the hitman out for cash to buy himself a divorce.

One of the biggest problems with The Whole Nine Yards is its tendency, especially in the beginning, to have its actors continually explain what is going on. Sure, its a double- crossing murder tale, but they could have given the audience at least some credit to figure out what is happening. Nothing is explained via character actions or subtleties.

Having actors face the camera and spell out what is going on is a television convention, and perhaps the director thought this a good idea, since the lead actor is best known for his role on Friends. Another television-like quality to The Whole Nine Yards is its static, almost catatonic camera work and art direction. Everything is a medium or full shot, with the actors directly facing the camera, similar to a a soap opera. There is no real attention to character detail, or art direction going on.

Jonathon Lynn directed the funny, but slightly overrated film My Cousin Vinny. Its obvious that he can direct a smart comedy, but for some reason he felt compelled to dumb this one down. If you have low expectations, or love television style movies, you might find this film clever. If you are expecting any depth or cleverness to The Whole Nine Yards you will certainly be disappointed.

Buy The Whole Nine Yards On DVD