 The Contender (2000) It so happened that I was very, very high one Sunday afternoon, and naturally I wanted to sit down and watch a movie. For some reason I had rented The Contender a couple days prior, so I figured I'd go ahead and pop it in. Oof. Certainly it is a bad enough movie if you are not high. This was one of those movies where I saw the trailer and filed it away in the back of my mind as something I wanted to see. I tend to like political thrillers, but analyzing it now, I can only guess that the draw was purely the thought of a college-age Joan Allen gettin' it on. The movie centers on a woman nominated by President Jeff Bridges to fill the suddenly vacant Vice President position. After a seedy tale of old-timey frathouse shenanigans becomes the focus of her confirmation hearings, she is forced to stand up for herself, and all women, by refusing to dignify the allegations with either affirmation or denial. It's supposed to be some kind of Wag the Dog-style look at political maneuvering, but mostly it affords yet another opportunity for Gary Oldman to erase any memory anyone may have had of him being a good actor. He was, wasn't he? I could swearhe was at some point. Also, when did Christian Slater turn into a fourth-billed character actor whose appearance on screen is bound to elicit a smirk? He used to have some edge, didn't he? I could swear he did.
Review by Paul Po |