JOHN
TRAVOLTA 4-IN-1 DRAMA COLLECTION
BASIC
- Starring John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Connie Niesen, Tim Daly,
Giovanni Ribisi, Taye Diggs. Directed by John McTiernan.
LONELY
HEARTS - Starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Jared Leto, Salma
Hayek, Laura Dern, Scott Caan. Directed by Todd Robinson.
A
LOVE SONG FOR BOBBY LONG - Starring John Travolta, Scarlett
Johansson, Gabriel Macht, Deborah Kara Unger. Directed by Shainee
Gabel.
PERFECT
- Starring John Travolta, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jann Wenner, Marilu
Henner, Laraine Mewman. Direct by James Bridges.
(1985-2006/440
min)
AVAILABLE
ON BLU-RAY & DVD FROM
Review by Stinky the Destroyer🙀
Few in Hollywood have tried to stick a fork in
their own careers as often as John Travolta. While the guy has
come back from the dead more than once, he's really only done two
classics we'll still be talking about 50 years from now: Grease
and Pulp Fiction (and maybe Face/Off if you twist my arm). In between there have been scores of good films,
blockbuster films, forgettable films, paycheck films and more than his fair share of
"what-the-hell-were-you-thinking" career killers.
This
collection contains no classics, but Travolta's filmography being what it
is, any otherwise-comprehensive sampler needs to include one
of those career killers. We get a doozy here in the
ironically-titled Perfect, a total trainwreck that purports to be an expose on the fitness club scene, but is mostly an excuse to parade sweaty, gyrating bodies. This is was 80s, where
any trend was a potential high-concept blockbuster, capable of
selling as many soundtrack albums as movie tickets. Flicks like this
were Travolta's bread-&-butter at the time, but not even playing
dueling torsos with Jamie Lee Curtis could mask the stench of
desperation in every scene. The film oozes with every garish excess we
typically associate with the decade, and remains as morbidly
fascinating as it is unintentionally funny.
 |
| Looks like Little John sees something 'perfect', too. |
Basic
is the one good film in the collection, also noteworthy for being the
last movie John McTiernan directed before torpedoing his own career.
Say what you will about his subsequent life choices, the man did
give us Die Hard, Predator and The Hunt for Red October (so...a moment of silence, please).
Basic isn't in the same league as those classics,
though it is a fairly solid Rashoman-style mystery
thriller. Travolta is amusing as a cynical ex-Ranger brought in to
investigate the alleged murder of his former CO (Samuel L. Jackson)
by one or more of his team during a training exercise. After a
clunky start, the movie keeps the viewer guessing and remains just
intriguing enough that we overlook some of its implausibilities. But
sorry, Pulp Fiction fans...Travolta and Jackson reunite for
only one scene.
 |
| 'Basic' foreplay. |
If
the remaining two films don't ring a bell, it might be for good
reason. A Love Song for Bobby Long is character study probably
intended as an actor's showcase, which would be fine if the
characters were interesting. But despite decent performances
(including a young Scarlett Johansson), the film doesn't resonate
much. Lonely Hearts is a fictionalized retelling of the hunt
for the "lonely hearts killers," a couple responsible for
murdering several women in the 1940s. The film alters between their
exploits and two detectives who take the case (Travolta and the late
James Gandolfini). Though well made, interest peaks and wanes at
regular intervals, and the same story was told much more
effectively in The Honeymoon Killers.
Neither
of these last two films scrape the bottom of the barrel where the
likes of Battlefield Earth dwell, but in a way, that's almost
worse. They're both ultimately forgettable, like most of Travolta's
recent output. The high-camp hijinks in Perfect are far more
memorable, as are the twists and turns in Basic. It's only too bad one of his classics or blockbusters weren't included in this collection. Then it would be an accurate microcosm of his entire career.
KITTY CONSENSUS:
NOT BAD. LIKE CAT CHOW.
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