If you were trying to get me to go to a movie you were going to make, signing on John Travolta and Jon Turteltaub would not start you off in the most positive of positions. I am at best undecided and bewildered by John Travolta who seems to be about the least interested person there is as regards his own career. His general scheme seems to be that he'll jump at any bone thrown in his direction, and this despite the fact that he is no stranger to career crashes. In the mid-80s you wouldn't have been surprised if you never saw him again. You would think that might mean that he would be really careful once he finally started climbing up again.
Jon Turteltaub has even less going for him. At least in Travolta's case, there are some things on his resume I have liked. Turteltaub, on the other hand, seems to be attempting to carve his initials above the door marked 'Sloppy Goofball Movies'. '3 Ninjas', 'Cool Runnings', 'While You Were Sleeping', 'Instinct', and 'The Kid', are just the sort of movies the people who put that door there were hoping for. Toss in an executive producer credit for 'Rocket Man', and the scales start to lean heavily in the direction opposed to the idea that there is any need for Turteltaub at all.
Despite starting with these two checks in the negative column, 'Phenomenon' is still quite a good movie. Ultimately, it is pretty easy to see that Turteltaub is simply not the man to pull this off, but it is at least passable.
'Phenomenon' (plotwise) is the story of an ordinary (in fact, somewhat less than ordinary) man living in a small town who sees a bright light in the sky one night, and thereafter is plagued by a rapidly growing intellect. Mild-mannered George Malley (John Travolta) is that man. A mechanic content to go about his small town routine, he now finds himself mesmerized by his own abilities.
Those around him are soon caught up in the, naturally, phenomenon that is George Malley. His best friend, Nate Pope (Forest Whitaker - 'Downtown', 'Smoke', 'Panic Room'), struggles to find a way to make head or tail of what George has become. The town doctor, appropriately known only as 'Doc' (Robert Duvall) is fascinated by George, and lends a medical/philosophical perspective to the change.
Of course, there is also the love interest. Lace (Kyra Sedgwick - 'Heart and Souls', 'Something To Talk About', 'Murder in the First') is a woman not particularly interested in love or George. Not to be put off, George buys all her chairs. (It makes its own sense, and doesn't really need to be explained)
Basically, we simply move along with George as he reads more and more (upwards of ten books a day before he's done), develops telekinesis, and is picked up on the radar of some government officials. In the end, we are left dangling between a supernatural explanation and a possible natural explanation, with no great commitment being given in either direction, and that's a good thing.
'Phenomenon' (storywise) is a story about what people do in the face of sudden and extreme change. It is the story about what George does and how he reacts to his changes, but more importantly it is the story of how everyone else in the town (and in a less important way, those in the government) reacts to him. From mocking disbelief to eventually a ludicrous explaining away of those things they have actually seen, the town (or the masses if you will) compensate their fear of change by simply refusing the change.
Even those members of the community that knew George best display their fear of anything that might make a dramatic change, or that might prove vastly 'better' than themselves, thus exposing their deficiencies. As the movie draws to a close Doc confronts those that have now turned to 'making the facts fit the theories' in order to maintain the status quo. Obviously the result of a childish fear of being proven 'worse' if someone else is 'better', these people sling disparaging comments about George around almost without a first thought, nevermind a second. Doc steps in to point out to them that George wasn't better than them because he got smart, he was better than them because he was George.
To one man who recently (and after much lead-in) split-up with his wife, Doc asks, 'Did you ever buy her chairs?' When the eyes begin to roll and the laughter is about to start, Doc breaks in. Every woman has her chair, he says, her one something that she needs. 'Did you ever find out what her chair was, and buy it?' The movie is worth it for that line alone.
The bottom line is that this is a good movie that perhaps should have been even better. Turteltaub simply isn't the guy to have running this show. He is the guy to whip out things like 'Cool Runnings' because the good directors can't be everywhere at once. The several directions of this movie are just a little beyond him. Luckily, Travolta, Whitaker, Duvall, and Sedgwick are all excellent, and we get something that is above-average. An interesting look at what genius can and cannot do, and at how people react to anything different, all without going too far overboard in the sap department.
There is a further subplot to the story which I won't give away. I will, however, mention that it is completely unnecessary, somewhat silly, and further evidence against Turteltaub's abilities.
Recommended:
