Movie Summary of The Extra Man by Michael The Moviegoer.
THE EXTRA MAN = **
“Ex-centric Men”
I wasn’t a fan of 2003’s “American Splendor” which garnered Oscar nominations for Shari Springer Berman’s and Robert Pulcini’s screenplay. But their new film “The Extra Man” feels awfully flat by comparison.
They’ve assembled a fine cast with Kevin Kline, Paul Dano, Katie Holmes and John C. Reilly. But they all play characters that are far too eccentric to connect with. They don’t feel authentically eccentric. These characters just feel written.
When Paul Dano loses his teaching job after being caught wearing a bra[!], he meets Kevin Kline who’s looking for a roommate to share his cluttered New York apartament. Dano then develops a crush on a girl he works with at his new job. She’s played by an almost unrecognizeable Katie Holmes.
Perhaps the strangest character in this cast is John C. Reilly who wears dreadlocks and a long beard and speaks in a high-pitched squeaky voice which was funny for a minute, but for the duration of the movie just becomes obnoxious and annoying.
“American Splendor” also was quirky and eccentric in its vision, and I admired the courage to experiment. But “The Extra Man” feels forced and unfocused. It’s quirky without purpose. Only mildly entertaining, and quite easily forgettable after it’s over.
DVD Double Feature: It feels like Kevin Kline played a similar version of this character only two years ago in 2008’s “Definitely, Maybe”. In this somewhat charming mainstream romantic comedy, Kline plays the supporting role of has-been novelist Hampton Roth. The leads are Ryan Reynolds and Isla Fisher.
Michael The Moviegoer
