Weird name, weirder movie, great cast
Added 1/13/2009
Monkey Zetterland (Steve Antin) is a screenwriter with a crazy family. His mom (Katherine Helmond) is a soap star with hemorrhoids, his sister Grace (Patricia Arquette) is a lesbian whose partner (Sofia Coppola) is pregnant, his brother Brent (Tate Donovan) is a self absorbed hair stylist, and his father (Bo Hopkins) is an absentee oddball who shows up unexpectedly sporting a pet parrot on his shoulder. This doesn't even count the women in Monkey's life : his mean girlfriend (Debi Mazar) who dumps him, his stalker Imogene (Sandra Bernhard), and his mom's stalker (Ricki Lake) who tries to get to her through him. Finally there is the terrorist couple (Rupert Everett and Martha Plimpton) that just moved into Monkey's building. Obviously there's far too much going on in this movie. It isn't good by any means but it's occasionally fun to watch thanks to the cast. The plot, about Monkey trying to sell a screenplay about the L.A. boxcar system of the 30's, makes no sense. The humor, like the acting, is a little over the top. With that being said, the actors do wonders with their limited screen time. Coppola was the lure for me and I am pleased to say she looks beautiful and her acting has improved since 'Godfather 3'. She's kinda touching as the conflicted, pregnant lesbian. Antin was good in eighties movies, but here he is dreadful, like his script. Plimpton and Everett are the wild cards of the movie as married terrorists who hate each other. Donovan has a lot of fun as the vain hair stylist and we never get to know Lake's character enough to care about her. I could have done without Helmond, Hopkins, and especially Bernhard. The sound on the DVD is horrible and most of the dialogue is unintelligible (this might be a good thing). Make no mistake, this is not a good movie to recommend, but the awesome cast is a lot of fun.
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A Cast of Laughs
Added 2/10/2007
"Inside Monkey Zetterland"
A Cast Full of Laughs
Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride
"Inside Monkey Zetterland" with its ensemble cast (including Sofia Coppola, Debi Mazar, Sarah Bernhard, Martha Plimpton and many others) is one very funny comedy which stars its very cute writer and producer, Steve Antin. It is performed by an ensemble cast of wild characters in crazy situations who give us a movie about the most universal theme of all--people. You will laugh and you will cry from laughter even with its paper-thin plot. The humor is outstanding but be warned--this is a movie that you will either love or hate. Personally, I loved it.
From the beginning, you have no idea of what is going on. I suppose it is about man's search for love and happiness but then again it could be about the quest for something a little less--career and satisfaction. However, given a few scenes, things begin to fall into place and the movie flows like water. The humor comes from the family and from friends. The acting is perfection and what seemed shallow at first takes on a great deal of meaning. It is a movie that is somewhere "out there".
I have heard it called "indulgent", "meaningless" and "boring" and this just made me wonder if I had seen the same movie as the person who said that. There is so much going on and the cast is so fantastic that I am forced to argue that assessment.
Coming of age and accepting one's sexuality is never an easy subject to tackle even though so many do. The problem is that they do so unsuccessfully. If the plot is thin and the script is weak in "Monkey", I feel that the cast and the acting made up for that many times over. It is nowhere near a perfect movie nor is it even a better than average movie. It is a fun movie and isn't that quite enough?
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Reality Bites for [..] Gen Xers
Added 2/3/2007
Thrilled that this is finally on DVD. An adorable, funny, absurd, self conscious mish mash with an amazing cast. Sandra Bernhard is divine as Imogene. For gay men who have been immersed and insulated by their friends and family's lives, this movie is a wonderful gift. I've worn out my VHS, and can't wait to own it in widescreen.
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