Cinema Verdict Review: The Tourist

The Tourist

OPENING: 12/10/2010

STUDIO: Spyglass Entertainment, GK Films

RUN TIME: 103 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
The perfect trip, the perfect trap.

Opening Statement
The star power of Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp cannot make up for The Tourist, an enjoyable, but ultimately flaccid mess of a spy-thriller-come-comedy. There’s no story to speak of, only a cobbled together plot built around a bogus ending–you’ll decipher the “big twist” within the first reel. Watch out for that James Newton Howard score, though–it’s terrific!

Facts of the Case
Elise Clifton-Ward (Jolie) is a well known and mysterious woman who spends her days reading love letters from her equally mysterious beau Alexander Pierce. Problem is, the British government, led by a ruthless agent (Paul Bettany), has it out for Pierce–he stole two billion dollars from a gangster named Reginald Shaw (Steven Berkoff) and owes a ridiculous amount in back taxes–and will sacrifice anything and anyone to get to him.

Enter Frank Tupelo (Depp) an American tourist/Math teacher on his way to Italy for some much needed R&R. Unfortunately for him, Elise, in an attempt to convince the government that Frank is actually Pierce (to draw them off), kicks off a romantic flirtation and thus paints a target on the inept traveler’s back. Things turn dicey, however, when Shaw, convinced that Frank, in actuality, is truly Pierce in disguise, pops up with revenge on the mind, and will likewise do anything and everything to bring him in.

The Evidence
I saw The Tourist a few days ago and still haven’t quite mustered up an opinion as to whether I liked it or not. The film has all of the right ingredients–star power/chemistry, an absurd (but passable) story, stunning locales, an Oscar worthy James Newton Howard score– and yet none of them mesh properly enough to warrant anything beyond a passive response. Did I enjoy the film? Sure. Was I bored? Not at all. Would I see it again? Probably not.

Director/co-writer Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck does well with his budget in terms of cinematography and setting. The film looks great, brimming with luscious, even vibrant Italian scenery and heart stopping vistas. Take out the stars and you have a plush travelogue video of Italy. Leave them in and you have a plush travelogue video of Italy starring Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp.

Perhaps that’s the problem with Donnersmarck’s flick: it’s too in love with the beautiful actors posing in front of the absorbing backdrops. Why else would The Tourist feature so many shots of Jolie (adorned in sexy, form hugging attire) walking to and fro, with nary an objective in sight, as though her presence were enough to sustain our interest for two hours? Indeed the opening sequence features the alluring actress drinking tea at one of those cozy, photo-op ready diners while government agents oogle her from inside their cover vehicle (at one point the camera even zooms in on her sashaying backside, such is the film’s objective). Instead of focusing on the plot, the audience takes in the exquisite sights: Look! It’s Angelina Jolie walking across the pier! What an outfit! Look! There’s Jolie standing elegantly atop a balcony! Get a load of that negligee! I half expected Joan Rivers to pop in and supply commentary.

Maybe the problem lies with the characters themselves. Frank and Elise are neither captivating, nor charismatic. We’re told Elise is dangerous, but she does little to validate such a claim. Frank, a high school math teacher, smokes fake cigarettes and wears funny pajamas. Otherwise he speaks in soft tones and acts less erratic than you might expect a man in Frank’s situation (or Depp for that matter) to behave. Mostly he joins the audience as they gawk at Jolie’s lithesome frame. “You look ravenous,” Frank tells Elise. “You mean ravishing,” she corrects. “I do,” he agrees. So do I.

Depp and Jolie make a terrific onscreen pair. The duo clearly has a ball chewing up Christopher McQuarrie’s (Valkerie) colorful dialogue, even if they appear less interested in the plot. Their chemistry is the only thing in the film that sizzles.

The Tourist is a movie that belongs in the 1950s, in a time when it was okay for films to feature actors standing around, or holding casual conversation; adoring audiences packed movie houses just to catch a glimpse of Humphrey Bogart, Katherine Hepburn, or Cary Grant. Such were the times. Nowadays, as recent star studded turkeys Knight and Day and Killers will attest, star power has nothing over plot and structure, at least not to the general public.

Me? I like my spy-comedies fast and furious–Mr. and Mrs. Smith (2005) anyone? Unfortunately, The Tourist is anything but.

Closing Statement
Much like the similarly themed Knight and Day and Killers, The Tourist overestimates the appeal of its main stars, in this case Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp–who make a terrific onscreen pair, but have nothing to do.

The Verdict
6/10

• >“”>