Plot: What’s it about?
Trixie Zurbo (Emily Watson) is a beautiful young woman who wants to advance herself, but she can’t seem to find the right words to get her there. Trixie tries her best to say what she means, but she always seems to use the wrong words or get them all mixed up. She still tries though and no matter what, she is convinced she can overcome the odds and live her dream. As of now, Trixie works as a simple security guard, but soon she hopes to show that she has the goods to become a true detective. As she screws up her words in her new job at a casino, she meets and falls for a local hood, Dex Lang (Dermot Mulroney). Soon, she finds herself drawn into a massive criminal plan, which seems to be more complex with each new detail that surfaces. This case reaches deep also, perhaps even all the way to the United States Senate and Senator Drummond Avery (Nick Nolte). Can Trixie use her detecting skills and solve her first case, or will her verbal issues cause her to miss out on this chance?
When I heard about Trixie and its screwball comedy roots, I couldn’t wait for this disc to be released so I could check it out. I read some reviews in the while, some of which were positive, but most of which called the film a total disaster. Now screwball comedies won’t work for anyone but fans of the genre, so I didn’t put much faith into those reviews. The cast looked impressive, with such names as Emily Watson, Dermot Mulroney, Nick Nolte, Nathan Lane, Brittany Murphy, and others, so I expected some humorous performances. I am not a big fan of director Alan Rudolph, but with Robert Altman on board as producer, my hopes were lifted somewhat. The film does have the screwball edge I wanted, but in the end, the writing falls below the level I expected. Some of the dialogue is excellent, but the rest of the film just suffers until the end credits. Watson is dynamic as the lead and delivers her intricate lines with skill, but the rest of the cast seems to sleepwalk through their roles and that lowers the impact of the movie. I wouldn’t say Trixie is a bad movie, but it should have been so much better than it is. I recommend a rental to those interested, but a purchase is in order only for those who love the picture.
I’ve never been a real fan of director Alan Rudolph and this film supports my claim of his skill level, which is far lower than most directors of his experience. He tries in Trixie to include unique camera moves and angles, but in the end it all comes off as forced, as it just seems unnatural most of the time. Rudolph has always been able to direct dialogue well, but where he fails is in the visuals, which he just doesn’t have the knack for. Had he of focused on more natural and simple visuals, perhaps Trixie would have turned out better and less thin. The dialogue is the true focus of the movie, but Rudolph tries too hard to distract us with his less than stellar visual style. When he plays it simple with the visuals, Rudolph can deliver a good movie, but he didn’t take that route here. Other Rudolph films include Choose Me, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, Mortal Thoughts, and Breakfast of Champions. The cast of Trixie includes Nick Nolte (Blue Chips, Mother Night), Nathan Lane (Mousehunt, The Lion King), Will Patton (Armageddon, Inventing the Abbotts), Lesley Ann Warren (Color of Night, The Limey), Brittany Murphy (Freeway, Drop Dead Gorgeous), Dermot Mulroney (Copycat, The Trigger Effect), and the always excellent Emily Watson (The Boxer, Breaking The Waves).
Video: How does it look?
Trixie is presented in a 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, with a full frame edition included on the disc’s flip side. Another superb transfer from Columbia/Tristar, no problems with this one and while it’s not perfect, it is pretty darn close. The film’s bright colors look sharp here, with bold, true hues and evidence of bleeds or smears. The flesh tones also come off well, natural in shade and with no distortion in the least. The black levels look sharp also, detail is high and the contrast seems to be very well balanced. We’ve come to expect high level transfers from Columbia/Tristar and once again, they’ve shown us why.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses a Dolby Digital 5.1 track, which sounds good although it won’t cause your system to work much. But the surrounds do see some action, from both the musical score and sound effects, when they need to be more active. The sound effects usually remain in the front channels, but when they need to come to life, they sound terrific. This film is fueled by dialogue however, which comes off as clean and crisp here, no problems in the least. This disc also contains a 2.0 surround track, as well as subtitles in English, French, and Spanish.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a rather dry commentary track with director Alan Rudolph and some talent files. Some trailers were also included, but none of them were for this film. Bummer.
