Starring: Peter Gallagher, Suzy Amis, John Tenney, John C. McGinley, Cynthia Stevenson
Director: Tom Flynn
Producers: Thomas J. Mangan, J. Christopher Burch, and John C. McGinley
Screenplay: Tom Flynn
Music: Stanley Clarke
Released by Skouras Pictures, Inc.
Estranged for years from his cousin, Mike (John Tenney), John (Peter Gallagher) arrives in Chicago to spend an undetermined amount of time trying to repair the fractured relationship. Almost as soon as he arrives, he becomes embroiled in a game that Mike and his two housemates play. Called "Watch It", the objective is to play the perfect practical joke. There are a few very simple rules -- no one gets mad and anything goes. It's all for fun, or at least it's supposed to be. However, everything that goes on between Mike and John is not good-natured, especially where Anne (Suzy Amis) is concerned. John falls in love with her, but Mike, with his smooth charm and glib tongue, will do anything to keep her away from John, with whom he refuses to let the old feud die.
Most of Watch It is good, and some of it is even superlative, but there are enough problems to keep this film from escalating into the upper echelon of modern romantic comedies. Not everything about the relationships between the four male leads rings true. Some of what goes on is designed exclusively to elicit laughs; as a result, there are times when the characters become caricatures (one of the fundamental principles of this film is that all men are adolescent jerks in a state of arrested development, and this theme is sometimes overplayed).
However, for the most part, the portrayal of male/female interaction is right on the money. In many scenes, there's the perfect mix of romance, pathos, and humor. The most emotionally honest moment of Watch It comes late in the first half hour when John takes Anne to a White Sox game. Perfectly acted and insightfully scripted, this three-minute gem gently peels back layers of these two characters' personalities during the tentative, "discovery" phase of their relationship.
Unfortunately, Watch It is unevenly paced. There is a tendency to rely on worn-out plot devices (such as the man-apparently-sleeping-with-another-woman-when-he-really-doesn't misunderstanding). The ending is rushed, and the generally-upbeat mood is occasionally hamstrung by a dark, brooding undercurrent. Every scene with Mike as its focal point invariably turns gloomy.
Of course, there's also the game of "Watch It", around which the movie centers. For the most part, this is a harmless ploy designed to cull laughs from the audience. Most of the "Watch It" instances aren't as funny or inventive as writer/director Tom Flynn apparently thinks they are, but they don't sabotage the film's tone or direction, and there's one of them that I didn't see coming.
The interaction between John and Anne and, to a lesser degree, Rick (John C. McGinley in a role that he's been typecast into) and Ellen (Cynthia Stevenson), represents the film's high point. For the most part, even when these characters are in a cliched scene, their chemistry is strong enough that they rise about the banal nature of the scripted material.
Sometimes, I find myself liking a less-than-perfect movie like Watch It. Despite numerous faults, it has an endearingly lighthearted tone and several engaging characters. It's also pleasant to see a group of lesser-known actors (all of whom have done other work, but none of whom are "big names") putting out this kind of successful effort. Watch It isn't especially original, but it's fun.
© 1993, 1996 James Berardinelli