Cast: Rafer Weigel, Eric McCormack, Audie England, William Shatner
Director: Robert Meyer Burnett
Producers: Mark A. Altman, Dan Bates
Screenplay: Mark A. Altman & Robert Meyer Burnett
Cinematography: Charles L. Barbee
Music: Scott Spock
U.S. Distributor: Regent Entertainment
While watching Galaxy Quest a few months ago, I considered what a hoot it would have been if William Shatner had played the Tim Allen role. Of course, Shatner, who is as well known for his inflated ego as for his unique, pause-filled dramatic style, would never deign to do a feature film in which he so obviously and willingly lampooned his image, would he? Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is a resounding yes, he would. What I was unaware of in December 1999, when Galaxy Quest debuted, was that a small, unheralded indie film called Free Enterprise had been given a very limited theatrical run six months earlier. In it, Shatner portrays himself as a loner, an egoist, and a loser.
Like John Malkovich in Being John Malkovich, this version of William Shatner is probably very little like the real man. But it plays nicely off the image that the public has developed of the actor whose name will forever be linked with that of his most famous TV character, James T. Kirk (not T.J. Hooker). Free Enterprise's Shatner seems like a real man who has lost touch with reality. His dream is to put on a musical version of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar with himself in all of the male roles (Sharon Stone or Heather Locklear would play Calpurnia). And he's just deluded enough to believe that such a thing might actually be possible, even if it means that he (as Brutus) would have to stab himself (as Caesar).
Free Enterprise isn't really about Shatner, which is a shame in some ways, because he's the most interesting character to cross the screen. Instead, the focus is on would-be filmmakers Robert (Rafer Weigel) and Mark (Eric McCormack), two Star Trek, comic book, and science fiction fans who haven't outgrown what most people would consider to be a teenage addiction. Emotionally, they're in a state of severe arrested development. Mark is anal and Robert is a womanizer. Robert loves sleeping with women but has a problem with commitment. In fact, he would rather buy the latest special edition laserdisc than pay his gas bill. Meanwhile, Mark is trying to raise money to fund a movie he wants to make called Bradyville, which casts one of the Brady Bunch as a psycho killer. It's not surprising that these two are the best of pals - both of them believe that the answers to all of life's questions can be found in one of the original Star Trek series' episodes (they are not fans of The Next Generation). And, as children, they both had Captain Kirk/William Shatner as an imaginary friend.
Two events occur to change Robert and Mark's lives. The first is that, while browsing through a bookstore, they encounter their idol, Shatner, leafing through a porn magazine. In what is one of the film's standout scenes, they confront the actor, trying to reassure him that they're not crazed fans while giving exactly the opposite impression. When they take him out for a drink, however, they learn that he's not the man they thought he was. In fact, with his Julius Caesar obsession, he seems to be in desperate need of a reality check. After this disappointing encounter, the two must face the world with one of their greatest illusions Shatnered. And this isn't the last time their paths cross that of the man who played Kirk.
The second, and perhaps more remarkable, occurrence is that Robert falls in love. He meets the object of his affection, Claire (Audie England), in a comic book store. For him, she's the perfect mate - she has the face and body of a model and a passion for comics and science fiction to match his own. She is, in short, a fanboy's wet dream, and Robert is completely and immediately enraptured. While this is good news for him, it's not so good for Mark, who sees Claire as a danger to his friendship with Robert, and makes plans to break them up.
According to Mark A. Altman & Robert Meyer Burnett, who, between the two of them, wrote, directed, and produced the movie, much of what is in Free Enterprise is based on real life (compare the first names of the protagonists to those of the filmmakers). Of course, there's also a heavy dose of fantasy - such as the existence of Claire and the run-ins with Shatner, but Altman and Burnett both admit to being huge Star Trek fans, and the level of trivia that saturates the movie proves their credentials in that area. And it's not confined only to Star Trek - '60s and '70s pop culture as a whole gets a workout. There's even a parody of the short-lived, cult TV series, Logan's Run (which was based on a 1976 movie). Altman and Burnett are the kinds of guys Shatner was deriding in his classic Saturday Night Live "Get a Life" skit.
In terms of tone and temperament, Free Enterprise seeks to emulate Swingers. In fact, the choice to use Patrick Van Horn from Swingers as one of Mark and Robert's friends, was calculated. For the most part, Free Enterprise is hip and happening, although there are a few instances when it bogs down. A shade too much time is spent exploring the conventional romantic comedy rhythms of Robert and Claire's relationship. A set-to-music montage that is supposed to be a parody comes across as more straight than it should. But the characters are so likeable and played with such sincerity that it's difficult not to fall under the film's quirky spell. The movie takes enough risks that the familiar nature of the romantic aspect does not feel like a cheat. My only significant complaint is that, at nearly two hours, the running length is bloated.
The film ends on a deliciously bizarre note, with William Shatner performing a rap rendition of the "Friends, Romans, Countrymen" soliloquy from Julius Caesar. This is the actor at his most self-mocking (although some of his latest Priceline commercials come close). The entire sequence is delightfully cheesy, from the actual number to the poorly synched video and sound (it's pretty obvious things aren't being performed live). Shatner apparently only agreed to appear in Free Enterprise once Altman and Becker reduced his character from the level of a pop icon to that of an extremely flawed human being, and the "flawed" part is in bas-relief during this scene.
As is typical of low-budget, semi-autobiographical motion pictures, the film stars interesting but not well-known actors. Rafer Weigel, playing the freespirit Robert, has only a handful of credits to his name. Eric McCormack, on the other hand, boasts a significant number of TV titles on his resume (including one of the lead characters in Will and Grace - a role that he accepted after appearing in Free Enterprise), but doesn't have a great deal of feature experience. Together, these two develop a nice, friendly chemistry - a characteristic that is crucial to a buddy movie like this. Audie England is suitably charming as Claire - she's the kind of girl that anyone, not just a sci-fi geek, could fall for. Patrick Van Horn has some funny moments in limited exposure. And Deborah Van Valkenburgh (a regular in the '80s TV sitcom Too Close for Comfort) makes a cameo as a wealthy woman who spurns Shatner's advances.
When compared to other entries from the recent crop of new filmmakers crafting movies about their lives, Free Enterprise stands out as one of the most entertaining and least pretentious efforts. And, because of the deluge of often-obscure references, the movie is a must-see for anyone who loves, or has ever loved, Star Trek. The rest of the movie-going world will see this as a genial, amusing comedy with surprisingly broad-based appeal. Free Enterprise never received a significant theatrical distribution. Now, on video, it has a chance to find its audience.
© 2000 James Berardinelli