'View from the Top' a new low
By Mary Squillace
Scene Movie Critic
"Please fasten your seatbelts and return your seats to their locked, upright position; we will now be experiencing some turbulence." This warning should be issued before anyone should be subjected to viewing Bruno Barreto's "A View from the Top." After stumbling through corny dialogue, a trite screenplay, and failed attempts at comedy, his film ultimately crashes and burns.
Donna Jensen (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a small town girl who aspires to see the world. In an attempt to fulfill this dream, she takes a job as a stewardess with a small airline that boasts of "big hair, short skirts, and service with a smile." Soon after, determined to move-up in the world, Donna and her best friend Christine (Christina Applegate) enroll in flight attendant school with an upscale airline.
However, Donna's dreams of working in first class are shattered when she is assigned to work out of Cleveland. Nevertheless, in a typical cinematic twist of fate, it is here where she reunites with love-interest Ted (Mark Ruffalo). In the end Donna must decide between staying in Cleveland with Ted and pursuing her dreams.
While the premise of "A View from the Top" appears to be promising grounds for some quality satire, screen-writer Eric Wald's cheesy dialogue and overly dramatic warm-and-fuzzy moments thwart any attempt at humor he may have made. It's as if he can't decide whether he'd like to deliver laughs or a heart-warming message. Furthermore, the plot is too thinly spun to adequately support the storyline between Donna and Ted, so the film also fails as a romantic comedy.
As if to counteract the obscenely cliché filled screenplay, Barreto packs "A View from the Top" full of big names such as Gwenyth Paltrow, Mike Myers and Candice Bergen. Unfortunately, neither Paltrow's superstar status nor Myers' humor can revive this film.
In her role as Donna, Paltrow attempts to shed her characteristic grace and poise to don pastel mini-skirts and bright pink lipstick. However, she is unconvincing as a tacky, working-class girl, and her outrageous outfits provoke the only laughs of her performance. In addition, Paltrow's wistful looks and teary-eyed endeavors to appear emotionally torn are exaggerated and seem out of place in the context of such a trivial story line.
Myers' performance is equally disappointing. His initial appearance as the lazy-eyed flight-school instructor presents a glimmer of hope; however, by the end of the film even Meyers' jokes are far too repetitive to be funny.
Other recognizable actors advertised in previews, such as Rob Lowe and Kelly Preston, almost appear more onscreen as their names roll during the closing credits than their faces appear during the actual film.
On a more positive note, at a mere 87 minutes "A View from the Top" is minimally time consuming. In addition, it's so intellectually cushy that it might be just what mentally frustrated college students need in the wake of end-of-semester stresses. However, under any other conditions, seeing "A View from the Top" should plummet straight to the bottom of all priority lists.
All Scene Stories for Thursday, April 10, 2003
