Cast: Sharon Stone, Jeremy Northam, Cathy Moriarty, Jean-Luke Figueroa, Mike Starr, George C. Scott
Director: Sidney Lumet
Producers: Gary Foster, Lee Rich
Screenplay: Steven Antin based on the screenplay by John Cassavetes
Cinematography: David Watkin
Music: Howard Shore
U.S. Distributor: Columbia Pictures
It's not unreasonable to wonder what has happened to director Sidney Lumet over the years. With the exception of 1997's Night Falls on Manhattan, Lumet hasn't done much of note this decade, and nothing to remind movie-goers that he's the man who helmed such classics as Dog Day Afternoon, Network, and The Verdict. A glance at Lumet's recent resume, which lists titles such as A Stranger Among Us, Guilty as Sin, and Critical Care, could easily lead to the assumption that he's a hack director. His latest project, Gloria, is a remake of a 1980 John Cassavetes film, and it does nothing to revive Lumet's sinking reputation. In fact, it only deepens the question of where this film maker's talent has gone.
Gloria tells a familiar story: how an orphaned boy and a lonely woman thrown together by fate grow to love and respect one another. Sharon Stone plays the tough-talking, street-wise woman, Gloria; Jean-Luke Figueroa is the 7-year old boy, Nicky; and Jeremy Northam (the love interest opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in 1996's Emma) is the bad guy, a gangster named Kevin. This premise wasn't original when Cassavetes plumbed it 19 years ago, and it certainly hasn't gained any freshness in the intervening years. The only somewhat atypical aspect of Gloria is that, instead of tackling the subject from a purely melodramatic perspective, it incorporates elements of a routine thriller: car chases, gunplay, and violent deaths.
Watching Gloria, I was reminded of Lumet's A Stranger Among Us, a 1992 misfire starring Melanie Griffith as an undercover agent in New York's Hasidic community. Despite a moderately interesting storyline, the film fell apart because Griffith couldn't carry her load. The same criticism applies to Sharon Stone here. Although she has proven in the past that she's capable of doing more than exposing flesh in exploitation thrillers (see The Mighty for a recent example of her surprising acting prowess), she is completely wrong for this role. Her approach and mannerisms are all off (half of the time, she seems to be doing a bad imitation of Gena Rowlands, who originated the part). Her New Yawk accent is simply awful - the last time I had this much trouble listening to a character talk was in Beautician and the Beast, where Fran Drescher's voice resembled fingernails on a blackboard. From beginning to end, Stone gives a cartoonish performance that turns Gloria into an unintentional comedy.
Although there's not much to the story, and the central relationship between Gloria and Nicky never really gels (primarily because it's impossible to accept Gloria as a real person), the movie offers a few diversions for those unlucky enough to watch it. First and foremost is Stone's wardrobe, which can probably best be described as "hooker chic." Regardless of whether it's a slinky black dress or a miniskirt with a sweater, she never wears anything that doesn't show off her legs. At times, her outrageous outfits and equally outlandish hairstyle are almost enough to distract one from that annoying accent. Almost, but not quite.
Opposite Stone, Figueroa does an adequate job as the kid. Thankfully, he avoids the most common pitfall of child actors: terminal cuteness. Jeremy Northam proves to be a lackluster villain. Character actor Mike Starr, who plays his "muscle", is significantly more intimidating, even though he's used as often for comic relief as for anything else. George C. Scott, who hasn't given a good performance since playing Scrooge in a made-for-TV version of The Christmas Carol, shows up for three short scenes as a mob boss with a sweet spot for Gloria.
Columbia Pictures elected not to screen this film for critics, and, while that's almost always a bad sign, Gloria is actually more watchable than I expected (that's called "damning with faint praise"). Nevertheless, just because it's not boring, that doesn't mean it's worth plunking down the price of admission for, especially considering that one of the rewards of doing so is enduring Stone's accent for 100+ minutes. If this kind of "orphaned boy bonds with older woman" appeals to you, give Gloria a pass and check out Central Station. That film (a strong candidate for a Best Foreign Film Oscar nomination, and the winner of the Golden Globe citation) contains all of what's good about Gloria without the pointless violence, unnecessary plot contrivances, and Sharon Stone.
© 1998 James Berardinelli