Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

"Dummy" is a romantic comedy written and directed by Greg Pritikin that involves becalmed young adults (aged approximately 30) in the tradition of "Marty," and, more recently “Garden State.” Although character-driven, there is some amusing plotting in getting all the stalled careers and most of the tentative romances in place for a big wedding.

Adrien Brody (doing his own ventriloquism) plays Stephen, a shy man-child with really dorky glasses who charms, frightens, then again charms his unemployment counselor Lorena (Vera Farmiga). Milla Jovovich (Joan of "The Messenger") plays his anarchic friend, a serial shoplifter who, like Stephen's sister Heidi (Illeana Douglas), wants to be a singer. Going for his dream, Stephen inspires others to do for theirs (how well this works if your try it at home, I have some doubts about!). Brody is very engaging in this role, along with having mastered ventriloquism for the part.

The ventriloquist dummy called "Dead of Night" to my mind, but things turn out differently in this movie. The sinister character here is not the dummy, but Heidi’s ex-fiancee, an accountant who also pursues his dream *’ceptin’ that would be Heidi, who wants no part of him, even at gunpoint).

The parents of Steven and Heidi are overly broad caricatures, but Adrien Brody is excellent, quieting any doubts that his performance in "The Pianist" was a fluke. He can carry a movie without channeling Roman Polanski. (He first impressed me in “The Thin Red Line.”)

I have not been easily charmed of late, but "Dummy" charmed me. (Why was "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" a big hit, and "Dummy" passed almost unnoticed despite Brody's Oscar getting it released in 2003? And having two very attractive and talented actresses on display?)

There are many DVD extras, none of them particularly worthwhile, including five wisely deleted short scenes, and a great deal of discussion about ventriloquism, ventriloquists’ dummies, and even lessons (from two-time Ventriloquist-of-the-Year Jeff Dunham, and two of his own dummies) but no director's commentary track. Trailers for five other Artisan releases are also included.

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© 2007, Stephen O. Murray

This is intended as a contribution to CaptainD’s good-movie writeoff and the Sleeper54’s lean-n-mean VI one (it was half the required maximum length—does that make it twice as lean?).



Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older