Brothers and co-pilots Dorian (Luke Wilson) and Angus (Jake Busey) fly out one night intent on scaring a not-so-innocent man with their military machine if not to death, then at least to fidelity - but their philandering stepfather hasn't taken his heart medication. The helicopter breathing down his neck like something out of "The X-Files" (which isn't really surprising, considering that the movie was written by one of the main "XF" writers) proves too much for him, and he goes down with a fat
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| Courtesy of Warner Bros. Drew Barrymore smells home fries on the breath of Luke Wilson. |
The movie's ad campaign makes "Home Fries" out to be a romantic comedy centering on the love story between Drew Barrymore and Luke Wilson. The movie's ad campaign also happens to be dead wrong. "Home Fries" is more about the demented family ties that bind than the patently unbelievably love story that inevitably takes place for lack of a better plot idea, and it succeeds neither here nor there.
There aren't really any unanswered questions in "Home Fries" once you understand the bizarre relationships between the characters. The dead stepdad, Henry Lever, frequented the Burger-Matic so much that he ended up impregnating Sally (Drew Barrymore), a faithful Burger-Matic employee.
Vanilla shakes make great foreplay. His wife found out about the affair (but not the impending child) and instructed her dutiful sons to kill her husband, which they did. This brings us up to speed with the present, as the movie deals with the screwy aftermath of the death. The step-patricide whets Angus' appetite for destruction - not to mention his mother's love - and he becomes obsessed with seeking and destroying Lever's partner in crime.
Angus is also overly concerned that the crossed radio waves will come back to haunt the brothers in court someday, so he bullies the much more passive Dorian into getting a job at the burger joint to do a little "recon." Meanwhile, Sally wants to go to Henry's wife to apologize (Henry lied to her about being married) and tell her about her condition. Crossed plotline mania ensues. Little does Sally know that the new Burger-Matic employee is her lover's stepson. Little do the brothers know that the wholesome, pregnant Sally, who has served them countless meals on the go, is the strumpet they're after. By the time Dorian realizes it, he is smitten and well on his way to love. No matter that they've been on exactly one date, not counting Dorian's heroics at the Burger-Matic when Sally's drunk of a father shows up with a shotgun at his little son's birthday party. No matter that the date took place at a lamaze class.
Barrymore is her usual effervescent self, looking pleasantly plump for her role as the pregnant drive-thru window maven. The problem with this is that her style doesn't jibe with the rest of the characters, except perhaps Dorian. Dorian is more doofus than knight in shining armor and is more (but not much more) entertaining to look at than to endure Wilson's acting. Wilson bears a passing resemblance to a "Mission: Impossible"-era Tom Cruise, but that's where the similarities end. Busey and O'Hara are mildly amusing but tend to bore, especially when the plot dips into movie-of-the-week mode as it decides to fuel Angus' vengeful rage by admitting that Mrs. Lever loves Dorian "this much more" than Angus. Ouch. Snore.
"Home Fries" doesn't snap and it doesn't sizzle. The best thing it has going for it is the quirky, complicated premise, but that doesn't even approach captivating for more than five minutes. The parents and Angus are mere caricatures and the romance that blooms between Sally and Dorian is difficult to swallow, no matter how much burger grease director Dean Parisot slaps on. The writing is rooted in some of the quirkier episodes of "The X-Files" but with none of the charm that those wacky FBI agents add.
Stay home. Eat some tasty leftovers instead of indulging in this half-baked comedy.
11-30-98
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